The Burger Show

Sometimes the best burgers are in the places where you least expect to find them. On today’s treasure hunt, skate legend Tony Hawk, Alvin Cailan, and Alvin's line cook, Christian Alquiza, are gonna tour some hidden gems of the burger world. For the first stop, Alvin and Tony Hawk will try a classic cheeseburger from an iconic Mexican food stand, Yuca's. After that, Alvin will link up with his line cook to visit his favorite neighborhood teriyaki spot, B-Man's, for a ridiculously good teriyaki burger. You ready? Let’s go!

Molly Baz is on a mission to make the perfect breakfast burger! On this week's episode of The Burger Show, Molly and Alvin's challenge will be to combine the best of both worlds—breakfast and burgers. Just think of it. Seared patty. Gooey cheese. Soft eggs. Squishy bun. *Chef's kiss* So what makes the ultimate breakfast burger? Molly's gonna make a delicious Smash Patty Breakfast Sando, and Alvin will crank out a spicy hashbrown bacon burger. Ya dude, get ready.

Get ready for a tour of L.A.'s best backyard, underground burger operations! In today's episode, Alvin will be hitting two special backyard pop-ups—Yellow Paper Burger in Monterey Park to try their classic double cheeseburger, and Hangaburs in El Sereno to try their epic Nayarit-style smashburger. As we all know, the past year and a half was gut-wrenching for restaurants. But in the wake of the pandemic's destruction, a beautiful thing happened in the food world. A vibrant pop-up movement took root in Los Angeles, made up of scrappy DIY food operations—many of them burger stands. It’s no exaggeration to say that we're in the midst of a Burger Revolution, thanks to an explosion of guerrilla-style hamburger stands. This episode is dedicated to the small business owners who took a risk to feed people during tough times. We salute you.

Did you know that rapper Rich Brian is a bonafide steak connoisseur? That's why Alvin is taking Brian on a burger vision quest and teaching him how to make a $400, dry-aged steakhouse burger—complete with caviar and truffle. Yup, straight up baller vibes. And to show off his own cooking skills, Rich Brian will give a master class on how to make the perfect steak at home. Meat eaters, rejoice!

It's the Burger Show season finale! And it wouldn't be a party without chef Joshua Weissman, whose viral TikToks and cooking series "But Better" have turned him into an Internet sensation. Today, Josh and Alvin are going to settle the debate once and for all—what makes the perfect burger combo meal? Beyond the bun and patty. What's your fry of choice? Waffle? Curly? Tots? And what drink are you washing it down with? Tune in to see what's cookin'!

At its core, a burger is simple: meat, cheese, bun. But when immigrant and first-generation chefs reimagine the burger, it's a whole different story. In today's episode, YouTuber Casey Neistat taste-tests 3 mind-blowing international burgers that reflect the diversity of L.A.'s robust burger scene: a Japanese deep-fried burger from Katsu Sando, an Indian spiced lamb burger (and cheeseburger samosas!) from Badmaash, and a super-spicy Thai burger from the legendary Jitlada. You don't wanna miss this.

On The Burger Show, smashburgers are gospel. And over the last few years, this iconic style has exploded in popularity all over the world. For today's challenge, three burger experts are going to teach you three different ways to make a smashburger. Burger Scholar George Motz will be giving a history lesson on the original smashburger. Burger Show host Alvin Cailan is flexing his creativity by making a hybrid Jucy-Lucy smashburger. And cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt will bridge the crispiness of a smashburger with the juiciness of a thick patty in his burger science experiment. Get ready for your ultimate smashburger master class.

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias, a.k.a. "Fluffy," learns how to cook must-try burger styles that every burger lover should know about—including a quintessential smashburger and hybrid quesadilla burger. Under the tutelage of Alvin Cailan, Fluffy is training to become the ultimate burger warrior.

For Part 2, Burger Scholar George Motz and Alvin Cailan continue their search for the best burgers in Texas. They first head to Knife Dallas to try one of the most famous steakhouse burgers in America, and cap off their road trip at Keller's, a classic drive-in burger joint.

