The Food That Built America

The Worst Episodes of The Food That Built America

Genre:Documentary
Network:History

Every episode of The Food That Built America ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Food That Built America!

The fascinating stories of the families behind the food that built America, those who used brains, muscle, blood, sweat and tears to get to America's...
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  1. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #1 - All American Marinara

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    S5:E1

    Imagine a world where marinara sauce isn't part of the American palate. That was true nearly sixty years ago, when food conglomerate Campbells kickstarts what will become an Italian American food staple.

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    #2 - Ice Cream Revolution

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    S5:E2

    A cab driver turned ice cream entrepreneur comes up with the idea to mix name brand candy into high quality ice cream to create new novel flavors. After opening an ice cream shop to share his mix-in creations, his concept skyrockets.

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  3. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Soda Rising: Birth of Pop

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    S5:E3

    In the late 1800s, two pharmacists 1500 miles apart race to create healthy, non-alcoholic beverage options, kickstarting the entire soda industry with their breakout hits: Hires Root Beer and Dr. Pepper.

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    #4 - Sunshine in a Glass

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    S5:E4

    A scientist and businessman team up to develop a Vitamin C rich war ration for the troops fighting in World War 2, which unexpectedly leads to the development of a frozen concentrated orange juice that tastes great and allows for the widespread distribution of OJ for the first time in history. Soon after, a fruit salesman develops a process of flash pasteurizing fresh orange juice that turns the fledgling industry on its head. The two companies will go on to battle it out for domination.

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  5. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Let Them Bake Cake

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    S5:E5

    During the mid-20th century, two unlikely characters find themselves in competition to simplify the lives of homemakers across the country by creating a tasty but easy boxed cake-mix; America's sweetheart and the original foodie go head-to-head.

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  6. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Penny Candy Craze

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    S5:E6

    In the early 1900s, an underestimated confectioner creates the first wrapped penny candy--the Tootsie Roll. Meanwhile, an unemployed salesman transforms medicinal hard candy into a fruit flavored, multipack designed purely for fun with Tropical Charms. The two go on to kickstart an entire industry of nationally branded candies and transform the lollipop into a global icon.

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  8. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Champions of Breakfast

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    S5:E7

    Will Kellogg is on top of the cereal industry after beating out post, but now, the king of cereal has met his match with a young flour mill executive; a decades long war for dominance ensues as Kellogg's and General Mills battle it out.

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    #8 - Planet Mars

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    S5:E8

    After being kicked out of the family business by his father, Forrest Mars scratches and claws his way back to create a multi-sector global empire, Mars Inc. Today that empire is worth over $47 billion dollars and a family dynasty that is the third wealthiest in America, worth nearly $100 billion.

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  10. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Lunchbox Legends

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    S5:E9

    Lunchtime is one of the most enjoyable meals of every kid's day, but before the 1960s it was just another meal; then, three very different food visionaries take matters into their own hands.

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  11. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #10 - The Colonel

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    S5:E10

    Kentucky gas station owner, Harland Sanders, develops a new method for making fried chicken, drawing customers from far and wide.

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    #11 - Citrus Soda Stars

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    S5:E11

    A small-time St. Louis soda maker, Charles Leiper Grigg, takes on Coke and Pepsi by introducing a clear, lemon-lime soda he calls 7-Up. At the same time, two brothers in Tennessee, Ali and Barney Hartman, have their own, called Mountain Dew.

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    #12 - Burger Empire: The Ray Kroc Story

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    S5:E12

    In the 1950s, middle-aged salesman Ray Kroc is drowning in debt when he's inspired by a roadside burger stand he wants to spread nationwide, McDonald's; he creates the modern model of franchising and ignites a fast-food gold rush.

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  14. 7.2/10(69 votes)

    #13 - Breakfast Barons

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    S2:E16

    Dr. John Kellogg and his brother start a revolution in breakfast, while rival C.W. Post takes direct aim at an empire of his own. And the creation of an iconic food comes at a cost, as the brothers’ relationship reaches a boiling point under the weight of their success.

