New Discovery Channel show will feature episode about Appleton

Appleton was once ranked the “drunkest” city in America. A new Discovery Channel show will focus on visiting the communities that make these types of lists to see what the town is really all about.

“Being from a small town myself, you know, my town has been insulted and made fun of a lot,” said Mo Mandel, creator and host of the upcoming show “Small Town Throw Down.”

So, when Mo Mandel noticed the trend of internet lists assigning small towns with monikers like “most boring town” or, in Appleton’s case, “drunkest town” it gave him an idea for a TV show.

“The person who’s saying what that town is has mostly never even been there,” said Mandel. “So this show is all about giving a chance for the town to speak for itself to show the world what it is really all about.”

Mandel is spending the weekend filming an Appleton episode for “Small Town Throw Down.”

“Spent quite a bit of time in Cleo’s last night, I got to make a dirty snowball which is apparently a big thing,” said Mandel. “I’ve driven a snow plow, a snow plow rodeo. Which who knew that was a thing? So it’s been awesome.”

Mandel filmed a scene with Appleton History Museum Curator Dustin Mack in Houdini Plaza, learning about the magician’s ties to the city. He even attempted one of Houdini’s most famous tricks: escaping a straight jacket.

“I found that people in Appleton, they seem genuinely excited about their community,” said Mandel.

He hopes overall people who watch the series learn not to judge a town by some random list.

“To remember that there’s a lot more layers to every town you go to than what you might read or see on the side of a freeway,” said Mandel.

Mandel will be filming at the Appleton Yacht Club Sunday around noon, the public is welcome to stop by,

The Appleton episode will air sometime in late spring on the Discovery Channel.