Why Guy Fieri’s Guy Off The Hook Was Canceled

Barely a year before Guy Off the Hook premiered, the Food Network’s previous top live cooking show had already been canceled. The massively successful Emeril Live with chef Emeril Lagasse ran a decade prior, reinvigorating the Food Network and live cooking entertainment in general. Like Fieri, the chef-catchphrases were a huge part of pop culture (who hasn’t said “bam!” in the kitchen?), and his big personality drew thousands of fans with every episode.

But entertainment trends were moving in a different direction. In an excerpt from his book, From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, Allen Salkin explored how changes in leadership and television production in general shaped the future of the network. After hiring outside consultants, the network found that many viewers were growing less interested in “dump and stir” cooking shows in favor of the more reality, on-the-road location focused premises networks like TLC and the Travel Channel were exploring.

With that in mind, it’s surprising something like Guy Off the Hook was ever greenlit in the first place. But it also opened the doorway for new faces to step in and make a name for themselves on the network, and for a show like Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives to thrive.