Fast and the Furious star Vin Diesel practically made his career by speeding around in an endless stream of fancy cars; television personality and restaurateur Guy Fieri absolutely made his career by cruising around America in an endless stream of fancy cars. Naturally, that can only mean one thing, especially with the recent debut of the first Fast X trailer: Fieri must join a future Fast and Furious film.
Hear me out: the concept just makes sense from every level. There's plenty of material to mine from pairing the spikey-haired host of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Dom Toretto's ever-expanding found family. So, let's start with the most obvious shared theme: cars, cars, and more cars. Among his other passions, Fieri's known for his love of classic vehicles. He's an active collector; his massive assortment includes almost every known auto manufacturer's work, and then some. There's his Chevrolet Chevelle, Chevrolet Impala, and 1969 Corvette; a 1968 Pontiac Firebird; the Aston Martin DB9 (a James Bond classic); even a Lamborghini Gallardo. And let's not forget the 1967 Camaro he often featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives as part of his quest to highlight local restaurants across the United States. What would a Guy Fieri persona be without that blindingly red car (and his Targaryen-blond hair)?
There's Plenty of Ways Fieri Could Join the 'Fast and Furious' Universe
Fieri's assemblage is gorgeous enough for any automobile fan to actively covet, and such a wide variety could easily mesh into the Fast and Furious universe's ongoing need for unique cars. And when it comes to squeezing Fieri into the franchise that's existed since 2001 and spawned nine majorly successful films, the role needn't be large. Let's imagine a self-referential cameo from Fieri playing to type as himself, or a fictional, melodramatic character; both are simply delightful and surprisingly organic to Fast and Furious's world. The inescapable Food Network star is already energetic, charismatic, and good-humored, characteristics that his success as a television host attests to. Perhaps the Mayor of Flavortown would lend the Toretto family one of his models, or at least devour barbecue at one of their frequent cookouts. He and Dom could be longtime friends, or new acquaintances who bond over their shared traits. Maybe the Family could take the Camaro specifically to space and back; at the very least, they'd borrow Fieri's cars for physics-defying stunts.
For more delicious possibilities, Fieri could embody an enemy, or a frenemy, or a new associate for the crew as they pursue their next mission. A larger role, fictional or otherwise, also wouldn't seem out of place given the growing size of Toretto's bunch. Characters have been added and removed and resurrected from death throughout the franchise, and all leave various narrative marks. Imagine Fieri's energy channeled into a gritty, grisly car collector who sides with Dom's new adversaries, or a restaurant owner accidentally sucked into the street racers' world. The winking nature is too good to resist.
Fieri is a Known Humanitarian Who Values Family
All of that humor aside, Fieri's also recognized for using his success to help others — an unfortunately rare thing among wealthy celebrities. The very concept of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives is bringing attention to lesser-known eateries and highlighting the ingenuity, creativity, and passion of those who own them. Many of the places Fieri's featured received a boom in business. And Fieri walked the talk during the COVID-19 pandemic by founding the National Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, an organization designed to help local mom-and-pop businesses who suffered because of the pandemic. The effort raised over $21 million for over 40,000 servers, owners, and cooks across all 50 states, something that likely saved not just struggling businesses, but lives. At least 50 percent of those who received funds were minorities. He was furious when Amazon owner Jeff Bezos chose not to donate to the fund despite Fieri's personal request, and Fieri's personal foundation provides meals to first responders, disaster relief workers, and veterans in need, all while celebrating and nurturing the universal love for food. Hell, the man officiated 101 LGBTQ+ weddings in a single day and told People Magazine in late 2022, "Family is always the first priority."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Whether by accident or design, the entire premise fueling the Fast and Furious franchise (beyond the ludicrous plot twists and outrageous action set pieces) is the concept of found family. That focus couldn't be any clearer through the characters' relationships and motivations, not to mention Dom's legendary quote: “I don’t have friends, I got family." If that wasn't enough, count how many times the word "family" was uttered in the Fast X trailer; there's not a shred of doubt about the story's priorities. What began in 2001 as a gritty bunch of law-breaking street-racers evolved across nine films into universal saviors, flawed people devoted to bettering the world with heartfelt affection.
Accordingly, while having Fieri in a future film would be a supply of good humor, it needn't be entirely comedic. Outrageous as it may sound at first, the fictional Torettos and the real-life Fieri have much in common on both surface-level and deeper motivations. Fieri's son Hunter called attention to how often his father donates to charities and fundraisers, while the man himself also said, "I want to make a positive impact. When it's all over, I just hope people say, 'Guy was good for mankind. Guy helped."
With Two Films to Go, Let's Make It Happen
With two films to go before the Fast and Furious franchise concludes, there's still a chance to squeeze something in. If the franchise wants to go out with an appropriate bang and keep the family strong, well — look no further than the Mayor of Flavortown and his blazing 1967 Camaro. And after saving the world yet again, maybe Dom and Company can stop at a barbeque diner along the way.