Those looking to take on Dave’s Hot Chicken infamous Carolina Reaper Roulette Challenge must signed a waiver warning of heart attacks and strokes
12:38, 27 Jun 2026Updated 12:45, 27 Jun 2026
Danny De Vaal took on the challenge
Like most Dubliners on Thursday, my face was crimson, swaet poured from me and I tossed and turned through the night.
Where I differ from everyone else is that the scorching weather wasn’t to blame. Foolishly, I’d volunteered to tackle Dave’s notorious Hot Chicken Reaper Roulette Challenge at their launch event.
Before common sense could prevail, I found myself standing in the middle of the restaurant alongside three other brave souls. Fellow participants included Love Island star and Spin presenter Jack Keating, alongside fitness influencer James Doyle, better known online as Protein Bor Papi, reports the Irish Mirror.
Any notion this might be a bit of harmless fun vanished when I was handed a waiver describing the challenge as an “extreme test of a person’s physical and mental limits”.
The document went on to caution that participants needed to be in “good general health” and warned those taking part could experience sweating, indigestion, shortness of breath, vomiting and/or diarrhoea.
The waiver continued: “In extreme cases, it can lead to chest pain, heart palpitations, heart attack and stroke”.
Jack Keating took part in the challenge
I skimmed through it, scrawled my signature at the bottom, and slipped on a pair of the supplied blue surgical gloves.
We were all blindfolded and instructed to select a piece of chicken from a tray, one of which contained a tender prepared with Carolina Reapers, amongst the world’s hottest peppers.
Carolina Reapers generally measure between 1.6 and 2 million Scoville units. For context, the spiciest jalapenos clock in at merely 8,000 Scoville units. Most people were likely baffled at this stage about why anyone would subject their body and mouth to such torture – especially on the hottest day of the year.
However, participants were informed that if anyone managed to complete the challenge by consuming the Carolina Reaper tender, they’d secure free Dave’s for a year. It was an obvious choice.
Previously, I’d found it difficult to comprehend when boxers or MMA fighters claimed they were prepared to die inside the ring or octagon. On Thursday, I finally started to grasp what they meant.
I had absolutely no plans to leave that table until I’d eaten one. The first tender I tried was mild. I polished it off without breaking a sweat. Protein Bor Papi and Keating both chose the Reaper but found it impossible to finish and withdrew from the challenge.
I didn’t want to disappoint the gathered crowd. They’d turned up for entertainment, and I was determined to deliver. I informed the organisers I’d tackle the reaper if the opportunity was still available. They accepted and handed it over.
Protein Bor Papi James Doyle took part in the challenge
The initial bite wasn’t terrible, and I reckoned it was plain sailing from there. But this created a false sense of confidence. The second bite felt as though I’d bitten into flames.
Tears poured from my eyes. I’m still uncertain whether this was an automatic bodily reaction or if I was genuinely weeping. Regardless, I was fully committed by this stage, and I wasn’t about to quit. Halfway through, I was in difficulty.
The crowd noticed this and started chanting my name. My mate Ciaran, who I’d brought along to the event, started shouting words of encouragement. I glanced down at the radioactive piece of chicken gripped between my fingers, and I committed fully.
I chose to rip the band-aid off and polish off what remained as swiftly as I could. The moment I swallowed the final piece, a roar erupted in the restaurant that was so deafening it could have rivalled an All-Ireland Final.
Two milkshakes and a Coke Zero did precious little to calm the inferno raging in my mouth. I was hailed as a hero as I rose from the table. People clapped and cheered while others wondered aloud how I’d managed it. Dave’s PR team even requested an interview outside to discuss my remarkable feat or feast – call it what you will.
Flushed and breathless, I spoke from the heart (which was quite literally pounding out of my chest). I’ve now got a year to explore Dave’s extensive menu – one thing I’m certain of is I won’t be ordering anything with a spice level beyond medium.
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