Spice Enthusiasts Indulge In Array Of Scorching Tastings, Painful Eating Competitions, & Amateur Wrestling At 2nd Annual Hot Sauce Expo

By Paul Howard on November 1, 2024

Acting as a devilish carnival for masochists, the 2nd Annual Hot Sauce Expo took place this past weekend on October 26th and 27th at East Park here in Nashville.

The two-day event saw 40 artisanal hot sauce brands from around North America peddle their pepper mash under gaudy pop-up tents that lined one side of the park with more infield.

Upon entering on Saturday afternoon, Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" blared from the Stage of Doom speakers, indicating the intensity that lied ahead. And what would a hot sauce festival be without a wrestling ring in the middle of it? Courtesy of Action Wrestling, each day saw three time slots of amateur wrestling matches take place, entertaining the scattershot crowds around them.

Naturally, hot sauce branding needs to match the ferocity of their product, and these companies did not disappoint. Ranging from names like Angry Irishman, to Harmacy Hot Sauce Co., to Papa Caps and much in-between, the blistering sauces came equip with catchy names and vivid packaging. Several companies present had been featured on the highly popular series Hot Ones, including High River Sauces, owned by Steve Seabury, one of the proprietors of the expo.

Also gracing the expo with his presence was none other than Ed Currie, the mad scientist behind the sinister Carolina Reaper pepper, which according to the Guinness Book of World Records was the hottest chili pepper in the world from 2013-2023, until of course Currie usurped it with Pepper X. He is also the founder and CEO of PuckerButt Pepper Company, another one of the festival's sponsors.

Eating competitions on the Stage of Doom included "The Guinness Book of World Records Carolina Reaper Eating Challenge" with its $1,000 Grand Prize -- sponsored by PuckerButt -- along with Doughnuts of Death, Spicy Tacos of Hell, Slaytanic Burrito, Chicken Wings of DOOM, and other similar pain-inducing challenges.

And as a fellow masochist, and to really immerse myself into the ethos of the event, I decided to enter the latter challenge. At 4:00 PM, the emcee dared and beckoned patrons to join the Chicken Wings of DOOM challenge. Five brave (or idiotic) souls including myself lined up at the side of the stage, each of us receiving surgical gloves, which didn't make us feel any better about the inferno our guts would soon succumb to.

The first person to finish all 12 chicken wings doused in a thick Carolina Reaper and Pepper X sauce (and who knows what other peppers/spices) would be declared the winner. Upon each of us walking up and stating our name and a little tidbit about us for possibly the last time ever, we took our positions at the table where a waiver sat in front of the container of wings for us to sign should things go awry. Brilliant, Paul.

Before long, the race was on as the five of us commenced to do wrong by our stomachs among other body parts. Two guys on either end bailed roughly a minute in, with myself flanked by two others continuing our hellish consumption. With four wings left, the gentleman to my right had finished and come out victorious -- thank God.

And then the pain kicked in.

Being unable to even talk for the next thirty-some-odd minutes, all I could do was guzzle every bit of liquid in sight, with bottles of water and beer emptying down my gullet at great speeds (and offering very little relief, but even just letting it sit idle in my mouth was crucial). Slowly but surely, the intense burning of my lips, tongue, throat, and belly let up. And being the scholar I am, I continued to try hot sauces after, because when in Rome.

One point of criticism was a mere two food trucks that I spotted on Saturday afternoon, one not even having a menu to view at a short distance. One would think this would be a prime happening for several notable trucks, so ideally that aspect changes should the expo come back for a 3rd Annual event. Oh and maybe throw in some milk and ice cream vendors.

All in all, it was a delightfully engaging if not painful event (self-inflicted) for those who seek adrenaline rushes in the form of spice and flavor.