The 6 Best And 6 Worst Hot Ones Episodes

Hot Ones is part of the James Beard winning First We Feast network. Founded in 2012, First We Feast takes a look at the world of pop culture, but through the lens of food. A lot of the success of Hot Ones has to do with its enigmatic host, Sean Evans. He won the 2018 and 2019 Webby Award for Best Web Personality/Host while Hot Ones has won the Shorty Award for Best Web Series in 2018 and the Webby Award for Video: Food & Drink in 2019. Evans' easy-going personality pairs excellently with his wonderful interviewing skills as he coaches a variety of celebrities and personalities through increasingly spicy hot wings. 

Many of the interviews on Hot Ones are amazing. How can they not be, especially when your favorite actor is spewing molten hot sauce while trying to explain the plot of their favorite film? There are truly some gems among the now ten seasons of episodes. However, not all Hot Ones episodes are created equal. So which are the best and which are the worst? Keep reading to find out!

Season 3, Episode 17: Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Universe While Eating Spicy Wings

Noted astrophysicist and general expert on everything in the known universe, Neil deGrasse Tyson is known for his talk show Star Talk, as well as hosting Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and, well, just being really really smart. So one might think that he would be smart enough to not put himself through torture on Hot Ones. Though, he does open up his stint on the show by saying he can hang with spicy food... though maybe not with Sean Evans' caliber.

Watching the Hayden Planetarium director and astronomer slowly have a galactic meltdown over spicy wings is entertaining in itself, but the real gem of him as a guest is his philosophy. There's just something about outrageously spicy hot sauce that just opens up guests to waxing poetically about the world and art and science. Well, at least in Tyson's case.

Viewers liked Tyson as a guest because he seemed to become more down to earth as he was suffering. As one Reddit user put rather succinctly it's a "[p]rime example of the genius of this show's format. The wings break down the guest's composure and lowers their guard, resulting in genuine human expression." 

Season 3, Episode 15: Guy Fieri Becomes the Mayor of Spicy Wings

The Mayor of Flavortown, New York Times bestselling author, restaurateur, Meme God, and Emmy Award-winning host. These are just a few ways to describe the Food Network personality-and-a-half known as Guy Fieri. He rose to fame by winning the first season of Food Network Star, which won him his own show, Guy's Big Bite. Since then, his culinary career and television empire has exploded with the addition of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy's Grocery Games, Guy's Family Road Trip, Guy's Big Project, and Guy's Ranch Kitchen. 

Fieri is personable and an open book to Sean Evans' questions, plus his dry humor only accentuates that. His anecdote about bowling shirts and fans is particularly hilarious, especially because the hot sauce is catching up with him throughout the entire storytelling process. Another Hot Ones moment that fans really enjoyed was towards the end when Evans asks what Fieri thinks of his critics. His answer is as down to earth and candid as you can get, saying "I really don't give a s***."

He takes the time to teach Evans a bit about cooking as well, going all-in on how to make a scrumptious queso dip. But it's his speech about how important it is to teach kids to cook that resonated most with viewers. Fieri is so well known for being outrageous on television, but his passion and composure really shines in this moment. 

Season 8, Episode 1: Gordon Ramsay Savagely Critiques Spicy Wings

Known as the angry three Michelin star Scottish chef who is prone to screaming, insults, and swears on shows such as Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef, more than one person had to be concerned for Sean Evans when it came time for Gordon Ramsay's interview on Hot Ones. And he definitely didn't take a break from the swears for this episode. 

Despite his penchant for food around the world, Ramsay cannot handle spice. This becomes increasingly apparent throughout the course of his interview on Hot Ones. Seeing a public figure that's usually so put together and focused completely lose their marbles over spice is one of the reasons this is the ultimate fan favorite episode. Many of the quips between Ramsay and Evans are noteworthy among fans as well, including Ramsay saying Da Bomb hot sauce is like sticking his tongue in a vat of acid. Also him chugging Pepto Bismal shortly after is legendary.

It's the final six minutes of his episode that are truly amazing. Ramsay is more or less dying in a constant tirade of curses and attempts to cool his mouth down, but Evans still manages to coerce him into teaching him how to make scrambled eggs. Of course, this is done in Ramsay's trademark style, and he probably takes a great bit of joy in ordering Evans about as a type of revenge for the pain he's been through.

Season 3, Episode 5: Charlie Day Learns to Love Ridiculously Spicy Wings

Best known as Charlie Kelly on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Charlie Day is an actor, screenwriter, director, producer and musician. Other credits include Pacific Rim, The Lego Movie, Horrible Bosses, and Fist Fight. It's the latter that he is promoting on Hot Ones, and it's that obligation to promote that starts his interview off on the wrong foot.

It's relatively obvious that Day isn't super into the spicy wing challenge and that this is just a PR obligation he has to get through. His answers aren't that deep and he's ready to move on pretty quick. One YouTube user commented "does anyone else get the feeling that he just absolutely and totally hates PR stuff lol." When it's obvious to everything that you're gritting your teeth through an entire interview, it's going to color their opinion of you.

On the flip side, multiple viewers commented that it seemed Day realized the charm of Hot Ones the further he got into it and may have left actually have enjoyed himself. He was also commended for his overall performance with the spiciness. The last dab gained him a bit of respect among Hot Ones viewers, despite the first half of the episode being a drag. 

Season 8, Episode 8: Shaq Tries to Not Make a Face While Eating Spicy Wings

It's hard not to know who Shaq is. But just in case you need a reminder, Shaquille O'Neal is a towering former basketball player of the NBA and arguably one of the best players of all time. These days he's a sports analyst on Inside the NBA on TNT. 

The fact is, Shaq comes off as a bit of a jerk during his Hot Ones appearance. Early on he says he guarantees he's not going to make any faces in regards to the spiciness. His cockiness doesn't play as confidence or teasing. Instead it just reads as him thinking he's above the idea of Hot Ones and that this may be a waste of his time. The fact that he does make multiple faces afterwards is just proof that karma will come around to bite you. Especially when it comes to upchucking milk.

The biggest complaint viewers has was Shaq refusing to do the last wing. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, everyone knows their limits, but it was how he did it — by inventing games and challenges to let himself opt-out. Fans were not pleased, to say the least. They did commend Evans on being a gentleman through it, especially when dealing with a guest with such a fragile ego.

Season 5, Episode 1: Taraji P. Henson Needs a Stunt Double to Eat Spicy Wings

When asked who was the worst guest on Hot Ones on Reddit, fans came up with one name more often than any other. Taraji P. Henson. The actress is best known for her role as Cookie on Empire, but other credits include The Family That Preys, Hidden Figures, and What Men Want, but it's her performance on Hot Ones that has landed her on this list. Fans were not impressed and felt bad for Evans and his team for having to put up with her drunken antics.

Clearly intoxicated, Henson is everything you'd expect an inebriated guest to be. Loud and not nearly as funny as they think they're being. In Evans' defense, he tries his best, but there's only so much you can do when your guest is flailing about and screaming. There's also the fact that Henson brings in her bodyguard to finish the challenge for her. It turns out that viewers would have preferred that Dave, the bodyguard, had his own episode. Or at least have finished out Henson's entire episode.