Mike Jack, a former London, Ontario native now living in Nova Scotia, has set a new Guinness World Record by consuming an impressive 1.495 kilograms of hot sauce in just three minutes at the Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo held at Centennial Hall on Saturday.
Jack, who already holds 19 career Guinness World Records, surpassed his previous personal best of 1.12 kilograms. The current record stood at 1.18 kilograms until Jack exceeded it with his remarkable feat.
“I had the record before at 1.12 kilograms, but it got beaten,” Jack said. “The current record was 1.18 kilograms, and I ended up consuming 1.495 kilograms. That’s about three-and-a-quarter pounds, or roughly the equivalent of a 12-pack of sauce.”
A hot sauce entrepreneur, Jack sells his own brand of sauce while traveling to shows and festivals and engaging with followers on YouTube and social media. To set this new record, Jack adhered to strict guidelines, including the stipulation that the hot sauce had to be served in a bowl without the use of hands, requiring him to use only a teaspoon to scoop the sauce into his mouth.
“The hot sauce had to be in a bowl, and I couldn’t touch the bowl with my hands. I had to use a teaspoon and just scoop it into my mouth and swallow quickly,” Jack explained. “It’s all in the wrist. You’ve got to be fast.”
He describes the key skills required for the challenge as a combination of speed, capacity, and heat tolerance. Jack had been preparing for this record attempt for about six weeks, gradually building his tolerance to hot sauce.
“I’ve been practicing pretty hard for this record for about a month-and-a-half,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I got it back.”
Jack’s affinity for hot sauce started years ago when he began using it on his food as frequently as others would use ketchup. Once he discovered people were setting records for hot sauce consumption, he decided to get involved.
“I’m pretty used to spicy stuff, doing a lot of records, so the heat wasn’t really what got to me. It was more about the capacity,” he said. “After finishing 1.5 kilograms of sauce, I just felt really full—like I had overdone it at Thanksgiving. I felt bloated and couldn’t fit anything else in.”
Jack has accumulated several other unusual world records, including the fastest time to eat a head of lettuce, the quickest time to eat a banana without using hands, the fastest time to drink a liter of tomato sauce, and the most almonds eaten in a minute. He’s also set records for eating Carolina Reapers and Ghost Peppers.
Although no Guinness representative was present at the event, Jack arranged for local officials to verify the record. A local MP, MPP, and London City Councillor were on hand to witness the event, read the rules, and ensure the record was accurately observed.
“After they verified the record, I send them the video along with their statements, and then it becomes an official Guinness World Record,” Jack concluded.
You Might Be Interested In:
