Thehot pepper challenge (alsoghost pepper challenge orchili pepper challenge) is an Internetviral video fad, consisting of afood challenge that involves filming oneself while eating and swallowing achili pepper that is high on theScoville scale and known for itspiquant (spicy-hot) qualities, in particular thecayenne pepper,Thai pepper,habanero,ghost pepper, and theTrinidad moruga scorpion pepper; the video is then uploaded to the Internet. Hot pepper challenges have been featured on television series, includingMan v. Food.
The Internet videos generally show the different stages the participant goes through. In the introduction, the challenger introduces themselves and states the proposed challenge, shows the pepper, and discusses its qualities. The challenger often takes precautionary measures like setting out a large quantity ofmilk to drink after consuming the pepper, which helps relieve and cope with the burning sensation in the mouth and throat. Then the pepper (or food item containing it) is eaten. After a short while, an extreme burning sensation and profuse sweating are experienced by the challenger, caused by the pepper'scapsaicin and relatedcapsaicinoids. Sometimesvomiting[1] andhallucinations (e.g., reduced vision)[2] are induced by eating the pepper.
The challenge has resulted in a small number of reported cases of problems or health scares. In one such instance, in September 2016, five 11- to 14-year-old school students fromWest Milton, Ohio, were hospitalized after 40 of them ate ghost peppers as part of a challenge and suffered apparentlyallergic reactions.[2] There is also an account of a 47-year-old California man who was sent to anemergency department after consuming a hamburger topped with ghost pepper puree in an eating contest; doctors found that he had ruptured his esophagus (Boerhaave syndrome) from excessive vomiting, and that his left lung had collapsed from the pressure of stomach fluid and food material entering hisabdominal cavity through the tear in his throat.[1][3]
Even the hottest peppers are not literallytoxic in reasonable quantities; research has suggested that it would take around 3 pounds (1.36 kg) of the highest-Scoville peppers, like ghost pepper, to kill a 150-pound (68 kg) adult.[1] However, there are documented fatalities fromcardiac arrest caused by the pain and panic induced bypepper spray, the main ingredient of which is oleoresin capsicum, a concentrated capsaicin wax extracted from chili peppers. Allergic reactions to the substance itself, especiallyasthma attacks, are more common.[4] These were also reported in the Ohio school's ghost pepper incident.[2]
