Guy Fieri debuts an unrecognizable look for Bosch's Super Bowl commercial
NEED TO KNOW
The transformation was first teased on his birthday with an Instagram video
Fieri tells PEOPLE the makeover fooled even his own family
Guy Fieriis known for never doing anything halfway — and that includes completely reinventing his iconic look for one of the biggest advertising stages of the year.
The Food Network star opened up about the dramatic transformation fans will see in his upcomingSuper Bowlcommercial forBosch, a campaign that required him to hide his signature goatee, ditch his spiky blond hair and step into the role of someone he calls "JustaGuy."
"If you're going to go big, go big," Fieri tells PEOPLE of committing to the concept. "They said, 'Well, can you shave your goatee?' And I said, 'I would for this. This is such an important commercial. This is such a big deal.'"
The campaign, which Bosch spent months developing, features two versions of Fieri: the larger-than-life personality audiences know — and a buttoned-up, clean-cut alter ego so convincing that even his own family was thrown off.
"I sent the picture to my mom and she said, 'Who is that?'" Fieri recalls. "She said, 'It really looks a lot like you, but I know it's not you.' I said, 'Mom, that's me.'"
The uncanny transformation was teased publicly for the first time on Thursday, Jan. 22 —Fieri's 58th birthday— when he shared a short Instagram video debuting the conservative new look. In the clip, he sports a checkered button-down shirt, khaki trousers and neatly parted brown hair, a stark contrast to his trademark Flavortown style.
"Hey there! After so many years of celebrating my birthday as Guy, I figured this year I'd celebrate it as just a guy," he says in the video before blowing out the candles on his cake.
He captioned the post, "New Year. New Guy. New Look." Fans were quick to share their unhined remarks about the toned down change.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MAYOR," joked one fan. "This Guy 100% says, "Hi hungry, I'm dad. Nice to meet you," added another. Even Fieri's eldest son,Hunter, commented, "Dad… when did you start selling insurance? 😂"
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Of course, in the year 2026, the A.I. accusations were swift. However, a spokesperson from Bosch confirmed that artificial intelligence was not at play. "Guy's birthday post is not AI," the spokesperson shared with PEOPLE. "The video was shot with Guy Fieri himself, and the Justaguy transformation was achieved using high-end post-production visual effects."
While the birthday post caught fans off guard, Fieri says the reveal was carefully timed and intentionally playful — a preview of what's to come when the full Bosch spot airs during the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. The production itself, he tells PEOPLE, was unlike anything he's done before, spanning two intense days of filming with multiple sets, cameras and CGI elements layered throughout.
"It was the craziest 24 to 36 hours of my filming career," Fieri says. "We shot it like a movie. Nothing was spared." Fully becoming "JustaGuy" required far more than swapping outfits. Fieri says the wig alone took two hours to apply each day — a far cry from his famously fast hair routine.
"It took two hours to put the wig on," he says with a laugh. "When you see the picture, you're either going to want to buy a life insurance policy from me or you're going to want to go out to Bingo."
Even Fieri's wife,Lori, did double takes on set. "She'd look at me and go, 'Oh — it's you. I didn't even know it was you,'" he recalls.
The concept came together through close collaboration with Bosch leadership, including CMO Boris Dolkhani, as the brand looked to balance innovation, humor and surprise during the Super Bowl's most competitive ad moment. "If you're going to pioneer — like Bosch has done for over 100 years — you've got to think differently," Fieri says. "They weren't afraid to push it."
The final result, he promises, will leave viewers questioning what they're seeing — at least for a moment. "If there aren't about 10 seconds where people say, 'Is that really him?' then I'll be 100 percent wrong," Fieri teases. "But I won't be."
And while fans may have first met "Just a Guy" on his birthday, Fieri is clear: the real surprise is still coming. "Be prepared for the Super Bowl commercial," he says. "You're not ready."
Read the original article onPeople