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  15. 7.2/10(41 votes)

    #14 - American Spirits

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    S4:E10

    Two entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of Prohibition by staking everything on two liquors -- a bitter, bottom-shelf whisky, and a flavorless foreign moonshine -- and go on to save an industry and create two of the most popular brands in the country.

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  16. 7.4/10(57 votes)

    #15 - Flight of the Buffalo Wing

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    S4:E3

    Before chicken wings were America's favorite Sunday football snack, they were considered an undesirable cut of meat. Until two restaurateurs in Buffalo, New York, reinvent the way wings are cooked.

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  17. 7.5/10(45 votes)

    #16 - Holiday Treats

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    S4:E2

    The top selling candy days of the year revolve around Easter, Valentine's Day and Halloween. And it all started with a few bold pioneers.

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  18. 7.6/10(63 votes)

    #17 - Gum Slingers

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    S2:E15

    William Wrigley stumbles upon a new product that will kickstart a revolution across industries, but not before sparking a life-long rivalry.

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  19. 7.6/10(48 votes)

    #18 - Breakfast That Pops

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    S4:E1

    Two heavy-hitting cereal rivals duke it out for breakfast dominance; competition heats up when an idea is stolen; the ensuing battle transforms the breakfast landscape from a labor intensive meal at the table, to a meal of convenience on the go.

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  20. 7.6/10(46 votes)

    #19 - Candy Revolution

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    S4:E4

    A cereal executive's bold idea to finance the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie will kick-off a candy revolution that produces some of the most iconic, imaginative confections in history.

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  21. 7.7/10(69 votes)

    #20 - Ice Cream Empires

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    S2:E11

    A young boy accidentally discovers a frozen treat on a stick, and grows up to bring an endearing classic to the world. Plus, a candy store owner radically re-invents ice cream and launches the first ever ice cream truck. But when both men own a patent on the same thing, the resulting battle will destroy one man, and cement the other's fortune.

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  22. 7.7/10(40 votes)

    #21 - When Food Freezes Over

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    S4:E7

    Four intrepid food entrepreneurs race to harness emerging technologies like the home freezer and microwave, to bring revolutionary frozen snack icons to a waiting world, and forever change what we eat, when we eat, and how we eat.

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  23. 7.7/10(47 votes)

    #22 - Thanksgiving Dinner

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    S4:E8

    A look at some staples of Thanksgiving dinner that weren't around until a few brands used technological advances to reinvent turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and more; food innovators made each part of the meal accessible.

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  24. 7.8/10(78 votes)

    #23 - Godfathers of Fast Food

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    S2:E9

    A short order chef invents the hamburger bun and engineers a new way of making a burger faster than ever before; Nathan Handwerker invests his life savings into a hot dog stand at Coney Island.

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  25. 7.8/10(65 votes)

    #24 - When the Chips Are Down

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    S2:E13

    As C.E. Doolin and Herman Lay are out to prove the potential of the chips business in the 1950's, their success inspires one of the biggest companies in the world to enter the chip market. When a chemist begins work on a secret project, designing a strong, saddle-shaped chip and a revolutionary container to ship them in, the companies go head to head for market dominance.

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  26. 7.8/10(64 votes)

    #25 - The Rise of a Rival

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    S2:E14

    When candy company president Charles Guth gets shafted by a Cola salesman, he decides to buy a bankrupt rival company and go to war with the supplier who wronged him and its new CEO, the maverick businessman Robert Woodruff. The battle will help shape the world of soda for decades to come.

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Worst Episodes Summary

"All American Marinara" is the worst rated episode of "The Food That Built America". It scored N/A/10 based on 0 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 2/25/2024. This episode scored NaN points lower than the second lowest rated, "Ice Cream Revolution".