14 Things You Didn't Know About Guy Fieri's 'Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives'

Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is a certifiable juggernaut. Helmed by Guy Fieri, who rode the success of winning the second season of The Next Food Network Star to become the veritable face of the network, the show follows its host around America as he hangs out in the kitchens of restaurants that dish up delicious comfort food. But even if you've caught every episode (22 seasons and counting!), we bet that there are some things you never knew about this super popular show.

14 Things You Didn't Know About Guy Fieri's 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'  (Slideshow)

The format of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (or "Triple D," as it's affectionately known) is simple, and in many ways brilliant: Each episode, Fieri visits about three casual-dining restaurants and spends time with the chefs, watching as they prepare their most popular menu items from start to finish. It's part travel show, part cooking show, part hangout. Fieri's reactions to biting into these dishes have become the stuff of legend; he's even made up a whole new lexicon, which often revolves around taking trips to the mythical "Flavortown." His style is brash and his hair is spiky and bleached (we're not even going to get into those sunglasses), but it's a lot harder than it looks to provide running commentary while a chef cooks a dish in front of you, and few hosts do a better job of keeping the audience engaged and entertained.

It's been years since Fieri has settled into his regular routine, so it's funny to go back and watch some of the earliest episodes. Back before every Friday and Saturday night was loaded with wall-to-wall episodes of Triple D on Food Network (a strategy called "stripping"), the show was hosted by a guy (a Guy?) who was still trying to find his style. He was far more low-key in his voiceovers and overall approach than his current no-holds-barred shout. But now, when you tune in, you know exactly what you're going to get, and Fieri always delivers.

There are few TV shows (and TV hosts) more polarizing than Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Fieri, but love it or hate it, you have to admit that Fieri is very good at his job. What's more, his show has allowed chefs who have been toiling in obscurity for years to have their moment in the spotlight, often resulting in hordes of new customers streaming in from around the country. Read on for 14 things that you most likely didn't know about Triple D.

During that fateful call, Reinhardt asked Page if he had any ideas about ways to feature diners. Even though he didn't, he came up with the name of the show off the cuff, and Page quickly wrote up a one-page summary of the show.