CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hulu’s new docuseries “Superhot: The World of Pepper People” takes viewers into the world of all things spicy—from pepper growers to those challenged to eat them. Tucsonan Johnny Scoville is one of those on the show who takes up the challenge, but he is not new to this.
Scoville discovered his love for peppers at the age of seven when he had a pepperoncini for the first time. His dad warned him that he may not like it, but instead Scoville loved it.
“I am in love with peppers, I am in love with the burn,” Scoville said.
He started a his YouTube channel, “Chase the Heat,” in 2016. He posts videos daily for his roughly 140,000 subscribers. His videos have over 24 million views.
“In addition to my channel doing reviews, I’ve done over 560 challenges. I’ve jumped out of airplanes and eaten peppers while skydiving,” Scoville said. “I’ve been doing this so long that I have to get creative and kind of come up with my own challenges to make exciting content.”
He shared one of the greatest things this whole journey has brought him: His sobriety, which he largely credits to eating spicy foods.
“You name the buzz, you name the drug and I know somebody who eats chilis who is sober from it,” Scoville said.
He also added that community is such an important part of staying sober, and he has found that in the chili head community.
He said, “I have friends all over the world… and that’s been the best part.”
The events he has been able to attend, appearing in the Netflix show “We are the Champions” and now the Hulu show “Superhot: The World of Pepper People” are just fun extras for him.
——
Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
