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TV This Week

The best of the worst food you can eat

'Carnival Cravings' isn't for those who prefer green veggies

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

August 12, 2015

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Before last fall’s debut of “black-ish,” the new hit ABC comedy, star Anthony Anderson drew a lot of attention for his impressive weight loss.

The actor had always carried some extra weight, but he dropped nearly 50 pounds and many people commented on his svelte new look as “black-ish” debuted.

It’s a bit odd, then, that Anderson is hosting a new show that’s all about finding and enjoying the greasiest, most deep-fried, sugar-laden food across the country in “Carnival Cravings,” which bows tonight at 10 p.m. on Food Network.

Anderson travels across the country to different carnivals, sampling their foods and presumably trying not to blow out an artery along the way.

Among the treats he samples: a deep-fried root beer float (ick) and a lobster hot dog (now we’re talking). That’s a far cry from the vegan diet Anderson adopted to lose the weight.

The show should benefit from having Anderson as host, because of his newly raised profile from “black-ish.”

The network will be hoping “Carnival” can match another show about indulging in great-tasting food, calories be darned, that aired in the same timeslot last week.

“Burgers, Brew and Que” drew a solid 734,000 total viewers in the slot last Wednesday, according to Nielsen.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Thrill Factor” (N)	Series premiere. New show takes a scientific look at thrill rides.
8 p.m.	ABC Family	“Kevin From Work” (C)	Series premiere. A guy named Kevin tells a woman from work he loves her before he moves overseas, but then his trip falls through.
9 p.m.	A&E	“Duck Dynasty” (R)	The guys try working on a pit crew at a NASCAR race sponsored by Duck Commander.
10 p.m.	Food Network	“Carnival Cravings” (N)	Series premiere. Anthony Anderson hosts a look at some of the best carnival and fair food from around the country.
10 p.m.	CNBC	“Make Me a Millionaire Inventor” (R)	Series premiere. Show aims to find the best inventions that never took off.
10 p.m.	Esquire Network	“The Next Great Burger” (R)	One burger in Phoenix includes a crab leg and duck fat hollandaise.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	TNT	“PGA Golf” (S)	The first round of the 97th PGA Championship, the year’s final major tournament.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Food Fighters” (R)	A law student from California competes against pro chefs.
9 p.m.	USA	“Complications” (D)	Season finale. John and Gretchen want to take Antoine home but run into, wait for it… complications.
10 p.m.	IFC	“Maron” (C)	Season finale. Marc is about to start his new talk show, but then injures his back.
10 p.m.	SundanceTV	“Rectify” (D)	Season finale. Daniel and Janet take a road trip to Nashville and stop in Georgia on the way.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Under the Dome” (D)	Big Jim and Julia put together a plan to overthrow Christine.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 a.m.	Amazon	“Wishenpoof” (K)	Series premiere. Twelve episodes of the new kids’ show become available.
2 p.m.	TNT	“PGA Golf” (S)	Second-round coverage of the PGA Championship.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	“Bunk’d” (C)	Emma and Zuri aren’t getting along, so they’re forced to canoe together.
8 p.m.	TNT	“Cold Justice” (R)	The team looks into a case of a missing mother who had been in an abusive relationship.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	“Edge of Alaska” (N)	Season premiere. A pack of wolves makes its way into the town.
9:30 p.m.	Logo	“Food to Get You Laid” (N)	Series premiere. New cooking show featuring romantic meals made in real kitchens.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	CBS	“PGA Golf” (S)	Third round of the PGA Championship, from Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Gymnastics” (S)	The women’s finals at the P&G Championships, aka the U.S. National Championships.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	“Sugar Babies” (M)	A college student is convinced to hang out with older men for money.
9 p.m.	Starz	“Power” (D)	Season finale. A number of people who work for Ghost begin turning up dead.
9 p.m.	NBCSN	“Premier Boxing Champions” (S)	The featured bout is a light middleweight fight between Lucian Bute and Andrea Di Luisa.
10 p.m.	Fox Sports 1	“Major League Baseball” (S)	A late-night matchup between Washington and San Francisco.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Time	Network	Program	Description
10:55 a.m.	NBCSN	“Barclays Premier League Soccer” (S)	A good early season matchup between title hopefuls Manchester City and Chelsea.
2 p.m.	CBS	“PGA Golf” (S)	Final round of the PGA Championship, won last year by Rory McIlroy.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Teen Choice 2015″ (A)	The 17th annual event, hosted by Gina Rodriguez, Josh Peck and Ludacris.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Ed Sheeran: Live at Wembley Stadium” (A)	The singer performs in London, including a duet with Elton John.
8 p.m.	HBO	“Show Me a Hero” (D)	Series premiere. The first two parts of a miniseries based on the book by Lisa Belkin.
9 p.m.	AMC	“Humans” (D)	Season finale. The Hawkins family attempts to save the synths.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.