Guy Fieri gives one winner keys to his newest restaurant franchise worth millions on new Food Network series 'Guy's Chance of a Lifetime'

Series premieres Sunday, Jan. 2, on Food Network

√ discovery+ subscribers can stream premiere a week early on Sunday, Dec. 26

Guy Fieri is expanding his successful restaurant empire and is searching for one talented food entrepreneur to run their own Chicken Guy! franchise on “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime,” premiering Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on Food Network. The show is available a week earlier to discovery+ subscribers (on Sunday, Dec. 26). 

Fieri  was flooded with applications from all over the country and chose the seven top candidates to participate in the most intense, high-stakes job interview they could ever dream of, to become the owner of the newest location of the Chicken Guy! franchise. The candidates must prove they can successfully lead every aspect of the food business, from culinary, to marketing, to front-of-house hospitality. Over the course of the six hour-long episodes, there is unexpected drama and a surprising turn of events when one of the candidates breaks under the pressure. Only one will have their destiny changed forever when they win the ultimate chance of lifetime.

“I’ll tell you right now, this is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill competition show. No eliminations, no meaningless cook-offs each week. It’s a real deal job interview for a life-changing opportunity,” Fieri said. “The candidates on ‘Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime’ have to prove that they are the best all-around talent in the food business and, if they can do that, we’re in business … together."

Courtney White, president of Food Network and streaming food content for Discovery Inc., said, “We rolled cameras around the clock on ‘Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime,’ documenting every aspect of this unprecedented, grueling, 24/7 job interview. To win, these applicants study through the night, then rise at dawn to apply their new skills on the real-life restaurant line with Guy assessing their every move. The pressure and stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s an intense journey and thrilling to watch.”

To up the difficulty of the interview, Fieri and business partner Robert Earl have hand-selected a panel of experts consisting of business and food professionals to help mentor the candidates each week and determine the winner, including: Maneet Chauhan, Hunter Fieri, Anthony Hoy Fong, Antonia Lofaso, Christian Petroni and John Thall.

The premiere episode begins welcoming everyone to “Chicken Guy! University” for an education on everything there is to know about the franchise. First, Fieri challenges them on the cooking line, where they must learn every station and how to prepare every item on the menu. No one is prepared when Fieri opens the doors to customers, meaning they must service the lunch rush, all under his watchful eye making sure every detail is correctly executed. The pressure rises week-to-week as the candidates must prove they want the franchise most. Mid-episode, a candidate is overcome by pressure, making a shocking decision that rocks everyone.

In the finale on Sunday, Feb. 6, the candidates serve hundreds of customers at a “Fly or Fry” Food Festival, the culmination of all the training, critique and intensity. There, they run individual food tents marketing their unique culinary points of view to Fieri, the judges and the massive crowd. They must fully execute a grand opening of a brand-new Chicken Guy!

In the end, one candidate will surge ahead of all the others to win “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime” and the keys to their very own franchise.

The candidates vying for this opportunity are Kevin Cooper (Philadelphia), Chase Davis (Atlanta), Cayton Flippen (Paris, Texas), Eboni Henry (Dallas), Chelsea Sargent Lira (Houston), Phillip Tomasso (Rochester), and Douglas Walls (Asheville, North Carolina).

Fans can meet the candidates at FoodNetwork.com/GuysChanceofaLifetime. They can also get an insider's look at how to make the classic chicken sandwich on the Chicken Guy! menu, plus watch judge Antonia Lofaso make her version of the ultimate chicken sandwich. Follow the competition on social media using #GuysChanceOfALifetime.