PRODUCER: Uh, quick [indistinct] in three.
♪ blues music playing ♪
PEPPER EATER 1: Yes. PEPPER EATER 2: Yes, I have.
PEPPER EATER 3: Yes.
♪
[crunching]
Mm. Mm-hmm.
[heart beating]
Hoo.
[loud hissing, flame whooshes]
[coughs]
[coughs] What?
NARRATOR: These folks just ate
their very first superhot pepper.
[coughing]
Sorry. [laughs]
NARRATOR: And if it looks like it hurts bad...
Okay, uh-- NARRATOR: ...well, it's 'cause it does.
[heart pounding] [sighs]
Sure, they've had hot peppers before,
but nothing like this. [sniffles, sighs]
♪ intense music building ♪
♪ Just imagine ♪
NARRATOR: No one can really prepare you for it,
but here's competitive pepper eater, and veteran chilihead,
Zach Goot, to try and get 'em through it. [bell dings]
Congratulations. You just ate your first superhot pepper.
Welcome to the life of a chilihead.
Lemme help you out with a few steps to get you through this painful process.
Step one, don't panic.
Burning. Like-- [gags]
ZACH GOOT: It was grown on a plant just for you,
and it was grown with love.
[coughing] Hoo! Hoo!
[blubbering]
Oh, I see you fell on the floor.
Don't worry. I've been there before myself.
So, step two, go to your happy place now.
♪ soothing music playing ♪
Think of good things.
[heavy breathing] Meditate.
Breathe. [deep sigh]
Make sure that you don't freak out.
[heart pounding] - My heart's beating really fast.
Step three, ride the wave, baby.
♪
And now my whole head feels like it's floating off my shoulders. [laughs]
[ragged sigh]
ZACH: There's only one thing to do now,
and that's keep eatin' these peppers.
Welcome to bein' a chilihead, and have fun.
♪
Milk, yeah. I'll take the milk.
[gulping] Mm!
[swishing]
Could do one more.
♪ dramatic theme music playing ♪
[fire crackling]
[flames whooshing]
These are the hottest chilies in the world.
Here you go. You eat one first, and I just wanna see how it impacts you.
[audience cheering]
♪ plucky music playing ♪
NARRATOR: Not sure if you've noticed...
Welcome to Shaq's edition of Snotty Nose Wings.
[Sean Evans laughs]
NARRATOR: ...but superhot spicy peppers are on fire lately.
Going in with the ice. [Shaq slurping]
Today, we eat the world's hottest pepper,
the Carolina Reaper. - Let's do that.
Ho! [panting, coughs]
Yeah, that's-- Okay.
[panting] Wow!
NARRATOR: Most experiment with superhot.
Oh [bleep]! Gimme a sec. I'm vibrating.
NARRATOR: But, immediately tap out. - Oh, my God.
Wow!
NARRATOR: Because they listen to the voice inside that says,
"Nope. Let's bail. Get outta here." [laughter]
[screaming]
But then, there are the others.
♪
[ventilator breathing] The ones who love heat.
The self-proclaimed chiliheads who've taken the chili pill,
and want to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
ANNOUNCER: Three, two, one! FAN: Go, Mike!
[crowd cheering]
TROY PRIMEAUX: When I think people have hit a roadblock with how crazy
they can be with chilies, they surpass it.
I mean, they just frickin' plow through it. [trills lips]
SPEAKER 1: They're lethal. SPEAKER 2: You gotta love lethal. [laughs]
Where's it go? Where's it end?
[vomiting]
♪
NARRATOR: If they seem crazy,
that's because they are.
♪ intense music playing ♪
[clangs] [crowd cheering]
But, as with all things, if you look closer,
there's a lot more to it.
♪
SPEAKER [echoing]: You okay?
[whooshing]
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
[sighs]
My name's Johnny Scoville, and I'm a chilihead.
♪ electric guitar playing ♪
♪
[stops playing] I need to drink coffee.
My morning ritual is I get up,
I play guitar until my fingers warm up,
I have some coffee.
NARRATOR: If you don't know anything about peppers,
you probably have no idea who this is.
But, in the chili community,
you might as well be looking at Elvis Presley,
or the Queen of England.
JOHNNY SCOVILLE: I'm gonna review a pod this morning,
and I don't know what it is yet.
It's either a Yellow Scorpion, or a Lemon Scorpion,
and I won't know until I eat it,
because the pods essentially look the same.
They have the same phenotype,
which is the outward appearance. So, it looks the same,
but the taste of the lemon is far more citrusy than the regular.
NARRATOR: Now, this? This is Johnny Scoville.
A pepper rockstar recognized as the guy.
The "Chilli Idol."
The master of heat with the top chili show on YouTube.
JOHNNY: There's the thumbnail.
[shutter snaps] It's that simple.
I guess it really began-- I was probably 7 or 8 years old.
I had a-- just an amazing dad, bigger than life kind of dad,
and whatever he was in into-- He was my hero, my idol.
So, whatever he was into, I wanted to be into.
And he was eating a pepperoncini once, and I remember sayin',
"I want one." He's like, "You aren't gonna like it."
I said, "Gimme one." He said, "You're not gonna like it."
I said-- He gave me one, and I liked it,
and that kinda started it.
You know, since-- My earliest memories
are nothing was ever really hot enough.
Alright, here we go.
[beeps]
My name's Johnny Scoville, and this...
This... This...
This is Chase the Heat.
NARRATOR: Johnny is hands down the most respected chili reviewer online.
If you grow superhots...
I have 30 issues.
NARRATOR: ...cook up hot sauces, or create anything with heat...
Anyway, five drops
of the hottest tincture I've ever had.
NARRATOR: ...his personal review and judgment
could make or break your career with one bite.
Here we go.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
NARRATOR: When Johnny says it's hot, chiliheads respond,
"Say less. That's all I needed to know." [wolf howling]
JOHNNY: It's just a beautiful thing. I love pepper pain. I like pain,
and this is my favorite kind of pain.
NARRATOR: And in a hot pepper industry worth more than $4 billion annually,
his endorsement can translate into serious money.
Johnny's definitely a godfather of chili, yeah.
He'd be embarrassed to hear me say that, but yeah.
He's basically a famous chilihead, you know?
He's like a celebrity in the world of chilies.
JOHNNY: The aroma is incredible. Look at that.
♪
Getting, uh, an opinion from Johnny Scoville,
it can be life-changing.
That could be the difference between success and failure
in the hot sauce industry.
♪
[groans]
[clock ticking]
The minute I'm done with the pepper, I'm thinkin' about the next pepper.
What peppers do is unlock
a really beautiful pharmacy that's in your body.
And I think it is probably an addiction,
to be honest with you. I've been asked that a lot.
I've had a lot of people say, "Did you trade one addiction for-for another?"
You betcha.
It hurts.
From the time I got to college, I sort of felt like an addict
who hadn't found his drug yet.
And I basically looked for it,
and I tried them all.
Over a decade ago, I quit all of them.
The only buzz I get is from peppers.
[groaning]
There's always gonna be somethin' hotter, and I'm gonna find it.
Some people chase the dragon. I chase the heat.
I love you guys. I'm Johnny Scoville.
This was Chase the Heat.
♪ dramatic sting ♪
And that is it.
NARRATOR: Obviously, Johnny's no casual.
He knows his stuff about peppers.
But even if you're someone
whose only experience with spice is in a shaker at a pizza place,
you've probably heard of the Carolina Reaper.
[screams]
[Rhett punches wall] LINK NEAL: Oh-- No, no!
NARRATOR: The Reaper found its way into the mainstream
through viral videos...
- How do you like it? - [sighs] Yeah.
Yeah. Great pepp--
NARRATOR: ...a fter the Guinness Book of World Records
named it the hottest on Earth.
