[crowd cheering]
[bell rings]
NARRATOR: It might not come as much of a shock,
but many pepper people like pain.
I mean, they really seem to dig it.
[coughs]
I'm not a sadist, I don't wanna hurt anybody,
but I'm a masochist.
Give me pain, I'll find something pleasurable in it.
NARRATOR: And while that masochistic urge
often drives them to superhots...
[retches]
it also fuels other painful pursuits.
ZACH GOOT: Let's do it.
NARRATOR: That is absolutely the case
for chili-obsessed Zach Goot.
ZACH: When you eat a superhot,
your body releases endorphins
'cause you get the endorphin rush.
But I think with a tattoo, would-- it's more of an adrenaline rush.
Your body is reacting the same way, you have pain.
NARRATOR: While some tattoos are for looks
and some are for the pain,
others have more meaning.
This one marks a big moment in Zach's life,
the day he will retire from the chili community.
It's not an easy decision, but it's become necessary
as his superhot obsession has strained his marriage.
I've been through addiction with you,
rehab with you, your divorce,
and I think the addiction of social media
and spicy has been, uh--
ZACH: The worst. - The hardest one, yeah.
Because I lose you to-- and everyone else gets you.
So I mean, that's been the hardest thing
I think in our entire seven years of being together.
The support kind of stopped from Anna.
Not completely, but definitely diminished a lot.
Instead of bringing me s-spicy stuff home, it was, you know,
"I don't want you to do the spicy thing today.
I want you to hang out with me."
Because I have a lot of things going on in my life
and I finally need to say,
"Hey, I need a little bit of support too."
- Yeah, yeah, I totally get that. - And that's really hard for me to say
because I don't like to take that away from you
but I, uh, need it right now for sure.
Yeah.
[Zach sighs]
[tattoo machine whirring]
You know, The Texas Hot Spot, me going live,
me being in live, it's gonna, it's gonna go dark for a while.
BRANDON COLLINS: Yeah.
ZACH: My family deserves better.
Remember that first season
we did 24 episodes straight in a row,
and I didn't even get to hang out with Anna at all,
any of those Friday nights.
BRANDON: Yeah. - That's horrible.
I-- If I was married to someone who wasn't spending time with me,
I'd get a little upset too.
NARRATOR: Anna's issues with Zach's chili addiction
hit a breaking point that's forced him into action.
Tonight, to save his marriage,
he'll walk away from the online chili community
and his Texas Hot Spot livestream
to focus on family.
I'm really, I don't wanna say bad at multitasking,
I'm not bad at multitasking,
but sometimes something can get more important
than the other for me.
[coughs] And then I'll lose track of my priorities.
They're-- You know, everybody should have priorities.
Everybody should put their family before a hobby.
Your wife, your daughter, your son,
should come before playing your guitar.
They should come before collecting your stamps.
They should come before eating your chilies.
I personally struggle with that.
BRANDON: You think dropping the chili game,
you're gonna pick something else up?
I did-- You know, I never thought of that, Brandon. I sure--
BRANDON: That's something you're gonna have to watch out for 'cause--
ZACH: I-I sure hope not, man.
You know, 'cause that's like a real thing, you know?
ZACH: I hope it doesn't-- Yeah. - When you drop one addiction,
you'll typically pick up a different one.
I'm gonna be too busy focusing on my family.
And my job. - Yeah. Get addicted to that.
ZACH: Yeah.
Woo!
Thank you very much, buddy.
You're welcome, man.
- It looks amazing. - Wanna check it out in the mirror?
Yeah, let's go check it out and wrap it up, dude.
[inhales sharply] That's a chilihead tattoo right there, man.
If I ever seen one.
It's perfect.
♪ dramatic theme playing ♪
[flames crackling]
[bubbling]
[flames sizzling]
NARRATOR: Those who have yet to try a superhot
usually ask the same questions.
How much do they hurt?
How long does it last?
And what happens when, you know, you digest them?
Well, who better to explain
than chili kingmaker Johnny Scoville?
[Johnny retching]
[Johnny spits]
[toilet flushes]
Eating superhots is brutal,
but that's just where it starts.
