For most people, spicy food challenges are nothing short of torture. However, these challenges are culinary adventures for foodies who live for the fiery burn of chili peppers and the tongue-scorching sensation of hot sauce. Luckily for people constantly seeking out the hottest, spiciest dishes, there’s no shortage of spicy food challenges in the U.S.
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1. Phaal Challenge
Brick Lane Curry House New York City Brick Lane House dares heat lovers to take the Phaal Challenge. Participants who finish the dish (95% of the diners fail) win a free beer and bragging rights. The incredible fail rate is fathomable, because their phaal chili contains the infamous Carolina Reaper, clocking in at over 2 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
2. Spicy Dynamite Challenge
Jitlada Los Angeles Ordinarily, the Los Angeles-based Jitlada restaurant specializes in mouth-scorching Thai cuisine. The eatery invites spice enthusiasts who find the regular menu a tad too tame to sign up for the Spicy Dynamite Challenge. The challenge is to finish a dish that comprises a protein with green beans, bell peppers and Thai basil. A blend of fresh and dried Thai chilies is what gives the dare incredible heat.
Related: A Guide to the Best Thai Restaurants in America
3. Bushido Seppuku Challenge
Bushido Japanese Restaurant Charleston and Summerville, South Carolina The Bushido Japanese Restaurant invites heat-seekers to complete the Bushido Seppuku Challenge to earn a “legend status,” a headband and a complimentary appetizer for life. Contestants must down 10 spicy tuna rolls, each progressively hotter than the last. But there’s one tiny rule: Contestants may not eat or drink anything to decrease the spice level during the challenge.
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4. The 4 Horsemen
Chunky’s Burger San Antonio Burger lovers can take their chances against the “hottest burger on the planet” at Chucky’s Burger. Contestants must down the 4 Horsemen Burger in 25 minutes or less to secure a space on the restaurant’s Wall of Flame. The infamous burger contains fresh serrano and jalapeno peppers, habanero sauce and the mouth-scorching ghost (jolokia) pepper.
5. Hellfire Challenge
Smoke Eaters San Jose and Santa Clara, California Smoke Eaters’ tongue-melting Hellfire Challenge humbles even the most accomplished hot wing lovers. Adam Richman of “Man vs. Food” barely finished and said, “It’s even worse than it looks.” Participants have 10 minutes to finish 12 perilously hot wings doused with the restaurant’s hottest Hellfire Sauce. And oh, no drinks to soothe the burn or napkins— participants must lick their fingers clean!
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XXX Wings
Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap Chicago Yahoo! Travel ranks the XXX Wings from this Chicago eatery among the hottest in the world. The restaurant invites diners to take part in the XXX Wings Challenge: Chow down all 8 wings to get a comped for the meal, a T-shirt and bragging rights. The wings are doused with XXX sauce, which is made with Trinidad scorpion pepper that comes in at 1.4 million SHU.
7. Blazin’ Challenge
Buffalo Wild Wings Nationwide Buffalo Wild Wings caters to the needs of of those looking for a lava-in-the-mouth dining experience with the Blazin’ Challenge. Contestants must down 10 Blazin’ Knockout Wings in under five minutes. The patented Knockout Sauce contains nine of the world’s hottest peppers, including the Carolina Reaper, scorpion, Devil’s Breath, and Chile de Arbol.
Related: The Best Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce: I Tried All 26 Flavors to Find the Winner
8. Sonoran Spice Carolina Reaper Challenge
The Sonoran Spice Company
Nationwide
The Sonoran Spice Company dares anyone across the U.S. to take on the Carolina Reaper Challenge. Contestants only need to purchase any of the company’s lava-like products; peppers, gumballs, pebbles or hot block tubes and eat them on camera for two minutes. The brave souls then describe their experience and upload the video on their social media or YouTube accounts. The company rewards survivors of the fiery episodes with a free T-shirt and a Sonoran Spice Koozie.
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9. Death Nut Challenge 3.0
Death Nuts
Nationwide
The 3rd iteration of Death Nuts’ Death Nut Challenges turns peanuts into a fiery melt-your-teeth snack. For less than $20, brave souls can set their guts on fire with a 5-tier peanut package that delivers a whopping 16 million SHU. Best of all? Each package has enough lava-hot peanuts for 3 players, and the heat progressively increases across the tiers.
Related: The Definitive Ranking of Popular Hot Sauces, According to a Certified Chile Head
10. Ghost Wing Challenge
P-Dub’s Sports Bar & Grille Monaca, Pennsylvania P-Dub’s Sports Bar & Grille invites brave patrons to participate in four food challenges, including the Ghost Wing Challenge. Contestants must wolf down six wings doused with ghost pepper (1 million SHU) in six minutes. Winners get a free meal and T-shirt, while losers suffer the fiery burn alongside parting with $25 for the unfinished meal.
11. Choco Challenge 3.0
Fuego Box
Nationwide
Through the Choco Challenge, Fuego Box lets pepper lovers indulge their sweet tooth with a spicy twist. Now, in its third iteration, the Choco Challenge is the spiciest crunchy chocolate bar in the world. It combines chocolatey goodness with an unreleased “razor pepper” from Smokin’ ED Currie’s (the inventor of the infamous Carolina Reaper) secret garden. Contestants only need to eat as much chocolate as possible and post it on their social media accounts to participate in the challenge.
Related: Why These Collectible Hot Sauces Cost Hundreds of Dollars
12. Tube of Terror Challenge
Johnny Scoville
Tube of Terror
Johnny Scoville and his merry band of heat-seeking pepper enthusiasts banded together to create the Tube of Terror. Each tube contains 30-45 of the world’s hottest peanuts. These nuts are doused with six insanely hot chilis, starting with the Carolina Reaper to pure capsaicin crystals with a mouth-melting 13 million Scoville.
13. Hell Challenge
Wing King Las Vegas Hell Wings from Wing King lets heat seekers push the limits to the stratosphere. The eatery douses the wings with piping hot sauce boasting over 9 million SHU. Participants in the Hell Challenge must down 12 Hell Wings in under 20 minutes. No drinks are allowed and contestants must lick off all traces of the sauce from their fingers. Winners get comped for the meal and 100 free wings during the Superbowl. Losers must pay for their meal.
Related: Dave’s Hot Chicken’s Reaper Challenge Broke Me
14. Atomic Scorpion Hot Wing Challenge
Quaker Steak & Lube Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virgina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, and Iowa Participants in the Atomic Scorpion Challenge at Quaker Steak & Lube have their wings doused with atomic sauce that packs over 800,000 SHU. Participants must down 6 atomic wings without taking any liquids. Winners get a free T-shirt and a spot on the wall of fame.
15. Scorpion Shot Hot Challenge
Red Hot Tiki Gulfport, Florida For true heat-seekers, the Red Hot Tiki offers the Scorpion Shot Challenge. The challenge dares one to down a tablespoon of scorpion pepper hot sauce. The sauce is served in shot glass and topped with a scorpion. The challenge costs $25, and besides the bragging rights, winners get a free T-shirt and the shot glass.
Related: The Spiciest Foods Around the World
16. The End Hot Sauce Challenge
Pepper Palace
Nationwide
The End hot sauce from Pepper Palace packs extreme heat. For $25, extreme heat seekers can turn every meal into a tongue-scorching experience. The fiery hot sauce contains Carolina Reapers, ghost peppers, scorpion peppers, and 7 pot chocolate douglah peppers.
While most restaurants require a signed or oral waiver when participating in a spicy food challenge, it is best to proceed cautiously. Extremely spicy food can have unintended consequences and endanger one’s health and well-being.
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