Guy's Grocery Games (often nicknamed Triple G) is an American reality competition television series hosted by Guy Fieri and his son Hunter on Food Network. Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest, cooking food with ingredients found in a supermarket grocery store ("Flavortown Market") as Guy Fieri poses unusual challenges to them. The winning chef of the episode can collect up to $20,000 in a shopping spree bonus round. The show often features chefs from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, another show hosted by Fieri. The show Dessert Games was a short-lived spin-off.
Episode format
The set is laid out in the manner of a typical supermarket, whose 10 aisles are stocked with a wide range of foods that include fresh produce, meat/poultry, and frozen items. Each chef has their own station for preparing and cooking food. Three judges officiate in each episode, introduced by Fieri during the first round.
In each round, Fieri assigns a dish (usually a general type such as "a fried feast" or "an upscale dinner") and issues one or more challenges that the chefs must fulfill. Challenge types include games or random drawings to determine ingredients that must be used, items or aisles being declared off-limits, and an upper limit on the total number/price/weight of ingredients. In the absence of any pertinent restrictions imposed by Fieri, the chefs have 30 minutes to collect their ingredients in one trip, using a standard shopping cart, and prepare/plate their dishes. They must cook their dishes and complete four platings (three for the judges and one "beauty plate") before time runs out. At the end of each round, the judges taste and evaluate the dishes and select one chef to be "checked out," or eliminated from the game with no winnings. On occasion, the chefs compete through only two rounds instead of the usual three and/or face two eliminations at the end of a single round.
The last remaining chef advances to the bonus round, Guy's Shopping Spree, for a chance to win up to $20,000 in two minutes. The two main formats prior to 2020 were:
Seasons 1–11: The chef must retrieve one named item from each of the market's 10 aisles, receiving $2,000 for each item placed in the shopping cart. Season 12 to present: Fieri reads five clues, each of which can be answered with a particular item, and the chef receives $4,000 for each item placed in the cart.
On occasion, such as during tournaments or specially themed episodes, Guy's Shopping Spree is not played and Fieri awards the full $20,000 to the winner.
Guy's Grocery Games: Delivery
"Delivery" episodes, filmed in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, involve three chefs (usually ones who have served as judges) cooking in their home kitchens through two rounds of competition. Chefs receive one or two boxes containing food (and sometimes equipment) to re-create one or two of the studio challenges. Chefs may generally use whatever equipment they have on hand; at Fieri's direction, they may also use ingredients of their own.
A three-judge panel evaluates the chefs' dishes in each round. Instead of choosing a chef to be checked out by consensus, the judges individually assign point scores in each round based on gameplay (15), creativity (15), plating (10), and the chef's description of the taste (10), for a maximum possible total of 50. A chef's score in each category equals the average of the three judges' ratings. The high scorer from the first round receives an "Envelope of Opportunity," which grants an advantage for the second round and, occasionally, a donation to a charity of the chef's choice. The low scorer must open a "Package of Pain," which assigns either an impediment for the second round or an embarrassing item they must wear or task they must do. After two rounds, the chef with the highest total score from both rounds wins and can either accept a guaranteed cash payout (typically $5,000 to $10,000), or let Fieri determine the prize by spinning a wheel with values ranging from $0 to $20,000.
These episodes are presented jointly by Fieri and his son, Hunter and aired as part of the show's 25th and 26th seasons.
Upon the show's return to the studio, the two-round format and scoring system were retained, though modified to taste (20), gameplay (20), and plating (10), for a total of 50 points per round. Either three or four chefs compete as in previous seasons; the lowest scorer after the first round is eliminated, and the winner is determined by highest combined score. The day's champion can choose to either play Guy's Shopping Spree or accept a mystery check worth up to $20,000, with Fieri announcing a minimum possible value for the latter that changes from one episode to the next.