If you don't pull the trigger and get it outta your body,
you gotta pass them.
If you leave 'em in, you gotta digest 'em,
which isn't easy.
When you pee 'em out, guys call it fire hose.
Women call it fire lily.
Clever, huh?
Some people even put their toilet paper in the freezer.
But that's the price you pay if you want to eat the superhots.
[water sloshes]
So buckle up.
[paper rips]
♪ playful music playing ♪
NARRATOR: Well, Johnny, that was graphic,
but we appreciate the clarity.
If you don't get 'em out the easy way,
they blaze their way through you the hard way.
Professional chili eater Shahina Waseem
just binged 28 superhots at a competitive event,
and that pain is now very real.
SHAHINA WASEEM: Oh, gosh.
Shan, do you want anything?
Do you want me to go to the shop and get you anything?
No.
Do you want some of the pickle juice?
SHAHINA: Alright. Okay.
[juice splashing]
[Shahina groans]
Oh, a bit more than that, no?
Oh, that's too much, okay.
Oh, you have to drink it all.
Have a little sip, that might help.
Apparently, there's a few chiliheads that think of that as a remedy.
I tried it the other day, it didn't work.
- Really? - Yeah.
But I'll try anything.
[sighs] Okay.
[gulping]
♪ pensive music playing ♪
You're sitting there feeling sorry for yourself
'cause you're watching your better half suffering when--
I don't know, I can't really explain it.
Uh, to be honest with you, it'll be nice when, um,
I think it'll be nice when, like, Shahina decides to retire
because it does take its toll for sure.
It does take its toll.
[flames crackling]
NARRATOR: Ever since we began this journey into superhot,
we've talked about peppers as potential lottery tickets.
Well, this is where the magic happens,
flaming hot products on supermarket shelves.
Seventy-five percent of US shoppers buy them,
and in the next five years,
the savory snacks market is projected to reach
nearly $60 billion.
To make these snacks hot,
each product needs pounds and pounds of pepper powder.
So grow a lot, get yours into snack bags
and bam, you made it.
TROY PRIMEAUX: Hello, how you doing?
Would you like to try some glazed pecans?
Oh, thank you. Not today, appreciate it though.
NARRATOR: Pepper grower Troy Primeaux has yet to realize that dream
working only with enough peppers
to create small batch bespoke products for niche markets.
Alright, so we're at Champagne's Market,
and we're checking stock
on our Swampadelic and Primonition.
I'm gonna front some of this product, you know?
They could use a little bit of that.
NARRATOR: As Troy plans to build his Primo empire,
he aspires to graduate
to something more mainstream and accessible.
It's the blueprint perfected
by the creator of the Carolina Reaper, Ed Currie.
TROY: Yeah, that thing's really popular right now.
It's got the Reaper in it,
so doesn't have the, the Primo in it,
but someday I'd like to get my powder
in something like that.
♪ playful music playing ♪
NARRATOR: Reaching the height of the Reaper doesn't come easy.
Building an empire of spice to that size
requires trusted partners
and the hot pepper industry is notoriously cutthroat.
Over the years, Troy's felt burned more than once,
leaving him once bitten, twice shy.
It's kind of tricky sometimes to navigate who's good,
who's the good guys, good girls, and who's the bad ones?
Because there's some clever ones that are like--
can, can, can use you.
And in a very clever way,
um, without you knowing, beknownst to you,
knowing what's gonna happen.
You know, what-- what you've gotten yourself into.
What ant nest you stepped into.
But as far as trusting with seeds,
trusting with, with your crosses,
ah, man, you gotta be a good judge of character, I guess.
NARRATOR: Now, to leave a legacy for his young son, Hudson,
he'll try to ignore the past and find the help he needs
to make the 7 Pot as lucrative as the Reaper.
I guess I don't like talking about this so much
because I don't want people to think I'm bitter.
Because I'm happy for everybody
that's making a lot of money,
feeding their families, doing this thing.
But I think that Primo's Peppers can find a way
to get in that market, to use our pepper,
to put it in chips, put it in mayonnaise, put it in products.
