Life’s a Trip

“I have to know what the world’s best steak tastes like,” Andrew Anthony says. To find out, he’s skipping the steak he’s about to prepare on the grill and heading for Japan to taste a Kobe steak that’ll set him back around $700.

Life’s a Trip is the latest Travel Channel newcomer, airing Mondays at 11 p.m. EDT. Each hour features two adventures, each starting with Anthony deciding there’s something he must do.

Japan might not have been the best choice for an opener, since anyone who’s watched the Travel Channel a little bit won’t be surprised by maid cafes, beer and liquor vending machines, karaoke, or sumo wrestling. It’s too fast an overview in half an hour, and Anthony’s above-it-all attitude makes it feel rather distant. When Anthony gets to the Kobe beef himself, he manages to slip in enough foodie info with the snarky narration to pull off this last segment.

The second half of the opener finds Anthony in New Zealand to learn about Maori culture and dance. It’s more focused than the Japan trip, and Anthony seems more interested and involved. He’s also more foolhardy, bungee jumping off a tall building in a single terrified bound to make a building into a symbol of his “personal inner strength.” Still, it’s hard to get involved in Anthony’s adventures.

Life may be a trip, but I’d like more of a feeling of being along for the ride. It won’t make you change the channel in disgust, but Life’s a Trip won’t have you setting the TiVo.