Format

Hot Ones is a show in which host Sean Evans and his guests consume ten chicken wings (or a vegetarian/vegan alternative depending on the guest's preference), each prepared with a progressively hotter hot sauce. At the start of each episode, Evans introduces the show with the tagline "The show with hot questions, and even hotter wings."
The sauces start off mild, such as sriracha with a rating of 2,200 Scoville units, and become progressively hotter. The final sauce, The Last Dab, has a Scoville rating of 2,000,000+. The guests are encouraged, but not required, to put a small amount of The Last Dab on the final wing. As they eat the spicier wings, the guests often display the effects of the heat, and the interview becomes more about the struggle to finish the wings. Water and milk are provided to counteract the effects of the wings.
Typically, the show features Evans and one guest eating ten wings each, but in some episodes with two guests, only five wings are given to each guest. Guests who complete all ten wings are allowed to promote their upcoming projects, while those who fail are added to the show's Hall of Shame.