Who Exactly Makes The Wings On Hot Ones?

What has made "Hot Ones," an interview show where a bald man from Chicago calmly asks questions while celebrities obliterate themselves on spicy chicken wings, such a sensation? As is so often the case, there are a few different reasons. There's the fact that host Sean Evans and his team do extensive research in order to ask celebrities questions they've never been asked before. ("How did you know about that?" is a common refrain.) There are countless iconic moments, from Jennifer Lawrence frantically asking, "What do you mean?" to Conan O'Brien completely taking over the show. And then, of course, there are the wings: ten of them, coated in increasingly hot sauces, building up to The Last Dab. But where do those wings come from? Not the sauces, but the wings themselves? According to "Hot Ones" executive supervising producer Dominique Burroughs, they order them from a number of locations in New York and Los Angeles. Usually, but not always, they will be ordered from a New York restaurant called Shorty's.

Shorty's, which Evans shouted out by name in the Elijah Wood episode of "Hot Ones," will sell you ten large, crispy, saucy wings for $14, and they are apparently very good indeed. Because they're dipped in batter before frying, the exterior is crisp and crunchy like fried chicken, which not only improves the taste but provides more room for the sauce to play. Since each wing on "Hot Ones" is coated in a different hot sauce, Burroughs orders them plain.

A show like "Hot Ones" may seem pretty uncomplicated — you just need two people, a table, and some wings — but there are plenty of things that "Hot Ones" executive supervising producer Dominique Burroughs has to keep in mind for every episode. For one thing, while some shows on the interview junket will film multiple episodes a day, that's obviously out of the question with "Hot Ones" — for the sake of Sean Evans' well-being, the most episodes they've filmed in a week is three. With that said, celebrities will often squeeze "Hot Ones" in on their press days; eagle-eyed viewers will notice Cate Blanchett wearing the same blue coat and teal jacket in both her "Hot Ones" interview and her appearance in the Criterion Closet.

For another thing, not every guest eats the same wings. Burroughs orders fifty wings for each episode, but the precise content of that order depends upon who's eating. Some guests enjoy classic, bone-in chicken, while others go with boneless wings (a term coined by Buffalo Wild Wings); vegetarian and vegan guests can enjoy vegan nuggets or breaded cauliflower; some guests have even noshed on fish sticks. Whatever form the sauce vehicle takes, Burroughs emphasizes that they must be big enough to coat in sauce, crisp enough not to get soggy, and tasty enough for Evans and his guests to power through the heat.