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First We Feast

First We Feast is an digital media company specializing in content at the intersection of , , and pop culture, most notably through its interview series . Founded in 2012 by Chris Schonberger initially as a under Complex Media, the brand has evolved into a producer of formats, recipes, merchandise, and hot sauces, amassing hundreds of millions of views across platforms. The company's signature program, , hosted by Sean Evans, features high-profile guests enduring a gauntlet of increasingly spicy wings while fielding questions, a format that debuted in 2015 and has propelled First We Feast to cultural prominence with episodes garnering tens of millions of views each. In December 2024, following BuzzFeed's acquisition of , First We Feast was sold for $82.5 million to a including Schonberger, who assumed the role of CEO, and Evans, marking its transition to an independent multi-platform studio. This shift underscores the brand's commercial success, driven by innovative content that blends culinary challenges with celebrity discourse, without notable public controversies.

History

Founding at Complex Media

First We Feast was launched in 2012 by Chris Schonberger as a digital food blog under Complex Media, a New York-based company focused on youth culture and pop culture content. The initiative emerged from Complex's editorial ecosystem, which included magazines and online properties targeting urban audiences interested in music, fashion, and lifestyle topics. Schonberger, who served as general manager, positioned the blog at the intersection of culinary experiences and broader cultural phenomena, emphasizing food as a medium to explore music, travel, and entertainment rather than traditional recipes or reviews. The founding reflected Complex Media's strategy to diversify beyond print into niche digital content, capitalizing on the growing online interest in food media during the early 2010s. Initial content featured articles, videos, and features that blended high-low culture, such as celebrity chef profiles tied to hip-hop or street food tied to urban trends, aligning with Complex's hip-hop rooted brand identity established since its 2002 magazine origins. By 2014, First We Feast expanded to a dedicated YouTube channel under Complex's oversight, marking its shift toward video production while remaining an offshoot property without full operational independence. This structure allowed Complex to integrate First We Feast into its multi-platform network, which by then encompassed sites like Complex.com and other verticals, fostering early growth through cross-promotion.

Development of Hot Ones and initial growth

Hot Ones was conceived by First We Feast founder Chris Schonberger and host Sean Evans as a subversive take on interviews, blending rigorous questioning with progressively spicier wings to test guests' composure and elicit candid responses. The format drew from Evans' prior experience producing food and music content for Complex Media, where First We Feast operated as a digital brand focused on culinary culture intersecting with pop culture. Development emphasized a low-budget, high-concept setup: ten wings sauced from mild to excruciatingly hot, eaten sequentially during a seated , with no or relief provided to maintain authenticity. The series premiered on YouTube via the First We Feast channel on March 12, 2015, with comedian as the inaugural guest. The first season ran biweekly through October 22, 2015, featuring 14 episodes with guests including , , and , produced in a modest studio funded through Complex's resources. Early production involved sourcing authentic hot sauces from small-batch makers, curating wing heat levels empirically (e.g., via Scoville testing), and scripting questions tailored to each celebrity's career without prior rehearsal to preserve spontaneity. Initial growth was gradual, characterized as a "slow burn" due to limited and reliance on shares within and niches. The first season averaged under 100,000 views per episode, but cumulative traction built through word-of-mouth and viral clips of guests' reactions, such as reactions to the final "Da " wing. By late 2016, episodes with high-profile guests like marked inflection points, boosting channel subscribers past 1 million and setting the stage for wider appeal among 18-34 demographics via shareable, meme-worthy content. This phase solidified as First We Feast's flagship, transitioning from experimental series to a revenue driver through ad-supported views and early sponsorships tied to sauce brands.

Acquisition by BuzzFeed and expansion

In June 2021, announced the acquisition of , which owned First We Feast, as part of a broader SPAC merger valued at approximately $1.5 billion for itself, with the Complex deal structured for about $198 million in cash and equity consideration. The transaction closed on December 3, 2021, integrating First We Feast into 's portfolio alongside properties like Tasty and . The acquisition enabled First We Feast to leverage 's distribution channels and resources for continued content scaling, including ongoing production of seasons that featured high-profile guests and sustained viral appeal. By 2024, had amassed over 4 billion lifetime views and 14 million subscribers, reflecting audience expansion during this period amid consistent episode releases. First We Feast operated as a semi-autonomous unit within , focusing on food and entertainment formats while benefiting from the parent's tech and ad infrastructure to broaden digital reach. This era marked revenue stability and profitability for First We Feast, with annual figures reported around $22–30 million, primarily from licensing, brand partnerships, and monetization tied to . Despite BuzzFeed's company-wide financial pressures, including debt and restructuring, First We Feast's performance positioned it as a key asset, leading to efforts to retain and monetize it separately after divesting in February 2024.

