Mike Gunzelman
Videos by OutKick
It’s called the “one chip challenge” and it has unfortunately led to some teenagers getting extremely sick or even dying.
The latest TikTok trend involves people – mostly teenagers and young adults trying Paqui’s “One Chip Challenge” corn chips that are extremely hot. The challenge involves people trying to compete for who can eat the spicy chip the longest without needing a drink or other food. Paqui chips contain Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers and although they are meant for adult consumption only, have found their way to teenagers across the country. The Carolina Reaper pepper is known as one of the spiciest on the planet.
However, after 14-year-old Harris Wolobah died after eating the chip during school and passing out, parents have been calling for the chip to be banned. Today, Paqui pulled the chips from shelves across the country.
THE #ONECHIPCHALLENGE IS THE LATEST TIKTOK TREND
“We care about all of our consumers and have made the decision to remove the product from shelves,” Paqui spokeswoman Kim Metcalfe told USA Today. She cited that the decision was heavily based on seeing a rise in teenagers attempting to eat the chip across social media. Although the company says that the chip met all approved safety standards, they were still pulling it “out of an abundance of caution.”
Parents however should take notice that the chips may still be available as it’s not always easy to recall them from gas stations, delis and local bodegas – many of which are located near your kid’s schools.
Paqui has sold the individually wrapped corn chips made with hot peppers and advertised the #OneChipChallenge on their website for a few years now but only recently has it become “a thing.” They encourage people that try the chip to post their reactions online while also including the #OneChipChallenge hashtag. Some videos have hundreds of thousands of views.
Life sure was easier before TikTok when teenagers would cause a ruckus by going out on Mischief Night and toilet papering houses. How do we go back to that?
