The Celebrity Chef That Roasted Sean Evans On His Hot Ones Episode

From celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Charlize Theron to Tom Holland and Keke Palmer, "Hot Ones" has hosted an array of superstars. The brainchild of Sean Evans, the hook of this YouTube phenomenon is to get the guests to answer questions while sampling chicken wings that progressively get hotter on the Scoville scale (the show isn't really about savoring the flavor of a well-made crispy chicken wing recipe, but suffering through the varieties of hot sauce the wings are coated in). Not everyone makes it through unscathed, but there was one celebrity chef who flew through all the hoops in one piece and ended up roasting Evans at the very end: Alton Brown. In fact, the TV personality's food critiques were so good that one YouTube commenter described him as "a baller."

Alton Brown's weird and wonderful cooking hacks range from adding mayo to scrambled eggs to sprinkling smoked paprika in a fruit pie, so it's safe to say that the guy takes a keen interest in food science. This character trait explains why he sniffed the open hot sauces and at one point even took a swig directly out of the bottle. Moreover, he was adept at giving rounded critiques of almost all the spicy options on the table. Yes, the chef did develop a tingly feeling on his palate and lips, but just as he was about to leave, he said, "Fun show. Next time try to get something hot though, you know what I'm saying?"

Brown's cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor triggered several funny comments from viewers. For instance, one said, "Gordon Ramsey: drinks an entire bottle of Pepto and bag of donuts. Alton Brown: Shotguns sauce right out of the bottle." Another wrote, "Alton Brown drinking hot sauce is the ultimate flex," while an additional commenter posted that Brown "treats hot sauces like a sommelier with wine. Not even the last dab got to him, all he reviewed was the flavors. Amazing."

So how did Brown get to the end of the show so gracefully? Right at the start he joked with Evans, stating that "I didn't laminate my tongue with beef tallow or anything like that" to prepare for the spicy onslaught. However, he was the first "Hot Ones" guest to drink half-and-half (versus the traditional milk) to assuage the intense heat from the chicken wings. The chef explained that "either fat or alcohol are what you want to get in your mouth to mitigate some of the pain, so since nobody offered me tequila shots...I went with half and half."

Given that several stars have suffered through the process (some even wolfing down ice cream mid-show), perhaps "Hot Ones" should incorporate a post-wing dessert into the mix to further subdue the fiery intensity of the most powerful hot sauces? Alton Brown has several dessert tips up his sleeve, so he's the perfect guy to consult if Sean Evans wants to take pity on his guests.