“Hot Ones: it’s the show with hot questions, and even hotter wings.” It's the mantra for the best online interview series, hosted by First We Feast. Hot Ones is a slightly different – and dare I say devilish – interview show, and has become *pretty* iconic in the realm of great web series. The episodes always bring the humor, plus host Sean’ Evans' interviewing skills are impressively unmatched.
Evans comes in hot AF on his guests with deep-dive questions as they move through the interview eating hot wings of varying spice levels. The stakes rise higher as they scale the Scovilles and interview questions amp up, a combo which usually unravels guests (unless you’re Lorde) in a super comedic fashion.
Though I wouldn’t wish the Hot Ones spice challenge upon myself (or anyone I care about) it makes for a unique concept that I can’t help but keep coming back to. Seeing your favorite celebrities reveal their authentic selves in an interview while ingesting insane amounts of spice is always a fun time.
If you're new to Hot Ones or may have missed some of the standout moments from the 400 episode-long series, I handpicked a few of the best episodes to give you a boost of humor this week. Check out our faves below, and keep an eye out for more awesome celeb guests coming this year!
Amelia Dimoldenberg
The queen of chicken herself, Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg, appeared on this week's episode of Hot Ones and we can't get enough! Right off the bat, Sean calls her his "chicken-fueled talk show host, sister in arms" which was so funny, I had to rewind. They talk about how she interacts with her own guests, surprising props, and her iconic red carpet interviews. In her signature chaos, Amelia breaks out a portable fan to try and cool her tongue, but she actually does remarkably well compared to the tears and freak outs we've seen before!
*NSYNC
Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone, AKA *NSYNC stepped up to the Hot Ones challenge, beating the record for most wings on the table before they even took their first bite. In this episode, they talk about the making of their new single, “Better Place,” what it’s like to be in a boyband (although now, they’re more of a manband), crazy fan experience, and the infamous Star Wars casting rumors.
Sean and the boys struggle hilariously through the last of the hot sauces, but the crew still manages to answer all of the questions. Whether you were a die-hard fan of *NSYNC or only caught the tail-end of their Y2K run, you just can’t miss this monumental episode of Hot Ones.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Award-winning actor, best-selling cookbook author, and the founder and CEO of Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow, wasn't too enthused about the hot sauce-drenched wings in front of her when she first sat down at the Hot Ones table.
"I am full of regret," she says at the start. "I can't believe I'm here... I like hot sauce, I like spicy, but I don't think I'm equipped to be here." LOL, same! That's exactly what we'd say if we were on Hot Ones.
Though she hesitantly approaches the wing line-up throughout the interview, Gwyneth offers thoughtful insights on running a business, dishes on behind-the-scenes deets from her film work, and even reveals a best-kept secret cocktail recipe from the Paltrow family! This interview is totally worth watching to the end – Sean and Gwyneth team up for a hilarious post-show segment.
Jennifer Lawrence
J Law enters the Hot Ones ring looking iconic and glowy AF. The beaming look she begins with slowly turns to a glistening sweat, though, as she wades her way through the sauce lineup. The anecdotes she gives about her career throughout the interview (that watches more like a playful conversation between good friends) all testify to her commitment to acting. For example, she’s coughed up her swallowed nose ring on set *right* in front of Leo DiCaprio, and has torn her literal diaphragm while filming Mother. She’s increasingly “a little hurt” by the Hot Ones spice, but a little turns into a lot once Sean leads her to Da Bomb Beyond Insanity. We’re constantly amazed by Jennifer’s previous projects (like Silver Lining’s Playbook, The Hunger Games, and American Hustle), but feel just a tad curious about her Chili Pizza Sandwich concoction.
Rosalía
Rosalía states that she’s not really a hot sauce person before her Hot Ones interview starts, and as the spice grows, she discovers the “disturbing” nature of the show. The singer-songwriter’s energy is delightful and silly in general, so seeing her be herself while eating hot AF wings is just as fun in this episode. She runs through an entertaining anecdote about her time being a singer-for-hire in Barcelona, her favorite emotion-inducing instruments, and teaches us how to describe devilishly hot and spicy food in Spanish.
Megan Thee Stallion
Whatever
Megan Thee Stallion does, I truly support and love her. She's a model, singer, rapper, fashion and beauty icon, and comedian rolled into one stunning and talented women. She always keeps it real, especially on her 2021 episode of
Hot Ones. While
literally indulging in some hot girl sh*t with the show's
spice-filled sauce lineup, Megan carries on an engaging conversation about her love of anime, the top sonic influences to her music style, and music video behind-the-scenes. The moments where she's falling apart from the spice and needs to reel things back in are the funniest.
