Nevada Jarrell, right, grimaces as he bites into a sauce-covered wing at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.


The heat was on for nine competitors, and one iron-stomached student took home $50 as champion, during the Poultry Science Club’s annual Hot Wing Challenge on March 28.

Part wing-eating competition, part endurance test and part trivia game, the contest follows a similar format to the long-running “Hot Ones” YouTube talk show hosted by Sean Evans: Competitors chat with Evans while eating chicken wings drenched in sauce that grows progressively hotter on the Scoville Heat Unit rating, the measurement for spiciness in chili peppers and other substances.

It even has a spin-off series, “Hot Ones: The Game Show,” in which contestants can win a grand prize of $25,000.

A&T’s winner gets the prize and bragging rights for a year.

“We have various hot sauces that increase in Scoville units, and we ask them questions so they’ll suffer rather than sit in silence,” said club president Aniyah Jeter, jokingly.

 The first level’s sauce, from the Hot Ones website, simmered on the tongue at a relatively mild 2,000 units. But Level 3 sizzled in at 35,000 units with Da Bomb Hot Sauce, a big increase in burn potential.

“The hottest we have, Level 9, is 5 million Scoville units for a sauce called Odin’s Wrath by Ragnarok,” Jeter said.

To advance to the next level, competitors must eat each wing in its entirety without drinking the milk or orange juice provided for them at the table – nothing to cool the burn.

“You can drink as much water as you want, but the water will only intensify the heat,” said club vice president Jahbez Roach, emcee for the contest. “The second you touch your milk or orange juice, you are disqualified.”

Like “Hot Ones”, Roach asked each competitor random questions at the top of each level to test their focus, including poultry trivia and personal anecdotes, such as “What is the weirdest food combination you’ve ever tried but actually enjoyed?”

“Milk, peanuts, and cassava flakes,” answered animal science associate professor Yewande Fasina, between wings.

A woman holding an ice pop and smiling sits at a table with red cups, while a man beside her wipes his mouth with a napkin. Both appear to be participating in an indoor activity or event.

Janaia Madden tries to cool off with a frozen treat after withdrawing from the competition at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

Contestants dropped out as the spice level rose, cooling off with their beverage, ample amounts of water, and popsicles.

Only one student – this year’s winner, animal science major Mikel Hackett – wasn’t too fazed by the increasing burn.

“I have this sauce at my house,” he joked. “Winning feels great. As a college student, you do a lot of things for money.”

Hackett reached the seventh level (Karma Sauce’s Scorpio Disco at 649,000 SHU) before his runners-up – Fasina and last year’s winner, animal science Associate Professor Kingsley Ekwemalor – forfeited by default.

“As poultry faculty, I was excited to be able to compete and help make this a fun event,” Fasina said.

“I decided, as defending champion, that I was going to let Mikel win,” Ekwemalor said with a smile. “It’s an honor to be passing the baton to Mikel.”

Gallery

A smiling person wearing an NC A&T Aggies shirt gives a thumbs up while holding a red popsicle. There are red cups on the table and a yellow Agriculture sign in the background.

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Dominique Walker was happy to withdraw and get a frozen treat after the second wing at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A woman wearing a brown tank top with a mushroom design holds a saucy chicken wing while wearing a blue glove. She sits at a table with a paper plate and napkin, looking slightly upward.

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Janaia Madden tries to cool off after eating hot wings at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A young person wearing a red shirt, glasses, and blue gloves eats chicken wings at a table with water bottles and a paper plate in front of them. A yellow banner hangs on the wall in the background.

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Ralph Frasier bites into a hot wing at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A man in a light blue work shirt drinks from a water bottle in a room. In the background, two people sit at a table near a yellow banner for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

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Assistant Farm Superintendent Douglas Jones chugs water after sampling some of the hot sauce at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

Two young men sit at a table with red cups, a water bottle, and a phone, smiling and laughing. A yellow banner behind them reads College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences University.

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Akinyemi Gilliam, left, taps out and drinks his neutralizing beverage (milk or orange juice) and Nevada Jarrell struggles after advancing to the next round at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A person wearing glasses and a blue Animal Sciences shirt with an A&T logo is biting into a piece of fried chicken.

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Associate Professor Yewande Fasina bites a hot wing at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion. Fasina was one of last three contestants, but did not sample the last wing served.

A woman with natural hair wearing a brown tank top with a mushroom print sits at a table, eating pizza. She wears a blue glove on one hand and holds the pizza, while touching her lips with her other hand.

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Janaia Madden tries to cool off after eating hot wings at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A person with puffed cheeks eats spicy chicken wings at a table, in front of a yellow College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences banner. A water bottle, phone, and red cup are on the table.

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Nevada Jarrell competes at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

Three young men sit at a table with red cups, water bottles, and napkins; one wipes his mouth, another leans back, and the third holds his head. A yellow banner behind reads “College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences University Farm.”.

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Akinyemi Gilliam, left, Nevada Jarrell, center, and Ralph Frasier react after advancing to the next round at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

A single sauced chicken wing sits on a white paper plate with blue decorative patterns, placed on a light-colored surface.

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A wing dressed in Odin’s Wrath Special Edition Hot Sauce, rated at 5 million Scoville units, at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.

Two young men sit at a table, reacting intensely; one looks like hes in discomfort, while the other leans back with eyes closed and hands clasped. A banner behind them reads College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

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Nevada Jarrell, left, and Ralph Frasier react after advancing to the next round at the Poultry Science Club’s Hot Wings Challenge, March 28, 2025 at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion.