INTRODUCTION: What’s to say that hasn’t already been said about this chip since 2016? Seven years, seven different challenges and more combinations of hot chili peppers torture devices than should be legal. So naturally, even though I despise trends and find these viral challenges stupid and not my thing. Still I enjoy spicy things and have heavily been doing so since I was a teenager. I’m 37 now, so that’s 20 years of stupidity. I’m what you call an “expert” here. So how was it?

PACKAGE: Way better than the old red one of yore. The marketing team has up their game and it shows. The package alone is worth paying $10 for.

INSIDE: You get a nicely packed chip and a pull out, plus a graphic warning you of the potential pain you are going to be in.

CHIP: Opening it smells of fruity blue berries and quite inviting. Do not let that fool you, because it isn’t innocent. Also mine was in one piece, so that’s good. Taste wasn’t as bad as people claimed. I think it tasted better than the Haunted Ghost Pepper chips. Still a little dry though.

HEAT: So you have probably seen all the horrible videos online of people screaming and running, dousing themselves in milk as if Kurt Angle just showed up to WWE Raw circa 2001. Well I didn’t think it was as hot as people claimed, that’s why I tried it. Well I was half right and half wrong. The problem isn’t so much the heat, rather in how it burns. Normally a burn from a pepper is on the tounge. The lips feel a burning as well. The reaper is an exception as it hits the throat. This though wasn’t burning my tounge, it was a muted burn. It hit mostly my vocal chords and cheeks, something that doesn’t normally happen. Also a rarity was feeling it inside my ears. Peppers usually cause myself to cough a lot. Here I coughed very little. I also do not tend to tear up in the eyes and yet here I did. My nose will run more with peppers or sauce, with this, I had very little. I recorded this, but it was hard to speak with my vocals aflame. So overall it was kinda hot but weird. I swear it was made just to induce a sense of pepper burn as opposed to a real pepper. I had their Haunted Ghost Pepper chips and those are more conductive to what one would expect from a real pepper and not this. Overall all though, even with my very high tolerance, I would not recommend it to most people that are not experienced with peppers.

Burn Time: You’ll find a fold out within that gives you the time and a title. Hold off up till and hour and you’re an apex predator. The problem is though, it last only about five minutes at max before it is over. Leaving even the biggest chili heads looking like bitches because you had a drink long after it subsided and now they know you will buy another just to man up. Excellent marketing but very transparent.

PROBLEMS: With peppers I get some stomach cramps. Nothing too crazy. Super hots give me a nice, warm internally. Similar to chili on a cold winters day. That was true of this, until I ate a couple Cheetos a few hours later, causing a sharp pain in my stomach. This type of pain only if I over eat, say like Thanksgiving dinner and that can be taken care of with a couple tums and Tylenol. Although alcohol will allow me to eat more and experience no pain, but would not recommend with this. If I had avoided the Cheetos, I probably would of been fine all night. It says to eat something for pain or drink dairy. I don’t recommend eating after this.

OVERALL: It wasn’t that bad until I had the Cheetos. Then I was like, well, I regret this. I bought two and might eat the second for Halloween. It was fun, but I have spent $10 bucks on better. Would I do this annually? No! I could just buy reapers and eat those and be happier cause I can make my own hot sauces or sprinkle it in what food I want with a better experience. I’m glad I tried it though and give it 3.5 out of 5.