Watch 1,000 daringly stupid people eat 1,000 ghost peppers for fun in Copenhagen

July 30, 2016

By Timothy McGrath

Last week in Copenhagen, 1,000 people gathered in a public square to participate in a collective act that some might call idiotic and others brave. Together, bound in solidarity, they each ate one ghost chili pepper — one of the spiciest chili peppers on Earth.

Also called the "bhut jolokia," the ghost pepper grows in the Indian states of Assam and Nagland and, from 2007 until it was dethroned in 2012 by the Trinidad moruga scorpion, it was certified as the hottest pepper in the world by Guinness World Records. It measures over 1 million Scoville heat units. For comparison, classic Tabasco sauces measure between 2,500 and 5,000 SHUs.

So the ghost pepper is more than 400 times spicier than whatever hot sauce you're putting on your eggs in the morning. It's insanely hot. So hot that India's Defence Research and Development Organisation has been working to weaponize it in the form of a hand grenade that functions like a tear gas cannister.

The Copenhagen ghost-pepper-athon was planned by Klaus Wunderhits, who goes by Chili Kraus and who made his name eating hot chilis on YouTube.

Chili Klaus has a new book out about growing and eating superhot chilis. And he's got a web store where you can buy chili spices.

To celebrate (and promote) his new ventures, he got together 1,000 of his closest friends to enjoy (?) some ghost peppers. It went more or less the way you're imagining it went.

First, there's a dramatic procession involving this big red suitcase. I think we know what's in there.

YouTube

Then there's the product. It's all there. You can count it.

(YouTube)

Everyone's feeling great because this is awesome and definitely a great idea.

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Smiles all around.

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Bottoms up!

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There's lots of "oh what have I done."

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It goes downhill really fast.

(YouTube)

There's puking.

(YouTube)

But luckily there's milk, which people pour desperately into their faces.

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No fatalities!

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Such fun, and all thanks to this guy.

(YouTube)

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