Recent independence and ownership transition

On December 12, 2024, Inc. announced the sale of First We Feast to a of investors in an all-cash transaction valued at $82.5 million, marking the company's transition to independence as a multi-platform and content studio. The buyer group was led by an affiliate of , with additional backing from and participation from First We Feast founder Chris Schonberger and Hot Ones host Sean Evans, who acquired stakes in the deal. Under the new structure, Schonberger assumed the role of , while Evans took on responsibilities as , positioning the leadership to guide independent operations focused on expanding flagship programming like . This divestiture followed BuzzFeed's earlier sale of Media in 2023 and aligned with the company's broader strategic efforts to reduce debt and streamline assets amid financial challenges. The transaction enabled First We Feast to retain full control over its and pursue growth without BuzzFeed's oversight, potentially enhancing creative and commercial flexibility.

Content and Programming

Hot Ones

Hot Ones is a YouTube interview series produced by First We Feast in which celebrities face host Sean Evans' questions while eating ten chicken wings progressively coated in hotter hot sauces, escalating from mild varieties around 1,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) to extreme ones exceeding 2 million SHU, such as sauces featuring the chili pepper, a holder for heat. The format challenges guests' composure under physical discomfort from capsaicin-induced burning, often yielding candid responses and viral reactions, with successful completers receiving a custom gold chain as a trophy. Created by First We Feast founder Chris Schonberger and Evans to disrupt conventional celebrity interviews, the show premiered on March 12, 2015, with rapper as its inaugural guest. Each episode runs approximately 20-25 minutes, structured around the wing progression: Evans poses prepared questions on the guest's career, , or niche topics between bites, while sidekicks offer commentary and relief like or . Sauces are sourced from artisanal makers and rotate seasonally, with staples like "Los Calientes" (a milder option) and "The Last Dab" series; by , over 14 signature sauces had been featured across 28 seasons, totaling more than 380 episodes. The emphasizes high-quality in a studio setting mimicking a casual dining table, with episodes releasing Thursdays at 11 a.m. , amassing over 14.5 million subscribers for the First We Feast channel. The series gained traction through memorable guest breakdowns, including chef Gordon Ramsay's expletive-laden endurance in his 2019 appearance, which garnered over 132 million views by August 2025, the highest for any episode. Other high-viewership outings feature (over 45 million views), , and , often highlighting humor, resilience, or unexpected vulnerability from A-list figures across , , sports, and comedy. Evans' consistent, unflappable interviewing style—drawing from prepared research—contrasts with guests' escalating distress, contributing to the show's appeal as a test of authenticity amid discomfort. Hot Ones has received industry recognition, including a 2018 Streamy Award for Non-Fiction Series and a 2019 Streamy for Pop Culture, alongside a Shorty Award for Best Web Series in 2018. It earned a 2022 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment and additional Webby honors, reflecting its transition from niche web content to mainstream acclaim, with episodes frequently exceeding 10 million views collectively per season. The format's success stems from its empirical challenge—heat levels verified by Scoville metrics—yielding observable, unscripted reactions that prioritize raw interaction over polished narratives.

Other flagship series

The Burger Show examines modern burger culture, encompassing social media-influenced trends, regional styles, and expert-led tastings of high-end or classic preparations. Originally hosted by chef , the series features breakdowns by burger authorities like George Motz and collaborations with figures such as Sean Evans and , including episodes on budget burgers and fast-food hacks. Snacked involves celebrities analyzing and exchanging their preferred snacks and confections, often revealing personal anecdotes tied to flavor profiles and nostalgia. Episodes pair guests like Seth Rogen with Ice Cube or Glen Powell with Adria Arjona for comparative tastings, with select installments exceeding 5 million views on YouTube. Pro Moves, led by , delivers practical guidance on navigating specialized food scenes, such as dim sum etiquette with chefs Lucas Sin and Eric Sze or quests for optimal chicken wings in . Launched in 2024, the series reached its third season premiere on October 8, 2025, incorporating explorations of regional specialties like New Haven-style pizza. Pizza Wars documents Nicole Russell's competitive journey to refine pizza-making prowess through showdowns with prominent chefs, emphasizing techniques for staples like the $1 slice and visits to establishments such as . The format pits contestants in weekly challenges, with Season 1 episodes highlighting street-level defenses of affordable pizza traditions.

