Summary
- Hot Ones is a popular YouTube show that combines celebrity interviews with a spicy chicken wing challenge, gaining millions of subscribers and fans worldwide.
- Host Sean Evans has become a celebrity in his own right and continues to invest his time and passion into the show to keep it thriving.
- The success of the show has attracted diverse guests, including A-listers, music legends, and viral internet sensations, making it a must-watch for audiences.
At this point, Hot Ones is one of the most popular shows to watch. The show has featured countless guests from all walks of life. Some guests have been underrated, some have been underwhelming, and others have come on the show, crushed the challenge, and left a lasting impression on audiences.
Host Sean Evans is now a celeb in his own right, and people have long been curious about his road to spicy immortality. Let's see how he got to where he is today!
Hot Ones Is One Of The Best Shows Around On YouTube
Hot Ones was a daring concept that combined celebrity interviews with a spicy chicken wing challenge. Launched in 2015, this innovative show took the internet by storm, gaining millions of subscribers and fans worldwide.
Chris Schonberger, the show's creator, opened up about creating the hit sensation.
"It leveled the playing field. No one had invested that much in their video product up until that time. Showing this new point of view about the intersection of food and culture just popped so much more on camera," he said.
Each episode features Sean Evans and a celebrity guest as they brave their way through ten progressively hotter wings while delving into candid and entertaining conversations. From Hollywood A-listers to music legends and viral internet sensations, Hot Ones attracts a roster of guests as diverse as the sauce selection itself.
Said Evans about the show's success, "I don’t really have these world takeover plans or aspirations. I think I’m just happier being a duke or being a baron on my little corner of the internet. Hopefully I can just sustain this as long as my stomach will allow.”
In April, the New York Times penned a piece about Hot Ones, outlining the show's sustained success, as well as the prestige of its guests.
"Since 2015, First We Feast, the food culture site that produces “Hot Ones,” has aired nearly 300 episodes, almost all of which have amassed millions of views. Guests this season, its 20th, include Pedro Pascal, Bryan Cranston, Jenna Ortega and Florence Pugh. In the early days of the show, guests were mostly rappers, comedians and athletes. Now Oscar winners like Viola Davis and Cate Blanchett often occupy the hot seat, as do headliners like Dave Grohl and Lizzo," the publication wrote.
Before the Hot Ones flame began to blaze, Sean Evans led a life that might have appeared ordinary to the untrained eye.
Before The Show, Sean Evans Was A Copywriter
Evans' journey into the realm of spicy interviews began after he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Armed with a degree in broadcast journalism, Evans began his career as a copywriter in his Native Chicago. He could have settled there, but Evans had bigger fish to fry.
Soon enough, the talented Evans embarked on a career that saw him work with several media outlets, steadily honing his craft as a writer and interviewer. His dedication to storytelling and his ability to engage with a diverse range of personalities eventually caught the attention of Complex Media, who offered him the opportunity of a lifetime.
One he was linked up with Complex, Evans soon began to show larger audiences what he was capable of.
According to Mashed, "At Complex, he connected with Chris Schonberger, Editor in Chief at First We Feast, the new Complex YouTube channel. As Evans told The Verge, Schonberger pitched him the idea of a celebrity interview show featuring "violently hot chicken wings." Evans was for it, and the rest is internet history."
Now that Evans has cemented his place in pop culture, the man is a busy bee.
Sean Evans Is A Busy Man These Days
Back in 2020, Hot Ones was developed into a game show on TV, which people did not see coming. It was an unexpected surprise, but the show was not long for the small screen. As great as it could have been, some things are just meant for the internet.
Evans has also made his rounds on the interview circuit, slowly but surely giving people a glimpse into who he is as a person, and how much his life has changed since Hot Ones became show that's enjoyed by millions of fans.
Hot Ones is still his primary duty, and he continues to invest his time and his passion into the project. It's precisely why the show continues to show, despite being around for hundreds of episodes. As long as Evans keeps up this type of work with the show, it will continue to thrive, and continue to land interviews with the biggest names on the planet.
Sean Evans has come a long way since his copywriting days, and he's proof that finding the right opportunity can change your life.