SPEAKER 1: Carolina Reaper! SPEAKER 2: Go ahead, put it in your mouth.
Go!
NARRATOR: However, inside the pepper community,
some think otherwise.
Oh no. Oh no. I--
I-I'm... [sighs]
Oh, my gosh. You're gonna get me in trouble.
♪ plucky music playing ♪
[inhales sharply]
[clicks tongue]
Well, you got your Guinness Book of Records,
which is... a very notable... record book. Uh...
BOBBY MCFADDEN: The Guinness Book of World Records
does say that the Carolina Reaper is the hottest pepper in the world.
That's debatable.
♪
NARRATOR: You might notice that everyone seems
a little tight-lipped when asked about the Reaper.
It might have something to do with its creator, Ed Currie,
who they'd prefer not to upset by talkin' any trash.
This is subjective. This is my opinion,
and I-I'm going to say it.
I had the Carolina Reaper. It's... very spicy,
but, um,
there are spicier peppers out there.
♪
JOHNNY: The hottest pepper I've ever eaten in my life
is a Chocolate Primotalii.
BOBBY: Even some of the Bubblegums,
like, uh, one of these guys here, some of those are very hot.
The 7 Pot Primo was the hottest pepper I've ever had.
JOHNNY: The Guinness Book, you know, they don't eat peppers.
It's just a marketing company.
You know, if you do-- Say I paid Guinness to have my pepper tested,
and it is the hottest pepper?
I gotta stroke a huge check to be able to legally say that that pepper
is the hottest pepper in the world by Guinness.
It's a marketing company is all it is.
You know, I am tired of hearing people say it's the hottest pepper.
The Carolina Reaper wasn't the hottest pepper
when I started my channel, and, you know, six years ago.
It certainly isn't the hottest pepper today. It just isn't.
It's not a personal thing against Ed,
or anybody else. It isn't.
This is my realm. This is my world.
And it's, you know,
to hear mistruths perpetuated,
just constantly repeated over and over again.
It's just-- Just tired of hearin' it.
♪ lively music playing ♪
[door slams]
NARRATOR: History books are filled with legends of epic quests
for the seemingly unattainable.
But, perhaps none were as determined
as Johnny Scoville is
to find the hottest pepper on Earth.
JOHNNY: Oh, I know that we're gonna find the hottest pepper.
I know my quest won't be in vain.
It is. It's a quest to find the hottest thing, and, you know,
and I'm gonna find it. That's what I do.
♪
NARRATOR: Now, some people walk down to the corner store
and buy a lottery ticket with a dream to strike it rich.
But, others pin their hopes to a pepper.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
You see, if you can create a new chili
that unlocks the hottest of hot,
ding, ding, ding! You've just hit the jackpot!
TROY: You got the pepper,
and then don't release the seeds.
You know, come out with products,
get on the frickin' latest wing-eating challenge show,
and you're a star.
You're rich.
♪
NARRATOR: All over the world in the places you drive by every day,
pepper-crazed Dr. Frankensteins
are working in the shadows, attempting to craft
the pepper that will change their lives.
♪ eerie music playing ♪
♪
[ticking]
It's been said that the way you decorate your house
says everything about you without speaking a word.
If that's the case, Jimmy Pickles' house
says that his soul is 80% peppers.
This place is a shrine to heat,
with pepper pods everywhere,
as though an offering to the pepper gods.
[echoing bowl knock]
♪
JIMMY PICKLES: Hi. My name's James Morrow,
AKA Jimmy Pickles.
[crunching] [glugging]
♪ tense music playing ♪
We always joked that-that it was kinda like
a-a porn name or whatever.
♪ whimsical music playing ♪
I'm obsessed with peppers.
The entire Jimmy Pickles house
is dedicated to peppers. Every single room.
Y-Y-You got the processing room.
You got two and a half rooms of drying rooms.
If you don't like peppers, you're probably not gonna like the house.
Every single room, besides the bathrooms.
