Guy Fieri reveals reason behind his makeunder on social media: 'This is such a big deal'

Guy Fieri shocked fans with an apparent makeunder last week, ditching his signature goatee and bleach blond hair for a toned down, more conservative look.

But it was all in service of an upcoming Super Bowl commercial for Bosch.

“If you’re going to go big, go big,” Fieri told People. “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 will feature two versions of Fieri: the one we’re all familiar with as well as the toned down, clean cut version.

Fieri’s transformation even confused his mom.

“I sent the picture to my mom and she said, ‘Who is that?’” he said. “She said, ‘It really looks a lot like you, but I know it’s not you.’ I said, ‘Mom, that’s me.’”

The teaser was posted on Fieri’s 58th birthday last week with the caption, “New Year. New Guy. New Look.”

“Hey there! After so many years of celebrating my birthday as Guy, I figured this year I’d celebrate it as just a guy. Happy birthday to me!” he said in the video before blowing out some candles on his birthday cake.

Some speculated that A.I. was involved in the transformation, perhaps because of how stark it is, but Bosch told People that’s not the case.

"Guy’s birthday post is not AI," a spokesperson told the outlet. "The video was shot with Guy Fieri himself, and the Justaguy transformation was achieved using high-end post-production visual effects.”

The full commercial will air February 8 during the big game, and Fieri said the filming process was intense.

“It was the craziest 24 to 36 hours of my filming career,” Fieri says. “We shot it like a movie. Nothing was spared.”

He continued, “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.”

Fieri reminded fans, “Be prepared for the Super Bowl commercial. You’re not ready.”

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