Guy Fieri reality show winner files lawsuit alleging breach of contract over Chicken Guy! franchise
Kevin Cooper won "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime" in 2022, a reality competition show that promised the winner their franchise of Fieri's Chicken Guy! restaurant chain. Cooper, however, alleges Fieri's company breached a contract in a complaint filed last week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Fieri is not personally a defendant in the lawsuit, but his company, Chicken Guy, as well as the company of his business partner. A representative for Fieri did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The "King of Flavortown" told contestants in the show's finale that one of them would earn the key to the franchise with a "full restaurant build out." Fieri also promised other perks, including a first year's salary and start-up capital.
Cooper's franchise opened in February 2024 and closed roughly a year later.
The lawsuit alleges that the two companies behind the chicken brand failed to provide the promised $100,000 salary and failed to cover more than $68,000 worth of expenses related to the franchise.
The contest winner alleges that he had to take out a personal loan of $13,500 to cover some of the cost due to Fieri's delay, according to the lawsuit. Cooper's lawsuit requests full payment of the promised salary and reimbursement of the expenses.
"Guy's Chance of a Lifetime" originally aired on Food Network in late 2021 and early 2022, with only six episodes. In the finale, Fieri announces Cooper as the first-place winner but promises to waive franchise fees for all the other contestants if they choose to open up a Chicken Guy! location of their own.
Fieri told Cooper that he showed "so much strength" throughout the competition and promised to open Cooper's franchise in Cooper's hometown of Philadelphia.
Cooper was in tears after winning the grand prize.
"This is crazy right now, I can't even believe it," Cooper said. "But I really came here and fought the hardest fight I could possibly fight. And I'm just happy, I'm grateful, and I'm thankful. And I'm just lost for words."
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Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Reality star foster mum beat daughter to death over her eating habits
Ariel Robinson subjected Victoria Rose Smith to the ordeal just days before she and her husband officially adopted her. A reality TV star beat her foster daughter to death in a horrific ordeal which caused burst blood vessels and internal bleeding. Ariel Robinson, 30, who appeared on a series of Worst Cooks in America, was ultimately crowned the winner for showing the most improvement, walking away with a prize of $25,000. She revealed the funds would go towards her family, and the three children she planned to adopt with her husband, with whom she already had two sons. The teacher, from Greenville, South Carolina, and her husband Jerry, 35, fostered Victoria "Tori" Rose Smith, three, and her two brothers, aged five and seven. In January 2021, they were days away from formally adopting Victoria, the Mirror reports. On January 13, Robinson took Victoria to church, where she was sick down her dress. A member of the congregation asked if she was ill, which Robinson replied with claims she often ate too much and made herself vomit, before making the youngster leave the church without her dress on. Robinson was heard saying: "Oh, you're cold. You're cold. Girls that make themselves throw up deserve to be cold." The next day, Jerry called emergency services claiming their daughter was unresponsive. He said: "She drank a lot of water. We tried to do CPR to get it out." Paramedics found Victoria unconscious in her bedroom. Robinson said she feared she had choked after drinking a large amount of liquid. They discovered bruises all over her, which Robinson initially said might have been caused by CPR, before blaming them on Victoria's seven-year-old brother, who she claimed had "anger issues". She was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to save her due to the severity of her injuries. A post-mortem examination revealed her cause of death to be blunt force trauma and internal bleeding. She had been beaten so badly her blood vessels had burst, causing blood to collect in her muscles and fat and eventually restrict the blood flow to her heart, likely resulting in it stopping. When police interviewed the parents, Robinson continued to blame Victoria's brother, but it became clear he wasn't physically able to inflict such damage. Jerry revealed his wife was responsible, with the incident starting when Victoria had been sick in church and angered Robinson. On January 19, the couple were arrested, and the TV series featuring Robinson removed from the Food Network channel. In April 2025, Jerry admitted aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse, and agreed to testify against his wife. At Robinson's four-day trial this year, the court was shown images of Victoria's horrific injuries. Her biological family attended wearing blue ribbons as a symbol of child abuse prevention, and were visibly upset by the evidence. Jerry told the court his wife would often lose her temper and take out her frustrations on their foster daughter. Her outbursts included beating her with a wooden paddle and belts, especially in response to her eating habits. He described how the morning after the church incident saw Robinson giving Victoria a "whooping" that lasted around an hour. He recalled entering the house to discover her using a belt on the youngster. He said: "I told her, 'You went too far this time and I should have stopped it." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Defending herself, Robinson said Victoria was a "perfect child" with no behaviour problems. She added: "She was my mini-me. She used to talk like me, act like me. She wanted to be everywhere I went." She admitted she was "frustrated" at the church incident, as they were running late before Victoria vomited on herself. 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They claimed to have seen pictures of Victoria on social media with visible bruises, but nothing was done in response to their reports. They are now calling for a reform of the foster care system, including better screening procedures for potential families.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
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Toddler, 3, is sick on her dress before reality TV winner beats her to death
Evil Ariel Robinson snapped over three-year-old Victoria's eating habits and acted out in a way that horrified and devastated the entire family forever more Being terrible in the kitchen made Ariel Robinson a reality TV star. She found fame in 2020 by appearing in season 20 of Worst Cooks In America on the Food Network channel - a show that follows people with poor cooking skills as they compete in a series of bootcamp-style challenges overseen by celebrity chefs. Robinson, from Greenville, South Carolina, was a middle school teacher with a sense of humour that led her to try her hand at stand-up comedy. And she was crowned the champion on Worst Cooks In America after showing the most improvement - walking away with a $25,000 prize. Viewers discovered she was married to her childhood sweetheart, Jerry 'Austin' Robinson, and they shared two sons. She revealed the money would go towards her family - and the three white children she was adopting with her Black husband. 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Graziadaily
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The Shocking Feud Between These Top Celebrity Podcasters
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