#onechipchallenge

See this at the grocery store the other day, and figured I'd take a crack at this. I love hot stuff, so why not?

First, some info.

There's an official rating system for hot peppers. It's known as the Scoville scale, which uses "scoville heat units" (SHU) to rate how hot a pepper is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, a group of chemicals that'll set off your body's heat-sensitive nerves. The higher the number, the hotter the pepper.

Bell peppers are a solid 0 SHU. Jalapenos can range from 1,000 SHU to 8,000 SHU. Habaneros are all the way up to 350,000 SHU.

This chip is made using Carolina Reapers and Scorpion Peppers, both of which are infamously super hot peppers that can clock in at ranges over 1,700,000 SHU (or more than 4x the heat of the hottest Habaneros).

This is approaching the spiciness of bear deterrent pepper spray (aka MACE), which is in the 2,000,000 - 5,000,000 SHU range.

Now, for the challenge:

The rules are simple: Eat the chip, then wait as long as possible before eating or drinking.

You'll earn one of four rankings, based on how long you hold out:

5 minutes: Powerless.

10 minutes: Powerful.

30 minutes: Supercharged.

1 hour: Invincible.

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS unless you have an iron stomach. 🌶️ Today, I’m putting my "spicy lover" title on the line to see if I can actually finish the Korean Kick Fries. This isn't just a snack; it’s a survival mission. 🥵 Will I finish the whole thing, or will I be chugging a gallon of milk by the end? Watch to find out if I’m a spicy legend or a total lightweight.

It’s pretty cool when you have created so much buzz for your product that it takes on a life of its own. But then again, that buzz can kick you in the back side when someone loses his life because of it. More on that later.

Say hello to the #OneChipChallenge, the viral dare developed by Amplify Snack Brands for their line of Paqui chips. Created in 2016, the goal is to eat just one of their hottest chips, and this year it is made with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. It (the chip) comes in its own special package, and fetches $10-20 online. Score a few points for novelty right there.

Even though social media and the internet are hardly new, it is still kind of like the wild, wild west out there. Anyone can create a hashtag. There is no cost. While intellectual property of a hashtag may be debatable—unless trademarked, of course—there’s nothing to stop anyone from doing this, whether you are promoting your brand, or a rogue user trying to harm someone. The Paqui people were just being cute and clever.

As you might expect, TikTokkers are all over this one. Paqui encourages those foolish enough to try eating this chip to see how long they can go without reaching for water or a dairy product. ¿Quién es más macho? We’re about to find out. Post it and become an internet hero.

Sadly, 14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester Massachusetts was recently found unresponsive, after having eaten one of the diabolical chips. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what the Paqui brand management team had in mind.

And therein lies the risk in daring people to do something, because as we all know, there are those who will take you up on it. Amplify Brands no doubt saw this as a harmless ploy to sell chips, to get social media attention, and, more importantly, shelf space in stores. Now, I’m betting their lawyers are busy trying to prepare for what will be a most certain lawsuit. That kid’s parents aren’t very happy.

Of course, the packaging does have warnings. In very clear verbiage, this product is to be kept out of reach of children, and is intended for adult consumption. Furthermore, “do not eat if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, nightshades, or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions.” Never touch the pepper and then “touch your eyes or other sensitive areas.”

Oh, and lastly, “Seek medical assistance should you experience difficulty breathing, fainting, or extended nausea.” Poor Harris must have missed the back side of the package, and whether the posted advisories will hold up in court will be determined.

As for Paqui, they met all of the usual sales and eyeballs objectives. What they didn’t bargain for was all the attention across every kind of media, not just social, but also print, TV, and websites. You never want your name uttered in the same breath as someone’s death. Every ounce of free PR just went swirling down the drain.

I’m sure their food chemists have fun concocting this annual release, trying to find devilishly hotter varietals of peppers. While the Scoville Rating of the blend has not been calculated, it should be noted that Carolina Reaper peppers clock in at 1.7 million Scoville units, and the Naga Viper pepper scores 1.4 million units. In comparison, a common jalapeño packs only 2500 to 8000 units.

And you thought you were the most macho.

I love me some hot and spicy food, especially Thai curries. I nearly always pick green curry, and tell the server to turn it up. I have my own grading scale for heat as well, and the traits are cumulative. At Level 1 my nose starts running. Level 2 adds sweating. Level 3 adds eyes watering, and Level 4 gets me started coughing. I have only reached Level 4 once, at an Asian fusion restaurant in Missoula Montana. Oh man, was it good. Never once, though, did I think I was going to die, although if I did, I would have had a smile on my face.

But as for Paqui and their #OneChipChallenge, all I can say is, “This was a great marketing gimmick. Until it wasn’t.”

Dr “I’ll Pass On This” Gerlich