You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout. I'm telling you why … Chili Klaus is coming to town.
Formally known as Claus Pilgaard and best known for his chili binge-eating, the musician-actor-comedian Chili Klaus convinced a boys choir to take on a ghost pepper challenge. In the nearly four-minute video (below), Denmark's Herning Boys Choir begins singing the Christmas song "O Come, All Ye Faithful" for 1 minute and 30 seconds before reaching into their pockets for a ghost pepper.
They all hold up the red pepper that Guinness World Records considers the seventh hottest pepper in the world. A brief pause, some chewing and many worried expressions later, the chorus boys start singing again, this time some wavering while others unperturbed. It's worth watching until the end when the boys disband in every direction to the nearest bathroom.
Chili Klaus has a knack for persuading people to put a million Scoville units in their mouths. In October 2014, the Danish National Chamber Orchestra played "Tango Jalousie" (video below) while eating the world's hottest chili peppers. Good ol' Chili Klaus conducted (and participated) as professional flutists and clarinets blew hot chili wind into their instruments. Their mouths were on fire, but so was the tango.
Klaus started the hottest trend of the year, beginning with his first "Chilismagning Fatali" ("fatal chili eating") video posted four years ago. Since then, several YouTube talk shows have incorporated eating hot chili peppers, like YouTuber Sean Evans' "Hot Ones" web show, which features celebrity guests eating progressively spicier chicken wings while answering interview questions.
Klaus' YouTube Channel is dedicated to pepper-eating group challenges, chili recipes, and a video where he taped 1,000 people in Copenhagen eating ghost peppers all at once. He even appeared in season 1 of "Hot Ones" with Sean Evans; they both swallowed a Carolina Reaper, a hybrid between a ghost pepper and a red habanero, in a 12-minute agonizing video.
In any case, the two survived unscathed. Evans and Klaus continue to appear in YouTube chili-eating videos, inspiring other people to follow suit -- including kids. Food and Wine reported two major incidents back in 2017 where as many as 30 students at an Indiana middle school became sick after eating a Carolina Reaper pepper. The challenge sent dozens of students to the emergency room with burning mouths, eyes and skin.