On Sept. 1, 2023, a fourteen-year-old in Massachusetts decided to partake in the infamous One Chip Challenge, which proved to be fatal. The company behind this viral chip, Paqui, responded by taking the chip out of stores and offering refunds.
The fourteen-year-old was not the first person to be harmed by attempting this challenge. In 2022, three middle school students in Texas were hospitalized with severe allergic reactions after attempting the challenge, and 30 or more students in a district in New Mexico had illness and injuries including gastrointestinal distress and skin and eye burns.
The One Chip Challenge by the company Paqui is a yearly event involving regular people consuming a single chip littered with some of Earth’s most spicy peppers, including the Carolina Reaper, the Ghost Pepper, and this year, the Naga Viper. Paqui promised to increase the heat this year to give consumers a new challenge.
This crazy event has become a viral trend on social media. People have been recording their experiences with the One Chip Challenge through reaction videos and hashtags, increasing its popularity and sales. There are thousands of views and interactions per post for this spicy challenge!