We have so many ideas, Kara and I have.
We just haven't yet realized them because of,
I mean, the pandemic and just, just not having help.
Everything I've ever done in my life
has been just guided by gut feeling.
[laughs]
It's crazy, huh?
Gut feeling, that's my problem.
I'm not a great business person.
So far, it's worked out.
But then you could say, "No, no, Primeaux.
"Y-you're not in every freaking grocery store, on every shelf,
"and you're not in every-- all these products.
Maybe you just need to get a little bit more business savvy."
[laughs]
♪ bright music playing ♪
♪
NARRATOR: There are days in life when you reach a crossroad.
Today is one of those days for Zach Goot.
On the verge of turning away from the chili world
and his online community
and wrestling with all that might mean.
I'll continue to eat spicy stuff around the area
just because some people make really delicious spicy stuff,
I'll tell you that.
I'm sure I'll continue to put hot sauce on my meals at home.
I just don't think I'm gonna be eating any fresh superhots for a while, man.
[cellphone chimes]
- Is my wife messaging you? - Yeah.
Read that for me.
"I know Zach hates when we talk," me and her.
Oh, when you and her talk?
- When me and her talk. - Yeah.
"But I just need to get it out of my head.
"I'm so over all this attention on Zach.
"My social meter is so drained.
"I need some love and affection from my husband,
but I don't think he knows or cares."
ZACH: I care a lot.
And I know. - "I hope-- I hope you guys have fun
doing your guys' thing."
Today is the last day of The Texas Hot Spot for a while,
so it's, it's probably stressful to her too.
She probably thinks I'm lying.
She probably thinks I'm gonna go right back to it.
She's probably scared.
I know all I can do is just show her
that I'm serious about this and-- you know?
BRANDON: Yeah. - I-- That's all I could do.
Time will tell.
She tells me all the time,
I'm her number one and I always come number one,
you know, before everything else.
And I wish I could have sat back
and said that truthfully to her.
She's a very important part of my life.
Almost one of the most important parts of my life.
But I have noticed that the chili community
has, has kind of taken me out of the game
and made me put things more important than her,
than need to be.
Today's a very special episode of The Texas Hot Spot.
Please tell your friends.
Share the video if you want.
I'm gonna go lay in the bathroom for a while.
So I'll catch you on the flip side.
BRANDON: Your wife needs your love, man.
Yeah, she does.
It's not that I don't give her any love.
BRANDON: I know, I know.
I just don't give her enough.
Yeah. ZACH: For, for what she needs.
You know, every-everybody needs a different amount of love.
Oh, man.
♪ light music playing ♪
NARRATOR: When most within the pepper world hear Troy Primeaux's name,
they believe he's operating a giant business
with hundreds of employees, maybe in a big chili factory.
But perception often doesn't line up with reality.
I'm sure a lot of people think I'm just loaded,
I'm just rolling.
But, man,
we're just duct tape and bubble gum on a lot of things.
We haven't had that break.
I package everything myself.
It frustrates me that people are knocking on the door, man,
and they wanna buy it.
I can't do it. I'm sorry, I can't sell it to you.
It's like, I can't make that much in the timeframe you need it.
How many times do you wanna say no to somebody?
You wanna say yes.
It's like Popeye says,
"Can you give me a thousand pounds of powder?"
And I'm like, that needs-- that's ten thousand pounds of peppers.
You know, and it just didn't work out.
But I'm not giving up.
NARRATOR: Troy's chili biz is a true mom and pop.
Beyond his wife Kara,
the only other ally he trusts in the pepper game
is longtime friend and collaborator, Gary Montcalm.
I met Gary at a pepper festival in Lafayette.
Gary was, was special.
A pure soul.
Good dude. Sweetheart.
Not a bad bone in his body.
Gary grows out 7 Pot Primos in isolation
in a small little area
where there's no peppers around for miles.
And it's the best of the best that we keep up every year.
He's like the general in my wrecking crew, man.
He is, he is the number one on the line.
NARRATOR: For Troy to push the Primo to the next level,
he'll have to scale up,
recruit more growers like Gary and expand his operation.
