This Chicken Sandwich Is So Hot, It Made Usher Dance “for No Reason.”

Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and the former social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Her first book, a food and farming memoir titled The Call of the Farm, was published in 2014. Her second book, a romance novel set in Scotland, will be published in February 2023.
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published May 2, 2022
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Usher Raymond IV attends the "Burden" Atlanta Red Carpet Screening at The Plaza Theatre on March 02, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Credit: Getty Images/ Paras Griffin / Stringer

Facts: Usher is an R&B legend. But for a veritable heartthrob with a buttery smooth voice and talent for churning out baby-making tunes, the man CANNOT handle the heat.  At least, when it comes to spicy chicken sandwiches.

If you’re not caught up on the latest fried chicken-adjacent celeb news, here’s a breakdown: After arriving late to pick up his kids, Usher subjected himself to the “reaper challenge” as punishment. The challenge, which has its own hashtag, dares brave eaters to take down the spiciest chicken sandwich at Dave’s Hot Chicken, a sandwich chain that counts rapper Drake and actor Samuel L. Jackson as two of its investors. 

Credit: Usher/Instagram

Dave’s offers seven levels of heat for its fried chicken, ranging from no spice to reaper — made with the Carolina Reaper pepper. How hot is the reaper? It clocks in at a median heat of 1,800,000 units on the Scoville scale, which makes it the hottest pepper in the world (according to official records, anyway).

But back to Usher and his pain cave. The singer shared the struggle on his Instagram stories. After trying a bite and declaring it “not bad,” the tide quickly turned. There was sweating. And coughing. And head-scratching.

Usher didn’t finish the sandwich, although he did manage to eat half of it. His son Naviyd Ely attempted to help out his old man, but after one bite, he had also called it quits and sought refuge in a milkshake from Dave’s. 

Credit: Usher/Instagram

If you’re feeling brave, you can try the challenge yourself — Dave’s has franchise locations all over the country. Vegetarians could also play along with a DIY version, featuring crispy-crunchy fried cauliflower. Do you think you can beat Usher’s record? Personally, I’m a hard no.

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