Burger Scholar George Motz and Alvin Cailan go on an epic road trip to find the best burgers in Texas. Their first pit stop brings them to a 100-year-old burger joint called Herd's, two hours north of Dallas, where owner Danny Herd makes a hyper-regional burger unlike anything you've ever seen.

Marshawn Lynch taste-tests a $777 burger from Burger Brasserie at Paris Las Vegas and a $1200 burger in Las Vegas, and creates his own custom Beast Mode burger. In Vegas, everything is pushed to the extreme—and super-luxe, gourmet burgers are no exception. But are the hefty price tags worth the hype? To get some answers, Alvin is linking up with someone who’s familiar with the Big Baller lifestyle—Vegas veteran and former pro-bowl running back, Marshawn Lynch.

Binging With Babish and Matty Matheson pay tribute to the iconic Krabby Patty in this epic burger battle. For today's cooking competition, Matty will square off against Alvin Cailan. So who deserves to take home the Golden Spatula? We leave it in the hands of one person who knows best: pop-culture food legend, Binging With Babish. Game on!

Adam Richman eats the two best and most iconic burgers in NYC—J.G. Melon and Peter Luger. There are great burgers everywhere in New York, but only a few special ones deserve the title “classic.” Alvin is on a mission to track down two of the most legendary burger icons that have stood the test of time—one from an old-school tavern, the other from a storied steakhouse. And he's hitting up OG New Yorker Adam Richman to show him the ropes.

Hot Ones host Sean Evans eats the best burgers in his hometown, Chicago. From unique regional specialties, to high-end classics, Chicago has built a reputation for being a major burger destination of the Midwest. So who better to combine forces than with the city's hometown hero, the Spice Lord himself, Sean Evans.

Lana Condor taste-tests the best veggie burgers in NYC. The actress and star of Netflix's rom-com To All The Boys I've Loved Before will judge best-in-class veggie burgers from Shake Shack and Superiority Burger, and see if Alvin's own recipe can stand up to the test.

Binging With Babish, YouTube's favorite cooking instructor, tries to survive a shift working in a professional kitchen. Burger Show host Alvin Cailan will put Babish through two different challenges. First, the Prep Station, where he'll prepare the mise en place. Second, the Burger Station, where the stakes get even higher. Can the Internet cooking star handle the heat?

YouTube legend Casey Neistat taste-tests limited-edition burgers from the Shake Shack Innovation Kitchen. For Casey Neistat, there are two competing obsessions in his life: YouTube videos and Shake Shack. So for our season finale, we knew we had to roll out the Burger Show red carpet. Which is why we brought him to the ultimate bucket-list burger experience: to taste-test limited-edition burgers from the Shake Shack archives, and crown a winner.

Burger Scholar George Motz and Alvin Cailan are going on the ultimate regional burger road trip—which includes a pit stop to eat America's original hamburger. Motz is a veteran road warrior: he’s logged thousands of miles in his car chasing down burgers all over the country. For this episode, Alvin will be Motz’s co-pilot as he takes The Burger Show host to Central Connecticut, home to some of the most unusual burgers on the planet—as well as THE birthplace of the original hamburger, Louis' Lunch.

In episode 4, MythBusters Tory Belleci and Alvin Cailan are testing a burger robot. When Alvin first heard that Silicon Valley had built the world’s first fully automated burger robot, he knew he had to fly to San Francisco to see it with his very own eyes. Not only to taste the burger, but to race it head-to-head in a burger battle, man vs. machine. And he’s bringing along Tory Belleci to judge whether his years of cooking on the line will pay off.

"Burger Jedi" J. Kenji López-Alt is on a mission to debunk the most prevailing burger myths around. The award-winning author (Food Lab) and Internet Food Legend (Serious Eats) has conducted hundreds of scientific experiments on his influential blog, The Burger Lab. Today we'll learn some eye-opening techniques that will lead to a better, more delicious burger. When should you salt your patty? Do smash burgers actually produce the best crust? Find out in episode 3.

To be a real burger pro, you have to understand different ways to dial up flavor. Attaining Burger Lord status involves more than just a fancy cast iron or spatula. It involves science. That’s why Alvin is teaming up with food scientist and Museum of Food and Drink founder, Dave Arnold. Dave’s going to to pull back the curtain on essential scientific concepts—things like umami and the maillard reaction—that will help you make the perfect burger.

