Adriana Redding is a theme park blogger (follow her @bibbidibobbidi_broke on Instagram), winner of Harry Potter Hogwarts Tournament of House, and the new host of Iconic Eats. Delish sat down with her to find out which theme parks she is most excited to see, how she went from makeup artist to full-time influencer, and why she never rides the theme park rides.
You live in the theme park capital of the world. What brought you to Orlando, Florida?
I tell a different story based upon who's asking. You don’t gotta put this in the article, but for full transparency, I moved here for a boy—it didn't work out. Sometimes I just say, ‘Oh, I moved here for a new opportunity!’ I didn't really initially like Florida at all. But I figured, hey, this is where people vacation. And Disney is right around the corner.
How did you become an influencer and blogger?
[Once I started going to the parks,] I was quickly introduced to Disney Instagram and people who have whole Instagrams dedicated to going to the theme parks. I literally was like, ‘I can do that. I can take pictures and talk about my experience at the parks.’ My coworker was like, ‘What are you going to talk about?’ And I was like, ‘I don't know, I'm broke. I don't have any money, but I love going to Disney’ and he's like ‘well, you bippity boppity broke,’ and that's how it all got started.
When did you start to fall in love with theme parks?
[My family and I] would watch Christmas at Disney every Christmas [ed. Note: a.k.a. The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade that premieres every year on ABC]. It was like a tradition. We would always say that we're gonna go to Disney for Christmas one year, and we never made it. So my first year that I lived here, I went for Christmas, and it was a dream come true.
I love immersive experiences. I love when they bring the movies and the books to life. That's what I love so much about theme parks—you're literally living in this fantasy world.
What did you do before being a full-time influencer?
I was a makeup artist for Estée Lauder and Lancôme. I worked in the mall, and I would see people like literally getting ready to go to the parks. I got furloughed from my job in March of 2020. When we went into lockdown, I spent so much of my time honing my craft and trying to become a full-time influencer. One of the shows I watched all the time was Iconic Eats. I thought it was so cool that this girl was walking around the park, giving her honest opinion on food. I really wanted to do that.
Wow! Talk about manifesting.
I guess I kind of put it out into the universe. About two years later, I got an email saying ‘Hey, do you want to audition to be the host of Iconic Eats?' I'm like, ‘This is the series I've been watching, and this person is asking me if I want to [audition to] be the host. Good lord. It literally is my dream come true.
You’ve already shot several episodes for Iconic Eats. What has been your favorite so far?
Probably the Epcot episode. It's centered around people, and I really like people. The idea that you can walk around to these different countries and try food from each country is really cool to me.
Obviously, you’re already super knowledgeable about so many of the Orlando-based theme parks. In filming, did you find yourself learning things even you didn’t know?
Yeah, that's what I love the most. I get to nerd out about these things. I get to hear the chef talk about what they were thinking about when they created this and watch other people who are nerdy about these things. I get to tell them ‘I love what you do, and I appreciate what you do.’ And they're super excited about it too.
What theme parks are you excited to visit?
I live in Florida so I've gone to Disney, to Universal. So, I'm excited to see what other theme parks and other cities are like. We go to Kings Dominion [in Virginia] next week. I think the food at hometown theme parks is gonna be absolutely stellar.
Are there any foods that you won’t try?
There's not too many things I won't eat. I do like spicy foods, but I‘m not gonna ruin my day. I'm very adventurous when it comes to food. Something that the viewers will learn very quickly is I don't like rides. I get motion sickness really easily. And I also don't like dropping. But I love watching rides!
Watch Adriana Redding host Iconic Eats in the first episode, airing on the Delish YouTube channel at 2:15 p.m. EST on March 30.
