Guy Fieri was once falsely accused of drinking and driving and killing a man.
After a while, police realized that Guy was merely a passenger in the fatal car accident, and that a group of men conspired against him to save themselves from legal action. Still, the incident left a lasting impression.
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While on the Now What? with Brooke Shields podcast, the Food Network said said he was 19 years old and in college at the University of Nevada Las Vegas when the incident happened.
«I wasn’t driving, I was in the backseat. And unfortunately, I was with a bunch of guys and … we were drinking,» he said. «We were down in the drag boat races in Las Vegas. This guy saw a cop, and he was drinking. We were camping not a half a mile way. And he took off, and we got chased, and the car flipped. And the guy next to me was killed.»
«It was horrific. Everybody was messed up,» he said. «And I did go Flight for Life in the helicopter and the whole thing.»
When the «Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives» host woke up in the hospital, he was handcuffed to a gurney — this after the other men in the accident claimed Guy was actually behind the wheel.
«They were all in the military together,» he said. «They were in a campsite, next to the campsite I was at.»
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While still reeling from the accident and the accusation, Guy had to call his parents and hire a lawyer.
«[Police] came to the college, and arrested me in the dorm room,» he said. «It was going bad after worse because everybody was saying that I was, you know… Anyhow, the cops knew I wasn’t [responsible].»
The «Guys Grocery Games» star admitted that he was living a «little fast and hard and wild» at the time. His father eventually talked some sense into him.
«My dad told me, ‘Cut the s***. You’re not invincible. This is for real now. You’re not in Ferndale. You’re not in your hometown anymore. You’re in Las Vegas. You’re big time. You got to focus,'» Guy recalled. «I was like, okay — my family didn’t have any money. I’m not the smartest kid. Didn’t get the best grades. But if I’m going to win, I’m going to win based upon how hard I play and how disciplined I am and how driven and how controlled I am. And if I do that then I have a better chance at getting through this.»