Challenges
A wide variety of challenges and games are used in the show with new games added as the series progresses (and some games tweaked or changed a little). Some of the following games have been played once or twice while others have become familiar game staples. Some episodes combine two games at once (e.g., combining Frozen Food Feud and Can Can)
1, 2, 3: Chefs must prepare a specified ingredient in two different ways and may only shop in three aisles. 2 for 1 Special: Played in the final round. Each chef must select one of three unusual ingredient pairings and use both items in their dish. ABC Game: All ingredients must begin with the same randomly chosen letter of the alphabet. Aisle Down: Not announced until the contestants begin shopping; an aisle containing one or more key ingredients for their dish is blocked off by police tape, forcing the chefs to quickly find an alternative. Basket Shop: Used when pairs of chefs are competing. Instead of shopping carts, the teams must collect their ingredients in hand-carried baskets, with each teammate holding one handle at all times. Budget Battle: The contestants are given a set amount of money to shop for ingredients, and may take advantage of coupons or price specials throughout the market (and, in some episodes, to exchange items they are not using). Some episodes consist of a single Budget Battle spanning all three rounds; in this case, Fieri sets their total budget for the entire game before the first round, but chefs may apportion the money as they see fit and reuse leftovers from previous rounds. Cart/Station Swap: Used mainly in the final round, the two chefs must trade shopping carts or cooking stations, thus being forced to use each other's ingredients and/or work in progress. Can Can: Contestants are only allowed to use canned food items in their dish. The Claw: Announced mid-round, contestants have to play a claw game and grab a little plastic ball with an ingredient label on it. Inside is an undesirable version of that ingredient, which must be used in the dish. (E.g. a ball labeled "corn" might contain candy corn.) Clearance Carts: Chefs must get all their ingredients from three carts filled with assorted odd items. Closing Time: Mid-shopping, an announcement is made that the store is closing, limiting the time the chefs can spend in the aisles. Crazy Can Roulette: Each chef selects one of several unlabeled cans and must use its contents (marked on the bottom end) in their dish. Divide and Conquer: Used when pairs of chefs are competing. A strip of tape divides the market in half from front to back, running along Aisle 5. The two chefs in each pair must shop on opposite sides of this line, but may call out suggestions and/or speak face-to-face in Aisle 5 as desired. Express Lane: Chefs may use no more than a specified number of ingredients. A variation is Register Run, in which the first chef to reach the checkout aisle may use the full number of ingredients and each successive chef must use one fewer than the preceding competitor. Flip This Dish: Contestants must use ingredients for one type of dish to create a totally different type, such as dessert ingredients being used in a savory dish. Food Pyramid: Similar to the pricing game Plinko on The Price Is Right. A ball is dropped down a peg-covered pyramid to determine what ingredients or other restrictions, on three levels, the chefs must use in their dish. Food Wheel: One or two wheels are spun to determine the game restriction like mandatory ingredients, which aisles to use, and/or food budget. The most common variation is the High/Low Food Wheel, in which Fieri spins one wheel consisting of expensive ingredients and a second one of low-end groceries; the chefs must use both items in their dishes. Frozen Food Feud: The chefs are only allowed to use frozen items in their dishes. Grocery Bowl: Chefs each roll one melon toward soda bottles labeled with ingredients or aisle numbers, and must use whatever they leave standing or knock down, depending on Fieri's instructions. On occasion, Fieri or one of the judges will roll an extra melon after the chefs have all taken their turns. Grocery List: Each chef is given a list of items that must be incorporated into that round's dish (a mix of specific food items and more generic suggestions such as "something from aisle 6" or "something under $1.99"). Variations include Emoji List, where the ingredients are represented by emojis, and Ultimate Grocery List, in which the chefs are given a list of ingredients that they must use during the entire competition but may decide which ones to use in each round. Jackpot Luck: Contestants pull a lever on a special slot machine and must use the three random ingredients that appear when the machine stops. Keep It Sample: The chefs must incorporate at least two ingredients from four different sample tables located throughout the store in their dish. Kiddie Carts: (Sometimes spelled "Kiddie Karts") The chefs must use child-size shopping carts to collect their ingredients in one trip through the market, and must push the carts instead of carrying them. Let It Roll: The chefs roll a set of dice to determine the constraints for the assigned dish, such as required ingredients and equipment, budget, and shopping time. Lunch Rush/Dinner Rush: The chefs' shopping/prep/cook time is reduced from 30 minutes to 20 (or 15, on rare occasions). Meals from the Middle: Contestants can only use groceries from the middle aisles, which contain no fresh meat, produce, dairy products, or frozen foods. Menu Magnet Madness: From three rows of refrigerator magnets, the contestants must each pick a flavor (sweet, sour, smoky, etc.), a protein (chicken, tofu, fish, etc.), and/or a style of dish (salad, stew, stir-fry, etc.). Variations of this game include a player choosing a combination for their competitor, players secretly choosing one magnet each and then revealing them to form a theme that all of them must follow, or Fieri choosing the last magnet himself (usually something that clashes with the other chosen items). Menu Pick: Each chef chooses one menu from a stack to determine both a restriction on the type of dish they must prepare and their budget for the round. Musical Carts: A song plays during the shopping phase; when it stops, the chefs must abandon their own carts, find another one (usually an opponent's cart), and continue shopping. Each chef must then use some of the ingredients they did not choose in their dish, adhering to a minimum number set by Fieri. Variations on this game include switching to abandoned carts with some undesirable ingredients. Name Your Number: Before the first round, chefs are each given three numbered cards. They choose one card at the start of each round to indicate the number of ingredients they intend to use for it; however, each number may only be used once. No Carts Allowed: Contestants may only use the ingredients they can collect in one trip, without using a cart. They are allowed to use large items as carrying vessels for smaller ones, but may not put any items in their pockets or aprons.