One Chip Challenge

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

Contents

In September 2023, after Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old boy from Massachusetts, United States, died two days after 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 The teen's death led to the chip being withdrawn from sale by Paqui and recalled from stores. [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

One chip challenge chip.jpg
One chip challenge 2023.jpg
The tortilla chip's formulation was changed on an annual basis. [13]

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 were made with food colouring that turned people's tongues bright blue, to deter cheating. [16]

In 2023, 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. [17]

Health concerns

The challenge has been controversial because some participants have required medical attention. [18] Paqui warns that the One Chip Challenge should be attempted by adults only, and recommends safety precautions for participants. [19]

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. [20] [21] [22] 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. [23] 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. [24] [25]

Death of Harris Wolobah

In September 2023, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, Massachusetts named Harris Wolobah ate a Paqui chip, complained about a severe stomachache, and died within a few hours. [25] 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. [26] 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." [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doritos</span> American flavored tortilla chips brand

Doritos is an American brand of flavored tortilla chips produced by Frito-Lay, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The concept for Doritos originated at Disneyland at a restaurant managed by Frito-Lay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pringles</span> American brand of snack chips since 1968

Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based chips invented by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", it is technically considered an extruded snack because of the manufacturing process. The brand was sold in 2012 to Kellogg's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hula Hoops</span> Snack food made from potatoes and corn

Hula Hoops are a snack food made out of potatoes and corn in the shape of short, hollow cylinders. Created by KP Snacks in the United Kingdom in 1973. As well as being sold in the UK, they are also sold in the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Hula Hoops are also sold in Belgium under the "Croky" tag, made in the UK but marketed and distributed from Mouscron, Belgium. In France, Hula Hoops are produced by Vico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nachos</span> Tortilla chip dish

Nachos are a Tex-Mex culinary dish consisting of tortilla chips or totopos covered with cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats, vegetables, and condiments such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. At its most basic form, nachos may consist of merely chips covered with cheese, and served as an appetizer or snack, while other versions are substantial enough as a main course. The dish was created by, and named after, Mexican restaurateur Ignacio Anaya, who created it in 1943 for American customers at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tostitos</span> American brand of snacks

Tostitos is a brand of Frito-Lay that produces different tortilla chips and a range of accompanying dips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritos</span> American brand of corn chips and dipping sauces

Fritos is an American brand of corn chips and dipping sauces that was created in 1932 by Charles Elmer Doolin and has been produced since 1961 by the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo. Fritos are made by deep-frying extruded whole cornmeal, unlike the similar tortilla chips, which are made from cornmeal and use the nixtamalization process. It is one of two brands representing Frito-Lay along with Lay's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn chip</span> Snack food made from cornmeal

Corn chips are a snack food made from cornmeal fried in oil or baked, usually in the shape of a small noodle or scoop. Corn chips are thick, rigid, very crunchy, have the strong aroma and flavor of roasted corn, and are often heavily seasoned with salt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jays Foods</span> American snack product manufacturer

Jays Foods, Inc., is an American manufacturer of snack products including potato chips, popcorn and pretzels. Jays Foods was founded in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, and is currently a subsidiary of Snyder's of Hanover. Operating in several Midwestern states, Jays Foods' potato chips and popcorn maintain significant shares of their respective markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCoy's (crisp)</span> UK crisps brand

McCoy's is a brand of crinkle-cut crisps made in the United Kingdom by KP Snacks. It was first produced in 1985 and is marketed under the slogan "The Real McCoy's – Accept No Imitations", exploiting the Scottish idiom "the real McCoy". McCoy's is the third biggest brand in the bagged crisps market, with 5 million packets consumed each week and nearly a third of all UK households consuming the product. It was once promoted by United Biscuits "as the only overtly male-targeted crisp brand".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shearer's Foods</span> Snack product manufacturer

Shearer's Foods, LLC is a U.S. manufacturer and distributor of snack foods. Founded in 1974 as Shearer's Snacks, it is headquartered in Brewster, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frito-Lay</span> American company producing snack foods

Frito-Lay, Inc. is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips, Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Rold Gold pretzels, and Walkers potato crisps. Each brand generated annual worldwide sales over $1 billion in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utz Brands</span> U.S. food company

Utz Brands, Inc., more commonly known as Utz, is an American snack food company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The company produces a variety of potato chips, pretzels, and other snacks, with most products sold under their family of brands. Utz is also a snack supplier to warehouse clubs and merchandisers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrrells (crisps)</span> British potato crisp manufacturer

Tyrrells Potato Crisps Ltd is a British manufacturer of potato crisps owned by KP Snacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snack</span> Small food portions consumed outside of the main meals of the day

A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. A snack is often less than 200 calories, but this can vary. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.

Frito-Lay Canada, Inc., formerly the Hostess Frito-Lay Company, is a Canadian division of the U.S.-based Frito-Lay owned as a subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips, Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Smartfood flavored popcorn and Rold Gold pretzels. The company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and has four production plants in Cambridge, Ontario; Lévis, Quebec; Kentville, Nova Scotia; and Taber/Lethbridge, Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takis (snack)</span> Mexican snack food

Takis are a Mexican brand of rolled corn tortilla chip snack made by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo. Fashioned after the taquito, it comes in numerous flavors, the best selling of which is the chili-lime "Fuego" flavor, sold in distinctive purple bags. Besides the rolled corn chips, Takis produces other snacks with the same flavor lines, including different potato chip varieties, corn "stix", popcorn, and peanuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkinnyPop</span> American snack brand owned by Hersheys

SkinnyPop is an American brand of dairy-free popcorn currently owned by Hershey Co. after it acquired its former owner, Amplify Snack Brands Inc. in 2017.

Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder who is the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He is best known for breeding the Carolina Reaper which was the hottest chili pepper in the world until, in 2023, Pepper X, also bred by Currie, took over as the hottest chili pepper, as recognized by Guinness World Records.

Turtle Chips are a brand of chips that are made by South Korean snack company Orion. They get their name from their shape, which resembles the shell of a tortoise.

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. 1 2 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. ↑ "T.I.'s Son King Harris Criticized for Offering Homeless Man $50 to Do Spicy 'One Chip Challenge'". Complex Networks .
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Gleiter, Sue (2023-09-06). "Controversial 'One Chip Challenge' Paqui brand is part of Hershey Co.'s portfolio". pennlive. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "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.
  25. 1 2 "Massachusetts teen dies after eating spicy tortilla chip". The Guardian.
  26. ↑ Edwards, Jonathan (September 7, 2023). "What to know about the 'One Chip Challenge' and extremely spicy foods". Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  27. ↑ 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.