As has been stated several times before on Giddy Up America, the Internet can be a dark and depressing place. So when something good comes along, it deserves to be celebrated and given all the attention it deserves. Dear God we could use a little happiness every once in a while.

I mean, Internet, it’s literally the least you can do.

Now I would like to tell about my dude Fuller Goldsmith.

Goldsmith is a young buck from Alabama. He’s only only 14 years old. He’s also an accomplished chef who honed his craft cooking at tailgates for University of Alabama football games. In 2017, Goldsmith won Chopped Jr. and later, he competed in Top Chef Jr., where he looked like a strong favorite to win that competition too. However, Goldsmith had to bow out of the competition for health reasons. These were no any old health reasons, though. Goldsmith has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the majority of his young life, having first beaten the disease when he was three and has since gone into remission twice. When he won Chopped Jr., he donated the $10,000 prize to the Children’s of Alabama Hospital, specifically to help other children fighting cancer.

It was during one of Goldsmith’s hospital stays where he first became seriously interested in cooking as he spent the bulk of his days watching Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, as well as various other Fieri productions. Fieri soon became Goldsmith’s culinary idol. Yet despite his own forays into food television, Goldsmith had yet to meet Fieri.

That changed in April when Entertainment Weekly flew Goldsmith out to California and the Stagecoach Music Festival. Goldsmith thought he was out there because his dad was working. It was all an illusion though! Goldsmith was there to meet none other than Guy Fieri himself.

Part of the appeal of Goldsmith is his laid back demeanor, which was on full display when he came face to face with Fieri.

“Do you have a million questions you want to ask him right now?” an EW reporter asked Goldsmith. His reply: “I at least got a couple.”

One of those was if Fieri actually drives from spot to spot. (Spoiler: he doesn’t.)

The two then shot the shit for a bit until the conversation changed some when Goldsmith mentioned his health problems, something that it appeared Fieri didn’t know about prior to their meeting. Fieri switched gears in an instant, realizing that this wasn’t just a fan. This was more than that. It was at this point where this clip takes a turn and becomes so incredibly heart-warming that it’s damn near beautiful. Fieri talked about family members of his who had battled with cancer, how hard he knows it can be and how it impressive it is that Goldsmith has not just battled through it, but gone on to compete in some serious cooking competitions despite of his health problems.

“What you’ve already accomplished in your life is amazing,” Fieri told him, “and the example that you’re setting for other kids is amazing.”

Just kids?

Goldsmith is an example for anyone out there dealing with problems that may seem insurmountable. It was heart-breaking when he left Top Chef Jr., but the way he did it, so matter-of-factly and encouraging his fellow chefs to keep on trucking, only made him that much more endearing. You couldn’t help but wish the best for the little dude. He seems to be doing better these days, but you know that the looming danger of cancer will always follow him.

Quickly though, Guy Fieri gets kind of bad rap, what with the hair and everything, but that rap is undeserved. Watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and pay attention to the way he talks with the chefs he’s visiting. He is genuinely interested in what they are doing and game recognizes game. When he loves something, he lets you know it. He’s a fan. Plain and simple. Fans are goof balls. Being led by your passion will do that. But in this clip, Fieri comes off as so much more than the character he at first appears to be. He has a level of caring to him that can get lost amidst the spiky, bleached hair and big sunglasses.

Could some of it just be for show? Yeah, maybe. But it’s television. It’s not going to be 100% authentic. But watching this clip and you can’t help but feel that if it’s not 100% authentic, it’s damn close.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Categories: Internet Stuff, Television

Tags: Fuller Goldsmith, Guy Fieri, Top Chef Jr.