♪
Look how beautiful these are.
Like the Purple UFO.
It gets purple,
and I start lookin' up into the light,
and everything about it.
Oh, I love this one.
It ends up being showmanship.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, here we go.
A lot of these will have spikes.
I could see like spikes here,
and it's-it's like telling you that,
"Hey, very gnarly."
It's like a future ex-wife. [laughs]
♪ gentle music playing ♪
[birds chirping]
NARRATOR: This is the center of Jimmy Pickles' universe.
A meticulously controlled pepper Eden
in his suburban Pittsburgh backyard.
And just possibly where the next superhot phenomenon
is hiding in plain sight.
JIMMY: When I'm in my garden, that's my happy place.
I like to grow around 200 to 230 different varieties.
This is my creation.
It's a JP Ultraviolet.
NARRATOR: Among these hundreds of peppers is the one
that just might change his life.
A powerful superhot that attacks taste buds without mercy.
He's named it the JP Piranha.
JP Piranha is a contender of the world's hottest pepper.
I've been working on this for five years.
It's my cross.
NARRATOR: A brand new superhot he hopes will go viral,
lighting up bags of Cheetos, and firin' up
the kind of wing sauce that requires a waiver.
It is a-a Naga Bubblegum crossed with a Primotalii.
The JP Piranha very well could be one-one,
if not the hottest in the world.
This could build my empire. The JP Empire.
♪ tense music playing ♪
♪ upbeat music playing ♪
NARRATOR: Like most plants, superhot peppers like the sunshine,
thriving outdoors in gardens like Jimmy Pickles'.
[birds chirping]
But, if you live in less hospitable conditions, like in the Windy City,
you can't count on many sunny days.
Those who grow here move inside into closets and spare rooms.
And if you're Aurea de Guzman, you go one step farther,
into a custom-made subterranean,
hydroponic pepper lair.
♪
[lights buzzing]
[crinkling]
AUREA DE GUZMAN: It's like Christmas every day.
It'll be like... ♪ Ah... ♪
♪
The bright lights are on. The fountain is going.
and then I look at the plants. I'm like,
"Oh yeah. Let's go." [laughs]
♪
And it's just a feeling of so much joy.
Like, "Oh, my God, I get to play with my plants now."
♪
[lights buzzing] [pump whirring, water flowing]
[plastic crinkling]
That's a hydroponically grown pepper.
There's no soil. [water dripping]
I just have a reservoir,
and the water I use
is actually aquarium water from my snail tank.
[water burbling]
♪
These are golden snails.
This seemed to be the most foolproof method
of getting nutrients into my plants.
[dripping]
I don't know if there's other people out there
that have a snail farm in their basement.
I don't know why you wouldn't. [water burbling]
I think snail poop is magic.
NARRATOR: Though Aurea's a level 50 wizard
with magical snail poop abilities,
she's no veteran grower.
You see, this entire setup is DIY,
and she's a total noob to the chili scene
who just recently decided to go all in.
♪
As we know, everything starts on social media,
where she's known as the Chilipino.
I like chili. I'm Filipino.
I live in Chicago.
So, I thought it was clever to call it
a Chilipino Pepper Co.
♪ heavy metal music playing ♪
[giggles]
It's not a company by any sense. I don't sell anything.
I don't have a product... yet.
The purpose of the Instagram account that I made
is to show other people, who are in the same situation as I am,
living in the city, or in a small space,
that this is totally doable and accessible for everyone.
[clicking]
This is Chewie Vuitton. [Chewie grumbling]
He likes to be nosy and check out things
and what's going on. [growling]
He's a troublemaker, as you can see.
NARRATOR: Aurea's passion for peppers began as a hobby,
but it's quickly taken on a life of its own.
Now, she'll push to make the Chilipino
a household name.
AUREA: I want to get bigger,
and so I'm looking forward to create
my very own signature hot sauce.
These hot sauce makers have
the wildest ideas,
and I think I have wild ideas
that the world needs to taste as well.
