TOURNAMENT of Champions host Guy Fieri has claimed that he’s witnessed a roller coaster of emotions from the show’s contestants behind the scenes.

The hit cooking competition series is currently airing its seventh season on Food Network, but Guy emphasized that much more happens on the show than viewers see.

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Guy Fieri claimed Tournament of Champions contestants have exhibited wild behavior behind the scenesCredit: © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserv
 

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The reality star discussed the emotional toll the competition takes on competitors during an appearance on the Literally! with Rob Lowe podcastCredit: YouTube/ Literally! with Rob Lowe
On Friday, Guy, 58, appeared on the Literally! with Rob Lowe podcast, where he discussed the emotional toll the competition takes on competitors.

The series, which premiered in March 2020, features 34 of the world’s best chefs going head-to-head in various cooking challenges while racing against the clock.

“Tournament of Champions is really life-changing, and we get a chance to see, I think, the greatest chefs in the world,” Guy, who launched the show and is its sole host, said on the podcast.

However, he admitted that truly only the strongest survive as the competition is a grueling mental and physical test of the participants’ skills in the kitchen.

“You gotta really have a backbone about you. You gotta really have truth and belief in yourself to go and do this because it’s scary.

“People get PTSD from this. It’s gnarly, gnarly, gnarly,” the celebrity chef confessed.

Rob agreed and suggested that cooking shows are another level of toughness for their competitors.

“The outtakes of competition shows and cooking shows in particular are really gnarly. What goes on behind the scenes,” the actor said.

Guy then described the intensity on the set and the contestants’ supposedly shocking behavior that doesn’t air.

“You want to come behind the scenes, tears, holes in the wall, kicked over things, people getting pissed, people getting happy, people finding their higher power, people calling their you know, wife, I mean, their husband. I mean, it’s a gamut of emotions that goes on,” the restaurateur revealed.

Despite the wild moments, Guy gushed over his role on the show and said it keeps him energized in the industry.

“It’s really a chance to celebrate the people that I love, and I respect, and I admire, and to be the ringleader of this is an amazing opportunity.

“It’s what I love so much about what I do, and I would’ve probably been done a long time ago,” the TV star shared.

Guy experienced his own struggles late last year after suffering a nasty injury from a fall.

The reality star was hospitalized after severely tearing his quad muscle when he took a tumble down the stairs.

The incident occurred in November while filming his new Food Network series, Flavor Town Food Fight, which premiered on March 4.

When speaking to Entertainment Weekly in January, Guy detailed the accident, saying he “snapped” his leg muscles “literally in half.”

He relied on a wheelchair and then crutches to get around for some time while he recovered.

The TV personality is the host of numerous cooking shows, including Guy’s Grocery Games, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and Guy’s Ranch Kitchen, among others.

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Guy claimed that contestants have made ‘holes in the wall’ and ‘kicked over things’ on the setCredit: © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserv
 

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Tournament of Champions is currently airing its seventh season on the Food NetworkCredit: © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserv
 

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Guy hosts numerous cooking shows on Food NetworkCredit: Getty