Guy Fieri has officially come full circle.

The 42-year-old Food Network chef, who’s best known for hosting Guy’s Big Bite, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (otherwise known as Triple-D), is now the face of NBC’s latest game show, Minute to Win It.

A fitting job, I’d say, for the energetic cook who got his start in showbiz by winning a TV contest.

With all of his success, it’s easy to forget that just a few years ago Fieri was duking it out on Season 2 of The Next Food Network Star, a reality game show in which the winner is awarded a series on the popular cable network. Fieri swept the competition with his California cuisine and thus Guy’s Big Bite was born in 2006 – the rest, as they say, is history.

So it should come as no surprise that Fieri has ventured to game show land – his infectious enthusiasm, genial disposition and easy camaraderie with strangers makes him an ideal host, and as he claims, Minute to Win It couldn’t be more up his alley.

“To be the dude that gets to kick it [and] be the coach, be the encourager … is awesome,” Fieri exclaimed over the phone from northern California to media.

Minute to Win It has a simple concept, really: contestants compete in 10 increasingly difficult challenges using everyday household items in the hopes of winning $1 million. Failure to complete a task within the 60-second time limit may result in elimination – hence the show’s name.

At various points, contestants can also walk away with the money they’ve earned to that point, similar to other game shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Deal or No Deal. As an added bonus, Minute competitors are shown the 60-plus games prior to their taping days (you can find them on NBC here) so they can practice at home, and hopefully, better their chances of scoring.

If this all sounds oddly familiar, you may be thinking of British game show The Cube, which debuted in August 2009 and has since been commissioned for a second season after ratings averaged a solid four to five million per episode.

Word of The Cube coming to North America has been rumbling for a while – in October, Fox announced a deal to create an American version of this show that ultimately fell through, and just last month Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) shot a pilot for rival network CBS.

Considering this, the backlash Minute to Win It has received is to be expected – some online sources that dubbed the show a ripoff, thanks to it’s many Cube similarities in style and play (right down to the English voice providing instructions), aren’t exactly far-fetched.

And after the whole Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien debacle and a history of terrible programming choices, the Peacock is clearly desperate for any and all great ideas, even if it means duplicating someone else’s successful format.

In addition, Fieri has come under fire from TV viewers and critics alike who disapprove of his laid-back appearance (flip-flops, sunglasses and bowling shirts galore) and seemingly phony persona.

Chef-writer Anthony Bourdain (No Reservations) even made this disparaging remark during an interview with TV Guide: “Did you ever see The Simpsons’ episode where it's decided that Itchy and Scratchy need a sidekick? So a committee gets together and they invent one called Poochie … Guy Fieri kind of looks like he's been designed by committee.”

Regardless of the criticism, Fieri believes Minute is in its own league thanks to its compelling games, because while the premise may sound easy, the challenges sure can be rough – especially when you’re faced with a time clock, bright lights, a loud studio audience and a lot of money on the line.

For viewers at home though, the tasks are hilarious to watch (and I’m guessing pride is not a requirement to play).

Take “Bite Me,” in which a contestant must pick up five paper bags of various sizes off of the ground using only their mouth and place them on podiums (see video clip below).

Or “Hanky Panky,” where the competitor must pull tissues out of a box one-at-a-time using only one hand until the box is empty. And then there’s “Junk in the Trunk,” where challengers must wiggle a tissue box filled with ping-pong balls attached to their waist until it’s empty.

Cheeky game titles aside, Minute to Win It is definitely suitable viewing for all ages, and although NBC recently freed up five hours of weekday prime time (thanks to the demise of The Jay Leno Show), Fieri isn’t concerned about the series sticking with its Sunday, family night timeslot.

“You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar. You don’t have to be a world-class athlete. You don’t have to have any super-professional skill or talent. You just have to have the Minute to Win It, in-it-to-win-it game attitude. And you can do this.”

Minute to Win It’s two-hour debut airs Sunday, March 14, at 7 p.m. ET. The show shifts to 8 p.m. ET beginning March 21.

Thoughts? diana@tvguide.ca or comment below.

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