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The Worst Episodes of The Food That Built America

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

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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 heart through its stomach, those who invented new technologies and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Food That Built America Season 6 Episode 10 - You Don't Know Jack
    6.8/10(20 votes)

    #1 - You Don't Know Jack

    S6:E10

    Jack Daniel, known for his determination and innovative spirit, teams up with a skilled distiller to create a new recipe that could change the whiskey game.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 16 - Breakfast Barons
    7.2/10(75 votes)

    #2 - Breakfast Barons

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 10 - American Spirits
    7.3/10(47 votes)

    #3 - American Spirits

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Food That Built America Season 6 Episode 8 - Beer Necessities
    7.3/10(25 votes)

    #4 - Beer Necessities

    S6:E8

    A German immigrant looks to revolutionize the American beer industry when he's handed a struggling brewery; his signature beer will go on to amass sales of over 11 billion dollars a year.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 2 - Holiday Treats
    7.5/10(52 votes)

    #5 - Holiday Treats

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 15 - Gum Slingers
    7.6/10(68 votes)

    #6 - Gum Slingers

    S2:E15

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 3 - Flight of the Buffalo Wing
    7.6/10(61 votes)

    #7 - Flight of the Buffalo Wing

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 11 - Citrus Soda Stars
    7.6/10(33 votes)

    #8 - Citrus Soda Stars

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 11 - Ice Cream Empires
    7.7/10(74 votes)

    #9 - Ice Cream Empires

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 1 - Breakfast That Pops
    7.7/10(54 votes)

    #10 - Breakfast That Pops

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 4 - Candy Revolution
    7.7/10(51 votes)

    #11 - Candy Revolution

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 7 - When Food Freezes Over
    7.7/10(47 votes)

    #12 - When Food Freezes Over

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 10 - The Colonel
    7.7/10(33 votes)

    #13 - The Colonel

    S5:E10

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Food That Built America Season 6 Episode 6 - Coffee: A Brewed Awakening
    7.7/10(24 votes)

    #14 - Coffee: A Brewed Awakening

    S6:E6

    Jim Folger discovers a new way to bring coffee to the masses. Then another famous coffee brand gets its big break at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Plus, the creation of the iconic coffee machines that help make coffee a billion dollar industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 9 - Godfathers of Fast Food
    7.8/10(84 votes)

    #15 - Godfathers of Fast Food

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 14 - The Rise of a Rival
    7.8/10(70 votes)

    #16 - The Rise of a Rival

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 2 - A Cold One
    7.8/10(69 votes)

    #17 - A Cold One

    S3:E2

    In the late 1800s, German immigrants Joseph Schlitz and Captain Frederick Pabst find themselves in a battle for beer dominance. In their fight for one upmanship they will help create the most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet, introduce lager beer to the nation, and become two of the biggest companies on Earth for half a century.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 8 - Thanksgiving Dinner
    7.8/10(51 votes)

    #18 - Thanksgiving Dinner

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 15 - Dog Eat Dog
    7.8/10(39 votes)

    #19 - Dog Eat Dog

    S4:E15

    At a time when dog food is a rarity and cat food is almost nonexistent, it will take visionary innovators to invent the first dog treat, dry food, the first cat food, and many more innovations that will carve out the billion-dollar pet food industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Food That Built America Season 1 Episode 1 - Lines in the Sand
    7.9/10(146 votes)

    #20 - Lines in the Sand

    S1:E1

    In the wake of the Civil War, a revolution takes place on the backs of visionary entrepreneurs of industry like Heinz, Kellogg and Post; they push the limits of ingenuity to launch businesses that will revolutionize industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 13 - When the Chips Are Down
    7.9/10(72 votes)

    #21 - When the Chips Are Down

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 9 - Peanut Butter Battle
    7.9/10(52 votes)

    #22 - Peanut Butter Battle

    S4:E9

    When an entrepreneur creates shelf-stable peanut butter out of his garage, it leads to the birth of an iconic sandwich; as competition heats up to be America's favorite peanut butter, three famous brands battle it out to be number one.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 16 - Beer Run
    7.9/10(40 votes)

    #23 - Beer Run

    S4:E16

    At a time when U.S. beer is dominated by the same lager style, one Milwaukee company experiments with something new.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 5 - Let Them Bake Cake
    7.9/10(35 votes)

    #24 - Let Them Bake Cake

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 1 - Pizza Wars
    8.0/10(129 votes)

    #25 - Pizza Wars

    S2:E1

    In the 1950s, two brothers from Wichita, Kan., aim to build their restaurant, Pizza Hut, by introducing America to Italian dish-pizza. Americans soon fall in love with their pizza, but rival, Domino's, threatens to derail their success.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"You Don't Know Jack" is the worst rated episode of "The Food That Built America". It scored 6.8/10 based on 20 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/4/2025. This episode scored 0.4 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Breakfast Barons".