By K.S. Wang
Quick Stats: Guy Fieri Food Network Celebrity Chef
Daily Drivers: 2004 GMC Sierra pickup (Guy's rating: 8 on a scale of 1 to 10)
2007 Corvette C6 (Rating: 9)
Other cars: 1971 Chevy Chevelle (Rating: 9)
1968 Pontiac Firebird (Rating: 5)
1976 CJ-5 (Rating: 8)
1996 Impala Supersport (Rating: 7)
2004 Cadillac Escalade (Rating: 7)
1967 Chevy C10 pickup (in pieces) (Rating: 3)
Favorite road trip: Route 66
Car he learned to drive in: 1968 Ford Camper Special
First car bought: 1978 Datsun 280Z
It seems every time you turn the TV on the Food Network, Guy Fieri and his spikey blond hair, tattoos, and jewelry is everywhere.
Lately, he's popped up on TGI Fridays commercials. And although he is in Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" and the cooking show, "Guy's Big Bite," with his testosterone-infused cooking style, Fieri logs the most miles on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," where he drives a red 1967 Chevy Camaro Super Sport convertible to mom-and-pop stops around the country.
But first he wants to make it clear, when asked if he has a Mustang: "No, no, no, no," he says, quickly. "I'm only a Chevy guy. Very clearly understood -- there's no Ford going on. Okay?"
When you call his cell, one of the ring back tones you hear is, appropriately, Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55." Although his nickname is "Guido" he also calls himself a "car junkie."
"It's funny, because out here in California, you don't have Italian, blonde haired-tattooed guys with earrings that you'd call Guido -- really doesn't fit the general stereotype," he says.
For fans who wonder -- yes, Fieri does actually drive the show's convertible on nice days between shoots, and they shoot two weeks each month to bring viewers to those out-of-the-way dives.
"The longest drive I've taken -- from Seattle down to Portland, took that drive in, it was awesome," Fieri recalls. "The gas is expensive but the tan is free."
On the phone, Fieri is animated, injecting car-rev sounds sometimes to illustrate a point. You get the feeling he could also do standup if he just had the time.
He was born in Columbus, Ohio, and his parents moved out to Whittier, California, when he was six months of age. Later, they settled in Ferndale, in Humboldt County. "What's up with that?" he asks rhetorically, referring to his parents' choice on where he was born. "There just could've been the brief opportunity of being born in California, I'm such a California kid now. What are you doing to me?"