I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Hot has become one of the most popular and beloved interview series in the United States. I thought the show had reached its final limit when Conan O’Brien lost his mind. But then the next guest was announced: Donald Duck.
And not like a guy in a costume. The cartoon character Donald Duck is on HotAnd it says a lot about the Internet that people’s immediate question wasn’t, “How are they going to do this?” but something much more fundamental: If a duck eats a chicken wing, is that cannibalism?
Donald Duck’s Hot is entertaining but really strange
For those who don’t know, here’s how it works: Host Sean Evans asks his subjects a question after they each eat one of an increasingly spicy selection of chicken wings dipped in hot sauce. At the end, when the Scoville rating of the hot sauces rises beyond the capabilities of mere mortals, guests typically gulp down milk – and cry, scream, hallucinate, and/or possibly swear.
The YouTube series has been running since 2015 and currently has over 300 episodes. Under the motto “hot questions and even hotter wings,” there will be “hot questions and even hotter wings.” That sounds harsh, and it is. But Evans is a phenomenal interviewer and an even better guide to the world of hot sauce. His mix of empathy and encouragement, as well as his own steely taste buds, make the show work. As a result, a shocking number of celebrities have agreed to run the gauntlet. Everyone from Pedro Pascal to Shaq to Ariana Grande has been there.
But never before has the guest been a cartoon character, and more importantly, never before has the guest itself been a kind of fowl. The moral dilemma jumped to social media immediately after the announcement. A duck eating chicken. Total cannibalism, right?
The episode itself is funny but bizarre. You can tell it is scripted – which in this case it has to be. But it is a stark contrast to the slow unravelling of the “say what you normally do” psyche of HotDisney not only supplied the hot sauces (two for the price of one, so to speak), but also, wisely, subtitles for their star.
The best part is that Mickey Mouse stands out of frame the entire time, looking a little embarrassed for his friend every time the camera is on him. And hey, Donald did it better than DJ Khaled!
Oh, but his hot wings? They were cauliflower.
