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Yes! And I thought he was drunk at the prime rib joint as well?

oh my god the shock!

are you guys serious? the guy's done countless drugs, on and off screen. what do you think the artful swirly screens and color distortions are meant to represent when he's smoking with the locals or imbibing the local concoctions?

Which episode was this?

I pray to god that some day, some wonderful person will approach me with an incredibly well paying job that only requires that I travel, stuff my face, make snarky comments ... and get shitfaced on television.

Yeah I get shocked when he stays sober throughout an entire episode. That's why we love watching him, he doesn't just sample the local fare, whether it be food, drink, or uh...plant-based, he goes all in.

@ PumpkinBear 'nuff said.

Now I thought that he had cleaned up his act since his daughter was born and had quit drinking and smoking...was this an old episode or is back OFF the wagon? I love him either way.

After growing up with an alcoholic, I find that I'm not particularly enamored with watching a professional functional drunk. If it was the other AB (Alton Brown) who got giddy once on one of his road shows, I could deal with it because it would be a departure from his usual behavior. But seeing someone who obviously drinks so much that he can function well enough that some people don't notice ...and he does it regularly on camera... No thanks. And yeah, after living with someone like that, I see the signs and it doesn't seem fun or cool to me. Because if he's comfortable being that bombed on camera, he must be a real joy at home.

Love Anthony Bourdain, I don't watch his show thinking I will be enriched morally, I watch his show for the food porn and for the smart assed comments.... keep up the good work Tony!

I actually enjoy seeing him get drunk on the show by the way, I'm not in anyway against it!!

Confirmation! I was wondering if I just imagined it. AB was definitely more drunk more consistently in the SF episode than others in recent memory. Was anyone else suprised by his frequently-stated inclination to hate the place? Who hates San Fran? I mean, I know Bourdain is pretty much anti-puppies and rainbows, but I still thought this was an unexpected turn.

he admits this. shouldnt be a surprise.

Nobody had said as yet: did you feel that his drinking took away from his performance? Was it not a good episode?
I haven't seen it (yet) but it sounds like Bourdin being his typically entertaining self, which I enjoy. If he needs to snort crack through a pig intestine, I guess I'd be OK with that... ; 0

Why, oh why does my cable provider not carry the Travel Channel in my area? I'm missing all this.

Was that Kenley from Project Runway in the bar that used to be owned by the mean guy? I swear it was...

And I agree -- Tony was totally faced at the Prime Rib.

I couldn't care less - I just want to have foulmouthed, French babies with him.

well, the show does have a parental warning after each commercial break...

He gets hammered all the time. Big deal. It's always fun to figure out just how drunk he is.

Most embarrassing TB/alcohol moment: while totally sloshed in the company of Eric Ripert and other chefs in Vegas, Bourdain gushes about being a chef: "this is the best job in the world!!" Ripert, ever elegant, politely demures.... That is TV gold!

To reiterate what so many have said... this really is not a shocker. It'd be more shocking it he stayed stone-cold sober for a whole ep.

@Twinwillow
He did give up smoking when his daughter was born. I saw him speak late last year and he did a really hilarious monologue about Chantix nightmares.
Maybe he has gone back to it this season (got cable cut off and haven't caught any new ones yet! sadness)? Has he been smoking on camera?

I'd guess a little drunk and high. I've never seen him that tongue-tied before.

Bourdain drunk?

What are the odds?

I love him. Haven't you all noticed that the food world (esp. blogs) tends to be just a little bit....twee, precious, earnest, correct, jolie....He's much needed.

Susquehanna--and that liver belongs to Michael Ruhlman.

Really? Clean up your act for your kid. And shame on the network for supporting abuse. Hope all thier advertisers pull the plug just like they did on Glenn Beck!

True, Tony did appear a tad "over-served" even for him, but hey, when in Rome, eat pizza! Most troubling to me was when he turned down the bonus prime rib portion!

That girl at the Prime Rib house was totally flirting with him. That was a sad scene.
However, they drank like 12309503 martinis that episode, fun!!!

@cookingbooks
I'm not sure-- Andrea Immer often seems to get rather tanked on Simply Wine, and I've never heard anyone complain. Then again, I don't think she has the ratings that AB does, so there are probably fewer people to notice/complain. And I'm not complaining, BTW. ;)

I'm not on a moral high horse with AB or anyone else who partakes in adult beverages. I've been known to get sloshed in my life. But there's a difference between someone who has a few drinks and someone who is a drinker. If you've lived with a drinker, you'd recognize the signs and I doubt you'd think it was cute or sexy or amusing. Real, maybe, because it's really who he is. And if he's that comfortable drinking that much before and during work, in public, on camera, all the time, he really is a drinker. What he brings home to his family is probably a lot less pretty than what you see edited for a TV audience.

I don't care if he drinks until his liver explodes, I don't care what it does to his personal life, and I don't care how many other people think he's adorable. He is what he is, and no one is going to change him. I wish him the best. I hope he's happy. I hope his family does well.

A lot of people find that drunks are amusing. Fine with me, too. Watch them slur their words and stumble and be amused all you want. I don't find it amusing, but since I don't have to bring him home and make up excuses as to why he's passed out in the middle of the day, it doesn't bother me if everyone else is amused.

For me, it's all a personal matter. I just can't watch him objectively, because there's too much history with someone like that and it's not something I need to have stirring in the back of my mind. It's just way too uncomfortable for me to watch, whether it's in person or on TV. Luckily, when it's on TV, I can just change the channel.

Maybe AB is sober at home and he only drinks on TV and it's all a big act. Maybe you think that I'm being overly dramatic when I make assumptions about his off-camera life. Maybe. But even if it was an actor on a made-for-TV after-school special, I'd be uncomfortable watching it.

If it doesn't bother you at all, then I'm happy for you. Really. It means that you've missed out on one of life's great miseries. I think it's great that most of you don't have that kind of crap in your history, and I hope that you never do.

Like I've mentioned before, I don't mind seeing him drunk on the shows, I was just commenting on it to see if other people find it amusing.

@ sallee: I think the line was about how really BIG Giada's HEAD is!!

Love his show and, as mentioned, there is a parental warning..but by the way, what is SF known for musically and gastronomically that he hates?

he really scares me...I love to watch what he eats and yes what he drinks...I am a fan ....I gather he has issues....which are none of my bees wax!!!!!!