Guy Fieri

And they said, if you can pass a year of French at the junior college at 16 and you can pass the class and you can figure it out, I guess. So I went and lived in a boarding house and went to high school, came back my senior year. I just was not interested in going back to high school. So I went to junior college.

Finished junior college, went to UNLV, got my degree, graduated a little bit early and went and ran restaurants for other people. And then, and I was 26, moved back to the wine country up to Northern California where I'm from, opened my first restaurant. Had a bunch of restaurants with a buddy. Things were great. Did exactly what I wanted to do. Wanted to be, you know, have a great wife.

Finished junior college, went to UNLV, got my degree, graduated a little bit early and went and ran restaurants for other people. And then, and I was 26, moved back to the wine country up to Northern California where I'm from, opened my first restaurant. Had a bunch of restaurants with a buddy. Things were great. Did exactly what I wanted to do. Wanted to be, you know, have a great wife.

Finished junior college, went to UNLV, got my degree, graduated a little bit early and went and ran restaurants for other people. And then, and I was 26, moved back to the wine country up to Northern California where I'm from, opened my first restaurant. Had a bunch of restaurants with a buddy. Things were great. Did exactly what I wanted to do. Wanted to be, you know, have a great wife.

Wanted to be a great dad. Wanted to have my own restaurant. That's all I wanted. Not that I was short-sighted and stuff, like big, big community person. Wanted to do a lot of, you know, community service and so forth. My parents were that way. So that was it, man. I had like three restaurants, owned a couple hot rods, bought my own house. I was living it, you know.

Wanted to be a great dad. Wanted to have my own restaurant. That's all I wanted. Not that I was short-sighted and stuff, like big, big community person. Wanted to do a lot of, you know, community service and so forth. My parents were that way. So that was it, man. I had like three restaurants, owned a couple hot rods, bought my own house. I was living it, you know.

Wanted to be a great dad. Wanted to have my own restaurant. That's all I wanted. Not that I was short-sighted and stuff, like big, big community person. Wanted to do a lot of, you know, community service and so forth. My parents were that way. So that was it, man. I had like three restaurants, owned a couple hot rods, bought my own house. I was living it, you know.

And a bunch of friends came up to me, actually a kid across the street came to me and said, you watch Food Network? I said, no. He said, we have a show on there called the Food Network Star. You should go on that show. I hadn't even seen Food Network. I saw Rachel Ray one time. I was at a bar. I saw Rachel Ray on screen. And I'm like, that girl's got energy. I mean, listen to her.

And a bunch of friends came up to me, actually a kid across the street came to me and said, you watch Food Network? I said, no. He said, we have a show on there called the Food Network Star. You should go on that show. I hadn't even seen Food Network. I saw Rachel Ray one time. I was at a bar. I saw Rachel Ray on screen. And I'm like, that girl's got energy. I mean, listen to her.

And a bunch of friends came up to me, actually a kid across the street came to me and said, you watch Food Network? I said, no. He said, we have a show on there called the Food Network Star. You should go on that show. I hadn't even seen Food Network. I saw Rachel Ray one time. I was at a bar. I saw Rachel Ray on screen. And I'm like, that girl's got energy. I mean, listen to her.

And she could talk food. She does no shit. So that was whatever. About six, eight months later, my wife's driving home from the city. She says, hey, I was just listening to the radio station. They had that Food Network star show going on. She goes, you'd be great in that. I go, how do you know? You know, I've seen the show.

And she could talk food. She does no shit. So that was whatever. About six, eight months later, my wife's driving home from the city. She says, hey, I was just listening to the radio station. They had that Food Network star show going on. She goes, you'd be great in that. I go, how do you know? You know, I've seen the show.

And she could talk food. She does no shit. So that was whatever. About six, eight months later, my wife's driving home from the city. She says, hey, I was just listening to the radio station. They had that Food Network star show going on. She goes, you'd be great in that. I go, how do you know? You know, I've seen the show.

She goes, no, they're just talking about it, like, you know, the culinary challenges and all the things. And then if you do it, you win a show. what do I want a show for? You know, doing what? I've not been on TV. I made my own TV commercials for my restaurant. That was the only thing I ever did that was TV.

She goes, no, they're just talking about it, like, you know, the culinary challenges and all the things. And then if you do it, you win a show. what do I want a show for? You know, doing what? I've not been on TV. I made my own TV commercials for my restaurant. That was the only thing I ever did that was TV.

She goes, no, they're just talking about it, like, you know, the culinary challenges and all the things. And then if you do it, you win a show. what do I want a show for? You know, doing what? I've not been on TV. I made my own TV commercials for my restaurant. That was the only thing I ever did that was TV.

I wouldn't say it wasn't appealing. It just wasn't in my scope. Right. It wasn't in your plans. It wasn't like something I was seeking. We had talked about it. There had been many people that had come to me before and said, like my buddy that was the marketing manager for Flowmaster. Remember Flowmasters? The mufflers?

I wouldn't say it wasn't appealing. It just wasn't in my scope. Right. It wasn't in your plans. It wasn't like something I was seeking. We had talked about it. There had been many people that had come to me before and said, like my buddy that was the marketing manager for Flowmaster. Remember Flowmasters? The mufflers?

I wouldn't say it wasn't appealing. It just wasn't in my scope. Right. It wasn't in your plans. It wasn't like something I was seeking. We had talked about it. There had been many people that had come to me before and said, like my buddy that was the marketing manager for Flowmaster. Remember Flowmasters? The mufflers?

Yeah, sure. So he came to me and said, you should do a hot rod show. You love hot rods. Let's do a hot rod show. I mean, I know enough to be dangerous, you know, about hot rods. I mean, I know just enough to get into the conversation where I bury myself. And so that was that. And so anyhow, the show, they say make a three-minute pitch. So all my buddies are like, you know, got to make the pitch.