This weekend, he'll take a step in that direction,
throwing a little soirée for up-and-comers
where he could suss out potential allies to fortify his inner circle.
[bull snorts]
NARRATOR: For competitive eaters like Shahina Waseem,
pain is a way of life.
It's a cycle.
Prepping for it, suffering through it,
and then recovering.
[metal clangs]
[crowd cheering]
Shahina's dealt with the pain for the past 36 hours,
but finally she's back on her feet.
[crowd cheering]
Just after a very brutal contest, like a day after,
it's pretty hardcore on the body, you know.
So where-whereas you sort of might recover mentally,
your body is still recovering, so it takes time.
NARRATOR: Shahina is slated to compete again in only five days.
So until then, this is what downtime looks like
for the most decorated chili eater on earth.
Shahina spends most of her year on the road,
and tonight it's brought her to the bull riding ring.
SHAHINA: When you see these people who come out,
they're so determined to stay on.
Same as chili eaters.
We are determined to stay as long as we can
in these chili-eating competitions.
And you try to sort of overcome all the pain
and not think about anything.
See-- They look so focused, and it's exactly how we are.
NARRATOR: Wherever she goes,
the Chili Queen's reputation seems to precede her.
And here at the rodeo,
the rider saw our cameras
and invited her down into the arena after the event.
All were convinced
they could handle the pain she's known to endure.
[all speaking in Spanish]
SHAHINA: Luis? LUIS: Yes.
SHAHINA: Very nice to meet you. Let me shake your hand.
You like spicy food?
How much?
Mucho! Very much so.
So I have the 7 Pot Primo,
and if you eat that, you are a star.
Can you do this?
LUIS: Yes.
Just go for it.
Um... yeah. [pepper crunches]
Oh, wow. [chuckles]
[laughter]
SHAHINA: Fantastic!
SHAHINA: It's bueno? [laughs]
Oh, my God, the smell.
I can smell it, it's hot.
¿Picante?
Mucho bueno. [laughs]
SHAHINA: Okay. [Luis speaks in Spanish]
SHAHINA: Yeah, I can see a little bit of a sweat coming.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, a tiny bit.
The heat builds up in your mouth, in your tongue,
and then you start to feel the pain.
Yes, see, exactly.
It kind of comes back up to haunt you.
Can I just say not many people--
Yeah, he's feeling it!
[laughter]
Fantastic.
Yeah, it's-- I think it's kind of like evenly matched.
I-I'm so impressed.
Hero.
Absolute hero.
[laughter]
Absolute hero.
[group applauds] SHAHINA: Woo!
Fantastico. Thank you very much.
Woo! Woo!
He's out, he's out.
[Luis grunts]
[Luis speaks in Spanish]
SHAHINA: A lot of people can do it one time, two times, three times,
but to do it over and over again,
knowing the pain that's going
to sort of come for you afterwards is what people say,
"How do you do that?
How do you keep going back?"
For me, it's my record now that pushes me.
And so I've gotta do it no matter what.
I have no choice now.
I wanna have this thing no one else in the world can have
but that is what keeps me going, you know?
♪ bright string music playing ♪
NARRATOR: While that poor caballero pounds half and half to soothe the pain
from one measly superhot,
back in Louisiana, Troy Primeaux is throwing a party
in hopes of growing millions of them.
They brought peppers, their own peppers, you know,
their own crosses and stuff.
So I'm gonna go get some friends, uh, some chefs.
They're gonna do some great food with our peppers,
and, uh, and we'll just see what happens, you know?
Was this for me? I better get on it.
This is a pepper party, right?
NARRATOR: Cajun food is how people in Louisiana celebrate spice.
So Troy's hosting a Cajun feast for friends,
up-and-coming pepper growers, and other industry insiders
with a goal to find allies
who might join his 7 Pot Primo army
and his inner circle dubbed the Wrecking Crew.
The Wrecking Crew, it's kinda like my circle of trust.
If I entrust my seeds to them,
they've gotta know how to grow 'em.
But more importantly to me is, like,
that they have the right intent and they're trustworthy.
