What To Know
- Food Network star Tobias Dorzon survived being shot 11 times during a robbery in November 2024, in which he and his girlfriend were attacked.
- Despite being told he might never walk again, Dorzon underwent extensive surgeries and physical therapy, receiving strong support from fellow chef Guy Fieri.
- The traumatic experience brought Dorzon’s family closer together, and he is set to return to television on Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas.
Tobias Dorzon, who has appeared on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games and Tournament of Champions, thought his life was over on November 5, 2024, when he was shot 11 times during a robbery.
Speaking to People about the near-death experience a year later, Dorzon, a former footballer and the 2024 Maryland Chef of the Year, recalled the traumatic incident, his road to recovery, and how fellow Food Network star Guy Fieri supported him.
Dorzon told the outlet that he and his long-distance girlfriend, Crystal Swan, were heading home in an Uber from a restaurant date when a car pulled up behind them. As he stepped out to open the car door for his girlfriend, Dorzon saw the back doors of the other car swing open and out stepped several people with guns drawn.
The suspects began shooting, with Dorzon recalling, “I was trying to cover her, and then I started getting hit… I went to the ground and tried to drag myself toward the curb, but I couldn’t hear my girl.”
“You got that last second of almost thinking, are you still going to be here?” he continued. “People walking towards you that just shot you multiple times, what are they coming for? Are they coming to kill you? Are they coming to rob you? You really don’t know the end result. I’m just hoping my kids are good.”
Dorzon said the suspects stole his Audemars Piguet watch, a diamond necklace, and other items, totaling about $100,000. “At that point, I’m thinking they’re going to pretty much finish me off,” he said, noting how he didn’t realize how badly he’d been shot, though he could see his hands were bloody.
The suspects fled the scene in a stolen car, and Dorzon was able to FaceTime his brother to tell him what had happened. Dorzon had been shot 11 times, and his girlfriend had also been hit. Both survived the attack.
After initially being told he would likely never walk again, Dorzon began his road to recovery. But he didn’t just have the physical pain to deal with, but also the mental anguish.
“I ask myself every day, ‘Was I wrong for going out that night? Should I have not went out that night?’” he told People. “It’s just so many different things that I ask myself, but I’m here. I tell myself every day God got a bigger purpose for me.”
Dorzon spent two months in the hospital, and after multiple surgeries and physical therapy, he regained strength and mobility. The former Chopped star said throughout his recovery, Fieri was there to support him.
“Even after the shooting, he was constantly on the phone with me checking in, making sure the medical staff were taking care of me, offering to order food for everyone, and just giving me words of encouragement,” Dorzon explained. “He’s been here for me the whole time, every step of the way.”
Dorzon, who has two daughters from a previous relationship, 19-year-old Riley and 11-year-old Torienne, said the experience brought his family closer together.
“Ever since that has happened, my family [has] been like glue,” he stated. “It’s been a great thing.”
Food Network viewers will get to see Dorzon make his return to television on Wednesday (November 5) as he appears on Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas.