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Cheap Eats

2013–Ongoing5 seasonsRenewedSeason 6 upcoming51 episodes~30 min/epMidcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

Join Ali Khan, author of the blog "Bang for Your Burger Buck", on this sweet and savory ride as he searches for breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner on a budget of only $35.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Cheap Eats?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Cheap Eats streaming on discovery+.

Subscription

Highlights

What stands out about Cheap Eats?

Cheap Eats earns 1 badge: Feel-good.

Reception

Is Cheap Eats worth watching?

Cheap Eats' Midcredits score is the 32nd percentile of all shows, from 57 ratings (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 55% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

32nd percentile

Better received than 32% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

53rd percentile among Reality-TV30th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)42nd
Approval (how many liked it)24th

Acclaim

Cult Classic: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

69 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

42nd percentile of all shows

58th percentile among Reality-TV41st percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

55% liked it

24th percentile of all shows

48th percentile among Reality-TV23rd percentile among 2010s
55% rated it 7–1045% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

8th percentile

57 ratings across platforms

26th percentile among Reality-TV12th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 21% in 30 days

Episodes

5 seasons

Season 5 · 2018 · 13 episodes

  • S5E1
    S5E1

    Filling Up in Florida

    Aug 7, 2018
  • S5E2
    S5E2

    Sweet Deals Down South

    Aug 14, 2018
  • S5E3
    S5E3

    Michigan Mealin and Dealin

    Aug 21, 2018
  • S5E4
    S5E4

    Big D Delights

    Aug 28, 2018
  • S5E5
    S5E5

    Queen City Cravings

    Sep 4, 2018
  • S5E6
    S5E6

    Hungry in the Jax

    Sep 11, 2018

Watch experience

What is Cheap Eats like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and gentle — a slow-burn watch that leaves you feeling good.

Themes

  • Ambition
  • Community: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.

Feelings

  • Joyful
  • Warm

How it leaves you

  • Feel-good
  • Fun

What it asks of you

  • Slow burn
  • Casual
  • Easy watch
  • Resolved

Setting

  • Contemporary
  • Realistic
  • Urban
  • Domestic

Story

  • No archetype

Style

  • Warm
  • Playful
exact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: throughoutWarm humor
Told as
Episodic · 11% of shows: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Procedural · 7% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe show presents budget food exploration with genuine enthusiasm and affection for local eateries.
The rideConsistently cheerful and low-stakes; a light watch from start to finish.
StructureEach episode follows the same structure: Ali Khan searches for affordable meals in a new location.
Episode formatEach episode follows the same format: host visits budget food spots for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.
Season formatSeasons are interchangeable batches of episodes with no arc; any episode is an entry point.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves you content and inspired to seek out local budget eats.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeA non-narrative reality series with no overarching plot; each episode follows a self-contained food hunt.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10% (this title): Community 25% (this title) · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

Ambition · 14% of showsCommunity: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe show follows the host's personal quest to find the best cheap eats, celebrating local food vendors and the communities that sustain them.
StanceThe series celebrates local food culture and the host's passion for finding affordable meals.

The world

PopSupportive music · original score
SettingBudget eateries and food markets across North America

Cast and crew

Who is in Cheap Eats?

Cast

Toni Picariello
as Chef, Modern Pastry
Jeff Lamberti
as Chef, West End Bistro

Crew

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TMDB's suggestions for shows like Cheap Eats include Bob's Burgers (2011), Extreme Cheapskates (2011) and 2 Broke Girls (2011).

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