I discovered a back cross in my garden of a Red Naga Brain
and Chocolate Naga Brain, and that's this one here.
I call it Nova Brain.
I named it after my granddaughter Nova.
Cut it open and there's this huge, like,
orange and tangerine around it.
It just explodes from it. TROY: Wow, what about yours?
I'm calling it the Grumpanero because it looks like a grumpy old man.
TROY [laughing]: It does.
So you can see all the facial features,
like it's got the big nose.
After I crossed it again,
that's when I started to get the chin, like the beard.
And I just think that's really, really awesome.
And he just looks, like, old and angry and grumpy and hot.
Basically, I crossed the scorpion back with the habanero.
I wanted something that had some sweet but a lot of heat.
TROY: Yeah. - And also very prolific.
So this, like, these plants put out a ton of pods,
but they're very tasty.
This is gonna be on the sweeter side.
So-- TROY: Nice.
JOHNNY SCOVILLE: North of a million for sure.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Awesome. - I think so.
You've eaten enough of 'em to know.
Troy is gonna be looking hard trying to find
a screaming hot pepper and somebody to add to the Wrecking Crew.
They're a lot hotter than the other ones that he grew out.
JOHNNY: It's almost like the Knights of the Round Table.
It's a very select crew of people that he trusts implicitly,
and they grow for him.
He grows on a large scale. He can't do it all himself.
So he's gotta trust people
to take his seeds and grow that pod,
the pods that he gives them, so-- in such a way that he would.
That is a accidental cross.
I was growing Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion.
It's a standard you've gotta meet.
If you're in the Wrecking Crew, you've, you've arrived.
I mean, as far as growers, it's elite.
BOBBY MCFADDEN: This is, like, legendary.
- Great chef. - What else can you ask for?
NARRATOR: Every Friday night,
loyal fans across America religiously flock
to their computers to tune in
to The Texas Hot Spot livestream.
Well, today is a day they will remember
for the rest of their lives
as Zach Goot's final broadcast.
ZACH: Join us tonight.
[keyboard clacking]
BRANDON: For some important information.
For a special
night fire.
BRANDON: With a special announcement or something.
ZACH: With--
BRANDON: Hi, Anna.
Can I have a hug?
Yeah, hi, Anna Banana.
[Brandon chuckles]
ZACH: Can I have a hug and a kiss?
I should have went in first, but I get you.
Sorry. ZACH: I'm a little spicy.
[kiss smacks] ANNA GOOT: I love you.
ZACH: I love you.
Did you have a good day?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
I love you so much.
ANNA: Long day.
Yeah, we're just gonna do a quick 30 minute stream.
Make the announcement.
I'm going to officially retire,
and we're gonna move on with our lives.
She's been-- [Brandon laughs]
She's been moved on.
It's gonna be boring,
uh, without doing chili stuff,
but maybe that's what I need is boring for a while.
Alright, I'm on the stream.
Let's go live. You ready?
[slaps smacking]
BRANDON: Right? Th-that's--
[Zach mimicking guitar riff]
What's up, everybody?
Welcome to The Texas Hot Spot.
Your boy Zach here coming at you
on this very special Tuesday night fire.
We have some, uh,
I won't say breaking news,
but just some news to share with you guys
and all of our loyal, uh, watchers of the show
throughout the past year and a half.
Alright, guys, real quick.
[Zach sighs]
[smacks lips] [exhales sharply]
I've just made some of the best and worst decisions of my life, uh, with,
along with you guys in the past two and a half years.
Um, even including this little girl right here
and my lovely wife.
We've had a long sit down conversation.
My life has become a little outta hand and a little, um,
a little crazy here and there. - Yeah, man.
And I, and I struggle with balancing
my chili life with my personal life.
So after thinking long and hard about this,
this will be my last appearance
at The Texas Hot Spot for a while.
I'm gonna officially hand this over to my boy Brandon.
And Brandon's gonna take us out
with our, uh, ending slogan tonight.
Go ahead, man.
We'll catch ya--
ALL: On the flip side!
I love you guys.
You guys be safe always. - Love you guys.
