Dan Orlovsky believes his weird food takes make him relatable to fans

As a former NFL quarterback and a current ESPN NFL analyst, Dan Orlovsky understands that on paper, he isn’t someone that most football fans would find as relatable. But on the most recent episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast, Orlovsky explained how he has used his strange food preferences as a way to relate with his audience.

Orlovsky has had no shortage of food takes that have gone viral. Some have been incredibly normal, like enjoying vodka sauce. Others some consider to be utterly nauseating like putting ketchup on steak and eating bland chicken with no seasoning.

But in his eyes, the take that stood above the rest in terms of a reaction from the general public was a video taken by his ESPN colleague Ryan Clark showing the incredibly bizarre way that Orlovsky eats a Reese’s Cup, a routine that includes biting off pieces of the Reese’s Cup and spitting them out to only eat the peanut butter filling and not the chocolate.

Want to see a good crime? Here’s how @danorlovsky7 eats a Reese’s peanut butter cup… or doesn’t really eat it. Doesn’t like milk chocolate. Just eats around it. pic.twitter.com/Vynuexp178

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 30, 2025

“I think the Reese’s thing became a big deal last year,” said Orlovsky when asked by AA podcast host Brandon Contes which food take has gotten the biggest reaction. “Everyone always comes up to me and says that was staged. I was literally sitting there. No, it wasn’t staged. That one was pretty big. Sweet potato fries, I am always like, ‘Why are we eating French fries, guys?’ Ketchup on steak. The nachos with just the cheese and chicken. I don’t like guacamole with red onion, so you have got to check what is in the guacamole. I like guacamole if it’s like avocado and sweet onion. But red onion is too much.”

Interestingly, Orlovsky revealed that he has been broadening his horizons when it comes to food, trying things he has never had before. But ultimately, Orlovsky still prefers simple options compared to the fancy dinners that some would prefer.

“To be honest with you, I have started to dabble more with some foods that I would never have in the past,” said Orlovsky. “Part of it is just the way I grew up. We didn’t have a ton of options. I was eating mayonnaise sandwiches. It’s kind of what we had. That’s a very real thing and I loved it. And so, I have tried over the past year to dabble with more food and try more food.

“There is a new sushi restaurant in town. I tried a little bit more sushi. The only one I liked was the California roll. Go to a new sushi spot with some friends. ‘Try this new miso cod, it’s delicious.’ I try it and I go, ‘It’s fine.’ But I’m not going here and ordering that over like… Would I much rather have a cheese and chicken quesadilla? Absolutely. So it’s like, that’s my thing. It’s fine, but for $38, I’m not looking forward to buying it.”

While Orlovsky’s weird food quirks aren’t all that relatable to most, the topic of food always brings people together. And Orlovsky seems to realize that, detailing that he believes his food takes are something relatable for his audience.

“One of the things that I have learned over the years is once you become unlikable on TV, I think it’s really hard to get back to being likable,” said Orlovsky. “And so, the last thing that I think people watching TV want is, they know because you are on TV that you’re different than them. I think most people just know that. But they don’t want you to constantly remind them about it. They don’t. And so, I think there is a reality where I try to be conscious of it. I don’t want to say conscious. I want people to see me as, like, ‘Hey, he’s just a normal dude.’ I do think that there’s a reality that people enjoy that.

“But that’s a real thing. I don’t like spending money, I don’t. I don’t like spending the money. I’ve never liked spending money. I don’t understand people’s obsession with it at times. I like going out to a nice meal occasionally. But, like, I would much rather spend $12 on a Chipotle bowl than $50 at some restaurant. I don’t need to fly first class. It’s a two hour flight.”

Orlovsky is undoubtedly one of ESPN’s most important personalities in terms of the network’s NFL coverage as a regular on NFL Live and a frequent guest on numerous other ESPN studio shows, along with his responsibilities on the network’s No. 2 Monday Night Football broadcast team. Luckily, enjoying expensive food is not a prerequisite for any of those jobs.

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.