Heat Eaters

In the premiere episode of Heat Eaters, chef Esther Choi goes on a SPICY Korean food crawl in L.A.'s legendary Koreatown, in search of the most delicious and tongue-sizzling delicacies. For Esther, Ktown in L.A. is ground zero for the best Korean food in the country, and she's on a mission to share her favorite spots. From spicy-laced dakbal chicken feet at Hanshin Pocha, to succulent yangnyeom-gejang fermented raw crab at Soban, to an INSANE adrenaline-infused Ktown tteokbokki challenge that uses a Scoville chart-topping spice blend at Yupdduk, Esther and her pals will experience the spiciest dishes Koreatown has to offer. Tune in to learn about why spicy challenges are a beloved form of communal suffering, what makes raw fermented crab so craveable, and why eating chicken feet is the ultimate litmus test for a romantic partner. This is HEAT EATERS.

In the season 2 premiere of HEAT EATERS, Chef Esther Choi embarks on a quest to 1). Try NYC’s spiciest chicken sandwiches! and 2). Create her own ULTIMATE version with K-pop superstar, JEON SOMI. The adventure begins at Pecking House, a restaurant that went viral during the pandemic, and famous for its fried chicken that at one point boasted a waitlist of 10,000 customers. At Pecking House, Chef Eric Huang teaches Esther the culinary process for their renowned Chinese Nashville-style, spicy chili oil-dipped chicken sandwich served on milk bread. Next, Esther meets up with Chef Chintan Pandya at Rowdy Rooster to sample their notoriously spicy Level 5 Indian Rowdy Sandwich - one that Eric Andre hailed as spicier than anything featured on Hot Ones! After her fact-finding mission, Esther teams up with JEON SOMI to construct their own PERFECT spicy chicken sandwich, using ingredients that Esther personally curated for SOMI.

Heat Eaters is back! In the Season 3 premiere, Chef Esther Choi links up with K-Pop sensation Stray Kids for an unforgettable spicy Korean BBQ feast. The episode kicks off with a fiery tour of NYC’s KTown, where Esther and Camera Guy Bill sample spicy bites like Flamin' Hot Cheetos Rice Hot Dogs and jalapeño kimbap. Esther then heads to Ahgassi Gopchang (https://ahgassigopchangnyc.com), her favorite spot for gopchang - aka grilled Korean BBQ intestines, to meet Stray Kids and challenge their spice tolerance with her special hot sauce.

Heat Eaters is back—and this season, Chef Esther Choi returns to her favorite place ever: the kitchen. She’s serving up custom spicy tasting menus inspired by each guest’s life, career, and favorite foods. And who better to kick things off than comedy legend Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias - following his hit Legend of Fluffy Netflix special. In this episode, Esther crafts a three-course flavor gauntlet just for Fluffy: a cheesy spam quesadilla, a brisket–hot dog sandwich stacked with fiery condiments, and a sweet-and-spicy Hawaiian-style finale. As the heat builds, Fluffy opens up about his early comedy days, throws shade at the spice, and walks away with a custom chili pepper shirt worthy of the legend himself.

K-pop group Le Sserafim (르세라핌) are fearless on stage - but how fearless are they with spice? Chef Esther Choi turns up the heat with a bubbling extra spicy Budae Jjigae and a lineup of challenges designed to push their limits. The members battle it out in a slurping-noodles showdown, play “never have I ever” with a fiery punishment, and crown each other with superlatives. In the end, each face the ultimate test of fearlessness: a Level 10 Last Dab.