A man who was promised the “chance of a lifetime” from Guy Fieri filed a lawsuit against the celebrity chef, alleging that the Food Network star’s company failed to live up to the offer he gave to the winner of his reality show.
Kevin Cooper won “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime” in 2022, a reality competition show that promised the winner their franchise of Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurant chain. Cooper, however, alleges Fieri’s company breached a contract in a complaint filed last week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fieri is not personally a defendant in the lawsuit, but his company, Chicken Guy, as well as the company of his business partner. A representative for Fieri did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The “King of Flavortown” told contestants in the show’s finale that one of them would earn the key to the franchise with a “full restaurant build out.” Fieri also promised other perks, including a first year’s salary and start-up capital.
Cooper’s franchise opened in February 2024 and closed roughly a year later.
The lawsuit alleges that the two companies behind the chicken brand failed to provide the promised $100,000 salary and failed to cover more than $68,000 worth of expenses related to the franchise.
The contest winner alleges that he had to take out a personal loan of $13,500 to cover some of the cost due to Fieri’s delay, according to the lawsuit. Cooper’s lawsuit requests full payment of the promised salary and reimbursement of the expenses.
“Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime” originally aired on Food Network in late 2021 and early 2022, with only six episodes. In the finale, Fieri announces Cooper as the first-place winner but promises to waive franchise fees for all the other contestants if they choose to open up a Chicken Guy! location of their own.
Fieri told Cooper that he showed “so much strength” throughout the competition and promised to open Cooper’s franchise in Cooper’s hometown of Philadelphia.
Cooper was in tears after winning the grand prize.
“This is crazy right now, I can’t even believe it,” Cooper said. “But I really came here and fought the hardest fight I could possibly fight. And I’m just happy, I’m grateful, and I’m thankful. And I’m just lost for words.”
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