They must not have napkins on the set of Hot Ones: The Game Show.
There are plenty of disgusting moments on the show, which plays out like Jackass meets Jeopardy!. But the fact that the contestants have hot sauce smeared all over their sweaty, snotty mugs throughout the entire episode somehow feels like the coup de gross.
If you’re reading this post yet somehow still aren’t familiar with Hot Ones, it’s a YouTube interview show with “hot questions and even hotter wings.” Hosted by Sean Evans, the show features celebrities answering questions as they make their way through a plate of increasingly spicy wings. By the end, the guest is typically struggling to formulate a coherent thought as their minds melt down from spiciness.
Seeing this, producers came up with the devious idea to formulate a game show based around the concept. On Hot Ones: The Game Show, contestants must eat wings while getting peppered with trivia questions. After 3 rounds, the winning team moves onto the final, where they win $25,000 if they can answer five questions Pyramid-style….but only after taking a shot of hot sauce to the dome.
Hot Ones: The Game Show leans into the absurdity of the scenario: The set is referred to as “The Pepperdome” and each new batch of wings is given a name like “Eye of the Scorpion” and “The Constrictor” as they’re introduced WWE-style. But with easy questions that wouldn’t even make the first round of Jeopardy!, the chief appeal of the show comes down to watching the contestants squirm, sweat, and freak out.
Unfortunately, Hot Ones: The Game Show doesn’t get a chance to showcase Evans’ considerable talents as an interviewer. For that, you’ll have to stick around for an episode of the original Hot Ones, which will air following The Game Show. The most impressive thing about Hot Ones (outside of its dramatic music cues, which perfectly reflect the spikes of pain shooting through the guest’s heads) is the depth of research Evans’ brings to his interviews. It would be one thing to ask a series of anodyne questions about their latest project; Evans goes above and beyond to find the juiciest tidbits in each celebs’ biography.
So whether you’re a fan of thoughtful interviews, trivia, or involuntary bodily reactions (or all of the above!), Hot Ones and Hot Ones: The Game Show are here to satisfy your craving. No napkin required.
Watch Hot Ones: The Game Show Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on truTV, followed by a classic episode of Hot Ones.
