'Man v. Food' films at Betty's Pies

Casey Webb, host of the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food," and his crew descended on Betty's Pies this week to film a segment.

In each episode, Webb participates in a restaurant's eating challenge, which are typically large portions of food that must be finished in a certain amount of time.

His challenge at the pie shop near Two Harbors? The "Pig's Trough:" Four slices of pie, four scoops of ice cream, a pound of various toppings, whipped cream and a whole banana - all drizzled with caramel and chocolate.

If a customer can finish the challenge within 20 minutes, they earn a T-shirt.

"It's so fun, they're just so fun," Carl Ehlenz, co-owner of Betty's Pies, said during the filming Wednesday.

The idea for the Pig's Trough originated from the original "Man v. Food" series, which starred a different host, but has been on the menu at Betty's Pies for the last five years or so, Ehlenz said.

In December, the restaurant was contacted by representatives from the show who asked to see a photo of the Pigs Trough. When they saw it, they promised to film an episode at the restaurant in April.

On Wednesday, crews descended on the restaurant, a North Shore landmark, to film interviews with several people who had attempted the challenge. Webb then took part in that challenge later in the day.

Betty's Pies encouraged customers to eat lunch at the restaurant and offered them a 25 percent discount.

The crew also stopped at the Northern Waters Smokehaus and Breeze Inn in Duluth.

The Betty's Pies episode could air in August or late summer, a crew member said, but the exact schedule is unknown.