Additional formats and spin-offs

First We Feast has produced several spin-offs derived from its flagship series Hot Ones, expanding the format across platforms and variations. Truth or Dab, launched in 2018 on YouTube, features host Sean Evans interviewing multiple celebrity guests who must answer probing personal questions or consume a chicken wing coated in the ultra-spicy "Last Dab" sauce; episodes often incorporate group games for added interaction. In 2020, Hot Ones: The Game Show premiered on truTV, hosted by Evans, where two teams of contestants competed in three rounds of trivia for a potential $25,000 prize, consuming progressively hotter wings as penalties for incorrect answers; the series ran for one season, concluding on September 15, 2020. Subsequent spin-offs adapted the high-stakes spicy challenge to new structures. Truth or Dab: Rapid Fire, introduced in 2022 on , presents solo celebrities—often emerging content creators—with personal questions, opting to answer or eat a "Last Dab" wing without a host present. Hot Ones Versus, debuting in 2024 on , pits two celebrities against each other in rapid-fire Q&A rounds, where failing to respond results in consuming a "Last Dab" wing, again without a host. That same year, Hot Ones: Quebec launched on in October, hosted by Marc-André Grondin, featuring French-Canadian celebrities enduring spicy wings during interviews, with English subtitles and auto-translation options; its debut episode included Canadian Prime Minister . Beyond Hot Ones-derived content, First We Feast has developed other video series emphasizing food competitions and explorations. Pizza Wars, hosted by Nicole Russell, pits pizzerias against each other in taste tests and challenges across multiple seasons on YouTube. The Burger Show, led by Alvin Cailan, examines burger preparation techniques and regional variations through chef collaborations and recipes. Additional formats include Snacked, which recreates childhood snacks with professional twists by chefs like George Motz, and Hungry For More, focusing on street food and global eats. The company also commercialized its content into non-video formats, such as Truth or Dab: The Game, a 2020 board game with 250 question cards and a "Last Dab" sauce bottle, allowing players to answer truths or face spicy dares at home.

Key Personnel

Founders and executives

Chris Schonberger founded First We Feast in 2012 as a food-focused and video series under Media, drawing on his background in media and content creation, including prior roles at and education from . As the initial , Schonberger developed the brand's emphasis on pop culture-infused food content, which evolved into flagship programming like . Following Complex's acquisition by in 2019 and subsequent corporate shifts, First We Feast transitioned to independent ownership on December 12, 2024, through an $82.5 million sale to a of investors that included Schonberger and Hot Ones host Sean Evans. In this structure, Schonberger assumed the role of , overseeing operations and strategy for the multi-platform studio. Sean Evans, who joined as host of in 2015 and contributed to its viral growth, serves as , focusing on programming and creative direction. Other executives include Justin Bolois as , though detailed public profiles on additional leadership remain limited beyond the core founding and content figures. The leadership emphasizes retaining the pre-acquisition team to maintain creative continuity amid the shift to independence.

On-air talent and production team

Sean Evans has served as the host of , First We Feast's flagship interview series, since its debut episode on March 25, 2015. Evans, who co-created the format, conducts on-camera interviews with celebrity guests while both consume progressively spicier chicken wings, establishing him as the company's primary on-air personality. Following First We Feast's transition to independence on December 12, 2024, Evans assumed the role of while continuing to host. Other First We Feast series feature rotating or specialized on-air talent tied to their formats, such as culinary experts and food personalities appearing in shows like The Burger Show and Pro Moves. For instance, Adam Richman has hosted segments in Pro Moves, focusing on professional eating techniques and food explorations. The production team is led by founder Chris Schonberger, who co-created Hot Ones and now serves as CEO, overseeing content development across platforms. Victoria Astudillo functions as the lead producer for Hot Ones, managing episode logistics including guest coordination and wing preparation. Additional key production roles include Justin Bolois as VP of Programming and Development, responsible for directing and storytelling in food-pop culture crossovers, and Liam McKiernan as VP of Production, handling operational execution. These personnel have sustained the company's output of over 200 Hot Ones episodes and spin-off content as of late 2024.

