What Really Happens Behind The Scenes On Hot Ones

"Hot Ones" is unlike any other competitive reality show eating challenge that came before it. "Fear Factor" had worms, "Survivor" spiders, but "Hot Ones" has Scoville-level sauces that require its guests to answer questions while their mouths are on fire. We took a backstage look at what goes on at "Hot Ones," and why it's the hottest show on YouTube.

Hot Ones started airing on YouTube in 2015. Now, as it starts its 28th season, the show has become an established pop culture phenomenon. All sorts of A-list celebrities have taken the "Hot Ones" hot seat to discuss their careers, behind-the-scenes antics, and industry anecdotes — all under the influence of capsaicin, the flaming hot truth serum.

The Takeout got the privilege of interviewing Chris Schonberger via email. He is the creator of "Hot Ones" and CEO of its production studio, First We Feast. He gave us some great behind-the-scenes information about the show, including where host Sean Evans gets all those piledriver questions from.

Anyone who has been a fan of the show for a long time knows that host Sean Evans often surprises his "Hot Ones" guests — which include celebrity chefs — with deep dive questions; they regularly compliment him on his intrepid prowess. It has become a sort of trademark of the show, and it's one of the first things people want to know about it. 

Chris Schonberger says it's simple: "Hot Ones" has a dedicated research team, which includes Sean's brother Gavin, and it's been that way for a long time. "There's no secret sauce other than doing the work and mining for nuggets that are going to produce the most interesting responses, or generate those 'how'd you know that?' moments," Schonberger told The Takeout.

He also emphasized that the show is truly a family affair, and it has a tight-knit group of writers who have been there since day one. Schonberger added that "without the commitment to the craft of interviewing, the format would be a gimmick." 

Besides its world-famous hot sauces, "Hot Ones" has another staple: its wings, the conduit through which the heat is administered by "dabs" to the nervous guests. But where do they get these molten munchables? Thankfully, it's not hard. The show utilizes various 24-hour restaurants in and around Los Angeles and New York to supply "Hot Wings" with unsauced wings. 

Supervising producer Domonique Burroughs  told IndieWire, "The order is always the same. Fifty wings, unsauced — but the actual food can vary. We've had bone-in, boneless tenders, vegan nuggets, vegan wings on a stick, breaded cauliflower, baked wings, fried wings, beef tips, and even fish sticks. There is never a dull moment when it comes to sourcing our wings."

When the show is filmed in New York, Shorty's (now closed) was a go-to restaurant for the appetizers. But you can bring the heat home yourself with the official "Hot Ones" brand of chicken strips and bites. Depending on which variety you choose, they are seasoned with either The Classic or Los Calientes hot sauces. The bites will cost you about $12 while the strips retail for around $10.99. 

"Hot Ones" launched in 2015, and its parent company was acquired by Buzzfeed in 2021. But in late 2024, host Sean Evans joined a consortium of investors who forked over $82 million to purchase First We Feast, the production house that makes the show. The creator of the brand, Chris Schonberger, says some things have changed since becoming an independent brand, but not much.

"Rather than changing the brand, the sale has allowed us to be more ourselves than ever, focusing on continuing to make "Hot Ones" a generational talk show, and allowing us to open a new chapter where we can do things that we weren't able to do while part of larger networks with competing priorities — both with Hot Ones, and with other new shows coming out of the First We Feast brand," Schonberger told The Takeout.

Season 28 of the show will air sometime later in 2025. According to Schonberger, the new lineup of sauces will be revealed on September 11 on the First We Feast channel. This will be the show's first season after becoming independent. 

It's only fair that the crew of "Hot Ones" get in on the fun too — after all, they make sure the show runs smoothly and that guests are comfortable. Sometimes, the production staff want to have a challenge of their own, so they play a game of wing roulette wherein a wing is coated in a mystery hot sauce from the lineup and consumed by the teammate. This game not only helps to deal with leftover food, but also allows the team to experience the heat felt by their celebrity guests. 

While that might not seem like a perk, there is something else the staff gets to do after the show wraps. Sometimes they get to take home a little piece of their celebrity heroes. The CEO of First We Feast, Chris Schonberger, told The Takeout that depending on the guest, the crew can go home with all kinds of souvenirs. 

"Athletes sign jerseys, authors sign their books, actors sign superhero action figures, and some guests take a Polaroid photo and sign it," Schonberger explained. "We have a 'Hot Ones Museum of Curiosities' filled with signed photos and props that we've collected over the years, including artworks that have been created live on the show."

The "Hot Ones" challenge is based on its flight of hot sauces, each increasing in heat as host Sean Evans asks a new question. This is the formula of the show; without it, "Hot Ones" would be just another talk show with a host holding prompt cards. The show's creator, Chris Schonberger, told The Takeout that there is a method to the madness. And there is only one rule in the process that builds on the guest's experience — which is hopefully a good one. 

"The sauces increase in Scoville units (a measurement of heat) as the lineup progresses," Schonberger said. "The only rule is that the next wing should be hotter than the last in terms of Scoville units. But every sauce and every pepper hits people differently, so it's more about creating a symphony of flavors and spice that takes the guest on a journey."

That "Hot Wings" journey varies from guest to guest. In one memorable episode, "Hidden Figures" actress Taraji P. Henson had to tap out early, while in another, Charlize Theron didn't seem too bothered and coasted through the challenge. 

