Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin became the most recent celebrity to take the food endurance challenge by eating spicy chicken wings on the popular YouTube interview series Hot Ones.
Because of the pandemic, Hot Ones host Sean Evans has been conducting his interviews and making guests sweat it out via video call. Balvin started off the show strong with a big bite of the first chicken wing, although he did comment that, “if this is the first one, oh, my God.”
He talked about the Latino musicians who have paved the way for him to be successful like Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel, Tego Calderón and Don Omar. “People are vibing with what we say, even [if] they don’t know what we say. It’s beautiful to see how global and how big…the music in Spanish has been around the world.”
On his second bottle of hot sauce, Balvin liked it so much, he added more to his wing—a brave move rarely done on the show. On the third bottle, which contained Scotch Bonnet peppers, Balvin revealed that “Scotch Bonnet” was a stage name he was considering at the start of his career. “I had a friend…who was like, ‘Bro, you should have a spicy name,’” Balvin said.
During the show, Balvin talks about why he thinks reggaeton is outpacing other music genres today, what it was like performing during Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez’s entrance at the Hard Rock Stadium for his fight last month and why he never adds diamonds to the watches in his collection. Audiences even get a peek at Balvin’s dog, Enzo, who makes a surprise appearance on camera.
We won’t tell you how Balvin does as he gets to the final and most scorching bottles of hot sauce, but we will leave you with his thoughts after he tries one called “Da Bomb Beyond Insanity”: “This is toxic, bro!” he yells. “My blood pressure!”