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Competition turns up the heat in Edenvale

This time round contestants tested their mettle and worked through eating 10 raw chillis.

March 11, 2023

Stephan 2 minutes read

The top three of the chili-eating competition were Jacques van Aardt (third) Dr Joe De Sai (first) and Johann van der Merwe (second).

The heat was turned up in Edenvale when community members participated in a chilli-eating competition.

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Held on February 25 the event was the second of its kind hosted by HomeGrowers Edenvale.

The contestants of the chili-eating competition. They are Jacques van Aardt, Helen, Dr Joe De Sai and Johann van der Merwe.

With four contestants competing, rules of the event were simple – they needed to eat the entire chilli, and show the audience that the chilli was consumed.

Opening and drinking from the bottle of water in front of them resulted in a disqualification.

Dr Joe De Sai holds up one of the chillies the competitors ate on February 25.

The contestants were Helen, Jacques van Aardt, Dr Joe De Sai and Johann van der Merwe.

Helen was the only woman who competed.

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The prize money up for grabs was R2 000: R1 300 for first place, R300 for second place and R200 for third place.

Unlike the previous event, where contestants had chilli sauce provided, this time round contestants tested their mettle and worked their way through eating 10 raw chillis.

Starting with the serrano, the contestants worked through the green and red Thai chillis and habanero before starting the super-hot category.

In the super-hot class, competitors needed to eat the 7 Pot Yellow, 7 Pot Barrackpore and the 7 Pot Burgundy.

Johann van der Merwe, who claimed second place, gives a laugh while preparing for one of the chillies.

These were followed by the reapers, namely the Chocolate, Peach and red Corolina Reaper.

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As the competitions progressed competitors were knocked out one by one.

After eating the first four chillis Helen was the first to bow out of the competition.

She was followed by Jacques van Aardt who ate the 7 Pot Yellow and 7 Pot Barrackpore before calling it quits.

The two final contestants were Joe and Johann, however, Johann bowed out after eating the Chocolate Carolina Reaper resulting in Joe’s victory.

Joe, who is no stranger to heat and who participated in Edenvale Ferals Chilli Challenge and fundraiser last year, said he would donate a portion of his winnings to SPCA and also spoil his family.

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“Winning the competition meant a lot to me as I have been working on this for a while,” said Joe.

“I have built my tolerance and participated in chilli-eating competitions for ages now.”

The winner of the competition, Dr Joe De Sai, and Johann van der Merwe (second place) give a congratulatory hug to each other after the winner was announced.

HomeGrowers’ Cassian Davis described the event as a great success.

He said it was held for several reasons some of which was to create awareness about the benefits of chillis and to bring the community together.

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“Chilies have great medicinal properties; they are high in vitamin C and help as an anti-inflammatory.”

“In terms of micro industry, chillis can help stimulate the economy, with one healthy plant and a small space someone would be able to benefit greatly.”