Guy Fieri reveals truth behind his 58th birthday transformation

Guy Fieri has revealed his recent shock transformation was part of a rollout for an upcoming Super Bowl campaign.

The 58-year-old food extraordinaire stunned fans as he unveiled a new look last week, coinciding with his birthday.

Known for his platinum-colored spiky hair, Fieri toned things down with a basic, dark-colored hairstyle while dressing up as an ordinary guy.

Now he's shared that fans can expect more of the alter ego he calls 'Just A Guy' in a forthcoming Bosch commercial, which he teased on social media Monday.

'If you’re going to go big, go big,' he told PEOPLE about going all in on the bit. '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 appliance-tech company spent months readying the ad for its February debut.

The commercial will feature both the everyday Fieri and his newly introduced, more conservative persona. 

The Food Network personality discussed how his mother reacted to seeing him as the new character.

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

In an Instagram video posted last Thursday, Fieri shared his fresh look for his 58th birthday, writing: 'Happy birthday to me!' 

He was dressed in business casual style that included a checkered baby blue and white shirt and khaki slacks.

The Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives host sported a side-parted brown wig and clean-shaven face. 

'New Year. New Guy. New Look,' he captioned the post.

In the clip he said, '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!' 

A representative from Bosch told PEOPLE that artificial intelligence was not used to achieve Fieri's transformation. 

'Guy’s birthday post is not AI. The video was shot with Guy Fieri himself, and the Just A Guy transformation was achieved using high-end post-production visual effects,' the spokesperson clarified.

Fieri explained that the initial post was strategically timed to preview the full TV spot, which will premiere during the Super Bowl on February 8. 

The production took two days of filming across multiple sets.

'It was the craziest 24 to 36 hours of my filming career,' he recalled. 'We shot it like a movie. Nothing was spared.'

He added, 'It took two hours to put the wig on,' joking, '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.'

The idea was pieced together among the Bosch team, including CMO Boris Dolkhani.

'If you’re going to pioneer – like Bosch has done for over 100 years – you’ve got to think differently,' Fieri reflected. 'They weren’t afraid to push it.'

He teased, 'Be prepared for the Super Bowl commercial. You’re not ready.'