♪
[birds chirping]
NARRATOR: You won't find many people on Earth
more locked into the pepper scene than Jimmy Pickles.
He knows people. People who know people.
And today, that network will come in handy,
as he plans to launch his new superhot,
the JP Piranha.
That's about all I'm doing on these right now.
NARRATOR: Jimmy knows one man
who can help him put his pepper on the map.
Chili kingmaker Johnny Scoville.
♪
[phone line ringing]
JIMMY: Hey, Johnny!
Ah, there you are. Hey, I was just-- figured I'd call ya.
I watched you do that, uh, Chocolate Primotalii
that originally came from me the other day. Great job, brother.
But, I tell you what, you should come down
and have a, uh, JP Piranha.
Oh, I know it-- [laughs], I know it is.
I'm still burning, and I only ate a quarter of it.
I know your tolerance is higher. I wanna see you eat it.
You're not gonna beat Johnny as a reviewer right now.
He's the most predominant reviewer right now in the pepper industry,
and I've never seen a bigger tolerance with a reviewer ever.
[birds chirping]
Nah, I gotta be protective of the seeds.
It's not you. It's the seed ninjas.
Nope. Not in this world.
♪
I'm being very protective of the JP Piranha.
Seeds go out to no one. No one.
I mean, seriously, if it gets out there, and it is the world's hottest,
somebody will take my, my glory and run with it,
and then, uh, crap on me the entire time.
JOHNNY: I've known Jimmy for years and years,
and you know, he's just-- he's an intense guy.
He's worried about people, uh, gettin' his lucky charms, man.
That's some paranoia right there.
[birds chirping]
That is correct.
I kinda developed a reputation very quickly
of having a very high tolerance, and I had growers that were gunning for me
that their goal was to hurt me.
And the, you know, the funny thing is my goal is for them to hurt me.
All I want in the world is to find a pepper
that makes me tap out.
And I'm-I'm afraid it's never gonna happen.
Awesome, Johnny. Looking forward to it.
♪ tense music playing ♪
[police siren wailing]
[ambient street noise]
♪
AUREA: We have to get the hot and spicy soup base, of course.
Whenever you see peppers in the soup base,
that's a good sign.
[crinkling]
NARRATOR: If you're a hot sauce alchemist
looking to launch an original concoction,
this is where you come to find the needed ingredients.
And today, Aurea de Guzman, AKA the Chilipino,
is hell bent on crafting a new hot sauce
that will make hers a household name.
This is my favorite fruit from the Philippines.
It's called a mangosteen.
NARRATOR: Aurea's life revolves around peppers,
but, believe it or not, she's been keeping it a secret,
telling no one she's been leading a double life.
Well, I-I wasn't--
It wasn't like, an intentional thing.
I mean, it's an obsession of mine.
I-It's something that I'm really, really, really passionate about,
and I-I get nerdy about.
Wh-What am I gonna share?
"Oh, by the way, I grow peppers,
"and I have, I have an Instagram full of pictures
of the peppers that I'm growing."
I just don't think that it's interesting enough,
or worthy enough to be shared
to the people I work with.
NARRATOR: Regardless of the reasons, that's all about to change.
I'm shopping for ingredients for tomorrow's dinner party.
NARRATOR: Tomorrow night, Aurea finally has plans
to reveal her secret chili obsession to fellow nurses from work.
SPEAKER: There you go. You have a good day.
AUREA: Thank you. You, too. SPEAKER: Thank you much.
NARRATOR: And they'll be the very first to taste
her original Chilipino hot sauce.
Time to spice it up!
♪
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
NARRATOR: The life of a chilihead is often lived in the shadows.
As an obsessive hobby, or even a second life outside of work.
For this reason,
many pepper people find each other online
to share their passions.
Perhaps none is more passionate or original
as the man who calls himself
the Mighty Mustache.
♪ heavy metal music playing ♪
Who are you?
I'm the Mighty Mustache.
