Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives premiered on the Food Network in 2007. As dives and greasy spoons started making a comeback with hipsters and foodies, chef Guy Fieri decided to host a food and travel show where he would shine a spotlight on some of the best low maintenance eateries across America. Whether you hate to love him or love to hate him, Fieri has created a huge hit for the network, If you are down with the triple D, there are some behind the scenes facts about the show that you need to know. In this video, we'll tell you the truth about Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
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00:00Diners, drive-ins, and dives is one of the most recognizable Food Network shows.
00:04Whether you're a big fan of Guy Fieri or more of a Guy Basher, you need to know the whole
00:09story behind how Triple D went from practically nothing to a flagship show for Food Network.
00:13So how did it get started?
00:15How do they find those funky locations?
00:17And what happens to those food spots after the crew packs up and leaves?
00:21Here's everything you wanted to know about your favorite foodie show.
00:24We're rollin' out!
00:26Humble beginnings
00:27Guy Fieri and his Frosted Tips won season two of Next Food Network Star, which led to
00:31his own show, Guy's Big Bite.
00:33Around that same time, David Page had an idea for a program that would focus on, well, diners,
00:38drive-ins, and dives.
00:39The Food Network decided to give Fieri a shot at hosting.
00:42The pilot took 21 days to shoot and did well enough to lead to a full season.
00:46The rest is history.
00:48Scouting locations
00:50Have you ever been to a restaurant and thought, this place should be on Triple D?
00:53Well, there's a way you might be able to throw your favorite local joint into the fray.
00:57A fan site called Flavortown USA has a section for Triple D suggestions.
01:01According to the site, when you recommend a restaurant to Guy Fieri, it goes to his
01:04film crew and also gets promoted to other fans on the site.
01:07Or there's always the option of sending an email to storyideasatripledinfo.com.
01:12But that obviously isn't the only way the Triple D team comes up with filming locations.
01:16One Denver restaurant owner told Thrillist that producers had called a bunch of local
01:20food writers to find a list of good places, after which the restaurant essentially had
01:23to sell themselves to the team.
01:25The theme they're looking for is pretty basic, something off the wall.
01:28As Guy often says,
01:29If it's funky, I'll find it.
01:33Filming
01:34You probably realize that Guy doesn't literally roll up to an establishment, hop out, and
01:37start dropping catchphrases and scarfing down a meal.
01:40Recording television programs takes time.
01:42According to Heavy Table's behind-the-scenes look at Triple D, a crew will arrive at the
01:46chosen restaurant a few days or so before Fieri to get some required close-ups and general
01:50cooking.
01:51When you notice that Guy is narrating the chef's actions during those 48-hour sequences
01:54of smoking meat, it's because they already filmed most of the prep work.
01:58The shooting also follows a tight script, but there's some improv.
02:01That madcap, off-the-cuff weirdness is all Guy doing his thing.
02:04This is what it's like when the big weenie starts to have a meltdown.
02:09Huge impact
02:10Should your restaurant make it on the show, get ready for the wave.
02:13Southern Soul BBQ on St. Simons Island, Georgia, didn't believe it when they were warned of
02:17a 200 percent increase in business.
02:19But it happened, and that's par for the course.
02:21The allure of eating at a joint where Fieri ate is huge, and being on the show comes with
02:25a badge of honor of sorts.
02:27But nothing in life is guaranteed, and even a visit from the Frosted Tips fairy can't
02:31keep everything going.
02:32A significant number of Triple D alums have shuttered their doors.
02:35Of course, that's out of Triple D's control, but when you think about it, at over 260 episodes
02:40and three restaurants per episode, around 780 restaurants made an appearance.
02:45You're bound to have a few closed down through the years.
02:48Lawsuit woes
02:50Calling David Page simply a producer is quite an insult.
02:53At minimum, he's the creator of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
02:56From the pilot episode of Triple D up to Season 11, Page served as an executive producer.
03:01He came from a news background, has a couple Emmys on his CV, and had a reputation for
03:05being a bit… confrontational.
03:07At one point, Fieri stopped taking Page's calls and stopped showing up for voiceover
03:10recordings.
03:11Page was fired and subsequently sued Food Network and Fieri.
03:14Food Network countersued to the tune of $1.5 million.
03:18So what happened?
03:19The Food Network claim said Page was such a jerk that working with him became intolerable.
03:23Page said it was all Fieri's fault, because he didn't show up to do his job.
03:26As it usually happens in these situations, the two sides settled and the show went on
03:30without Page.
03:31But gone was the original red 67 Camaro, which was owned by Page.
03:35But fear not, it was quickly replaced by Guy's own 68 model.
03:40The Guy Code
03:41Guy Fieri seems to love the food everywhere he goes, but how can that be possible?
03:45Some people think there's a Guy Code, tiny little tics, words, and reactions to tell
03:49you what he really thinks.
03:50If Fieri takes a bite and immediately starts talking about the decor of the place, or the
03:54plates, or how tall the chef is, the dish is probably really not good.
03:58Occasionally, Fieri will actually prepare the meal for the chef in a different way than
04:01the chef did.
04:02He's essentially saying, do it this way because he didn't like their way, or something was
04:06missing.
04:07See, I have my method.
04:08I'm Thai basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts for sure, a little bit of lime, and a touch of
04:15sriracha."
04:16But if he really likes the dish, there are two stages of Guy Nirvana.
04:19The first is an extra bite.
04:21If Fieri only takes one bite, there's a good chance he didn't like the dish.
04:24If he takes two, you can guarantee it's a winner.
04:27Honestly, I could have 18 or 75 of these."
04:30He'll suddenly start talking about how good he feels while eating the dish.
04:34If he takes it a step further and gives that look, that's an award-winning dish.
04:38Those are the places you simply must try, because that's the top of the Triple D Mountain.
04:41My mouth is starting to water already."