Hundreds of the world’s biggest celebrities have faced Sean Evans across a plate of wings on Hot Ones. They’ve sweated, cried, chugged milk, and begged for mercy, but Sean himself? He never even blinks. That’s why I decided to flip the script and drag him into my world, a kitchen stocked with some of the spiciest ingredients on the planet, for a cooking competition.
This wasn’t just any cook-off, though. We had a mystery basket of nuclear-level ingredients, thirty minutes to make a spicy entrée, thirty minutes for an even spicier dessert, and Chef Esther Choi, the queen of heat herself, judging us.
To raise the stakes, the loser would have to eat Pepper X, the hottest pepper in the world. Oh, and just to keep things safe, there was an EMT and an ambulance parked outside. No joke.
The entrée round: Ramen vs. fried chicken
Sean admitted right away that he doesn’t cook. At all. His plan? Literally just follow the directions on the back of the spicy ramen packet.
Me? I went with Flamin’ Hot Cheeto fried chicken wings, complete with a ramen-crusted batter and hot honey drizzle.
It didn’t take long for Sean to turn the kitchen into a hazard zone. He threw Carolina Reaper powder into his pan and basically pepper-sprayed the entire crew. Production scattered, people coughed, and I started wondering if we’d all need that EMT after all.
When the clock ran out, Sean plated a whimsical pink ramen topped with Cheeto dust and half-eggs. Esther’s review? “It tastes like air.” Not seasoned, not spicy enough, not edible.
My wings, on the other hand, looked a little aggressive with a bold red on red on red appearance. Luckily, the sweet-spicy honey and crunchy ramen crust carried me through to the next round. Esther still wanted more spice, but round one went to me.
The dessert round: Sundae vs. baked Alaska
Next came dessert, and that’s when things got terrifying. Our mystery basket had the world’s hottest chocolate bar (9 million Scoville!), Da Bomb hot sauce, and fresh chili peppers we had to pull blindfolded. Sean lucked out with a lemon chile. I drew a Carolina Reaper.
Sean went with a Habanero Hot Fudge Sundae, complete with a candied chili pepper on top. I built a Blazin’ Baked Alaska featuring a brownie base, cherry ice cream, and a capsaicin-infused meringue I torched before serving.
Sean’s sundae took Esther by surprise, and she said it tasted sweet, then fiery, then sweet again. She loved the candied pepper but called him out for overcooking the chocolate. My baked Alaska came out a little charred, but the meringue hit perfectly. Esther loved the balance of chili essence without overwhelming heat.
And the winner is…
Esther said it was close. Sean’s dessert brought the spice, but his entrée was basically inedible. My wings carried me, and the meringue sealed the deal. I walked away with the trophy.
Sean? He had to bite into Pepper X.
The trophy may be mine, but the real win is watching how it all went down on camera: