I am for sure not the first one to write about this.

And, I don’t even like hot sauce. Like, at all. 

But my sister Coleen recently got me into this YouTube show called Hot Ones. Four episodes in and I’m hooked.

For the two of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me catch you up. This guy, Sean Evans, interviews celebrities across the table from him while they each are eating progressively hotter buffalo wings. Ten sauces, ten wings.  

Now, at first, I thought this show would bring up a lot of discomfort for me – like when Ellen used to make Dennis Quaid say and do ridiculous things to people while she was in his ear in a hidden microphone. That is not my jam.  

But this Hot Ones thing is fascinating and relatable. And not just to me. To MILLIONS of people. 

Why??

Well, I did some research for us. 

1.The 10 questions are deeply, deeply researched. So, even if we’ve watched this particular celebrity interviewed, it’s almost a guarantee that we haven’t heard these questions. The stars are genuinely surprised – and sometimes even touched – that the questions are so novel and revealing.

Our takeaway?  Work really hard and be as original as you possibly can.

2. Evans has been described by The New York Times as ‘affable,’ ‘even keeled,’ ‘unassuming,’ with an ‘uncanny’ ability to keep interviews on track. He can gently (and sometimes firmly) redirect like the best of them. We can trust him to fulfill the agenda – 10 wings, 10 questions.

Our takeaway? Be committed and apply a little pressure.

3. There is something so human and so vulnerable about seeing some celebrity who seemingly has it all together become totally, g r a d u a l l y, laughably, and willingly in such discomfort right in front of our eyes. And yet almost every guest (95% at one count) completes the task.

Our takeaway? Start small and go one step at a time. 

4. This is a show without malice or mean-spiritedness. Sean is kind and honest. “It’s ok if you can’t do this,” he says, and then, in the next breath, “But you can definitely do this.” We’re kind of rooting for these people to make it through all ten sauces in one piece.  There is a feel-good aspect to it that surprised me.  

Our takeaway? Do the thing that scares you and be kind to yourself in the process. 

Work really hard and be original.

Be committed and apply a little pressure!

Start small and go one step at a time.

Do it even if it scares you and be kind to yourself in the process.

I can’t wait to hear about your version of the buffalo wing challenge. And if you need help with it, I’m your gal. (But just to clarify, I’m definitely not eating hot sauce.)

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