Mike Jack Eats Heat is a vegan speed eater, YouTuber, world record holder, and television personality from Canada.
Credit: Mike Jack Eats Heat
Mike Jack has a passion for hot foods, particularly peppers. He has experience with everything from mild peppers to the hottest pepper in the world: The Carolina Reaper. He is known for being brave while taking on these spicy challenges, as Mike doesn't just eat one pepper and call it a day. He goes for as many as he can eat in one sitting while eating them as fast as possible.
However, this comes with pain, too. Peppers have capsaicin in them (the chemical compound that makes them spicy), and the human body reacts to it in different ways, which, to put it simply, can mean lots of pain.
Mike Jack started his YouTube channel in 2017, where he filmed himself eating some of the hottest foods in the world. He also would drink hot sauces, eat spicy peppers, and even review hot food products. His wife, Jamie, would be alongside him, sometimes participating in challenges and reviews while helping with challenge preparation, management, promotion, and other behind-the-scenes work.
Mike's channel soon began to be followed by thousands of people as he continued to upload frequently. He was starting to be known as someone who would push himself to the limit, and he has continued to impress as his channel continues to grow. Mike currently has over 28,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and thousands more on other social media platforms.
Mike has also participated in pepper-eating contests and has won many prizes (and even championship belts) for his efforts. He also has his own brand of hot sauce that is made by Dawson's Hot Sauce company and called Tropical Fury.
Mike also got the opportunity to host his own TV show on Rogers TV London called 'Jack up the Heat.'
Mike has broken several Guinness World Records for eating spicy peppers. He currently holds three Guinness World Record titles, and his most recent record is the fastest time to eat 50 Carolina Reaper peppers, which he achieved in 6 minutes and 49.20 seconds.
Credit: Mike Jack Eats Heat
We wanted to know more about how Mike prepares for these spicy stunts, his new TV show, hot sauce, and more. You guessed it. It's interview time!
Get your snacks ready because we're going to Jack up the Heat!
FCN: How did you get started on your journey of eating the world's hottest foods?
Mike: I started using hot sauce about 20 years ago. It started out as a dare in college. “What’s the matter, Mike? You don’t want hot sauce on your pizza?" I started with a few drops of Frank's Redhot or sriracha, but I liked hot sauce so much that soon my plates seemed to become more hot sauce than food. I started searching for hotter and hotter sauces again starting with drops, but eventually, I was using sauces made from the world’s hottest peppers, like ketchup.
I started eating actual peppers about six years ago. My friend told me there were people eating spicy stuff on YouTube and thought I should give it a try. I started with one pepper and worked my way up. Eventually, I started breaking Guinness World Records, and my personal best is 135 Carolina Reaper peppers.
FCN: Can you walk us through your training regimen for a spicy food challenge in the days leading up to it?
Mike: It depends on what the challenge is, but I’m always trying to build tolerance by eating the hottest stuff around. If it’s a speed challenge, I’ll practice eating peppers quickly every day for a week or two before. If I’m eating a large quantity, I’ll eat a huge meal the day before to stretch my stomach out.
On the day of, I don’t eat anything spicy before the challenge. I’ll eat a bowl or two of hash browns in the morning maybe with some avocado, ketchup, or vegannaise. Half an hour before, I’ll eat a couple of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. It’s good to be full to dilute the peppers in your stomach.
If I’m doing a speed challenge, I’ll listen to pump-up music to get hyped up. My favourite song for that might be “The Touch” from the Transformers animated movie. If it’s a competition, I do the opposite and try to get myself really calm by listening to a Buddhist audiobook, usually something by Thích Nhất Hạnh.
Credit: Mike Jack Eats Heat
FCN: You have broken multiple Guinness World Records, the most recent being eating 50 Carolina Reaper peppers in 6 minutes and 49.20 seconds. How did it feel to achieve another world record?
Mike: It always feels great to get recognition. It reinforces the idea that I’m on the right track and doing something special that people appreciate.
FCN: You have your own TV show on Rogers TV London called 'Jack up the Heat.' Could you tell us more about that?
Mike: In Jack up the Heat, I challenge restaurants to make me the world’s hottest foods. At the end of each segment, I eat the food with a guest. The restaurants have made the hottest burgers, pizza, tacos, and even some crazy things like the hottest donuts and ice cream. If you don’t get the channel, there are full episodes on rogerstv.com/jackuptheheat.
FCN: What is your favorite non-spicy treat?
Mike: I try not to eat too many sweets, but I’m a big fan of butter tarts. They are a Canadian treat that is like a mini pecan pie. It’s a sweet goo surrounded by pastry, and they’re best when there’s maple syrup in the goo.
Traditionally, there are raisins in them, but you can get them with nuts instead. My fav is pecan, but walnuts are good too.
FCN: How do you recover the day after completing a spicy food challenge?
Mike: The day after usually isn’t too bad for me. It depends on the challenge, but I'm usually exhausted from not sleeping much that night and all the used-up adrenaline.
The challenges feel like a boxing match and a marathon rolled into one, and I get really tired but can’t sleep at night because my guts hurt so much, and I get bouts of the sweats.
It might be days of recovery for most people, but I’m usually okay 12 - 14 hours after.
FCN: You have a signature hot sauce called 'Mike Jack Eats Heat - Tropical Fury,' which is made by Dawson's Hot Sauce. What is your favorite part about having your own brand of hot sauce?
Mike: My favourite part is getting to eat and share a delicious hot sauce with everyone. Dawson’s did an amazing job with it using pineapple, my favourite ingredient.
I also donate $2 from the sale of every bottle to a different charity each month, which is something really important to me.
You can find some on dawsonshotsauce.com.
FCN: How can our readers find out more about you?
Mike: You can learn more about me by following me on your favourite forms of social media.
I’m also in the last three editions of the Guinness World Records book. I have pictures in the 2022 and 2023 editions, grab them from a bookstore or library and look me up.
Credit: Mike Jack Eats Heat
Mike Jack continues to prove his bravery when it comes to the world's hottest food challenges. On Jack up the Heat, Mike takes the time to spotlight restaurants while being a great and knowledgeable host. We can't wait to see how Mike will Jack up the Heat next!
Photo credits: Mike Jack Eats Heat