If you want to understand the soul of L.A.’s burger culture, you have to head to the Apple Pan. The 70-year-old West Side burger counter embodies the burger in its purest form—served at a counter and wrapped in paper by life-long staffers. Few people can talk about what makes this place special more than burger scholar George Motz. In today’s episode, Alvin and the roving Burger Lord are going to dig into why the Apple Pan deserves to be called one of the best burgers in America.

When the sun sets in Los Angeles and the crowd spills out of Dodger Stadium, that’s when the true spirit of Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburgers comes to life. While the world sings the praises of In-N-Out, real Angelenos know that this late-night burger temple is the secret handshake, known for its legendary chili burgers and party vibe. On today’s episode, two of L.A.’s greatest ambassadors—Kogi founder Roy Choi and KCRW radio personality Evan Kleiman—meet up with Alvin to talk shop about what makes Tommy’s the ultimate late-night burger spot.

Is the patty melt a burger or a sandwich? It’s a debate that holds a different meaning in SoCal, where the patty melt was born. To pay tribute to this underrated burger, Alvin is linking up with patty melt legend, chef Christian Page, to scout the best of what L.A. has to offer. From eating the historical patty melt at the famous diner, Du-pars, to sampling the new-school version at Cassell's—which chef David Chang crowned as "best in class"—get ready for Alvin's quest to find the ultimate patty melt.

Millions of us have fallen in love with Bob's Burgers, the heartwarming cartoon series that chronicles the life of Bob Belcher and his family-run burger joint. For chefs like Alvin Cailan, many parts of Bob's life resonate with his own experience running a kitchen. Which is why Alvin was so excited to meet the man who voices Bob—H. Jon Benjamin—and cook burgers from the show IRL for the season finale of The Burger Show. If you want to taste burgers made on The Burger Show, check out the last night of Alvin's burger pop-up, March 13th, at the Nolitan Hotel in NYC.

In Northern New Jersey, sliders reign supreme. The tiny, 1oz patties smashed thin on a griddle, smothered with onions, and placed between steamed buns are a regional speciality that have been perfected at the Jersey City landmark, White Mana. The history alone is worth the trip, which is why host Alvin Cailan invited Top Chef judge/host and fellow burger burger fanatic, Padma Lakshmi, to soak up some Jersey lore. Get to know the diner's ties to 1939 World's Fair, as well as its surprising connection to heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, from longtime owner Mario Costa. This is a piece of burger mythology you don't want to miss.

When it comes to food on the Internet, the bigger and bolder—and more rainbow colors—the better. It's a formula that's spawned a wave of "Stunt Food"—food whose sole purpose is to rack up likes on your Instagram feed. Chefs may not crave this kind of food, but it's no secret that they're also natural competitors. When they see something on their social feed, their first instinct is to say "I can do it better." So in the spirit of duking it out in the kitchen, Alvin goes head-to-head with Top Chef alum Ilan Hall to see who has the chops to make the craziest, most gonzo Stunt Burger. And they've got an all-star panel of judges—Sean Evans, Matty Matheson, Miss Info—to see if they've gone too far.

In the world of burgers, the In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack rivalry is the stuff of legend, pitting east coast against west coast in a battle of patty supremacy. But rather than feed the fire of an old flame, Alvin Cailan is teaming up with YouTube legend Andrew Rea (Binging With Babish) to teach people how to make both of these iconic burgers at home. Better yet, they've devised the ultimate peace treaty: a Double Shack x Double-Double Animal-style Voltron burger. It's a moment in burger history you won't want to miss.

Would you ever pay $1,000 for a burger? It's a question now worth asking as we see an influx of triple- and -quadruple digit burgers hit the market. Here on The Burger Show, we always preach simplicity. But that hasn't stopped us from dipping our toes into the Baller Burger Scene. Get ready for the 5 most expensive burgers ever to appear on The Burger Show. From a decadent beef-rib burger with comedian Gabriel Iglesias, to a luxurious Wagyu burger with NFL star Marshawn Lynch, these burgers are guaranteed to break the bank!