Guests often power through the "Hot Ones" interview, answering every one of Sean Evans' questions without reaching for any kind of relief from the spicy food, even though it's within arm's reach. It's like a form of self-torture or an extreme culinary endurance test, and the challenge becomes more personal than just answering questions while your mouth is on fire from the spice. But that doesn't mean that once the cameras stop rolling, guests don't administer some kind of post-interview relief. The show's creator, Chris Schonberger, told The Takeout that guests recover from the experience in several ways. 

"Every guest is different — they might slam some ice cream, sprint out the studio, or decompress in the green room," he said. "More often than not, there's an endorphin rush that comes from the spice and completing the challenge, and guests often want to force people who they brought with them — their publicist, their stylist, their family, etc — to try the hottest wings on the table."

With sauces that can range from a Scoville rating of up to 2,700,000, the "Hot Ones" experience can be excruciating. It's impressive that some individuals can make it through the whole show without a crutch. 

Before guests sit down to be interviewed by Sean Evans for the show, they need to sign on the dotted line acknowledging they are about to consume extremely hot food. It's a precaution that needs to happen since reactions to capsaicin, the thing that makes peppers hot, can be different for each individual. Considering that it is an ingredient in pepper spray, the effects can be devastating. Although the show isn't intentionally trying to harm anyone, unpleasant things can happen. The document underscores that each guest is doing the challenge voluntarily. 

In one hilarious "Hot Ones" episode, pop star Sabrina Carpenter, with tears in her eyes, jokingly asked Sean Evans if he had ever been sued for putting guests through the challenge. To which Evans exclaimed, "You signed a waiver!" (via Instagram). In a moment of uncertainty, Carpenter retorted, "I signed a waiver?!" 

While capsaicin is used in holistic medicine to combat aches and pains, consuming too many hot peppers can be harmful. Considering "Hot Ones The Last Dab Xperience Hot Sauce," is in their regular rotation and has a Scoville scale ranking of 2,693,000, it's probably better to be safe than sorry. 

With guests' mouths burning and their minds thinking their bodies are actually on fire, it's no wonder that a guest might let things slip in their answers to host Sean Evans' questions. This happened when Joe Jonas appeared with his brothers, Nick and Kevin, on "Hot Ones Versus," a spin-off of the original show. Joe got so caught up in the heat that he accidentally revealed a possible Disney project he wasn't supposed to. After being asked to dictate the last thing in his notes app, he said, "Read Camp Rock 3" (via YouTube). He quickly apologized for the slip. 

Show creator Chris Schonberger says the platform intentionally tries to get its guests to lower their guard. But ultimately, it's all about respect.  

"The purpose of the Hot Ones format is to disarm the guests into lowering their inhibitions and answering 'hot questions' they might typically keep tight-lipped about, " Schonberger told us. "Once guests fall into the format, they tend to let it rip. It's not a 'gotcha' show, it's more of a celebration. The way we think about it, celebrities are extending for us by eating some of the world's spiciest wings, so it's only right that we extend for them and put together a thoughtful interview that highlights their life and talents."

As much fun as "Hot Ones" sounds, some guests think doing the show is a nightmare. In a now-famous episode, actress Jennifer Lawrence wasn't having a great time while doing her interview. She admitted to Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" that she lost her lunch after she left. In another episode, comedian Bobby Lee lost control of his bowels. 

Celebrities go on talk shows during a press tour for whatever they are promoting. With "Hot Ones" having become popular in the pop culture zeitgeist, it's no wonder that stars would want to appear on the show. It's a different kind of interview away from the mundane junkets they are used to. 

Some can handle the heat of both the questions and the wings on "Hot Ones," but others aren't so diligent. Take, for Instance, musician Bad Bunny, who appeared in a January 2025 episode. He couldn't take the heat and tapped out early. He is now a part of the "Wall-Most Made It" list of celebrities who failed the challenge. There are fewer than 15 people on that list at the time of this writing.
 

Sean Evans always warns his "Hot Ones" guests not to touch their eyes after they take a bite of their wings. The capsaicin, an irritant, could be extremely painful if it comes into contact with the eyes.

Conan O'Brien famously got the "Hot Ones" sting, and it wasn't pleasant. Although he didn't get it in his eyes, he suffered extreme irritation. He told CNN's Jake Tapper (via TikTok), "When I got home, my hand was burning. I realized that the sauce got underneath my wedding ring and was burning through my skin. Because it's an acid, you idiot!"  

Chris Schonberger, the creator of "Hot Ones," told The Takeout that the show has precautions in place in the event of an emergency. "We have an on-site medic on site just in case," he said. "There are a whole bunch of antidotes at the ready that have been tested or requested over the years."

We asked "Hot Ones" creator and CEO of First We Feast, Chris Schonberger, if there was anything fans would be surprised to learn about the show. His answer is a little surprising, because some people probably think the program is filmed in one location — but that's not accurate. 

"We can film the show virtually anywhere," Schonberger told us. "While we mostly shoot in our New York or LA studios, the set is designed to be portable so we can bring the spice to celebrities on the road during their press tours."

Being that mobile means "Hot Ones" has a broader scope, and it also means Sean Evans can take his interviews on the road — and not just in New York or LA. "Hot Ones" has now ventured father afield. "The first Kevin Hart episode was filmed in Hawaii, and Idris Elba was filmed in London," Schonberger said. "Having a set that involves a black curtain, some wooden paddles, red napkins, and wings make it easy to pop the show up anywhere." With season 28 coming up later in 2025, who knows where their wings will take them?