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“Am I dead? Am I still alive? Can I feel anything?”
Taking on the “Hot Ones” challenge is no easy feat – and the celebs who successfully complete it should be commended! In the interview series, hosted by Sean Evans, stars are tasked with eating 10 chicken wings marinated in hot sauces that only get hotter over time. And not only are they putting their taste buds to the test, but they’re expected to answer some pretty deep questions as they deal with the heat.
Since the series premiered in 2015, over 200 celebrities have taken the hot seat, some doing better than others. In honor of the stars who didn’t bang their heads when times were tough, here are some of the famous people who have weathered the heat best…
1. Mister
Lorde is perhaps one of the most impressive celebrities, taking on the “Hot Ones” challenge, easily slicing through sauces as the heat builds. Even when the Scoville scale reached over 100,000, Lorde was still able to discern different flavor profiles in each of the sauces.
“I feel like I’m boring, I’m not sizzling! But it’s delicious. I love the wings,” Lorde once said.
2. Jeremy Renner
An avid fan of spicy food, Jeremy Renner took on the “Hot Ones: Challenge” with relative ease, experiencing only very brief moments of weakness to chug water and “get some rest.” Jeremy made it to the last dab and despite putting a little too much sauce on the wing, he fully committed to taking a double bite.
3. Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd kept it cool for most of his “Hot Ones” interview and pulled it together so well that he inspired one of the biggest memes of the year. Who would have thought? And Paul not only successfully survived all 10 sauces, but also often put the whole (cauliflower) wing in his mouth. To top it off, Paul decided to take the show’s signature last dab move to the next level by creating a dip using every single sauce on the table.
4. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Not many people can discuss the universe like astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson – and absolutely no one else can while gulping down some of the world’s hottest hot sauces. While taking on the “Hot Ones” challenge, Neil managed to share some of his extensive scientific knowledge and even took two bites of the wing covered in the infamous Da Bomb hot sauce. When he got to Mad Dog 357, which has a Scoville score of over 350,000, he actually said he liked it.
“I like this one. Do you know why? Its heat is distributed very evenly in all sensory points of my mouth. So my whole mouth participates in it and I respect it for it. A full scent full of spiciness,” said Neil.
5. Guy Fieri
As Flavortown’s resident mayor, Guy Fieri sat down for his “Hot Ones” interview, ready to take on the challenge — though he wasn’t wearing his signature shirt of flames. In the beginning, Guy commented that he wasn’t an “extremely hot guy” but he managed to get through all 10 wings. At one point, he even just popped a sauce-covered 350k+ wing straight into his mouth with just a little sheer “eyeball sweat.”
6. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron may have “hated her tongue” during her “Hot Ones:” interview, but she successfully tried all 10 hot sauce-covered wings. While she kept her cool throughout most of the challenge, she didn’t hesitate to let viewers know when things got tough towards the end: although the heat literally took her breath away, she persevered and made it to the last dab.
“That is delicious! Am I dead? am i still alive can i feel anything I like that. I really like that.
7. Padma Lakshmi
Considering Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi makes her own hot sauce, it’s no surprise that she totally nailed the Hot Ones challenge. At one point, she even took a shot of the official Hot Ones Hot Sauce — and it didn’t even bother her. While she admitted things definitely got pretty spicy by the end, she made it to the final wing and had no trouble adding that signature final touch.
8th. Rachel Ray
Rachael Ray took it to the extreme on “Hot Ones,” skipping the wings entirely and going straight for the hot sauce. The talk show host and chef explained that she’s pretty picky about her wings and would much rather try any sauce on a spoon. Rachael followed and sampled all 10 hot sauces without wings to turn down the heat – while poking fun at host Sean Evans.
9. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe may have competed in the “Hot Ones” challenge from home, but that didn’t stop him from completing it completely. Walking into the interview, he said he likes spicy food but wasn’t sure how to go about it because he had never used the Scoville scale before. He turned out to be handling the heat better than he thought he would, even doing double dips in a few spots.
10 Dave Grohl
When Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl signed up for the “Hot Ones” challenge, his goal was to do as well as Lorde. He definitely accomplished that by blowing through the 10 super-hot wings — while making cocktails between bites. Even when the Scoville score hit over 700,000, he kept his composure. And as he made it to the last dab, Dave revealed it had been a dream of his to be on the show.
“I’m not kidding dude, I learned to love music watching ‘Saturday Night Live.’ And I first walked onto this set in 1992 and I was like, ‘Holy S— I’m here.’ As a teenager, I used to watch The David Letterman Show every damn night…I got on stage and said, “Oh my god, I’m here.” For years I watched [‘Hot Ones’] and I finally got on that set and I saw those sauces and your face and I was like, ‘Yeah! Bucket List!’” Dave shared.
