This was my chance at a comeback. I trained for this. I was ready to win Lafayette Activities Forum’s very own “Hot Ones” competition, based on the popular YouTube show in which celebrities test their spice tolerance on chicken wings.
I ate against a whopping 26 students who had to be divided into three separate heats to compete.
“We haven’t done a lot of eating challenges before,” said co-organizer Johnny Raheb ‘27, adding that all the sign-ups made it a “pretty big event” for the hosting Lafayette Activities Forum.
As a Rivalry Week event, participants each represented an on-campus organization — I, The Lafayette.
“I had a lot of fun just getting people excited to have someone to root for and have some pride for the organization they’re a part of,” co-organizer Katie Lister ‘26 said.
Participants were given wings or celery sticks doused in a hot sauce with a side of a trivia question, both of which we had 30 seconds to tackle. The last person standing with the most trivia points was crowned the winner in each heat, though out of the three rounds of competition, only one person tapped out.
The trivia wasn’t a part of my training, and that’s where I began to slip.
Hot sauces were sourced from the Lehigh Valley-native 22 Peppers. I was confronted with six from their collection: Spicy Lemon Drop, Green Heat Habanero, Hoppin Hot, Dragon Reaper, Scorpion Sting and Red Carolina Fire.
Hoppin Hot put tears in my eyes, and I would definitely use it sparingly on wings in the future. Red Carolina Fire also had me questioning my sanity, though I enjoyed the flavor of both as much as I could through the heat.
“It was difficult and stressful because I’m not very good with spice,” said first-heat winner Lilly Zarmehrbakhsh ‘28. “But clearly, it worked out.”
For Zarmehrbakhsh, the third pepper was the worst.
“I was like, if it gets spicier than this, I’m definitely tapping out,” she said.
The second heat, after trivia points resulted in a tie, was decided by which participant did the best roar a la a Leopard. Madelyn Maina ‘28, representing Lafayette Outdoor Society, was the clear winner, according to audience applause.
Simara Reynoso ‘27 from sorority Alpha Phi, one of the surviving members, also said that the worst of the hot sauces was the third, and it was easy coasting from there.
“It kind of felt like razors a little bit,” she said. “Everything else was sort of mild.”
The lack of spice in the competition didn’t detract from the atmosphere.
“It was amazing watching my friends just absolutely down those wings,” said participant and audience member Sean Catarroja ‘27.
Raheb had other thoughts on what made the event stand out.
“Lehigh is not doing this,” he said. “So we’re on top.”