Paul Rudd
If you were anywhere on the internet when
Paul Rudd's
Hot Ones episode came out, you obviously know the iconic "hey, look at us" line that was meme'd for seemingly forever. Aside from relishing in those few seconds, and watching Paul be the super handsome actor, writer, producer and heartthrob he is, Sean leads a conversation that makes the episode barely an interview. It carries out so naturally, and the video feels like him and Paul are just two best pals hanging out. By the end, they pretty much are besties. The best moment from Paul Rudd's episode falls at the end of the video – watch the last minute, hot sauce-induced improv acting challenge play out above.
Lizzo
Musician, rapper, beauty queen, Instagram icon, and
Yitty CEO Lizzo hopped on
Hot Ones last summer to chat all things music theory, red carpet fashion and career starts. Among insightful responses about how formal music training shaped her budding career, and talk about the cities with the best music scenes, Sean pops off with a mega-throwback
Lizzo fact. His hardcore interview research often surprises guests, and Lizzo's case is no exception. Watch as Sean throws
Nardwuar-like interview knowledge at Lizzo about her first years as an underground rapper, and how well she excitedly receives it.
Viola Davis
Acting and producing powerhouse
Viola Davis delivered some truly unfiltered reactions to the
Hot Ones sauce lineup. Between gracefully answered questions about her background in theater, and what goes into making a movie like
The Woman King, Viola's responses to the spice just adds so much magic to the already amazing interview. She starts getting scared around the 69,000 Scoville mark, so the fact that she kept composure that far in to the episode is amazing. The best quote from Viola from this series? "My lips are burning off... and I've got some lips."
Midsommar and A Good Person actress Florence Pugh is scared of the hot sauce lineup from the start of her episode. Shockingly, she powers through the Scovilles with only a trace of her initial hesitance. Her sweat-filled episode first dives into the real behind-the-scenes of eating on camera with a hilarious Flo anecdote from the set of Hawkeye – she got to eat mac n cheese all day at work, which is a true dream of ours. Just have to LOL. Flo throws out recipe pairing ideas for each hot sauce she and Sean enjoy down the line, which shows her chef’s headspace, a la Cooking With Flo. This 2023 episode leaves her in legit tears and sweat.. But we’d be in the same exact state after all that!
Gordon Ramsey
For maybe the most highly anticipated
Hot Ones round, multi-Michelin star holder and restauranteur
Gordon Ramsay stepped up to the sauces. Of course he had to harshly critique the
Hot Ones wings themselves, and with the spiciest sauces they're coated in. The episode is full of snarky banter between Gordon and Sean, and of course, a healthy amount of spice-retaliating profanity. Jokes aside, the fact that you can tell each of them is having an absolute ball in the interview is my favorite part. But, the segment where Sean makes scrambled eggs for Gordon is pretty funny, too.
Mille Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things and Enola Holmes joined Hot Ones in 2022 for a pretty panic-filled episode. She was smooth sailing until the duo chowed down on the Da Domb hot sauce about halfway through the interview. From then on, it was pure melodrama and pain. Millie thought she had it at the beginning, when she makes a stab at Tom Holland's Hot Ones performance, but it subsequently all crumbles under her, and the irony is hilarious.
Emma Chamberlain
Miss
Emma Chamberlain approaches the beginning of her
Hot Ones episode with the utmost confidence, and the chemistry she has with Sean throughout the episode makes for a charming watch. Sean's questions explore the range outside of Emma's YouTube career (though their discussion about editing styles is pretty neat), tapping into coffee nerd moments from her brand
Chamberlain Coffee, exploring her famous
Architectural Digest home renovations, and even chatting about homemade nut milk. Emma slowly ends up in tears due to the Scoville spices and resorts to praying to the ghosts of
Hot Ones guests past, but she rocked the challenge either way.
Khloe Kardashian
Khloe K prefaces her
Hot Ones visit by admitting that she doesn't eat chicken or hot sauce, which gives the impression that she probably won't be able to handle the heat with ease. The episode quickly proves that assumption wrong, and she goes all the way without
reasonable struggle. Sean talks with Khloe about the behind-the-scenes workings of reality TV and her perspectives on lifelong fame, which made the episode a really eye-opening experience for me. It's entertaining to watch Khloe succumb to the spice, because we don't usually see the more authentic side of a highly-tailored personality like hers. You can tell Sean wants to learn a lot in his interviews, and in Khloe's case, he gets curious about self-care, and hilariously whips out a notepad to take notes on her coveted skincare advice.
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This post has been updated.
