Back in 2005, a little-known restaurateur from Sonoma named Guy Fieri submitted an audition tape to the Food Network. The goal of the audition tape was to be selected to be a contestant on the competition show "Next Food Network Star." That spiky-haired chef with the funny last name won the show. He was rewarded with his own series.
"Guy's Big Bite" premiered on June 25, 2006. The original run was six episodes. Guy was paid $1,000 per episode. A total of $6,000 for the season. Fast forward 17 years and today Guy is easily the most important personality in the Food Network family. As you might have guessed, he has come a long way from earning $1,000 per episode. In fact, with the contract extension Guy just signed, in 2024 he will make $1,000 every 1,000 seconds. That's $1,000 every 1,000 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long… for three years!
Side note: I just watched Guy's original 2005 audition tape. I'll embed it below. As you watch, please note that in 2005 Guy seemed to pronounce his last name with a bit of an accent. Listen for yourself. What we pronounce today as "fee-air-eee", Guy pronounced like a sped-up "fee-ett-i." What you may not know is that Guy's actual last name is "Ferry." At some point he adopted the last name "Fiery," which is his paternal grandfather's last name. So it's not totally made up 🙂 But I digress.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dollars
Guy Fieri just signed a 3-year, $100 million contract extension with the Food Network. This new contract will keep Mr. Ferry with Food Network through the end of 2027, allowing him to surpass 20 years with the network.
In addition to continuing his hosting duties on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Tournament of Champions," this extension allows for the development of additional new shows through Fieri's Knuckle Sandwich production company.
Second Big Contract
This is not Guy's first big Food Network contract. He's coming off a 3-year $80 million contract that he signed back in May 2021. Combined, Guy will have earned $180 million from Food Network between 2021 and 2027. That's $180 million over six years, $30 million per year on average.
Knucklehead Restaurant Empire
In addition to producing shows for Food Network, Fieri's company, Knucklehead Sandwich LLC, operates 17 restaurant brands which have been franchised to around 90 locations around the world.
Now you understand how Guy Fieri is one of the richest celebrity chefs on the planet with a net worth we conservatively estimate at $100 million.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
In a statement announcing the extension, Discover US Networks CEO Kathleen Finch said:
"In addition to being a star on Food Network, Guy is a global phenomenon with millions of fans throughout the world and he's an incredibly creative content producer as well. We're thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with Guy and to continue to entertain his legions of fans."
In his own statement, Guy Fieri said:
"For nearly two decades, Food Network has been my home and continuing to create great TV within the Warner Bros. Discovery universe is exactly where I want to be. Food is our most universal language so being able to unite people through highlighting chefs, restaurateurs and the folks dishing out incredible meals all over this country and world is a privilege and responsibility that I don't take lightly."
