The Carolina Reaper is the world's hottest pepper, clocking in at an astonishing 1.5
million Scoville heat units, which is a rating used to determine how spicy a food item is,
while a regular jalapeno clocks in at a mere 100,000 to 350,000 SHUs.
The pepper is purely manmade, as nature is incapable, or evil enough, to produce a pepper
so fiery hot, and is the brainchild of a former pot grower who began to use his knowledge
of botany to crossbreed peppers.
Competitions around the world challenge people to try to eat three of these miniature peppers
with an atomic punch to see who can down them the fastest and then keep them down.
But what is it like to actually eat one of these red-hot monsters?
To find out we tasked one of our writers with sitting down and eating one Carolina Reaper
and recording his observations.
T-1 minute
Sitting in front of me are two Carolina Reapers, the world's hottest peppers.
Allegedly each one of these tiny peppers has a Scoville heat rating of 1.5 million, but
the website these came from claims that some peppers can get as hot as 2 million.
Thats fantastic, and that’s sarcasm.
I don't even like spicy food.
I'm not going to lie, I'm seriously rethinking my current employment status.
The peppers actually smell kind of pleasant, almost fruity.
From what I've read online, and I've done a LOT of research, they have a slightly fruity
taste as well.
I guess that's right before the lava kicks off.
The plan is simple: I eat the first pepper and write down what it feels like, tastes
like, etc.
I've done a lot of research on how peppers affect the body so after my initial observations
I'll come back and add what was biologically happening to me.
If anything goes wrong or I feel I didn't get enough from the first pepper I'll try
the second one.
Here goes.
T- 00:00:00
They're right about the slightly fruity taste, I don't know if chewing fast or slow is best.
To be fair to the experience, I'm trying to chew the pepper thoroughly.
Definitely starting to burn though.
Post Commentary: Chiles and peppers evolved capsaicin as a defense against unwanted foraging
by animals such as mice and insects, which would destroy the plant's seeds.
The capsaicin is thus released mostly from the membrane of the fruit as an animal's teeth
tear it to pieces.
T- 00:00:10
Yep.
It burns.
It burns really bad.
Post Commentary: The capsaicin binds to TRPV1 receptors inside your mouth which are designed
to detect heat and are activated by temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 C).
The latched-on capsaicin however causes the receptors to be confused, triggering their
pain warnings with temperatures as low as 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.9 C), which is below
the average human body temperature.
That means your own body heat triggers the burning response, which is what makes spicy
foods so unbearable- you literally can't get away from the burn!
T- 00:00:20
I tried to speak and I couldn't.
Swallowed the mashed up pepper and my throat is on fire.
Stomach starting to burn too.
Post Commentary: When you swallow a mashed up pepper the capsaicin triggers TRPV1 pain
receptors along the esophagus and the stomach.
This might seem an odd place for these pain receptors, but makes perfect sense if you've
ever hastily swallowed something far too hot for your own good.
The pain response is meant to protect you, and teach you to be patient and wait for your
hot cocoa to cool down.
Or to not eat the world's hottest pepper ever again.
T- 00:00:30
Sweating profusely.
Girlfriend looking at me weird.
My armpits are soaked and face and neck sweaty.
Post Commentary: The human body sweats to help it radiate excess heat, it's an evolutionary
adaptation that made us the top predator in the savannahs of our ancient past.
This type of sweating however is known as gustatory sweating, and is triggered by a
perceived increase in warmth brought on by the capsaicin binding to your TRPV1 pain receptors.
Peppers also have the ability to jumpstart your metabolism, and eating really spicy food
can actually help you burn a few calories.
The increased metabolism also drives further sweating.
T- 00:00:45
I'm not sure if I'm sweating or crying, maybe both.
Girlfriend looks concerned.
I am drinking soda, I heard it helps with the burning which is intense and everywhere.
Seriously, I think I might be on fire inside.
Post Commentary: Capsaicin isn't easily neutralized by stomach acid, meaning it can continue burning
for a long time before fading away naturally.
