You remember the lean, mean, fat-reducing grilling machine. Honestly, it’s hard to forget. Even if you haven't seen a george foreman grill advert in a decade, the image of the heavyweight champ grinning next to a slanted metal box is burned into the collective consciousness of anyone who watched TV in the late '90s.
It was a phenomenon.
But why? Most celebrity endorsements are trash. They're wooden. They feel like a paycheck. This didn't. This felt like George actually cared about your burger's fat content.
The Infomercial That Changed Everything
Back in 1994, the kitchen landscape was different. If you wanted to grill, you went outside. Indoor grilling was mostly reserved for those weird, smoky ridges on the bottom of a cheap pan. Then came Salton, Inc. and a retired boxer who had just pulled off the most improbable comeback in sports history.
The original george foreman grill advert wasn't just a commercial; it was a 30-minute lifestyle shift. George wasn't just the face; he was the "user-in-chief."
He looked at the camera and told us he was tired of "junk food." He talked about his kids—all named George, famously—and how he wanted to be around for them. It was personal. That’s the secret sauce. While other infomercials were screaming about "ACT NOW" and "FREE GIFTS," George was just... talking. He was charming. He was the "Pops" of the boxing world, and he wanted you to eat a better pork chop.
The physics was simple. The grill was slanted. Gravity did the work.
The ads always showed that little plastic drip tray filling up with translucent, yellowish grease. It was gross. It was fascinating. It was effective marketing because it provided visual proof of a health claim in real-time. You didn't need a lab study to see the fat leaving the meat. You just needed eyes.
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Why Hulk Hogan Passed (and Regretted It)
There is a legendary bit of business lore surrounding this. Depending on who you ask, the grill was originally offered to Hulk Hogan. The story goes that Hogan had a choice between endorsing a meat griller or a pasta maker. He chose the pasta maker.
Big mistake. Huge.
George took the deal. He didn't just take a flat fee, either. He took a massive cut of the profits. By the time Salton bought out his rights in 1999 for $137 million, George had already made hundreds of millions. It’s arguably the most successful athlete-brand partnership in history, rivaling Michael Jordan and Nike, but for middle-aged people who like grilled cheese.
The Evolution of the Pitch
The george foreman grill advert changed as the years went by. It had to. The first ones were grainy, shot on sets that looked like a suburban kitchen from a sitcom. They featured George and a rotating cast of hosts who acted shocked—shocked!—that a burger could produce so much oil.
Later, as the brand grew, the ads got slicker. We saw the "Next Generation" grills with removable plates. This was a direct response to the number one complaint about the original: cleaning it sucked. If you owned an original 1995 model, you know the struggle of trying to wipe down those hot ridges with a damp paper towel without burning your knuckles.
The commercials started focusing on convenience as much as health. "Knock out the fat" remained the slogan, but the subtext became "Knock out the dishes."
It wasn't just about the grill
George was selling a version of himself. He had transformed from the glowering, terrifying man who fought Muhammad Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle" to a cuddly, laughing grandfather figure. The advert worked because we trusted the transformation. If George could change his life and get healthy, maybe we could too. All it took was $19.99 (plus shipping and handling).
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The Psychology of the "Drip"
Marketing experts often point to the transparency of the product. In a typical george foreman grill advert, the "money shot" wasn't the food. It was the fat.
Psychologically, this is known as "demonstrative proof."
Most health products are invisible. You take a vitamin, and you hope it works. You drink a protein shake, and you assume your muscles like it. With the Foreman, the "bad stuff" was physically removed and sat in a tray for you to pour down the sink. It provided a sense of agency over one's health that was incredibly addictive to 1990s consumers who were becoming increasingly obsessed with low-fat diets.
Real Talk: Does the Hype Hold Up?
Let’s be real for a second. Is it the best way to cook a steak? No. Any chef will tell you that fat is flavor. By pressing the meat between two hot plates and draining the juices, you’re often left with something a bit drier than what you’d get in a cast-iron skillet.
But the advert never claimed to be fine dining. It claimed to be fast.
It solved the "What's for dinner?" problem for millions of college students, busy parents, and bachelors. You could cook a frozen chicken breast in eight minutes. In the world of 1990s appliances, that was magic.
Impact on Modern Marketing
Every time you see a celebrity today with their own "lifestyle brand," they owe a debt to the george foreman grill advert. Before George, most athletes did ads for shoes or soft drinks. They were pitchmen. George was a partner.
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He proved that a celebrity could transcend their field (boxing) and become synonymous with a household utility. He didn't just sell the grill; he was the grill.
Today, we see this with Ryan Reynolds and Mint Mobile or George Clooney and Casamigos. It’s the "Foreman Model." Find a product that fits your persona, take equity instead of a fee, and be the most authentic version of yourself on camera.
How to Use a Foreman Grill Like a Pro Today
If you still have one of these tucked in the back of your cupboard—or if you just bought a new one for the nostalgia—don't just throw a burger on it and hope for the best.
- Preheat is non-negotiable. Wait for the little green light. If you put meat on a cold grill, it won't sear; it'll just steam in its own moisture and turn grey.
- Don't over-press. The weight of the lid is usually enough. If you push down on the handle, you're squeezing out the moisture, not just the fat. You want a burger, not a hockey puck.
- The parchment paper trick. If you hate cleaning the plates (and we all do), tuck a piece of parchment paper around your food. It still grills, it still drains, but the plates stay clean.
- Think beyond meat. The Foreman is actually an elite panini press. Put a sourdough grilled cheese in there. The slant doesn't matter for bread, and the even pressure gives you a perfect crunch.
The george foreman grill advert might be a relic of the "Call 1-800" era, but the product's legacy is surprisingly solid. It survived the low-fat craze of the 90s and the low-carb craze of the 2000s by simply being useful. George told us he’d make our lives easier, and for once, a TV pitchman actually told the truth.
What to do next
Take that grill out of the pantry. Seriously. Go buy some thick-cut halloumi or a couple of bell peppers. Forget the "low fat" marketing for a second and use it as a high-heat press for vegetables or sandwiches. It’s faster than the oven and more consistent than a frying pan. If the plates are gross, soak them in hot water with a bit of baking soda for twenty minutes. They'll snap back to life.
Stop thinking of it as a piece of 90s kitsch and start using it as the workhorse it was designed to be. George would want that for you.