12 Man V Food Chicken Challenges We Couldn't Stop Watching

"Man v. Food" has been entertaining food enthusiasts and endurance warriors since its debut in 2008. The reality television show sees its host — first Adam Richman and later Casey Webb — participating in different eating challenges that test their ability to devour massive portion sizes, withstand intense spice levels, and push themselves to complete other intimidating eating quests. From a giant 11-pound pizza to 15 dozen oysters, to 17 hot dogs, over the seasons the two hosts have found themselves facing some of the most demanding culinary tests in the U.S.

Some of the most popular "Man v. Food" challenges have involved poultry, with a particular focus on chicken wings. However, these have never been your ordinary wings; rather, these are often served in massive portions and drenched in devilishly hot sauces. Some of the ingredients featured on "Man v. Food" chicken challenges include habanero peppers, ghost peppers, Carolina reaper peppers, and capsaicin extract. For those who are not in the know, a food's spice level is typically measured in Scoville units (invented by an early 20th-century pharmacologist). For reference, the average jalapeño ranges between 2,500 and 8,000 SU.

Ready to take a closer look at some of the most daunting and oftentimes mouth-melting poultry missions on "Man v. Food"? Check out these fiery chicken challenges!

One of the first chicken quests to appear on "Man v. Food" was set at Quaker Steak & Lube in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for its variety of mild to insanely hot sauces, the restaurant's menu features such delicacies as the Atomic Scorpion Wings. It was only fitting that episode 3, Season 1 saw Adam Richman take on the restaurant's Atomic Hot Wing Challenge.

To get himself in the right frame of mind, Richman started his Quaker Steak & Lube journey with a perfectly safe wing dish. "That is so good," he said. "Comes in at about 740 SU. Little bit of heat. Not too much to freak you out." But things escalated to an entirely new level when the "Man v. Food" host was presented with six chicken wings covered in a 150,000 SU sauce — a concoction hotter than 40 jalapeños put together. Before digging in, Richman had to sign a document absolving the restaurant of all responsibility for his feat. Despite the red hot struggle, this time Richman finished his meal and managed to take home victory.

Smoke Eaters Hot Wings warns anybody who is considering eating its Hellfire Hot Wings Challenge that they will wish they hadn't been so crazy. This is precisely what happened to Adam Richman when he waged battle against 12 blazing hot chicken wings slathered in the restaurant's hellfire sauce. The pound of formidable poultry had to be consumed in 10 minutes — no drink or napkins allowed. Additionally, Richman had to lick his fingers clean of the sauce and endure an additional five minutes of afterburn before he could seek relief in a glass of milk.

While Richman thought the challenge would be a piece of cake, in hindsight the reality television host says that he should have been terrified. That's because one order of the restaurant's hellfire wings is made with more than 6 ounces of dry habaneros. Up to that point, only about 20% of those who attempted the challenge had been successful.

Richman visibly struggled, saying "With six wings down, the sauce flowed like lava over my face and hands. And with no napkins, the longer it sits, the deeper it burns." While Richman ultimately prevailed, the cost was high. After the challenge, Richman went outside the restaurant, saying that he was "in the worst possible physical pain" he'd ever encountered. We hope the agony was worth a T-shirt and photo on the restaurant's wall.

Adam Richman was up against nearly impossible odds in the Fire in Your Hole Challenge for several reasons. The precise details of the challenge were kept a secret from Richman right until the platter of 10 fiery chicken wings was revealed to him. Richman had just 20 minutes to eat the blazing dish, aided by emergency sips of water but no milk.

Unbeknownst to Richman, the contest was stacked against him from the start, as organizers had tinkered with the ingredients of the spicy wing sauce. The condiment was meant to contain habanero peppers, hot sauce, cayenne, chili powder, crushed red pepper, garlic, and a dose of ghost chili extract (over 100 times hotter than the average jalapeño). In reality, the Munchies 4:20's chef prepared it with an entire bottle of ghost chili extract.

When the chicken wings were unveiled, even the smell of the dish seemed to throw Richman off his game. Things only got worse as he dug into the food, saying, "The heat hits me immediately and it's more than excruciating, it's the hottest thing I've ever eaten." Given that 95% of those who have tried Munchies 4:20's regular challenge have failed, Richman had little chance. He ate just two wings before quitting. "I had to decide, carry on and die or end the challenge by sipping the only salvation in sight — milk," he said.

For Adam Richman, the Suicide Six Wings Challenge at the Buffalo Cantina was personal. This is because Richman had attempted this challenge in his hometown of Brooklyn before season one of "Man v. Food" began and failed miserably — he wasn't even able to finish one wing. "Today, I am back for seconds," Richman proclaimed. "This is the challenge that started them all. The absolute first spicy challenge ever. This one isn't for a shirt. This one isn't for a picture on the wall. This one is for pride."

The Suicide Six Wings Challenge is composed of six scorching chicken wings, which have to be devoured within just six short minutes. Covered in a sauce made with serrano, chile de árbol, jalapeño, habanero peppers, and chili pepper extract, the wings were so raging hot that Richman had to wear latex gloves to protect his hands. Luckily, this time former failure turned into sweet glory, as Richman demolished his culinary foe. And the final words from the professional eater? "Revenge is sweet but today at Buffalo Cantina it's also spicy."

The West End Wing King Challenge was one of the few chicken challenges on "Man v. Food" that focused on volume instead of spice. Instead of wolfing down blazing hot poultry, this time Richman faced a towering pile of wings that tested the capacity of his stomach. The quest: devour 50 Buffalo wings, including flats and drumettes, in under 30 minutes. This comes out to approximately one wing every 36 seconds. Before Richman stepped up to the plate, 90 others had dared to take on the challenge, but only 15 managed to conquer the massive bucket of poultry.

The chicken wings at the center of the West End Wing King Challenge were twice-fried in hot oil and doused in a butter sauce made from a combination of Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, cayenne, celery salt, and black pepper. "My strategy is to eat fast so with the help of my trusty sidekick blue cheese I hit the gas," Richman said at the beginning of the hefty mission. It wasn't long before the professional eater started to change his tune, commenting, "This is so much harder than it looks." With 15 wings on the plate and just one minute to go, things weren't looking good. Indeed, it wasn't Richman's day. He managed to finish 36 wings in 30 minutes, ultimately losing his battle.

To compete in Caliente's Stupid Wings Challenge, contestants must sign a release form stating that they won't hold the restaurant liable for "any discomfort, humiliation, indigestion, burns, burning sensations, blisters, ring of fire, or any other ailments" that they may find themselves suffering after the ordeal. In reality, only around 10% of the competitors have managed to finish the eight ultra-spicy wings within the allotted 30 minutes, with around 30% to 40% throwing up. According to the Sheppard Street Tavern policy, "the ONLY place to guarantee that you won't be assessed a clean-up fee is IN THE TRASH CAN IN THE ALLEY BEHIND THE BARBER SHOP!"

So what was Richman up against? That would be poultry covered in an extra-spicy sauce made with hot sauce, habanero powder, cayenne pepper, and five drops of pure capsaicin extract. The condiment also contained a hefty dose from a box affectionately known as "The Container of Poor Judgment," which is filled with the leftovers of every sauce the restaurant's owner, Dave Bender, has ever made.

Richman didn't let the daunting statistics deter him. Neither did he find himself hurling in the back alley. Despite hitting a fiery wall after six wings, Richman pressed on to victory. "This wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done but I've won an "I Am With Stupid" T-shirt and my independence from the stupid wings challenge," he proclaimed. "This one is a stupid day for men."

According to Adam Richman, thousands have tried the Ludicrous Wings Challenge at The Chicken or the Egg, but only three have survived. While we can't be certain about the accuracy of these numbers, we do know that Richman had to pull out all the stops to endure the searing heat of this poultry challenge. The quest involved eating 12 jumbo wings drenched in a variety of scorching ingredients. The sauce featured a standard supermarket hot sauce, cayenne pepper, a liberal dose of dried habaneros, and a concoction ominously named the "Devil's Blood." At 1,000,000 SU, this mystery potion was 400 times hotter than a regular jalapeño.

Richman's challenge was straightforward — he had to eat 12 wings within 15 minutes. The "Man v. Food" host was allowed to drink milk and beer and even dip the poultry in a blue cheese sauce. Since the wings were big and saucy, Richman decided to first separate them from the bones to protect his face from the spices. This took more time than expected, with Richman only digging into the meat at the seven minute mark. "The first bite explodes in my mouth like a heat-seeking missile," he said, shoveling the poultry into his mouth with a fork. The competitive eating professional demolished over half the chicken within five minutes and managed to cross the victory line with just seconds on the clock.

Unlike other "Man v. Food" trials, the Pick Your Poison Challenge at Lunchbox offered Casey Webb three different menu options: an 8-pound sloppy Joe sandwich called the Motherload, a 151-ounce milkshake, or the Death Wish, which consisted of six chicken wings drenched in a frighteningly hot habanero and ghost chili sauce. While Webb signed waivers for all three dishes, he ultimately ended up with the scorching chicken wing challenge after the restaurant's owner, Jay Di Dea, picked it out of a box at random.

"It's so hot that we make you wear the goggles and the gloves," Di Dea told Webb, adding that the sauce is so spicy that it can reportedly burn flesh and eyes. The Death Wish sauce is made with a base of butter and hot sauce, as well as red pepper flakes, paprika, Cajun spice, and cayenne pepper. It also contains a splash of habanero and ghost chili extract that reportedly comes in at 1,000,000 SU.

