In the world of celebrity interviews, there’s nothing quite like the YouTube series Hot Ones. Guests tuck into a tray of hot wings that get progressively spicier while answering questions from host Sean Evans. The gauntlet of wings climaxes with the final piece that’s meant to be dabbed into a hot sauce that clocks in at two million on the Scoville Heat Units scale. For context, jalapeño peppers measure 2,500-8,000 Scovilles, cayenne peppers measure 30,000 to 50,000, and habanero peppers measure 100,000-350,000 — so this challenge is not for the spice-sensitive.
The show is far from a gimmick — Evans is a fantastic interviewer with plenty of poignant questions that catch even seasoned celebrities off-guard. He also joins in on the wing action, enduring the same spicy fare as his guests while maintaining enough composure to keep the questions coming.
Along with all the sweat, tears, coughs, gasps and desperate gulps of milk and water that are characteristic of the show, we couldn’t help but notice a surprising number of eye-catching luxury watches worn by Hot Ones’ famous interviewees. Here's our menu of the hottest watches seen on Hot Ones.
Idris Elba
Whether as an actor, DJ, rapper or pro fighter, Idris Elba always gives it his all. His approach to the Hot Ones challenge was no different. Although there were some tough moments and humorous threats to the show’s creator, Elba ultimately emerged victorious on the other side. Even more impressive was that his white T-shirt (a choice only a very confident person could wear to a hot sauce-coated wing tasting) remained as clean as when he walked in.
Elba’s choice of wristwear was bold, too — a gleaming, ultra-luxurious, yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. The Day-Date watch is more commonly known as the Rolex President and it’s the brand’s most prestigious model. Elba’s President watch is the Day-Date ref. 228238 from the current collection, which features a 40mm case, sleek black dial, and the famed three-link curvy bracelet.
Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum, accomplished actor and gifted jazz pianist, is one of Hollywood’s most charming celebrities. Thanks to his animated personality and distinctive speaking style, a Jeff Goldblum interview is always entertaining. Throw some hot (vegan) wings in there and things can get even spicier than usual. To avoid wrecking his vocal cords (and we assume to maintain a refined decorum), Jeff Goldblum’s approach was to take nibbles of the flaming fare rather than big bites — and he made it to the finish line, albeit a little worse for wear.
Jeff Goldblum’s sartorial flair is as eccentric as his persona, and his love of patterns, colours, and high fashion has made him the ultimate cool-dad style icon. However, when it comes to watches, the Hollywood veteran sticks to the classics. For his appearance on Hot Ones, Goldblum wore his trademark Cartier Tank watch with a rectangular yellow gold case, an elegant leather strap, and a white dial punctuated with blue sword-shaped hands and black Roman numerals.
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is known mainly for two things: his mastery of cooking and prolific swearing. His fiery temper was in full effect during his Hot Ones episode, beginning with harsh critiques of the food and ending with an endless string of expletives. The multiple Michelin-star holder even came with a bag of culinary tricks, including donuts, citrus, and a bottle of Pepto Bismol, to try to soothe his scorching tongue between bites.
Gordon Ramsay is a no-nonsense guy that demands the very best at all times, so it isn’t surprising that he’d opt for a tough yet luxurious Rolex Submariner as his daily watch. However, when we zoom in a little closer to inspect the watch, we see that’s it’s not a modern variant but a super-cool vintage Submariner ref. 1680 (the very first Submariner reference to include a date window on the dial) with a creamy patina dial that’s characteristic of older watches.
Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani may be best known for his hilarious portrayal of Dinesh on HBO's Silicon Valley or his Academy Award-nominated film The Big Sick, but for fans of Hot Ones, he’s also known as the first guest to eat his chicken with a knife and fork. The cutlery may have helped Kumail Nanjiani from accidentally touching his eyes with sauce-covered fingers but it did nothing to protect his burning taste buds.
Even hotter than the food, however, was the watch Kumail Nanjiani wore on the show — a Patek Philippe Aquanaut ref. 5167R. The sporty Aquanaut watch is one of Patek’s most popular models right now and Nanjiani’s rose gold version with a brown textured rubber strap and matching brown dial is simply fire.
John Mayer
From his incredibly successful solo music career to playing guitar alongside former Grateful Dead members in the Dead & Company band, John Mayer is one of the world’s most famous musicians. However, in watch collecting circles, he’s also recognized as a passionate and opinionated “watch guy” with an enviable collection of must-have timepieces. And his influence on watch trends is profound; if the seven-time Grammy award winner tips his hat to a particular watch model (whether by speaking about it, writing about it, or simply wearing it), the value of that timepiece almost always skyrockets. And the watch he chose to wear on Hot Ones is a big deal, at least to people who care a lot about watches.
For his spicy wing feast (which he flew through relatively unscathed), John Mayer opted to wear a white gold Rolex Daytona ref. 116599RBOW, nicknamed the “Rainbow” because of the multicoloured sapphire-set bezel. While this bejeweled watch isn’t to everyone’s taste, it’s an incredibly rare and collectible Rolex watch that’s currently valued well over a quarter of million dollars.
Ed Sheeran
At just 30 years old, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is already exceptionally successful, boasting a slew of chart-topping hits, sold-out concerts, and various “most-streamed” metrics to his name. During his appearance on Hot Ones, Ed Sheeran revealed that he has a cabinet in the house just for hot sauce (including a few featured on the show) and except for a few rough moments, he finished the challenge on a high note.
Like fellow musician John Mayer, Ed Sheeran is also a recognized collector of fine timepieces, noted for his penchant for ultra-exclusive Patek Philippe watches. Sheeran wore the white gold and blue dial Patek Philippe Reference 5270G Grand Complication, which combines a perpetual calendar with a chronograph. That piece is enough to make any watch collector sweat as profusely as getting through a slab of wings dressed by Hot Ones.
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi knows her food. She’s the host and a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, host and executive producer of Netflix’s Taste the Nation, a cookbook author, and an overall champion of the culinary world. She’s also familiar with plenty of spices and makes her own hot sauce from scratch at home. So it's no surprise that she glided with ease through her platter of spicy chicken.
This famous foodie is also a model and her on-screen style is as hot a topic as the dishes competing chefs serve up on a Top Chef episode. To match her fabulous outfits (like the one she sported on Hot Ones), Padma Lakshi often wears a two-tone Rolex Lady-Datejust because, as every fashion maven knows, it’s like the little black dress of the watch wardrobe — an absolute classic.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this feast of top-notch watches featured on Hot Ones. Save some room for another round because we’ll be serving up "Hot ones on Hot Ones, part 2" soon.
