Darnell Ferguson Appears On Guy Fieri’s ‘TOC’ Despite Legal Issues
Despite being recently indicted on multiple charges, celebrity chef Darnell Ferguson made an appearance on the popular Guy Fieri show, Tournament Of Champions.
The Food Network isn’t typically in the business of taking risks. The network often finds what works and sticks to its winning formula. Chefs Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri are undoubtedly the network’s two biggest stars, and its programming often reflects that. However, the Food Network has been in search of its next big star for quite some time. And up until the new year, Darnell Ferguson appeared to be exactly who it was looking for.
In his short time on the Food Network, Ferguson has managed to leave a lasting impression on viewers. His appearances on shows such as Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Worst Cooks In America have only increased his popularity. In 2023, he was even awarded his very own Food Network show, Superchef Grudge Match. Ferguson appeared to be on the fast track to stardom.
But Ferguson saw a major speed bump when he was arrested on January 9 following an alleged domestic dispute.
Darnell Ferguson Cooks Up An Appearance On Guy Fieri’s Show
Despite his arrest, Darnell Ferguson still made his scheduled appearance on the Guy Fieri cooking competition show. According to Food Network, Tournament Of Champions showcases the “skills and abilities of 32 of the most talented chefs from the East and West coast, including all four previous champions,” the press release reads. The contestants “will be pushed to the limit in the most difficult sudden-death, bracket-style culinary competition.”
Although Ferguson is among the 32 chefs competing in the tournament, his name is not mentioned anywhere in the press release. The show was filmed months before Ferguson’s arrest, putting the network in an awkward predicament.
The network scrubbed Ferguson from most of its marketing for Season 5 of TOC. However, the “Superchef” could still be seen on the February 25 episode. He was matched up with chef Amanda Freitag in their first-round battle. Despite featuring Ferguson, the Food Network deployed several editing tricks to minimize his impact on the episode. Many of his one-on-one interviews were cut completely and his face time was kept to a minimum.
A Look Behind Darnell Ferguson’s Legal Troubles
The Food Network star is accused of illegally entering a woman’s house and strangling and threatening to kill her. According to court documents, Ferguson forced his way into the victim’s home and grabbed the victim by her neck with both hands, and began choking her. Police charged Ferguson with burglary, strangulation, assault (domestic violence), causing minor injury, terroristic threatening, menacing, criminal mischief, and theft of a stolen debit/credit card.
While appearing in court in early January, Ferguson’s attorney, Krsna Tibbs, told the judge that the alleged victim and her attorney agreed with lowering the chef’s bond. While speaking to reporters outside of court, Tibbs claims that the alleged victim simply wants to move on with her life. “She thinks they can work everything out and wants to drop the charges,” Tibbs said.
Despite Tibbs’ statement, Ferguson was indicted on several charges on February 20. Do you think the Food Network was right in airing Darnell Ferguson’s TOC episode? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
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