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''Hot Ones'' is an American
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
, created by Christopher Schonberger and Sean Evans and produced by
First We Feast First We Feast is an online food-culture magazine and YouTube channel. The site co-produces the YouTube series ''Hot Ones'' with Complex Media, its parent company. Description First We Feast began in 2012 as a food culture blog edited by Chris S ...
and
Complex Media Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, ''Complex'', by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular a ...
. Its basic premise involves celebrities being interviewed by Evans over a platter of increasingly spicy chicken wings. Several spin-offs have been produced, including the game show ''Hot Ones: The Game Show'' on the cable television network
TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
, and ''Truth or Dab'', a
truth or dare Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, ...
style competition that also airs on the First We Feast YouTube channel. As of September 2022, the show has produced nineteen seasons (with three seasons per calendar year since 2018). Most seasons produce between 10 and 16 episodes, though prior to 2018 there were longer seasons consisting of more episodes; approximately 40 episodes air per year. Each season features a different line-up of hot sauces, though certain sauces remain from year-to-year, including three self-produced sauces, "Hot Ones - The Classic" in spot 1, "Hot Ones - Los Calientes" in either spot 4 or 5, and "Hot Ones - The Last Dab" as the final sauce. Since Season 2, "Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity" has occupied spot 8. Guests who do not complete the gauntlet of hot sauces are placed in the "Hall of Shame" or, beginning in Season 17, the "Wall-Most Made it." The show has been nominated for several awards, winning two
Streamy Awards The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ...
and its host, Sean Evans, has been nominated for
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
. In 2022, ''Hot Ones'' received a nomination for the
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment was an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The award was given in honor of a talk ...
. The show has been noted for its deep-probing questions, often digging up material from a celebrity's background not often discussed on other interview shows, with ''
Hollywood Insider ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' calling it "the hottest celebrity interview right now" in 2021.


Format

The format involves Evans and his guests eating ten chicken wings (or a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
/
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
alternative based on the guest's preference), each prepared with a progressively hotter
hot sauce Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced hot sauce exist. History Humans have used chili peppers and other hot spices for thousands of years ...
. Evans states the show's
tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...
at the beginning of each episode: "The show with hot questions, and even hotter wings." The first sauce presented is relatively mild such as
Sriracha Sriracha ( or ; th, ศรีราชา, ) is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. Use In Thailand, sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particular ...
, which has a rating of 2,200 Scoville units. The final sauce (as of season 4), Hot Ones' own The Last Dab (The Last Dab Reduxx starting in season 6, and The Last Dab XXX starting in Season 10), has a Scoville rating of 2,000,000+. As per "tradition", the guests are encouraged to put a minuscule extra amount of The Last Dab on the final wing; they are told this is not required, but most guests opt to do so even when already struggling with the heat of the previous wings. After each wing, Evans asks his guest an interview question. As the wings get hotter, the guest typically begins to display the effects of eating the spicier wings and the interview becomes less focused on the guest and more so the struggle to finish the wings. The guests are also provided glasses of water and milk to counteract the effect of the wings. The standard show is Evans and one guest eating ten wings each, but in some episodes where there are two guests (such as the episodes featuring
Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
& Jordan Peele and Hila & Ethan Klein from
h3h3Productions h3h3Productions is a YouTube channel hosted by Ethan Klein and Hila Klein, an Israeli-American husband-and-wife duo. The majority of their content consists of reaction videos and sketch comedy in which they satirize internet culture. The ''H3 ...
), only five wings are given to each guest. Guests who successfully finish all ten wings are allowed to promote their upcoming projects. Guests who fail are still afforded this opportunity, but are also added to the show's Hall of Shame.


Development

The show was created by First We Feast Founder Christopher Schonberger. Schonberger cites
Alexa Chung Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is a British television presenter, model, internet personality, writer, and fashion designer. She wrote the book ''It'' (2013). Her fashion label Alexa Chung, stylized , launched in May 2017 and closed in 2022. ...
's quirky interview show ''
Popworld ''Popworld'' is a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the T4 strand, featuring pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from contemporary artists. The show bega ...
'' as the inspiration for the show. The show is hosted by Sean Evans. On September 26, 2017, First We Feast featured an episode of ''Sean in the Wild'', using sauces from Hot Ones, starring Sean Evans and Michael Stevens from
Vsauce Vsauce () is a YouTube brand created by educator Michael Stevens. The channels feature videos on scientific, psychological, mathematical, and philosophical topics, as well as gaming, technology, popular culture, and other general interest subj ...
. The nineteenth episode of the fourth season featuring
Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...
was originally released on November 23, 2017 and was removed a month later possibly in light of the sexual misconduct allegations towards him.