Thanks for always supporting us.
- Yep, I'll see you. - Love all you guys.
Catch you on the flip side. [static crackles]
♪ playful music playing ♪
I prioritized things wrong my entire life, but today,
today I feel good.
This retirement thing, I up and left.
I prioritized right,
and the feeling of prioritizing things right in my life
and putting the most important things as number one,
I'm already feeling the benefits of it.
Let's shut this thing down.
Alright, man, that's it.
KID: We're ending The Texas Hot Spot. - Come here.
KID: Forever. - Come here.
Just for a little bit. We're gonna have lots of fun though.
Don't even worry. BRANDON: Yeah.
♪ playful music playing ♪
♪
[laughter]
TROY: Big Lou got some food, man.
SPEAKER: Alright. Uh-oh.
TROY: Alright.
That's your baby, huh? SPEAKER 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's Lou's baby. I just spiced it up a little bit.
[laughs]
KAYA PRIMEAUX: Got some pain in here, Hudson.
You got some good peppers.
SPEAKER 3: Yeah, I like it. Woo!
TROY: Good?
SPEAKER 3: Yeah, you spiced it up for sure.
Let's see if anybody else wants them, I guess.
NARRATOR: Whenever pepper people get together,
shockingly, to no one's surprise,
they talk peppers.
From heat to flavor to growing philosophy.
TROY: I think this is a great opportunity
to see what these new growers have.
You know, just see,
see if there's someone out there that can join the Wrecking Crew.
What y'all doing, man?
BIG LOU: So we got a-- TROY: A little marinade.
- Yeah, we got that. - Yeah.
TROY: What'd you put in it?
Is that your pepper?
The Grumpanero. BOBBY: Grumpaneros, yeah.
TROY: Man, it smells awesome.
BOBBY: I can still smell the heat coming off of that.
[Troy laughs]
I can't get away from it.
I can relate. [chuckles]
I can relate. - It's just like an endless thing.
What else can I make? - Yeah.
- What else can I see? - Yeah.
What else can I grow?
I want to see new things when they come in, you know?
- Yeah. - There's nothing like seeing
those first pods take shape, right?
- I know. - And then you get to see
what color they're gonna be.
TROY: It's magic. BOBBY: Yeah.
- You're creating it. - Yeah.
TROY: Great pepper, dude. Alright.
NARRATOR: For Troy Primeaux,
up-and-comer Bobby McFadden
could be the new ally he's looking for,
a grower of like-mind he can finally trust.
They seem to get along like gumbo and rice.
- Hey, dude. - How's it going, man?
How's going, man?
You alright? - Good, yeah, yeah.
- Your pepper's awesome, dude. - Thank you.
I had it, uh, in the, uh, crab fingers.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So what's your plans for the pepper?
You gonna keep growing 'em out?
You letting 'em out of your house?
What do-- Uh, do I let--
Grow 'em out? What do you mean?
♪ light music playing ♪
♪
TROY: Hey, dude. BOBBY: How's it going, man?
TROY: How's it going, man? BOBBY: Good.
TROY: You alright? - Yeah, yeah.
NARRATOR: Troy Primeaux's looking for new blood
to expand his business,
and Bobby McFadden could be the perfect fit.
So what's your plans for the pepper? You gonna keep growing them out--
Yeah, I want to get it to like, uh, like F8 wise.
- F8? - I'm like, I think I'm at four or five.
Four? Because I don't want-- I don't want anybody
to rip off your pepper or do any of that stuff.
- Yeah. But I'm-- - I just--
I'm a community guy, so--
Well, what I'm trying to say is that
with this Wrecking Crew concept.
- Yeah. - I wanna see if you wanna be
a part of it, man.
- Really? - Yeah.
Okay.
Bobby McFadden, I think his thing's the mustache, right?
I-I-I think something special about him.
I think he'll go far.
I think, I think he's, he's doing things with the right intentions.
He seems like he's got some, he's got good things going on,
and I don't think he's doing it for any other reason
than, than, um, just love.
That'd be awesome.
- You sure? - Holy crap, yeah.
