Mike Jerrick invites viewer to 'Try This'

EVERY TIME Fox 29's Mike Jerrick does his weekly "Ya Gotta Try This" segment on "Good Day Philadelphia," he gets a major Twitter response pleading to tag along the next week.

Jerrick's response: Sure, come on down.

Jerrick is hosting a "Ya Gotta Try This" event along with District Attorney Seth Williams, featuring edibles from 24 restaurants around the city, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Independence Visitor Center (1 N. Independence Mall W). The event benefits the Second Chance Foundation. Many Fox 29 staffers will be on hand to greet guests, in addition to those crazy kids at WMMR's Preston and Steve Show.

Jerrick likes to eat adventurously, which is at the heart of "Ya Gotta Try This." Usually, he loves what he's served on the segment, but sometimes it's just not for him. "It's normally the drinks. I usually like just straight drinks like vodka," Jerrick said. "I'm not so into the fruitier stuff and the experimental stuff."

The grossest thing Jerrick has ever downed was not for the segment. "Pig's eyeball," Jerrick said without hesitating. "It was horrifying and I would not do it again. It was gelatinous. They cook it for 24 hours. The whole pig! The eye is not a hard ball anymore. It's not even the texture, but the thought of what it is."

But experimental eating does have its perks, including getting to try sea urchin at Vernick (2031 Walnut St.) and the goodies cooked up at Serpico (604 South St.).

Although Jerrick is clearly game to try new things, what about Williams, who is trying to lose weight to raise money for ALS research? (For the record, in his first 25 days, I hear the D.A. is down about 15 pounds.)

"Oh, I forgot about that!" Jerrick said. "Well, he'll just have to control himself. I'll help him count [Weight Watchers] points or something."

To buy $50 tix ($100 for VIP), head to yagottatrythis.com.

* I heard "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier stopped by the 19th annual Vendemmia Festival at South Philly's Girard Park on Sunday.

* Actor Christian Slater was seen at Bucks County's Solebury Orchards (3325 Creamery Road, New Hope) on a perfect Saturday for some apple picking.

* Jason Richardson, Sixers guard/forward, enjoyed a crab-cake combo on Friday at the Philadelphia International Airport Legal Sea Foods.

Norristown-born actress Maria Bello ("Grown Ups," "A History of Violence") debuted her new short documentary, "A Recipe For Living," which follows mother Kathy's 29-year battle with cancer, at Villanova University on Saturday. Bello can next be seen in "Big Driver," a Lifetime adaptation of the Stephen King novella of the same name, premiering Oct. 18.

Temple alum Cody Calafiore took home the runner-up prize on last week's finale of the 16th season of "Big Brother." So what will the Howell, N.J., native do with his cash? "I was already talking to my brother about reinvesting it," Calafiore said. "I wanted to pay off all of my student loans, but unfortunately, $50,000 is not even enough."

C'mon, nothing fun?

"I have to. The loan's a real ball and chain every month," Calafiore said.

Other than the price tag, Calafiore had nothing but positive things to say about Temple, whose gear he repped on a regular basis throughout the season of the long-running reality show. "Being at Temple, and having a school like that behind me, it allowed me to brag about where I went to college."

So if he's sidled with so much debt, why not return to his previous career as an underwear model for C-IN2? "I really don't know. I got out of it. I had so much pride in the business degree I had, I didn't want to do modeling, I wanted to have a career and a job," said Calafiore, who was previously employed at ADP.

A memorial service was held for Tony Auth, the longtime editorial cartoonist for the Inquirer (and my childhood neighbor) who passed away earlier this month, yesterday at the Independence Seaport Museum. Hundreds came out to honor the legendary artist, including CNN's Jake Tapper, former Gov. Ed Rendell (who spoke about the power of Auth's work) and Terry Gross of "Fresh Air." In my humble opinion, Auth's greatest achievement was not his art, but his two lovely daughters.

Congrats to Daily News ace City Hall reporter Jenny DeHuff, who married longtime love Terrance Leach earlier this month before heading off to a Costa Rican honeymoon.

On Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN

Online: ph.ly/DNGossip