There has been an interesting development in the world of media buyouts, with investor George Soros leading a consortium that paid $82.5m (around £65m) for chicken wings . YouTube Hot Ones interview series.

It’s a ribald twist in the extraordinary saga of an Internet phenomenon that has become, from modest origins, an essential stop on everyone’s promotional circuit. Paul Mescal to Ariana Grande.

Such is his influence, Kamala Harris, US presidential candidate was asked to eat chicken with host Sean Evans on the campaign trail – only to be turned down by a franchise that didn’t want to sully its brand by turning to politics.

What is Hot Ones’ secret sauce? The answer lies in its ability to take celebrities out of their comfort zones as they eat their way through a selection of ever-spicier wings. Sound bites give way to chicken bites – and, more often than not, a candid exchange with the empathetic Evans, that rare interviewer who knows how to shut up and let his subject speak.

However, it’s not just about food. Evans may have started his career as a YouTube news anchor, but he and his brother and research assistant, Gavin, are doing their homework. In an age where on-camera interviews tend toward the inane and idiotic, the siblings attempt to go further — delving into their subjects’ stories and asking thoughtful questions that give a genuine glimpse of the individual in the hot seat.

It shows in the way people react. For example, Avengers star Josh Brolin was left temporarily speechless when Evans asked him about the Geva Theater in Rochester, New York — an obscure venue where Brolin honed his craft. It was, he said, “Literally the biggest question I’ve ever been asked… Seriously.” I’m blown away. I don’t know who works for you, but don’t fire them.

Just being on the show and enjoying some hot chicken is enough to change gears in many stars’ heads. Ariana Grande went viral in August after his first bite of chicken. “Something’s happening… my body is like… what is this!” ” she said, in shock – a response that echoed the stunned expression that crossed Idris Elba’s face during his 2019 Hot Ones interview (“what the fuck, Oh shit “). For his part, Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk entered the set with his guard up. “I’ve heard so many good things about the show, but I think I’m perfectly capable of speaking without hurting any part of my body.”

Odenkirk’s doubts evaporated when Evans blindsided him by referencing the comedian’s 1989 one-man show, Half My Face Is a Clown — another example of spicy food and in-depth research complementing each other. “It was a lot more entertaining and fun than I thought it would be,” the actor admitted.

Hot Ones is the creation of the food website First We Feast, launched in 2012 to compete with food magazines such as Bon Appétit. It hit its stride in 2014 when traditional publications rushed to get into online video – a niche where it was already established.

“It was this incredible flattening of the landscape,” Hot Ones creator and co-producer Chris Schonberger told the New York Times. “Suddenly we weren’t far from the starting line, and we also had this brand that could credibly talk about pop culture and not just food.”

They launched Hot Ones a year later. Today, these essential hot sauces are curated by Noah Chaimberg of New York City’s “small batch hot sauce shop” Heatonist. The hottest dish on the menu, Da’ Bomb Beyond Insanity, clocks in at two million on the “Scoville” scale – which ranks the “hotness” of chili peppers (a typical Vindaloo measures 250,000 on the scale).

“People were looking for something to break through the veneer of celebrity — how interviews became more experiential and playful,” Schonberger said.

He didn’t have high hopes for the project – and was well aware that it could easily have devolved into another novel interview format. “‘Hot Ones’ was simply the stupidest idea ever. How is it, philosophically, that the stupidest idea is the best?

The philosophy was to keep the celebrities busy so they didn’t default to interview mode. “It’s like, well, we can’t just let people get drunk or high,” Schonberger explained to the New York Times, “but I think we can get people to eat spicy food, which could be hilarious.”

Hilarious – but also successful and lucrative. With over 300 episodes, the series has racked up 91 million views in 2023 alone, and is now worth over $80 million — numbers that are slowly going down regardless of your tolerance for hot spices.

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