With the popularity of online entertainment, it didn’t take long for Food Network to catch up and make several shows available for streaming. Among these is Guy Fieri’s Guy’s Grocery Games, a cooking competition which takes place in a studio that has been set up to look like a grocery store.
On this show, chefs compete in a series of themed cooking challenges. The catch, however, is that Fieri also introduces some twists (budget limits, ingredients to incorporate, etc.). Over the years, several chefs have left quite an impression while cooking on the show.
Rene Andrade
The Arizona chef competed in the episode Guy’s Global Games last year. As fans would know, the challenges presented in this competition can be quite tricky and Andrade’s own experience was no different. In fact, he was forced to cook with two unlikely ingredients – cola and baby food. In the end, he used the cola for his tacos al pastor. Meanwhile, Andrade figured out a really tasty way to use the baby food. The chef explained, “I made enchiladas with an apricot baby food.” After knocking out his competition, Andrade won $12,000 in the final round.
Laura Fonner
Sure, the show doesn’t ask you to work with gross foods, such as those on Survivor. However, in the case of Guy’s Grocery Games, contestants sometimes get stuck with ingredients that don’t seem to go well together. For instance, what you would do if you need to prepare a grilled dish that also uses Worcestershire sauce, corn, and frozen peaches? Fortunately, Fonner knew exactly how to make the situation work for her. She recalled, “I immediately thought of Mexican street corn and surf and turf, and then self edited [sic] as I cooked.”
Carl Ruiz
Ruiz met Fieri long before he competed on Guy’s Grocery Games. In fact, the two men met way back in 2013 when Fieri came over to his restaurant, Marie’s Italian Specialties, to feature it on Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives.
Since then, the two men became close. In fact, Ruiz once remarked, ‘I wouldn’t have any of this if Guy Fieri didn’t keep me on the straight and narrow.” Ruiz also went on to compete and win Guy’s Grocery Games. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2019.
Elizabeth Falkner
Over the years, Falkner has competed as many as five times on Fieri’s famous grocery cooking show. Since then, Falkner has also guested on Fieri’s newer show, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen. In addition, she also competed in the Food Network star’s other game show, Tournament of Champions, twice. Aside from these, Falkner has also served as a judge on another famous cooking competition, Top Chef. And when asked about her experience being the judge, Falkner said, “I love the rush of competing myself but am thrilled to see what others end up making under extra pressure.”
Sammy Monsour
Monsour is among the previous winners of Guy’s Grocery Games who’s competed on the show multiple times. At one point, he even took home the grand prize of $20,000. Perhaps, what many may be unaware of is that Monsour also previously appeared in an episode of Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives when the show made its way to Boston. Meanwhile, this celebrity chef has also participated in Cutthroat Kitchen and most recently, Beat Bobby Flay. Today, you can catch this Michelin award-winning chef at his restaurant, Preux & Proper.
Jazz Singsanong
Singsanong is perhaps, one of the most popular chefs on the list since she has also appeared in one of the most highly-ranked episodes of Jon Favreau’s The Chef’s Show on Netflix.
Meanwhile, on Guy's Grocery Games, Singsanong has competed four times so far, including during the show’s Ultimate Spicy Games in 2019. Last year, this chef also returned to participate in the show’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Tournament. Aside from these, Singsanong also briefly appeared in the tv series Total Forgiveness and All Rise as herself.
Darnell Ferguson
Ferguson is one chef who was offered a chance to appear on Guy’s Grocery Games out of the blue. “They just called me", Ferguson revealed, “Said they had seen me and liked my personality.” Since then, Ferguson has gone on to win Fieri’s contest and win $14,000. So far, Ferguson has already competed five times and it’s likely that he would be willing to go another round. Meanwhile, Ferguson has also competed in the Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge and Tournament of Champions.
Crista Luedtke
Some movies can easily make you hungry and we can say the same thing about Guy’s Grocery Games episodes featuring Luedtke. The woman is behind Boon Eat + Drink at Guerneville, California. Luedtke’s restaurant offers takeout dishes that include crispy cauliflower, Moroccan chicken, veggie burger, Brussels sprouts, polenta lasagna, and beet salad. She’s also known for dessert creations like the Boon brownie, which comes with caramel sauce, vanilla whipped cream, and a bit of sea salt.
Maneet Chauhan
Chauhan is a longtime celebrity chef who has already appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games 16 times, once as a judge. Over the years, she’s competed in all sorts of themed challenges, including one for vegetarian food and sweets. Meanwhile, Chauhan has also served as a judge on Food Network’s other intense cooking show Chopped. Known for presenting contestants with some of the most intriguing baskets, the show has been featuring Chauhan as one of its judges since 2011. In addition, she also served as a Judge on Chopped Junior and Chopped After Hours.
Alex Guarnaschelli
Sure, there are a lot of interesting food shows on Netflix today. But one of the things it will never have is Guarnaschelli, a Food Network star who has both competed and served as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games. Moreover, this chef also holds the distinction of being the first winner of Guy’s Superstar Grocery Games. And when asked what she appreciates most about Fieri’s show, Guarnaschelli told Food Network, “I love the supermarket, so anyone who's making my playground into an actual playground, I'm good with it.”