I will destroy you.
[singing] ♪ I'm gonna plant ♪
♪ upbeat music playing ♪
♪ Plant some fuckin' seeds, oh yeah ♪
[grunting, yelling]
♪ intense music playing ♪
NARRATOR: The Mighty Mustache is a bold performer,
but his real life persona is a tad bit more low-key.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'm--
This is just-- I'm not used to this much attention. [laughs]
♪
NARRATOR: Meet Bobby McFadden.
BOBBY: I grow some of the largest pepper plants
on the planet. Uh, I think, at least, I'm up there.
Don't wanna get a big head, but I grow very, very, very large pepper plants
of superhots, primarily.
NARRATOR: A New Jersey-based pepper grower
lookin' to join the upper echelon of superhot creators.
BOBBY: There's like a symbiotic thing between growers
and, um, you know, eaters and sauce makers.
I'm the supplier, you know, for most people.
They need my stuff.
[crunching]
♪ intense music playing ♪
I love making stuff that melts faces. [laughs]
The reactions are wonderful.
I've never had a pepper tested, no.
I wish I could walk down to a store and say, "Hey,
how many Scovilles is this?" You know?
But, it's almost unattainable unless you have a lot of money.
NARRATOR: Now look, arguments as to whose pepper is hotter
could go on forever.
So, a unit of measure was devised
called Scoville Heat Units. [sizzling]
No, Johnny didn't invent them,
but it is the reason he took on the alias.
Scoville Heat Units are calculated
by measuring the amount of a chemical called capsaicin in a pepper.
♪
Though Bobby believes his superhots
could register record breaking Scovilles,
he can't afford the cost of testing each sample.
BOBBY: The peppers are very much like my children
because they take so much attention.
Um, I spend countless hours every season in the garden,
making sure that they survive,
and they're healthy, and they thrive, and they're productive.
Uh, a lot of work goes into those, almost as much as having a child.
NARRATOR: Each of Bobby's superhot children
could be a lottery ticket,
so he's decided to go another route to prove their heat.
After tracking down Johnny Scoville online,
Bobby's asked for the chance to meet up and introduce himself.
A risky gambit. One that could 10X his followers
or have him muted by the pepper community.
Yeah, I'm introducing my children to Johnny Scoville, and it sounds kinda weird
that Johnny Scoville is going to eat my children, so...
♪
I have basically looked up to him
as the gold standard for eating hot peppers.
He is the man.
This is definitely like somebody meeting their idol, yeah.
This is for sure meeting, uh, some sort of superstar,
or, um, you know, football player,
something along those lines, but within my own community.
[rumbling]
Anxiety's my worst enemy, man. I'll tell you.
[sighs] Fuck. Okay. [nervous laugh]
PRODUCER: You're all good, Bobby. It's gonna be fun.
Alright.
♪
[ambient traffic noise]
♪ tense music playing ♪
NARRATOR: The road from here to there has to begin somewhere,
and for pepper newcomer Aurea de Guzman,
somewhere is just east of O'Hare Airport on a Friday night.
Do you guys have any idea why you're here?
FRIENDS: None! No!
FRIEND 1: We would love to know. FRIEND 2: I'm finna lose it, so please--
AUREA: I feel so special that you made it out here,
and I'll let you know. FRIEND 2: Yes.
As soon as dinner's ready. FRIEND 1: Girl!
[Aurea laughs]
NARRATOR: Tonight, she plans to come clean
about her secret chili obsession to her fellow nurses and friends,
and serve up the very first taste
of her original Chilipino hot sauce.
We have a lotta dead time. Why don't you just tell us what it's all about?
FRIEND 2: Right. - Well, what do you think it's about?
Somebody's sayin' peppers, and I know damn well that ain't the truth.
[laughter]
It is about peppers.
- What? - You just growin' peppers and shit?
You should've came over to my house and got some peppers.
So, this whole-- This one, that one,
that guy,
they're doing a, a docuseries
on all things pepper-related.
