A Unique Spin On The Interview Process - Hot Ones
Unless you’ve been living under a rock I’m sure you’ve heard of the popular YouTube show called Hot Ones. A show that’s built on interviewing people while they eat progressively hotter wings, it has exploded over the past few years in popularity. A product of First We Feast and Complex Media, Hot Ones is one of the best examples of taking two ideas and smashing them together.
With the rise in podcasts and vloggers, there is seemingly an endless amount of talk shows and news on the internet. But how might one stand out over the other? Unless you’re Joe Rogan who’s already amassed a huge following you’ll need a good idea.
Enter the guys at Complex and First We Feast who wanted to combine interviewing celebrities with food and Hot Ones is born.
So what’s so great about the show?
I would argue that what makes it so entertaining is that the interview is more of a shared experience for the guest and the viewers. The whole concept of asking the person you are interviewing to eat hot wings is something that sounds like it came from your local wing restaurant that has a wall of photos with people who ate 10 super hot wings in 2 minutes.
But that’s what makes it work for entertainment.
I remember going to a BW3s with some friends and there was a booth of kids who decided to try and do one of those challenges. Not only was I somewhat embarrassed for the guy who was trying to show off for his friends, I was also fairly entertained watching this kid suffer from making such a wild decision to try and eat these hot wings.
And to me, it’s an example of the power of brand experience.
For Hot Ones, they’re creating moments that aren’t just shared with the interviewer and guest, but also the people watching. We all know what it’s like to eat something way too hot, and as we watch the guests suffer we feel for them. We in turn are becoming a part of the interview process as spectators, not to mention when we get to learn interesting information about celebrities we follow it’s a plus.
If you think about it, it’s pretty disarming for the guest who is busy trying to handle the hot sauce while they’re being asked pretty in depth questions. But I think what is making them open up and bring their guard down is that they’re basically taking a leap of faith with the interviewer and putting themselves into an uncomfortable situation. Think about the time you and a friend ate something gross or hot and both shared that moment, you probably bring it up from time to time and have a good laugh. Well for Hot Ones they’ve taken that and built their brand around it
The whole concept is great but they’ve also made a huge effort to research their guests and ask questions that are different from what they might normally get. I imagine most people who go on the show would say it’s the most fun they’ve had trying to promote their movie or album. And for the viewers their experience with the brand is a unique and entertaining one that goes from the show to their website to buying hot sauces to try with their friends and have their own Hot Ones experience. Something I’ve actually done with friends of mine.
As a designer I wanted to recreate the packaging design for one of the most iconic sauces on the show (see video above). You can see the concept by clicking below.