{"id":158833,"date":"2025-09-15T16:39:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158833\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:39:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:39:15","slug":"the-michael-phelps-of-spicy-food-the-genetic-cheat-code-for-winning-hot-pepper-eating-contests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158833\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Michael Phelps of spicy food\u201d: The genetic \u2018cheat code\u2019 for winning hot pepper-eating contests"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Redditer says they\u2019ve been accused of cheating in an eating contest – but internet users have leapt to their defense, likening the poster\u2019s prize-winning abilities to those boasted by some of history\u2019s greatest athletes.<\/p>\n

In a viral post last week<\/a> on the Reddit forum \u201cAITAH\u201d – which stands for \u201cAm I the Asshole?\u201d – the user revealed they recently won a hot pepper-eating competition, earning \u201ca bunch of coupons for free [chicken] wings\u201d at a local restaurant. <\/p>\n

The Redditer, known only as Appropriate_Fix2214, explained that their triumph was, in no small measure, thanks to their body\u2019s unusual ability to withstand a key component of chilli peppers\u2019 spicy flavor. <\/p>\n

\u201cSpice tolerance levels are waaaaay higher\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a weird genetic quirk where my body doesn\u2019t register capsaicin normally, so my spice tolerance levels are waaaaay higher than normal,\u201d the poster said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I entered the competition and won the coupons, but my friends are now telling me that I cheated and I should have let \u2018normal\u2019 people compete and get the wings. So, Reddit, AITA for competing?\u201d<\/p>\n

The verdict from fellow Redditers appears unanimous: Appropriate_Fix2214 is categorically NTAH. <\/p>\n

\u201cI applaud you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook man, all I\u2019m hearing is that you got a mutant superpower and are using it correctly,\u201d replied one user.<\/p>\n

Several other Redditers compared the wings winner\u2019s spice tolerance to the natural physical traits that helped the Olympics\u2019 most decorated athlete<\/a> to win 23 swimming gold medals. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou are the [\u2026] Michael Phelps of spicy food, I applaud you,\u201d one Redditer said. Another agreed that claims of cheating are \u201clike saying Phelps shouldn\u2019t be allowed to swim because his wingspan is much larger than normal swimmers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThe“The Michael Phelps of spicy food”PEDRO UGARTE\u201cYour friends are idiots\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Redditer likened Appropriate_Fix2214\u2019s genetic variation to the innate talents of legendary basketball stars, writing: \u201cShould Michael Jordan or Lebron [James] or Shaq [O\u2019Neal] have left the NBA for the normies? Your friends are idiots.\u201d <\/p>\n

A second hoops fan added: \u201cIt\u2019s like telling a guy who\u2019s 7 feet tall not to enter a basketball dunking competition so guys under 6 feet can have a fair chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, several Reddit users were reminded of a 1997 episode of the animated sitcom The Simpsons – season nine\u2019s \u201cThe Mysterious Voyage of Homer\u201d – in which a spicy eating contest does witness foul play<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you pulled a Homer Simpson and coated your throat with candle wax = cheating,\u201d one Redditer told Appropriate_Fix2214. \u201cWhat you did = not cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related stories\"How<\/a>\"10<\/a><\/p>\n

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Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more \u2013 plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage<\/a>, right at your fingertips \u2013 anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Redditer says they\u2019ve been accused of cheating in an eating contest – but internet users have leapt…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[200,79],"class_list":["post-158833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-genetics","tag-genetics","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}