[laughter] FRIEND 3: How did they find you?
- I know! - Or did you reach out?
They found me on Instagram.
I just put pictures of my peppers online...
FRIEND 3: Uh-huh. - ...and somehow, 35,000 people follow me.
- What? - What the...?
- There's a whole pepper-related world! - Come on.
♪
Are you guys looking it up? FRIENDS: You know I am. Yeah!
What the hell is goin' on? We-- Aurea-- [overlapping chatter]
Aurea is living a different life!
That is crazy! That is so cool! I love it!
AUREA: And I-- [laughs]
And I wanted-- This was my coming out party.
[all laughing]
FRIEND 1: Oh, my goodness. FRIEND 2: Well, damn.
I'm a pepperhead. I've been hiding this.
Such a relief, huh? Gettin' it off the chest.
[laughter] Wow.
I'm gonna go help in the kitchen, so we can start chowin' down.
[sizzling]
[kitchen chatter]
♪
Hot sauces? [bottles rattle]
FRIEND 2: Chilipino-- What does that say?
AUREA: 'Cause it's chili, and I'm Filipino.
[excited squealing, clapping] FRIEND 2: Look at that. I love it,
I love it, I love it!
- On a scale of one to 10, how hot? - It's a 10.
[laughter] FRIEND 3: Just put a little bit on.
Mm-mm! FRIEND 3: Smell.
So, this is sweet chili sauce.
This is the milder one.
I'm scared, Nina. I don't know what you're gonna feel
about the flavor.
That's good, right there. FRIEND 1: Oh yeah.
Really? Yeah, I made that. NINA: You made that? That's good.
It's hot. - But good flavor?
It's good, it is. FRIEND 1: That's all I need to know. Okay.
NINA: So really though, how close are you to really starting a business?
If someone just nudged me just a little bit,
I'm there.
You got one investor, and there's another one.
[friends chattering]
AUREA: These are people I look up to.
I don't care if you can hear it, 'cause I look up to them.
[friends laughing, clapping]
And to have them be this supportive
towards a hobby that I think is foolish,
that I'm so ashamed to share with people?
It makes me feel like,
what am I ashamed of, you know? FRIEND 1: Alright.
[indistinct chatter]
I was about to cry.
[laughter]
♪ tense music playing ♪
NARRATOR: The launch of any pepper pursuit is a leap of faith,
but it's a leap that can be well worth it
if your pepper or hot sauce makes it big.
While the Chilipino is now on her way,
the Mighty Mustache is climbing the ladder
to the high platform and preparing to make the jump.
AUTOMATED VOICE [on speakers]: Going down.
Yeah. AUTOMATED VOICE: Floor one.
[elevator dings]
NARRATOR: Up-and-coming pepper grower Bobby McFadden
is headed into a potentially career-defining sit-down
with chili kingmaker Johnny Scoville.
[door creaks]
♪
BOBBY: I walked into the room, and I'm like,
"Oh, my God!" You know, "There's Johnny Scoville."
Johnny Scoville. - He comes bearing gifts.
- [laughs] I brought some candy, man. - Good to see you, man.
BOBBY: I have a lot of respect for him, so the fact that he could like something
that I created?
Yeah, that really means something to me.
♪
I've been, uh, I've been watchin' you eat peppers on YouTube
for many years now, uh, following you on Instagram.
It's just incredible to be here today, man. So--
Well, man. Well, thank you. I've been watchin' your pod show.
I watched one this morning. - Oh, did you really? Yeah? Yeah.
NARRATOR: When a pepper grower like Bobby McFadden
earns a one-on-one with Johnny Scoville,
it's an opportunity to earn industry-wide cred.
And for Johnny, every grower with a superhot contender
is well worth the time on his never-ending quest
to find the hottest.
In my pocket right now, I've got a tincture.
NARRATOR: But first, Johnny wants to see
who exactly he's dealing with.
JOHNNY: This is the hottest tincture I've ever had.
