Pucks to poutine: Sports show producers go rogue
Pair branch out into world of junk food with their ‘I’m Fat Podcast’
It started as an April Fools’ Day joke. Rick Camp and Jay Zawaski, two producers on what was then the “Spiegel & Parkins” show on 670 The Score, loved to talk about food. So, they launched their own show called the “I’m Fat Podcast.”
“It just started on a whim,’ said Zawaski, of Homewood. “The reaction was great.”
That was nearly three years and more than 80 episodes ago. It turns out the duo had a similar sense of humor and good chemistry. And listeners were into the concept: two guys discussing food and exploring “fat culture” with a hefty — but inclusive — dose of humor.
Driving it all is an underlying positivity that Zawaski said is key to the show’s success. If they try food from a national chain they do not love, they might say so. But when it comes to local restaurants, they will not bury any independent spots by name — only uplift the ones they enjoy.
Their ultimate goal is celebration of a common love for food. And they want to make their listeners part of that.
“We don’t body shame; we don’t food shame anyone,” Zawaski said. “Fat is a mindset, not a body shape. We’re so
programmed to make us feel ashamed of what we like. Everyone’s got a vice. It’s just trying to take away the stigma of weight shaming.”
The concept grabbed a good audience in the early going, in part thanks to an overlap in the following of their radio work as well as the “Madhouse Chicago” hockey podcast Zawaski does with NBC Chicago’s James Neveau. But roughly one year ago, “I’m Fat” was granted permission by The Score to become an independent production.
“It really picked up popularity,” Zawaski said. “People are finding it.” Zawaski, a 43-year-old who grew up in Oak Lawn and graduated from St. Laurence High School in Burbank, said he thinks there is a strength in creative control. Being on their own, he and Camp have the ability to promote the show on their own. It also helps that “I’m Fat” is no longer part of such a competitive pack.
“I think it got buried a bit in Score content,” he said, noting now it has a chance to grow organically. “Word-ofmouth has been our best asset.”
These days, emails and calls to “Fat Phone” come from all over the country. And social media engagement, particularly at twitter.com/imfatpod, is at an all-time high amid this year’s “March Fatness.” The show, using a March Madness-style bracket, is asking listeners to vote for winners between 64 food- and fat-related competitors. The winner will be inducted into the coveted Onion Ring of Honor, which already features pizza, bacon and Andy Reid.
Those social media connections with fans will have to do for now. Zawaski said the one downside to this past year being such a big one for the show is that the pandemic has impeded further outreach. The show is getting window clings made to offer to the restaurants featured on “I’m Fat” — picture the show’s logo with a sort of “USDA-approved” stamp vibe, Zawaski said — to act as cross-promotion of the show and the businesses.
“The hard part has been, while we’re experiencing this growth, it would be nice to get out and do some events, but that hasn’t been able to happen,” Zawaski said.
But the pandemic has not otherwise slowed down the co-hosts’ love for food. While Zawaski was talking to the Daily Southtown, he pulled into the drive-thru at McDonald’s to try the chain’s new chicken sandwich for the first time for a segment on Episode 85. Zawaski also recently had a chance to dig into a monstrous calzone from 5th Quarter Tap & Press Room Eatery in Homewood, as featured on Episode 83.
He said the show has expanded his joy of food by getting him to try new things. His favorite to date may be a spot in Villa Park called I Love Frys, which exclusively serves french fries. There, he tried everything from chicken and waffles-inspired fries to poutine.
“The place was incredible,” he said.
Zawaski said the show has fostered a great symbiotic relationship with their fans when it comes to trying new things. When the show covers a particular restaurant, they regularly hear from fans who checked it out after the fact. They also get recommendations from listeners. And it is that community bond that was kind of the whole idea.
People who love to eat enjoy “I’m Fat.” But people who may have given up the type of foods the show’s hosts like to discuss follow them almost as much. Call it vicarious eating.
“Food is something that unites everybody — junk food especially,” Zawaski said.