“hot Ones”: What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Spicy Food?

1 week ago

Eight years aft his first quality connected “Hot Ones,” Kevin Hart reprised his spot astatine nan array to eat spicy wings a 2nd clip around. The character and comedian said he’s tense from nan get-go. “This is simply a bully clip for maine to cheque nan exits conscionable truthful I know…If I do request to go, understand that I’m not playing,” Hart warned big Sean Evans. And yet, he willingly subjected himself to 25 minutes of symptom and torture. After eating his seventh chickenhearted wing, which is coated successful Butterfly Bakery Hot House Hot Sauce, Hart is struggling. “That’s nan toughest 1 truthful far…That 1 correct there, f**k man!” he exclaimed while coughing, gagging and sniffling.

Since its inception successful 2015, First We Feast’s “Hot Ones” — “the show pinch basking questions and moreover hotter wings” — has featured complete 300 celebrities, including actors, comedians, musicians and athletes. The premise of nan YouTube talk show is simple: guests must eat a platter of 10 progressively spicy chickenhearted wings alongside Evans while answering his questions. But making it until nan very extremity is not an easy feat. DJ Khaled infamously tapped retired aft eating conscionable 3 wings. Taraji P. Henson brought successful her bodyguard Dave to decorativeness her remaining wings. And Bobby Lee rather virtually pooped his pants connected camera.

Why do celebrities put themselves done specified humiliation? And why do nan show’s guests — for illustration Hart — support coming backmost for more?

Sure, there’s nan committedness of good, buzzy press. Celebrities are offered an opportunity to beforehand their upcoming projects successful a sensationalistic yet humanistic and, oftentimes, meme-worthy manner. But there’s besides a much technological reasoning. Spicy foods blur nan lines betwixt pleasance and pain, which makes them catalysts for awesome onscreen drama. Such foods incorporate a chemic compound called capsaicin that binds to symptom receptors successful our assemblage erstwhile consumed.

“That’s what produces that power aliases burning sensation,” explained Dr. Alexa Mieses Malchuk, a family expert based successful Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “Your assemblage perceives that arsenic overheating and that, successful turn, is what causes america to sweat.”

She continued, “Spicy foods — and that benignant of symptom cognition — besides make nan assemblage nutrient endorphins, which is nan aforesaid chemic that runners get erstwhile they're moving a marathon. They get that runner's high. I wouldn't opportunity it's full-blown euphoria, but that is why, contempt being painful, group still activity retired spicy food.”

Dr. Malchuk added that endorphins tin beforehand a consciousness of well-being, moreover happiness and comfort.

Certain individuals are much drawn to nan thrill of eating spicy foods than others. Take for illustration nan self-described chiliheads, a tight-knit organization of spicy capsicum enthusiasts. Their prime of peppers isn’t your run-of-the-mill jalapeños aliases habaneros. Instead, they see harrowing names for illustration nan Ghost pepper, nan Carolina Reaper and different hybrid peppers that boast precocious Scoville units.

Hulu’s 2024 docuseries “Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People" spotlighted nan chili subculture and respective capsicum personalities, for illustration Johnny Scoville. Scoville, a celebrated chili capsicum reviewer who has been described arsenic nan Elvis Presley of chiliheads, described his pursuit of herb arsenic an addiction.

“It’s conscionable a beautiful thing,” Scoville said successful nan documentary. “I emotion capsicum pain. I emotion pain, and this is my favourite benignant of pain.”

“From nan clip I sewage to college, I benignant of felt for illustration an addict who hadn’t recovered his supplier yet,” he said. “And I fundamentally looked for it, and I tried them all. Over a decade ago, I discontinue each of them. The only buzz I get is from peppers. There’s ever gonna beryllium thing hotter, and I’m gonna find it.”

Outside of “Hot Ones” and chiliheads, spicy foods person been enjoying a world moment. Food shaper Kalsec noted successful its 2024 Beyond nan Burn report that an expanding number of consumers were seeking retired spicier flavors and basking foods. A study conducted online pinch astir 6,000 consumers recovered that 65 percent of consumers said they were eating spicier foods coming than they were a twelvemonth ago.

“We are seeing a continued world summation successful request for power arsenic good arsenic an progressively divers spirit palate, pinch consumers seeking caller spirit profiles from different regions and cultures,” said Mark Staples, vice president of world trading astatine Kalsec. “The increasing fame of spicy flavors presents a important opportunity for nutrient constituent manufacturers to create innovative and flavorful products that cater to nan discerning tastes of their consumers.”

Want much awesome nutrient penning and recipes? Subscribe to Salon Food's newsletter, The Bite.

According to market investigation patient Circana, income for nutrient and beverages pinch “spicy” successful nan explanation person accrued 9 percent year-over-year. Additionally, 11 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds bask “bold and unexpected flavors,” which is simply a 7 percent summation from 2019.

Brands person besides hopped connected nan spicy and “swicy” — a portmanteau of “sweet” and “spicy” — trends. Last February, Coca-Cola released a spicy type of its OG soda, aptly called Coca-Cola Spiced. And successful April, Starbucks released a new, limited-time spicy statement of lemonade drinks successful 3 flavors: Spicy Dragonfruit, Spicy Pineapple and Spicy Strawberry.

Indeed, nan accrued penchant for spicy foods is simply a important taste phenomenon. People worldwide can’t extremity craving spicy, whether that’s indulging successful fiery foods aliases watching celebrities effort to conquer nan infamous Wings of Death.