Top 10 Secrets Behind Diners Drive-Ins And Dives
#10: The “Real” Guy Fieri
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While the mayor of Flavortown might be all that on camera, you might be surprised what the secret is behind the sauce. For example, he doesn’t eat as much as you’d think. Fieri has reported that eating multiple big meals - from multiple locations - in one day of filming can get very overwhelming and can affect his palette. As a result, he manages what he can eat, and brings a juicer along with him. A chef might be tempted to say one of his catchphrases, but they should try to avoid that. They won’t even get to talk to the man beforehand! But that’s just because Guy wants everything that happens on camera to be as genuine as possible.
#9: Fieri’s Famous Chevy Camaro
With Guy getting out of his vintage car at the start of every restaurant segment, you would be forgiven for thinking that he drives this vehicle around the country! Well, it turns out it’s not nearly as luxurious. Due to tight shooting schedules and preserving the beautiful machine, the Chevy is actually carted around on a trailer and placed on set before they start filming. Fieri only gets behind the wheel during close-ups, with crew members reportedly filling in for the wide shots of the car! But even if that dulls a bit of the magic for you, it’s still a sweet ride to have on the show.
#8: Fieri Brings Fortunes
Considering that “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” has been running since 2007, its many episodes have garnered a strong reputation for the show and huge fanbase. As a result, getting a visit from the celebrity chef can bring your restaurant some serious clout. The combined income from the original airing plus show reruns, have sometimes boosted the sales of featured restaurants by 200%! It’s something that Guy has to warn people about because all the attention can prove too much to handle. Regardless, if you ever question whether or not the man himself has visited the restaurant, it’s undeniable that he always leaves a special mark behind.
#7: Financing Fieri’s Feed
Since Triple D needs restaurants to provide content for the show, you’d think that the chefs and business owners might be compensated extremely well right away. But it turns out that if you want Guy Fieri to visit your restaurant, you’ll be the one footing the bill. Not only do you not get paid, but you also have to close up shop at a moment's notice. This could cause you to potentially lose potentially thousands of dollars in revenue. And since filming can take a while, you might be out of commission for a couple of days. But the potential publicity and footfall you get after being featured is probably worth it in the long run.
#6: How to Summon Guy Fieri
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It takes more than saying his name 3 times to get this legend to appear. Although there are many ways to get your place onto Triple D, it can be a pretty laborious process. You can submit yourself via their website, where you’ll be vetted by production staff. Then a select few will be hand-picked by Guy Fieri himself! If there aren’t enough choices for the season, the crew will ask local food reviewers and magazines for recommendations. Once selected, you won’t be given much notice before they land on your doorstep. Chefs also need all ingredients prepared beforehand. But then again, nothing good comes without some hard work!
#5: Fieri’s Generosity
Turns out that the Flavortown mayor’s got a fiery appetite for charity as well! “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” is a hectic show to film, sometimes taking place at multiple locations in a single day! This is why it’s surprising that Fieri allows Make-A-Wish families on set to every taping of the show day he can. He gives them a little glimpse into what it’s like on the show and takes his time with them when they visit. That’s not his only notable charitable act either. He’s raised money for many organisations and helped feed first responders during the 2018 California wildfires! Given how much it takes and costs to shoot the show, his acts of charity are incredible gestures.
#4: Flavortown’s Founding
After Guy won “Next Food Network Star” in 2006, he got a six-episode deal from the network for a series that would become “Guy’s Big Bite”. Around this time, producer David Page was asked if he had any pitches for shows that involved Diners. He miraculously came up with the concept for Triple D on the spot. Once it was greenlit, Guy was brought in as host. The pilot took between 17-21 days to film because they figured out the style and format as they went. Fortunately their efforts, coupled with Fieri’s signature charm, culminated in a fantastic episode that made such a good impression that episodes for a full season were greenlit.
#3: Fieri’s Friends Can Get Wild
When you’re on the road as much as Guy, you can understand if he wants some company along for the ride. But while he’s not known for his temper, his antics off-set can allegedly be a bit too “hot to handle. On a couple of occasions, people have complained about the various shenanigans that Fieri and co. get up to. On one noted occasion, an intoxicated entourage member reportedly broke a hotel elevator, got angry at staff and got almost everyone booted from the premises! We guess when you’re one of the most well-known food stars in the world, things can get wild. The reputation Guy Fieri and his posse have was hilariously parodied on shows like “American Dad”.
#2: The Series Was Embroiled in a Lawsuit
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Back when “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” first started, the show was backed by former investigative journalist turned producer, David Page. He was with the show for about 11 seasons. But after that long run, the former producer sued Food Network for 1.5 million dollars for unpaid production costs and resources. While Page claimed that Fieri had suddenly cut contact with him, others said Page was notoriously hard to work with. The fiasco actually halted production for the 12th season. However, Page was later countersued and the case was later settled out of court.
Fieri went on to continue making the show we love.
#1: Fieri Doesn’t Like Every Dish
Over the many seasons, Fieri has been portrayed as a really positive host that just seems to love just about everything! But that isn’t entirely the case. Since Fieri isn’t a big fan of liver or egg dishes, you won’t be seeing many of those plates on the show. And if the host isn’t fond of a spot's food, he’ll be sure to give the guests a bit of advice off-camera. Businesses will usually look at his experience and take his advice to heart. So how can you tell if Guy loves a meal? There are different ways, like who or what he talks about after the first bite. But probably the biggest tell is if he immediately takes a second bite. According to fans, that’s the true Triple D guaranteed seal of approval.