Business Model and Operations

Revenue streams and commercialization

First We Feast's primary revenue streams derive from brand partnerships, licensing agreements, and merchandise sales, which have historically overshadowed traditional advertising income. In 2018, under ownership, advertising accounted for only 15% of , with 75% stemming from alternative sources such as integrations and product extensions tied to flagship series like . By 2024, the company generated approximately $30 million annually, predominantly through these brand and licensing deals, enabling profitability independent of ad revenue fluctuations. Sponsorships and branded integrations form a core commercialization strategy, often embedding products directly into content formats. For instance, partnerships with beverage brands like have included on-show appearances across multiple episodes, live events such as a 2024 challenge, and co-branded marketing campaigns positioning the sponsor as the "official beer" of . Similarly, collaborations with food chains like have yielded limited-time menu items inspired by the show's heat levels, while integrated spicy sandwich offerings with branding in 2025. These deals extend to experiential activations, including festival tie-ins like the 2025 Taste of Buffalo, where participating restaurants developed exclusive hot sauces co-branded with the series. Licensing and merchandise further diversify income, leveraging Hot Ones' intellectual property for consumer products. The company partners with retailers like Heatonist for hot sauces, including varieties such as "The Last Dab Reduxx," and has expanded into packaged foods like co-branded ramen noodle soups with A-Sha Foods USA, distributed nationally following sold-out initial releases in 2024. Affiliate marketing programs supplement this by earning commissions on linked purchases from site recommendations. Following its 2024 independence from , First We Feast has emphasized continuity in these high-margin streams, blending entertainment with commerce to sustain multi-platform growth.

Merchandise and partnerships

First We Feast offers merchandise primarily through its official store at hotones.com, featuring hot sauces from partnered producers, gift packs, and apparel such as t-shirts and hats themed around the series. The hot sauces, central to the brand's identity, are curated and sold via Heatonist, the official partner, including seasonal sets like the Season 27 lineup with flavors such as Los Calientes and The Last Dab, often bundled in challenge kits or holiday gift guides. Additional items include the Truth or Dab, which replicates the show's interview format with spicy wing challenges, and licensed products like flip wallets available on platforms such as . The company has pursued strategic partnerships with food and beverage brands to extend Hot Ones' branding into consumer products and content experiences. Notable collaborations include limited-time menu items with , featuring fiery chicken options inspired by the show's sauces, launched in September 2025. Other product tie-ins encompass spicy chicken strips with John Soules Foods and FoodStory Brands in 2023, boneless chicken bites challenge kits, and co-branded items with chains like , , , , and , with four of six total partnerships occurring in the two years leading up to 2025. Beverage sponsorships have included as the official beer of starting in summer 2024, with integrated promotions across episodes and fan events, and a 2025 content series with Bulleit Frontier Whiskey focusing on risk-takers aligned with the show's high-stakes interviews. These partnerships emphasize experiential marketing, leveraging ' viral appeal to drive brand engagement without diluting the core interview format.

Challenges under corporate ownership

Following BuzzFeed's December 2021 acquisition of —which included First We Feast—for a total of $294 million in cash and equity, the brand operated within a strained by the acquirer's financial pressures. BuzzFeed's broader challenges, including $100 million in looming debt repayments and a away from unprofitable ventures, limited to high-performing assets like . This manifested in company-wide layoffs, such as a 16% workforce reduction announced in February 2024 following the partial divestiture of Complex assets, though First We Feast was retained and operated semi-independently. Staff at First We Feast grew frustrated with 's reluctance to invest adequately in production enhancements, merchandising expansions, or other growth initiatives for Hot Ones, despite the show's enduring popularity. In mid-2024, explored selling the brand for around $70 million to alleviate debt but encountered buyer hesitation, attributed partly to the corporate parent's tarnished reputation and operational constraints imposed on the team. These dynamics underscored tensions between First We Feast's creator-driven model and 's cost-cutting imperatives, contributing to strategic uncertainty until the eventual $82.5 million sale to an investor group in December 2024.