This can make the sufferer feel as if a fire was burning inside them, and the malfunctioning
TRPV1 receptors can actually start to convince the brain the body is actually suffering from
dramatic overheating, even though body temperature hasn't much changed.
This prompts much more sweating to help regulate body temperature.
T- 00:01:30
I finally remembered you're supposed to drink milk, so I scared the girlfriend by suddenly
rushing to fridge and gulping down enough milk to refill a cow.
I don't think its helping.
I burped and I swear it felt like fire.
I might be turning into an actual dragon.
Post Commentary: Typically milk, yogurt, or other dairy product is the preferred pain-relieving
drink of choice.
That's because milk contains a protein called casein which actually knocks the capsaicinoid
off the hijacked pain receptor, helping ease the symptoms.
Non-fat milk is recommended because of its higher protein to fat percentage.
Water is always a terrible choice- as is soda- as all that does is further spread capsaicin
around the affected areas.
T- 03:00
My nose has been running non-stop but I think I've stopped crying.
Hard to tell through all the sweating.
Girlfriend asked me if she should call the poison control center or a hospital, I told
her to call a morgue instead.
She didn't think that was funny.
The pain is incredible and all over mouth, throat and stomach.
I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like coming out the other end, except I
probably can because it's probably going to be exactly like coming in this end.
Post Commentary: At this point the pain is at its peak and you might start to feel lightheaded
from an endorphin rush as the body tries to do its best to block the pain.
Certain sexual fetishes that rely on intense physical pain capitalize on this specific
response to extreme pain, which is followed by an almost-narcotic high like release of
endorphins into the blood.
In this case however, no such release followed.
Just more pain.
T-00:10:00
I've been laying on the floor for five minutes now.
My mouth feels like that time I bit into a freshly microwaved hot pocket as a kid and
couldn't taste anything for a week afterwards.
I might not be able to taste anything ever again in my life after this.
I've dry heaved a few times which was a terrible idea as some of the mashed up pepper made
its way back into the bottom of my throat and almost made me puke for real.
Girlfriend won't talk to me, she's on the couch and angrily muttering the word stupid
under her breath every few seconds.
Nose has stopped running but head feels like it might cook my own brain.
At this point, I'd welcome that and the sweet release of death.
T-00:30:00
The worst of the burning is over, but my stomach is starting to cramp pretty badly.
I hardly ever eat spicy foods and I'm not fond of them at all.
I think the cramping is my stomach trying to tear itself free of my esophagus and rip
out of my body in a desperate attempt to escape the hell I just fed it.
I don't blame you, stomach, even if it does feel like you're carving me up with a steak
knife inside.
T-01:30:00
I left the floor about 45 minutes ago and laid down in bed.
Girlfriend came in and offered me milk, then angrily told me that if I got the bed all
sweaty I'd have to do laundry.
I'd like to stick my stomach in the washer right now and clean out all the bits and pieces
of pepper left inside.
Still seriously cramping, and still definitely not looking forward to what happens on the
way out.
T-18:30:00
I was right to be afraid of what would happen on the way out.
If the pepper coming in was Mount Saint Helens erupting, then it was Mount Vesuvius exploding
on the way out.
How do people enjoy this?
Girlfriend still hardly talking to me, told me my job was stupid before leaving for work.
Left a gallon of fresh milk in the fridge though.
I went back into the dining room and realized that the second pepper is still there sitting
on a plate.
I can't believe I thought I would seriously need two of these.
Looking at it now it's only barely two inches long.
How can something so tiny hold so much evil inside it?
This isn't a pepper, it's the fruit equivalent of Hitler- this is the Hitler and Stalin of
peppers.
This tiny little weird looking pepper isn't even a fruit at all, it's the shriveled up
testicle of the Dark Lord Lucifer, full of all the fire and fury of hell itself.
We here at The Infographics Show go to great lengths to answer some of your most burning
questions- err... pardon the pun- and today we were happy to put one of our writers through
eating the world's hottest pepper for your sake.
After this though do you think you'd be up for eating a Carolina Reaper?
If you thought this challenge was interesting, check out our other video, spend 1 billion
dollars in 24 hours or lose it all.
And while you are at it, subscribe to our channel!