Series overview


Hot sauce lineup

Note that the number of sauces was cut in half in earlier seasons when there were multiple guests on the show. The Scoville units listed below for Season 1 are based on Scott Roberts web Scoville scale whereas the following seasons are based on the units displayed in the episodes, which sometimes results in the same sauce having different ratings in different seasons.


Season 1 lineup


Season 2 lineup


Season 3 lineup


Season 4 lineup


Season 5 lineup


Season 6 lineup


Season 7 lineup


Season 8 lineup


Season 9 lineup


Season 10 lineup


Season 11 lineup


Season 12 lineup


Season 13 lineup


Season 14 lineup


Season 15 lineup


Season 16 lineup


Season 17 lineup


Season 18 lineup


Season 19 lineup


Hall of Shame

The following is a list of the guests who have failed to eat all ten wings: *
Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his deb ...
*
DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...
*
Eddie Huang Edwyn Charles Huang (born March 1, 1982) is an American author, chef, restaurateur, food personality, producer, and former attorney. He was a co-owner of BaoHaus, a gua bao restaurant in the East Village of Lower Manhattan. Huang previously h ...
(first appearance) *
Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
*
Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
*
Rob Corddry Robert William Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He ...
*
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
*
Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...
*
Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in '' Baby Boy'' (2001). Sh ...
*
Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...
*
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...
*
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
*
Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, television host and writer. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim comedy series ''The Eric Andre Show'' (2012–present). ...
(second appearance) *
Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...
*
Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
*
Shaq Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...


''Hot Ones: The Game Show''

On February 18, 2020, a spin-off titled ''Hot Ones: The Game Show'' premiered on
truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
. Hosted by Evans, the series pits two pairs of players against one another for a chance to win up to $25,000. The main game is played in three rounds, using wings that have been cooked in hot sauces whose Scoville ratings increase from one round to the next. Players are not provided with any water or milk to reduce the effects of the wings but are given buckets in which to vomit if necessary. In each of the first two rounds, the players begin by eating one wing apiece and the host asks three toss-up questions open to all. The first team to buzz in has five seconds to respond; a correct answer awards them money, while a miss gives it to the opposing team. Questions are worth $100/$200/$300 in the first round, and these values double to $200/$400/$600 for the second. In the third round, the players begin by eating one bite of a wing. The host reads a series of clues, and players may buzz in at any time to identify the subject being described. Three puzzles are played, worth $1,000/$2,000/$3,000; the team that scores on each puzzle must then take another bite. In this round, if a team misses, the opponents must give the correct answer in order to score. Both teams keep their accumulated winnings. The higher-scoring team advances to the "Ring of Fire" bonus round, in which each member must drink a shot of mixed hot sauce at the outset that includes a sauce with a Scoville rating of 2 million. One member is then shown a series of words and must get their partner to guess each one by describing it. The clue-giver may pass on a word at any time. If the team can solve five words in 60 seconds, their winnings are increased to $25,000 and they are given large milkshakes to relieve the effects of the sauce and wings they have eaten.


Accolades

, - ! scope="row" , 2017 ,
Streamy Award The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...
, Best Food Series , rowspan="5" , ''Hot Ones'' , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , 2018 ,
Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...
, Best Web Series , , , - ,
Streamy Award The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...
, Non-Fiction Series , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , 2019 , rowspan="2" ,
Streamy Award The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...
, Show of the Year , , , - , Pop Culture , , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 ,
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
, Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host , Sean Evans , , , - ! scope="row" , 2022 ,
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
, Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show , ''Hot Ones'' , ,


Note


References


External links

* {{Streamy Awards Winners CSS Discontinued 2010s YouTube series English-language television shows 2015 web series debuts 2010s in food 2020s YouTube series 2020s in food Shorty Award winners Streamy Award-winning channels, series or shows