"Seriously Evil"? JOHNNY: I'm not foolin'.
That's the hottest tincture I've ever had.
♪ plucky music playing ♪
[sniffing]
JOHNNY: You wanna try a drop of this? [clinking]
BOBBY: I don't even think I had breakfast.
I'm out of practice, Johnny. - Hey, it's alright.
Just do one drop.
If Willie Nelson gives you a joint, you smoke it.
If Johnny Scoville hands you something hot, you eat it.
I'm scared now.
JOHNNY: Ah, you got this. You're a chilihead.
♪ ominous music playing ♪
Oh, my God. Wow!
♪
It's in the back of the throat. [Johnny laughs]
♪
- Wow, right up the nose. - Jus-- Right?
It just invades your sinus cavities.
Wow. So, um--
[echoing] Yeah, but back to the, uh--
[normal] Whole-- Um--
Industr-- Oh, my God.
JOHNNY: You alright? - Yeah. Just trying to hang in there.
That tincture was like
nothing I've ever had before in my life.
Yeah. Whew!
JOHNNY: Yeah, it's warm. It's no joke. [Bobby clears throat]
That lit me up.
♪ dramatic sting ♪
My ears, my throat, everything was on fire.
♪
I could barely see straight. I'm just like,
"Oh, my God, don't throw up on Johnny Scoville."
[laughs] "Don't throw up on Johnny Scoville."
That's all I kept saying to myself.
JOHNNY: Bobby, now I'm feelin' bad, dude.
BOBBY: Why, 'cause I look wrecked? - If I was a cop and I pulled you over,
I'm yanking you outta your car, and you're gonna do a roadside dexterity test
'cause you look lit. - I am like, "Whoa." Yeah. Hoo!
JOHNNY: Bobby McFadden, the Mighty Mustache.
He's kinda young in the industry,
hasn't been in it that long, but he's got great heart.
He has a true, legit passion.
Like, here's the thing, man.
I can smell fake passion like a fart in a car.
He's not putting on an act. He's genuinely passionate about peppers.
Woo! That wrecked me, dude. [Johnny laughs]
I'm sorry, man. BOBBY: Wrecked.
NARRATOR: After surviving Johnny's trial by fire,
Bobby's earned the right to share the pepper he's created
and receive the kingmaker's opinion.
BOBBY: So, uh-- - Let's see what you got!
You brought bags full of peppers.
BOBBY: I did. These are a Bubblegum variant
that I came up with.
It was a weird pheno, uh, that came from a Chocolate Bubblegum,
and just a cool pepper.
What's the name of this thing?
Um, I'm calling it the Orange Gusher.
Good name. [Bobby laughs]
To your health. BOBBY: Good luck. [laughs]
♪ tense music playing ♪
♪ dramatic sting ♪
[flames crackling, rumbling]
NARRATOR: Like a pepper itself,
this world of chiliheads begins as a slow burn
before it swallows you whole.
[flames roaring, crackling]
This season, Superhot will take us deeper into the fire...
[flame roars]
...further down into the mouth of madness...
[snorts]
...to a place inhabited by chili addicts
who need heat like they need air.
[crowd cheering]
I always say put your toilet paper in the fridge.
Put your toilet paper in the freezer, for Christ sake. [laughs]
NARRATOR: We'll follow the quest to grow that one superhot...
JP Piranha.
NARRATOR: ...that changes everything.
JOHNNY: On any given day, either one of these
could end up being the hottest pepper in the world.
NARRATOR: We'll meet the seemingly superhuman.
The ones born with Teflon tongues who push past
all thresholds of pain for glory.
[dinging]
[whooshing] This is a journey into the fire,
into the world of the others.
- That's a perfect hot sauce. - Okay.
CROWD: Eat that chili!
NARRATOR: But be careful.
Before you know it,
you could be in over your head... - Oh!
NARRATOR: ...and no amount of milk can save you.
[flames crackling]
♪
[whistling]