Watch 1,000 people eat 1,000 ghost chiles, then flip out

The ghost chile, also known as bhut jolokia, clocks in at more than 1 million units on the Scoville scale, the gauge used to measure capsaicin, the component in peppers responsible for their heat. To put that number in perspective, the jalapeño pepper comes in at 10,000 Scoville units.

So what’s it like to eat one of the hottest peppers in the world? A thousand chile heads gathered in Copenhagen last week to test the resilience of their taste buds by attempting to eat an entire ghost chile.

Chile brand Chili Klaus organized the ghost pepper challenge and provided the brave souls with their own individually wrapped peppers. In the video above you can see the volunteers smiling and posing with the chiles before unwrapping them.

After everyone takes their first bites, there is a moment of calm before the storm. Then people stop chewing and start moaning.

Faces flush, scrunch and twist into expressions of pain. People drop their jaws and open their mouths as if somehow this will let the heat escape.

A couple of people drop to their knees and shake their heads vigorously. Cartons of milk are passed around in a feeble attempt to squelch the heat. Many cry, and some even lose their lunch.

Who wants to take bets on how many repeat volunteers they’ll have next year?

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