Think of it as Chopped meets Supermarket Sweep—but with a twist from Guy Fieri.
Every Wednesday on Guy’s Grocery Games, the Emmy winning host puts eager chefs through the wringer with his outlandish, hilarious and seemingly impossible challenges, all set within his very own grocery store, Flavortown Market. “This is a side of food that we haven’t really touched on that we all experience and that’s going to the grocery store,” he has said of the Food Network competition series. “You go to the store and you’re shopping sometimes on a budget. Sometimes you’re shopping on a timeline. Sometimes you’re shopping with your kids. So what we’re doing is …putting that into a culinary arena and I’ve got to tell you it’s crazy.”
With just 30 minutes, contestants must shop the fully socked aisles and prepare a dish that will win over a panel of judges, made up of his all-star friends like Alex Guarnaschelli, Jet Tila and Marc Murphy.
Easy? Well, on a whim, Fieri will have his competitors switch shopping carts—or only allow them to shop in the frozen food section. “Watching these chefs battle through it,” the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives star admitted, “is hysterical.”
Three rounds later, if they make it that far, a champion is named and they’re given a shopping spree though Flavortown—and a chance to win $20,000.
“You’ll see people crash and burn,” Fieri teased. “You’ll see tears. You’ll see cuts. You’ll see dropped plates. This is real deal.”
And a real fun experience to watch. After all, now in its 21st season, the competition is only getting spicier. So honor of Fieri’s 52nd birthday, we’re unwrapping the most delicious secrets about his reality series, from how the bleach blonde host really acts behind the scenes to what the food actually tastes like. Enjoy:
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