Once the timer started, Webb had 10 minutes to eat the chicken wings, followed by 10 minutes of afterburn time during which he wasn't allowed to drink. Webb valiantly embraced the pain, sweating through his safety goggles, and saying, "[It] feels like my face is really close to the sun." Despite the overwhelming discomfort, Webb became the 22nd person to win the Pick Your Poison Challenge.

It's not every day that you can sample three of the world's hottest peppers in one sitting. But that's exactly what Casey Webb faced when he took on the daunting culinary trial of consuming three ultra-fiery wings at Big Shake's in Nashville, Tennessee. The aptly named Death Row Challenge consisted of three chicken tenders slathered in a scorching sauce infused with ghost peppers, Trinidad scorpion peppers, and Carolina reapers. Webb was given just 10 minutes to complete the challenge, with only one cup of water to ease his pain (made all the more difficult because the idea of drinking water to ease the burn is a common spicy food myth).

Since its inception, of the 200 or 300 people who attempted the Death Row Challenge, only around 20 had been successful, as the restaurant's owner said at the time of filming. It turned out that the chicken wings were no joke — both Webb and Big Shake's employees had to wear respirators when blending the sauce to protect themselves from the fumes. Webb also had to wear gloves during the challenge to avoid burning his hands. Webb finished the first tender with a hearty seven minutes left on the clock, but doubt still reared its ugly head. "My future looks bleak as the Carolina reaper comes to collect," he said with one formidable wing left on his plate. Ultimately, he prevailed in the end.

The Hottest Wings in Baseball Challenge was filmed at the Game Seven Grill, just outside the entrance to Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The restaurant, which specializes in wings, nachos, and burgers, has very limited hours and typically opens three hours before the first pitch and closes an hour and a half after each game. In addition to feeding hungry sports enthusiasts, Game Seven Grill also serves fans who are seeking extra thrills by diving into some wickedly hot chicken wings.

Always up for a culinary challenge, Casey Webb had to check out what all the ballpark fuss was about. "Eight ghost pepper and habanero soaked wings in six minutes. I'll join the 12% who have knocked it out of the park," he announced. Just in case the sauce didn't pack enough of a punch, the restaurant mixed it with a particularly potent chili extract that measured in at 1,500,000 SU. The challenge also included eating two grilled habanero peppers, with no drinks or napkins allowed.

Webb jumped into the challenge headfirst, declaring, "These wings are major league hot but my game is strong." Unfortunately, Webb's enthusiasm was quick to wane, leaving him with one chicken wing and two habanero peppers at the six minute mark. "I just couldn't get them down as quickly as I wanted to," he said.

Eating 24 chicken wings that collectively weigh 4.5 pounds in a single 15-minute sitting is no joke, especially when they are drenched in a sauce infused with ghost chili. This is precisely what "Man v. Food" host Casey Webb attempted at the Pizza Pit in Hudson Valley, New York — all for a T-shirt, getting a spot on the restaurant's wall of fame, and everlasting glory.

Despite the name, wings reign supreme at the Pizza Pit, as evidenced by the restaurant's Atomic Ghost Wings Challenge. Not for the faint hearted, these intimidating poultry comes drenched in a puree of fresh ghost peppers, vinegar, vegetable oil, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, and the pièce de résistance — a generous splash of ghost pepper extract. By the time Webb took on the challenge, over 50 spice enthusiasts had attempted the feat with a 90% failure rate.

Despite his enthusiasm, the challenge proved too much for Webb. He was initially full of enthusiasm, exclaiming: "The atomic ghost wing challenge, I am going to burn you to the ground." However, his confidence was short-lived, with Webb starting to approach atomic meltdown after just four wings. With five minutes left on the clock, Webb had managed to devour 16 wings. Unfortunately this wasn't enough time to finish the remaining poultry, leaving Webb with three ultra spicy wings on his plate. This time, the food won.

Billed as the hottest wings in Seattle, the 7-Alarms Hot Wings combine some of the spiciest peppers from around the world. With only one in 10 chili enthusiasts managing to complete the challenge of devouring the wings, Casey Webb was in for a culinary showdown. To be more specific, his dinner was covered in a thick sauce made with a reduction of two pounds of habaneros, a pound of jalapeños, three hot sauces, and dried habaneros.

The Wing Dome restaurant doesn't take the 7-Alarms Hot Wings Challenge lightly, making each contestant sign a waiver form that brings to mind "personal danger, swollen lips, dry tear ducts, explosive bodily functions and overall unpleasantness after touching your eyes or various body parts." According to the restaurant's rules, to win, Webb had to finish seven 7-Alarm wings in seven minutes, with no sauce on the plate or their hands at the end of the challenge. Additionally, he wasn't allowed to drink, dip the chicken in sauce, or use a napkin during the proceedings.

It seems that Webb had his dinner tactics all in order at the outset, saying, "My strategy is to eat carefully. I want the sauce to stay on the meat, thus preventing the need for any last minute dipping." Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the plan failed the "Man v. Food" host, who wasn't able to chow down all of the "food grade gasoline" poultry.