Pretty much ever since he was declared the winner of the second season of The Next Food Network Star, Guy Fieri has been the punching bag of the celebrity chef world. With his frosted tips, plethora of catchphrases, and deep love of big sloppy plates of cheese and meat, Fieri is seen as the embodiment of everything wrong with American food culture. For years, people have gone out of their way to shit on this man and transform him into a walking meme. When The New York Times published a scathing review of Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square, an eatery no one in their right mind would expect to be high-quality, the public rejoiced. The Mayor of Flavortown is a veritable laughingstock.
But what if Guy Fieri is actually… good?
That’s the premise proposed by comedian Shane Torres, who, in his upcoming debut stand-up album Established, 1981, attempts to figure out what the hell everyone’s problem is with the chef with flames on his shirt. “As far as I can tell, all he ever did was follow his dreams,” says Torres before noting how insane it is that people put so much time and energy into hating this seemingly harmless, if not genuinely kind man that has given both time and money in the pursuit of making people happy. He makes sure his employees are well paid, he uses his show to promote small businesses around the country, he’s officiated a gay wedding, and, yes, his hair looks very silly. Check out the clip from Torres’ album below to hear a full list of Guy Fieri’s humanitarian accomplishments and to hear Anthony Bourdain described as someone who “seems like the kind of person that would be mean to dogs.”