If there’s one thing the internet has given us, it’s the First We Feast “Hot Ones” interviews hosted by (the love of my life) Sean Evans. It’s hard for me to believe anyone has used YouTube without stumbling across one of these video interviews, but in case you haven’t, we’ll quickly break down the basis of the show. The premise of Hot Ones centers around Evans and his various celebrity guests eating 10 hot wings that increasingly get hotter and spicier than the last. It’s a basic setup that yields some particularly entertaining interviews, in part because Evans is so good at his job of being an interviewer, and in part, because you get to watch your favorite celebrities descent into madness at the hands of hot sauce while they’re being expected to deliver coherent answers to the questions they’re being asked.
There have been a plethora of good Hot Ones episodes as the series is currently on its 20th season (my favorite guest might have to be Dave Grohl), but there are still handfuls of people I’ve been patiently waiting to see seated at that table. Here’s that list.
The Nominees
- Cher
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A Hot Ones interview with Cher is long overdue. The woman has been a legendary pop culture figure for decades and if anyone is going to ask her worthwhile questions about her extraordinary career it’s going to be Sean. Not to mention I have to see her react to the wings.
- Andrew Garfield
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Andrew Garfield always delivers a pretty entertaining interview, so let’s chuck him into an exciting setting and burn off his tastebuds while we’re at it, yeah? I can’t imagine it stays easy for him very long and watching him battle his ego as a Leo man sounds like a great time to me.
- Paul Hollywood
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Of Great British Bake-Off fame, Paul Hollywood is a mandatory guest for Hot Ones in my book. God forbid someone has thrown some chili powder into their dessert on the baking show, so I’d be really interested to see how Paul stomachs Da Bomb in the Hot Ones lineup. I’m also really curious about what niche details Sean would dig up about this man.
- Brittany Broski
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I don’t even think I have to make a case here, do I? I see the vision and I’m pretty sure you see the vision too. The dynamic between Brittany and Sean is one I have to experience before I die.
- Danny Devito
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I’m a little shocked we haven’t seen Danny Devito as a Hot Ones guest yet. I suppose it’s fair to fear that the Scoville units would potentially stop the poor man’s heart, but I for one think he could make it through the end. The interview Sean could conduct with Danny is bound to be incredibly interesting, and with how funny Devito is I can only imagine the hot-wing-eating would be just as entertaining. I’m also particularly curious about what type of drink he’d have beside him.
- Jennifer Coolidge
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Come on! Jennifer Coolidge on Hot Ones… Could you imagine the chaos? The betrayal she’ll feel down the line as the wings start to come for her wellbeing? It’s something that needs to be booked and filmed yesterday, end of story.
- Maya Rudolph
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Maya Rudolph already dabbled in a makeshift Hot Ones interview for her show “Loot,” so I know a real interview would do numbers. Rudolph’s energy is perfect for the show and there’s so much for Evans to ask her about.
- Ziwe
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Fashion girlie and a talented interviewer herself, Ziwe absolutely needs to be invited as a Hot Ones guest. Not only am I just curious to learn more about her in the interviewee seat, but given her comfortability in interviews, I can already see a brilliant dynamic for her Hot Ones appearance. I also feel like she’ll pull a Lorde-type interview where she doesn’t get phased for a single second by any of the sauces on the table.
- Taylor Swift
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Listen, I know she’ll be insufferable and that’s why I need this. Quite frankly, I can see this interview in my head, and trust me it would be good. The way Sean interviews musicians in particular is very dialed into the type of musician he’s interviewing, so I think the questions he’d ask Taylor would be really interesting for the listener as well as for her to answer. That combined with the immense suffering those hot sauces will put her through would make for such a good episode.
- Janelle James
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Sean Evans you need to call Janelle James ASAP. I’m a shooter for Abbott Elementary, it’s true, and Janelle James’s performance on that show is incredible. I’m enamored by this woman, she’s so funny, Sean Evans is great at interviewing people, like, what more am I supposed to say?
- Jason Sudeikis
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First of all, I need news about “Ted Lasso” season 3. So if we could expedite this process for that news, that’d be great. Other than that, I think that Evans and Sudeikis would have a good rapport and that always contributes to how entertaining Hot Ones can be. There’s a lot they could go into in those 25 minutes.
- Amelia Dimoldenberg
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Host of the Chicken Shop Date series on YouTube, I think Amelia would be a really good guest similar to why I think Ziwe would be a good guest. I could see Amelia somehow gaining the seat of the interviewer and throwing Sean off guard which is a feat to be completely honest. Unlike Ziwe, though, I think Amelia would fall victim to the wings, but she’d still control the room through that which is kind of beautiful. Book her now, please.
- Bono
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Sorry, but you can’t tell me that the idea of interviewing 62-year-old Bono, lead singer of U2, while he’s eating absurdly hot hot wings doesn’t sound fun to you. In addition to that, though, the Dave Grohl episode of Hot Ones was so interesting (definitely because of Dave Grohl, of course, I mean…) because Sean found really critical and interesting ways to ask him about music and his career and I think a similar style of questioning for Bono would also be really fascinating.
- Trixie Mattel
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not sure we’ve ever had a drag queen as a guest on Hot Ones, and I think it’s time to change that by ringing up Trixie Mattel. Full drag; makeup, outfit, body, wig. If they’re gonna do it, we need to go all the way and see where we end up at the end. Personally, I think that sounds thrilling.
- Ice Spice
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I don’t know, I just think this could be legendary if we let it be, so what’s holding everyone back? You know? It’s her time right now, seize the day. That’s all.
Honorable Mentions
- Me
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Not to be a narcissist or anything (I am a Capricorn sun), but I think I’d be a phenomenal Hot Ones guest. Regardless of how interesting I am, everyone knows if anyone is going to turn it into a good interview, it’s Sean Evans; that’s what he does. I’m telling you, I have a feeling he’d make me seem particularly fascinating. There’s also no way I’d make it through that wing lineup alive, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still want to see how I’d perform. So, Sean, if you guys are ever short a guest, my number is 2**-***-****.