Reception and Impact

Critical acclaim and viewership metrics

First We Feast's YouTube channel, primarily driven by its flagship series Hot Ones, has achieved substantial viewership metrics. As of October 2025, the channel maintains approximately 15 million subscribers and has accumulated over 4.9 billion total video views across its content. Episodes of Hot Ones routinely attract millions of views within days of release; for instance, the October 16, 2025, episode featuring Jeremy Allen White exceeded 3.2 million views in under two weeks. Earlier data from 2019 indicated Hot Ones episodes averaging 3.3 million views each, with the series surpassing 500 million total views at that time, reflecting consistent growth. The series has garnered critical acclaim for its innovative format, which pairs substantive celebrity interviews with escalating spicy wing challenges to elicit unguarded responses, distinguishing it from conventional talk shows. Outlets like NPR have characterized Hot Ones as a cultural phenomenon that redefines interview dynamics through discomfort-induced authenticity. Vulture credited host Sean Evans's restraint from dominating conversations as key to the show's success in drawing high-profile guests. Eater highlighted how the format humanizes celebrities by leveraging hot sauce's physiological effects, fostering relatability absent in polished studio settings. Hot Ones has secured wins in digital media awards, including the 2018 Shorty Award for Best Web Series and 2018 Streamy Award for Series, alongside a 2019 Streamy for Pop Culture. It received nominations for broader recognition, such as the 2022 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment, the 2024 Critics' Choice Award for Best , and the 2025 TCA Award in the Variety, Talk, or Sketch category. Despite these honors, the series faced snubs from the 2024 Primetime Emmys, underscoring challenges in mainstream award validation for content.

Cultural influence on food media

First We Feast, through its flagship series launched in March 2015, pioneered a fusion of culinary challenges and celebrity interviews that humanized high-profile guests by subjecting them to progressively spicier wings, thereby disrupting traditional promotional formats dominated by polished responses. This approach fostered vulnerability and authenticity, as the physical discomfort equalized participants—evident in reactions like Gordon Ramsay's profanity-laced breakdowns or Pedro Pascal's profuse sweating—revealing unfiltered personalities in a way static studio interviews rarely achieve. By episode's midpoint, typically after the third or fourth wing, rapport deepened, allowing host Sean Evans' researched, career-spanning questions to elicit substantive insights amid the chaos. The format's viral success—surpassing 4 billion YouTube views and 14 million subscribers across over 350 episodes by 2025—elevated food media from niche reviews and lists to interactive pop culture spectacles, influencing digital creators to integrate sensory experiences for broader engagement. Hot Ones critiqued conventional food journalism's flaws, such as overreliance on PR-driven coverage and untrustworthy "best-of" rankings, by prioritizing experiential content that exposed diners' raw responses over curated narratives. This shift democratized food discourse, positioning cuisine as a lens for examining , , and celebrity without elitist gatekeeping, and spawned internal spin-offs like Truth or Dab (featuring spicy dares over truth questions) and Hot Ones Versus (competitions between guests), which extended the model to and game-show elements. International adaptations, including : Quebec, further globalized the template. In broader food media, Hot Ones set a benchmark for authenticity amid a landscape of influencer-driven content, encouraging hybrid formats where physical trials amplify depth—though it predated and outshone many imitators by avoiding gimmickry in favor of substantive preparation. Its emphasis on as a device also boosted ancillary markets, like branded sauces via Heatonist since , tying to tangible products without compromising editorial integrity. Critics note this evolution countered food 's detachment, making it more relatable and less susceptible to sponsored biases, though the format's reliance on celebrity draw limits its applicability to everyday culinary exploration.

Criticisms and controversies

In 2018, media studies professor Emily J. H. Contois of the University of Tulsa published an analysis in Feminist Media Studies critiquing Hot Ones for perpetuating gender hierarchies through its association of spicy food consumption with masculinity, which she argued discourages female participation and reinforces societal expectations of women favoring "dainty" foods. Contois noted that, as of her review, female guests comprised only about 11% of episodes, attributing this to cultural taboos around women discussing messy eating or digestive distress, and described host Sean Evans as embodying a "white, heterosexual, cisgendered, everyman brand of masculinity." The critique highlighted the show's structure as manipulating celebrity performances to maintain inequitable norms in food media. Subsequent episodes have increased female representation, with guests including high-profile figures like and , though early seasons' imbalance fueled the analysis. By 2024, commentators observed a decline in the show's originality under corporate ownership, attributing it to corporatization with more predictable A-list guests and promotional tie-ins, such as CGI appearances by characters like and , which prioritized spectacle over substantive interviews. These elements were criticized for eroding the format's initial DIY authenticity and human vulnerability, with saturation of celebrity participants limiting novelty and risking repetition. Fan discussions echoed concerns over format tweaks, sauce quality variations in retail distributions, and guest selection prioritizing marketability. Sean Evans has periodically addressed fan-submitted "controversies" in supplemental videos, such as changes to wing preparation or episode pacing in Seasons 8, 11, and , framing them as iterative improvements rather than substantive issues. No major legal disputes or ethical scandals have been reported involving First We Feast or its productions.

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