A person celebrating after completing the One Chip Challenge. A closer view of the chip's packaging is visible at right.

The One Chip Challenge was an internet challenge in which participants must eat one extremely spicy Paqui Carolina Reaper chip and avoid eating or drinking anything afterwards. The challenge has been tried by celebrities and social media personalities, and it has garnered criticism for negative associated health effects.

In September 2023, after Harris Wolobah a 14-year-old boy from Massachusetts, United States, died on the same day he took the challenge, Paqui immediately withdrew and discontinued the chips from any further sales and indefinitely stopped publicity for the challenge. It is currently under investigation whether the fatality was directly due to consuming the chip, or if other health factors were at play. The teen's death led to the chip being banned in many retail stores nonetheless.[1][2]

Background

Paqui is an American brand of tortilla chips made by Amplify Snack Brands, Inc, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company. Its Carolina Reaper chips, sold individually wrapped, were known for being among the spiciest flavors sold.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Doug Lyon, a veteran of the advertising industry, and Alissa Bassana founded Paqui in Austin in 2008.[10] SkinnyPop acquired Paqui in 2015, after which Lyon became the parent company's vice president of creative and innovation.[11] After SkinnyPop later reincorporated as Amplify Snack Brands, The Hershey Company acquired Amplify in 2017.[12]

Challenge

The One Chip Challenge has been promoted by Amplify Snack Brands since 2016. Participants must eat one Carolina Reaper chip and avoid eating or drinking anything afterwards.[4][13][9] An anchor for KWGN-TV vomited on live television after trying the challenge.[14] Celebrities including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shaquille O'Neal, Joel Embiid, Lil Yachty, and Sean Evans have tried the challenge.[15] In 2022, the chips sold for the One Chip Challenge turned people's tongues bright blue, to deter cheating.[16]

Criticism and controversy

The challenge has been controversial because some participants have required medical attention.[17] Paqui warns that the One Chip Challenge should be attempted by adults only, and recommends safety precautions for participants.[18]

Because children and teens have attempted the challenge, several schools have taken action. In September 2022, the challenge was banned by Huerfano School District RE-1 in Huerfano County, Colorado, as many children of their schools were accepting the challenge and becoming hospitalized.[19][20][21] The One Chip Challenge has also been banned from Lodi High School in Lodi, California,[15] and from schools in Pearland Independent School District in Pearland, Texas.[22] In November 2022, first responders were called to Dunwoody High School in Dunwoody, Georgia to treat a student who tried to participate in the challenge.[23][24]

In September 2023, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, Massachusetts ate a Paqui chip, complained about a severe stomachache, and died within a few hours.[24] Shortly afterwards, Paqui removed promotional text reading, "How long can you last before you spiral out?" from its web page about the One Chip Challenge. The company deleted web pages that let customers buy Carolina Reaper chips online and locate stores that sold them.[25] The company asked retailers to withdraw the challenge chips from sale and offered refunds to customers who had purchased them. A spokeswoman for Paqui said, "We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves. Paqui presently has several representatives visiting retailers to retrieve the recalled product, in effort to prevent further injury through "under the tables" sales."[26]

Some individual stunts involving the challenge have also been criticized for other reasons. Rapper T.I.'s son King Harris controversially offered to pay a homeless man $50 if he completed a One Chip Challenge. Since the man failed the challenge, Harris only paid him $20.[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Paqui Pulls 'One Chip Challenge' Packages from Stores After Teen's Death". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  2. ↑ "Maker of the spicy 'One Chip Challenge' pulls product from store shelves". NPR. September 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Do Not Eat Paqui's Carolina Reaper, aka the 'World's Spiciest Tortilla Chip'". Hypebeast. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  4. 1 2 Huen, Eustacia. "Meet the World's Spiciest Tortilla Chip (So Hot, It's Sold One Per Package)". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  5. ↑ "Dare to taste: Can you survive the world's hottest chips challenge?". The Indian Express. September 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  6. ↑ "Paqui Tortilla Chips, the World's Spiciest Chip, Is Sold One to a Customer". Mental Floss. September 17, 2019. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  7. ↑ Miller, Allie (May 12, 2022). "The Spiciest Chips You Can Get In America". Mashed.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  8. ↑ "The World's Hottest Chip Is Basically Impossible to Eat". Thrillist. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  9. 1 2 Best, Mariana (September 13, 2022). "Would you eat the spiciest chip in the world for $9?". SFGATE. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  10. ↑ Rodriguez, James (August 24, 2017). "Former ad agency creatives began their careers growing brands — now they're out to create their own". Austin Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  11. ↑ Theis, Michael (April 23, 2015). "Austin tortilla co. bought by Chicago snack startup SkinnyPop". Austin Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ Shoup, Mary Ellen (May 31, 2022). "Hershey eyes opportunities in snacking: 'We have ambitions to become a snacking powerhouse'". Food Navigator USA. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  13. ↑ Holtz, Steve (August 16, 2021). "Paqui One Chip Challenge Returns for a 5th Year". CSP Daily News. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  14. ↑ Kerr-Dineen, Luke (October 26, 2017). "News anchor tries internet's one-chip challenge on live TV and it backfired so hard". For The Win. USA Today. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Ravikumar, Vandana (January 20, 2022). "Spicy 'one chip challenge' sends 3 students at California high school to the hospital". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  16. ↑ Best, Mariana (September 13, 2022). "Would you eat the spiciest chip in the world for $9?". SFGATE. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  17. ↑ Lenzen, Cecilia (September 12, 2022). "'$12 for 1 piece of chip and hospital bills': TikToker says Paqui One Chip Challenge landed niece in the hospital". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  18. ↑ Gleiter, Sue (2023-09-06). "Controversial 'One Chip Challenge' Paqui brand is part of Hershey Co.'s portfolio". pennlive. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  19. ↑ Twitty, Tamera (September 16, 2022). "Colorado school district bans 'One Chip Challenge', after students are hospitalized in other states". OutThere Colorado. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  20. ↑ Reynolds, Kieran. "Multiple California high school students were reportedly hospitalized after participating in the spicy social media 'One Chip Challenge'". Insider. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  21. ↑ Friedman, Elaina (August 9, 2022). "The Paqui One Chip Challenge Is Back And More Taxing Than Ever". Mashed.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  22. ↑ Perera, John-Henry (September 15, 2022). "Pearland ISD bans super-spicy One Chip Challenge from school, citing dangers to some students". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  23. ↑ "Georgia police warning parents about viral 'One Chip Challenge' after student injured". FOX 5 Atlanta. November 2022. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  24. 1 2 "Massachusetts teen dies after eating spicy tortilla chip". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ Edwards, Jonathan (September 7, 2023). "What to know about the 'One Chip Challenge' and extremely spicy foods". Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  26. ↑ Tumin, Remy (2023-09-07). "Paqui 'One Chip Challenge' Is Being Pulled From Shelves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  27. ↑ "T.I.'s Son King Harris Criticized for Offering Homeless Man $50 to Do Spicy 'One Chip Challenge'". Complex Networks.
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