A portion of the internet was ablaze last week after celebrity chef Guy Fieri posted a video on Instagram. The Food Network star and mayor of Flavortown is instantly recognizable with his signature frosted tips, colorful bowling shirts, distinctive goatee, and blinged-out look. However, in the video, he traded in his iconic bleached-blond spikes and goatee for a clean-shaven look and a basic brown dad haircut, and swapped his bowling shirt for a more subdued button-down and slacks.
"After so many years celebrating my birthday as Guy, I figured I would celebrate it as just a guy," he said in the video, which garnered news coverage from outlets like Page Six and InStyle. Some Instagram users speculated that Fieri had used AI to create this alter ego, making him almost unrecognizable.
But The Hollywood Reporter can confirm that the new basic look is not actually part of a midlife makeover for Fieri; it is in fact a setup for a Super Bowl commercial for Bosch. The appliance maker released a teaser trailer Monday featuring both "classic" Guy Fieri and "Justaguy" Fieri.
While the actual commercial will have to wait for Super Bowl Sunday, the Bosch teaser is another example of brands leaning on star power and unexpected humor to stand out in the weeks ahead of the game. With commercials costing $8 million for 30 seconds on NBC, brands like Bosch want to get the most bang for their buck. And the news cycle inspired by Fieri's reveal is exactly the sort of buzz they would be looking for (he has been somewhat low-key since tearing his quad in an on-set accident late last year).
In other words, don't expect Justaguy Fieri to stick around for the next season of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In fact, don't expect to see him again after Feb. 8.