- Right. - Yeah, we could do that.
Holy crap, man. - Let's do it, brother.
Alright. - Alright, dude. [laughs]
Thank you so much. - Yeah.
So nice to meet you, too.
- Me? - Yeah. [laughs]
- What you see is what you get, man. - Yeah.
What you see is what you get with me.
I don't put anything on.
Um, I can't fake it.
Yeah.
So I see that in you as well.
Yeah, I appreciate it, man.
NARRATOR: For Bobby, the offer of working with Troy
could be the opportunity he's been looking for.
It aligns him with one of the biggest names in the business
and could bring in real cash for the 7 Pots he delivers.
It would be a step towards making
his dream of chili growing a full-time job.
- Alright, brother. - This is crazy, dude.
- We'll hang out a bit, man. - Yeah, appreciate it.
That means, that means a lot to me, man. - Take care, brother.
Oh. Well, hey.
[Bobby laughs]
- You mean a lot to me. - Thank you, man, I appreciate it.
[sighs]
What do you say, right? [laughs]
Yeah, man.
I'm starting to feel like I belong.
You know, I didn't expect that.
I thought I was gonna always feel awkward and weird
and, like, not important.
So just getting to be in it
and hang out with Troy is, is really awesome.
And if I can do something with this that I can live off of,
that is definitely a dream of mine.
Just to be able to do what I love and get paid for it
and not have to think about anything else.
That would be awesome, yeah.
NARRATOR: We all hope for overnight success
and a meteoric rise to the top.
But in the real world,
growing a sustainable career usually takes time.
Troy's venturing into risky new territory,
and his only hope is to avoid the landmines
he knows are out there.
You know, pepper world's an amazing place.
It's amazing land.
It's a land filled of beauty and love, inspiration.
It's also a place of nutjobs, crazies,
liars, thieves, charlatans.
♪ dramatic sting ♪
Welcome to the club. [laughs]
NARRATOR: For Troy, today is a fork in the road.
And the same can be said for Zach Goot.
I love you.
NARRATOR: He's retired from The Texas Hot Spot
to focus on family,
but the future is anything but certain.
He's flying blind with no real plan from here on out.
I'm kind of bummed because I know
there's a lot of people out there that don't believe me.
And when I say I'm taking or, you know, retiring,
taking a break, my wife being one of 'em,
and my daughter, obviously, you know,
you're gonna be back in a couple days.
And, um,
I just-- I gotta not only--
I don't wanna say prove everybody wrong,
I just have to show everybody that I'm serious about this.
I'll take some water.
The Texas Hot Spot on Facebook went dark.
That's enough.
I've left all spicy Facebook groups.
I've left all the YouTubes.
Thank you so much.
That was very nice of you.
Do I miss it?
Not yet.
Are you okay, baby girl?
ANNA: Yep.
ZACH: Well, how are you feeling?
ANNA: Fine.
ZACH: Are you excited? Are you happy?
ANNA: About what?
ZACH: About me retiring.
ANNA: I guess.
Are you?
ZACH: I'm sad about it.
It kind of sucks to step down something like that,
but I'm ready to--
ANNA: But don't you think it would make you so much healthier?
- Absolute-- - Mentally?
Absolutely.
ANNA: Spicy things should be a hobby.
ZACH: Yeah. - I've always thought that.
ZACH: It turned into a lifestyle for me.
Which is fine to be spicy
but whenever it starts to control the things you do and say
and treat people in your life, it's not good.
Just like an, an addiction.
You know, once you start falling into something
and you can't get out of it,
you have to eventually either change or leave.
ZACH: Yeah.
That's basically-- you know. ZACH: I'm leaving.
Leaving and changing.
At this point in my life,
I've realized that I was chasing the people
that I love the most away from me.
And... I want to go hard in the paint
keeping them around.
[Zach exhales]
Well, I love you.
ANNA: I love you, too.
[kiss smacks]
ZACH: I love you very much.
I'm excited.
ANNA: Are you? - Yes, I am.
[insects chirping]
[bird cawing]
[flames crackling]
♪ dramatic theme playing ♪
♪
[whistles]