One Chip Challenge

The One Chip Challenge (originally Carolina Reaper Madness) was an internet challenge in which participants had to eat one extremely spicy Paqui Carolina Reaper chip, and avoid eating or drinking anything afterwards. The challenge was initially marketed by Amplify Snack Brands before being sold to The Hershey Company and suspended after a customer death in 2023. During the fall season from 2016 to 2023, the chip was sold in various packaging before being declared "sold out". The formulation changed annually with added peppers such as Trinidad Moruga scorpions, Sichuans and Naga Vipers. The challenge was tried by celebrities and social media personalities, and received criticism for negative associated health effects.

Paqui's One Chip Challenge ended in September 2023 when Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, Massachusetts, died a few hours after he took the challenge. Paqui immediately withdrew and discontinued the chips from any further sales and indefinitely stopped publicity for the challenge. The teen's death later led to the chip being withdrawn from sale by Paqui and recalled from stores.

After an investigation into the cause of death, an autopsy report released to various news outlets in May 2024 confirmed that Harris died from cardiopulmonary arrest after eating a substance containing a high amount of capsaicin, and had cardiomegaly, a congenital heart defect. Paqui responded by stating that the warning label on their website and packaging clearly said that the challenge was not for children, or those with health risks.^[1] The death lead to increased scrutiny on capsaicin products and their health risks.

Paqui was 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.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} Doug Lyon, a veteran of the advertising industry, and Alissa Bassana founded Paqui in Austin in 2008.^[9] SkinnyPop acquired Paqui in 2015, after which Lyon became the parent company's vice president of creative and innovation.^[10] After SkinnyPop later reincorporated as Amplify Snack Brands, The Hershey Company acquired Amplify in 2017.^[11]

The tortilla chip's formulation was changed on an annual basis.^[12]

The One Chip Challenge was first promoted in 2016 by Amplify Snack Brands under the name Carolina Reaper Madness, which at the time was the world's hottest chili pepper.^[3][13] As the Reaper chips quickly sold out Amplify started a "1-in-10 chance to win the Reaper" offer in October 2017.^[14] This offer also included a chance to win a year's supply of Paqui chips and a custom "reaper" neon sign for those who posted a video or photo of themselves "enjoying" the (Reaper) chip to Instagram or Twitter.^[14]

After the contest ended on January 31, 2018 a "Wall of Infamy" was posted on Amplify's "Paqui" website, of those who were able to complete the contest.^[15] Paqui, now owned by Hershey, repeated this contest towards the end of 2019, which ended in February 2020, with the grand prize including a "Tailgate Party" instead of a neon sign.^[16]

In September 2020, the main focus became the challenge of eating a single chip as it was marketed inside of a coffin-shaped box. In order to increase the heat, the Scorpion Pepper and Sichuan pepper were added with the Reaper.^[17] In order to qualify for the "Wall of Infamy" participants were required to eat one chip, with video/photo proof, and avoid eating or drinking anything afterwards for up to an hour. A scale was used on Paqui's website that ranged from 5 minutes (Featherweight) to 1 hour (Heavyweight).^[17] For the first time, a warning was added to Paqui's "One Chip Challenge" website, which said that children, and people who are sensitive, allergic, and pregnant should not eat the chip.^[17]

The challenge returned in September 2021, and again in September 2022 with mention of the Sichuan pepper dropped.^[8][12] On Paqui's website, the challenge scale of 5 minutes to 1 hour was changed to read "Powerless" to "Invincible" and included wording such as "How long can you last before getting Owned?", and "How long can you last before you short circuit?".^[18][19] In 2022, the chips sold for the One Chip Challenge were made with food coloring that turned people's tongues bright blue, to deter cheating.^[20] Before the challenge was discontinued in 2023, the challenge was updated to include the Naga Viper pepper with the Carolina Reaper. Now going with a snake theme, the challenge scale of 5 minutes to 1 hour was adjusted to include "Harmless" to "Apex Predator".^[21]

As word of the challenge spread it was attempted by various people in the American media. Celebrities including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shaquille O'Neal, Joel Embiid, Lil Yachty, and Sean Evans all tried the challenge.^[22] 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.^[23] An anchor for KWGN-TV in Denver, Colorado, vomited on live television after trying to eat the chip.^[24]

Over time, the challenge became more controversial, as some participants required medical attention.^[25] While Paqui warned that the One Chip Challenge should have been attempted by adults only, children and teens still accepted the stunt.^[26] 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 being subsequently hospitalized.^[27][28][29]

Other schools later followed suit, including Lodi High School in Lodi, California, and schools in Pearland Independent School District in Pearland, Texas.^[22][30] 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.^[31][32]

In September 2023, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, Massachusetts named Harris Wolobah ate a Paqui chip, complained about a severe stomach ache, and died within a few hours.^[32] 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.^[33] The company asked retailers to withdraw the challenge chips from sale and offered refunds to customers who had purchased them.^[34][35]

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."^[36] The autopsy report obtained in May 2024, listed the cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest "in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration." Harris also had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, according to the report shared by Timothy McGuirk, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.^[37][38]

Ed Currie, who originally bred the Carolina Reaper, said "there's a lot more attention" now on capsaicin in his industry. Currie called challenges like these "stupid" and stated that "We don't market our products to children at all."^[39] Currie went on to say that "I think, as an industry, we need to inform people of what they're getting into. To me, that's common sense."^[39] Dr. Stuart Berger who is the head of cardiology at Lurie Children's Heart Center in Chicago said that this case may "force us to pause and look more closely at capsaicin and its effects."^[39]

The Paqui brand was discontinued in 2024.^{[40][self-published source]}

• Chili pepper
• Hot pepper challenge
• List of Internet challenges
• Scoville scale

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived September 4, 2023)
• Statement - from the National Capital Poison Center