By Marielle Winuk

Taste buds sizzled on the tongues of sweating students as they scrambled to answer trivia questions and test their Black History Month knowledge at the Black Student Union ‘Hot Ones’ trivia event on Feb. 16. 

Jei Farner, a bio chemistry and cellular biology major, hosted the four teams, titled Black Pepper, Black Power, Heartburn and Jalepeople through three different rounds.

The round one categories consisted of Black history, film and tv, and music. The points earned in round one determined what level of hot sauce the teams received on their wings in round two. 

In round two, it was time to face the first round of hot sauce. Black Power and Heartburn each sent up two members to compete in the Black Math category. Before answering, the team had to eat the hot wing and then answer the question. The first hot sauce used was called Tropical Amariallo, which had a heat level rating of six out of 10. Team Heartburn answered the most questions correctly, advancing them to the final round. The second match up was between Jalepeople and Black Pepper, with Black Pepper moving on to the finals. 

In the final category, things started to get… hot. There were five wings on the table, and competitors raced to take at least two bites of the increasingly spicy wings while answering the trivia questions correctly. The wings got progressively spicier as they went down the line, and the final wing had The Last Dab Thermageddon hot sauce with a heat level of 11 out of 10. 

Two gallons of milk and the cold outdoor air became essential to combat the spicy wings. Black Pepper went through their five hot wings and questions, and emerged victorious with a winning time of 12:23. 

Marielle is a junior journalism major with an interest in politics and sports. She can be contacted at mmw146@humboldt.edu