Conan O’Brien does Hot Ones the best, of course
Conan O'Brien offered interesting insight and also guzzled hot sauce on the season finale of Hot Ones
Aux News Conan
Is it any surprise that Conan O’Brien is the best at doing Hot Ones? Not the best at eating hot wings, mind you; just the best at being on the show. He spent the season finale squirreling away chicken bones in his pocket, checking in with his “affordable” personal doctor Dr. Arroyo (whom he brought along to monitor his temperature). And despite admittedly not experiencing much spice in his very Irish Catholic upbringing, he spent much of the episode bragging about how well he was handling the heat, to the point of drinking some of the sauce straight out of the bottle.
He also had interesting things to say about being a longtime talk show host, extending his compliments to Hot Ones host Sean Evans for his technique (while also roasting him about welling up while “meeting your idol”). Asked about the chitchat with guests during commercials, he revealed, “In the old days back in the days when I was doing it and it was just a couple of us, oftentimes it wasn’t much chat. If you were talking to a Letterman he wouldn’t say too much. The other guy”—Jay Leno, presumably—“I don’t know where he was. But I always tried to make something happen. I tried to keep the rhythm going. And sometimes if I couldn’t get them interested, I’d try to say something provocative like ‘I bet you live 4 years tops’ and you can see them get a bit rattled.” O’Brien claims he actually used that line on Bea Arthur “and I was right. …I said ‘Four years tops.’ and it was three years, 11 months.”
The worst thing a talk show guest could do is “tell the audience it’s not going well,” O’Brien shared. “I‘ve seen it happen many times. It’s an amateur move because the host can do a lot to let people think it’s going great, even if it’s not. There are many things the host can do, the host can be enjoying, the host can act a little bit, the host can do things. Audiences want to see a good show, they want to see a good interview. And I was always amazed when someone would come out and they’d be doing okay, and they’d make a couple jokes, and it’s fine. And then they would just go [sigh], and they would look right out to camera and they would say, ‘This just isn’t going very well is it?’ And you could feel—I would look out at the audience, maybe 200 people sitting there, and I would see 200 souls leave 200 bodies and float up to the ceiling, because they were just told they were not getting a good show. That’s not show business. Show business is, you’re getting the greatest show in the world.”
Of course, O’Brien’s hubris caught up to him by the end of the episode, as guzzling hot sauce turned out to be a grave mistake. Covered in hot sauce, milk dripping down his chin, the revered comedian encouraged aspiring comics to “read widely and read well” and not lock in to comedy from the last ten years. “There’s funny everywhere. Don’t be a snob. Look high and look low,” he preached. “There’s no reason for us to try to exclude one category over another. These aren’t the rantings of someone who’s had some bad chemicals, and overdid it to be funny and relevant to people who are at least 50 years younger than him. This is a guy who’s just being on a show, and it’s legitimate!”
70 Comments
No mention of the hot sauce onslaught in his Murderville episode?
Comedians are almost always the best guests because, as much as I do not blame him for riding this hot wing loaded train, Sean Evans is not a good interviewer for this setting. He’s too dry and only has chemistry with the bigger personalities that chemistry with everyone.
Agree whole heartedly. Evans (and his fans) confuse being well prepared and researched with being a good interviewer. He is the former, not the latter. He doesn’t build rapport or ask inciteful follow ups.
“Show isn’t show I wanted to watch” is always a bad critique.
The gimmick is eating increasingly spicy fried chicken wings. I don’t come here for the rapport or insightful followups.
Well, no, the gimmick by their own admission is eating spicy wings to make the celebs more vulnerable and less comfy in their PR bubble so they answer questions in a more “real” way. Whether that works or not is another story.
Yeah, and at this point I’ll take depth of research and preparedness over a quick back and forth. I learn a dozen new things about every person he interviews, and I get to see a normally poised and camera-ready celebrity’s panic response. If the trade-off for that is that the banter doesn’t seem quite as natural between their two polished anecdotes, it’s a small price to pay.
Wild takes in the comments here. Just because the follow up questions aren’t included in the edit doesn’t mean they aren’t an integral part of getting to the insightful answer the guest gives in the final episode
Lmao not even saying I disagree but kinda funny you said this now when Conan spends a chunk of this telling him how good of an interviewer he is.
He’s a research-and-recall savant, but you’re absolutely right that there’s a spark missing. A lot of times, that extensive research also results in agonizingly long buildups to questions that fail to justify them.The counterargument is: hot sauce and wings.The counter-counterargument is: he and a lot of his guests sure seem to think that it’s about the actual interviews. He could ask way funnier questions and have much better banter if he truly believed that “hot sauce and wings” was an excuse for shallow questions and no followups.Literally his best followup ever was when that DJ Krap guy handed him a totally pathetic heel performance on a silver platter, basically begging him to call out the B.S. (and, yes, I tend to think that DJ Krap is just that pathetic naturally, but the point stands.)
I quite like his interview style. I think the long buildups to seemingly random questions is part of what makes the show work. They’re meant to disarm the guests who are already being challenged by the spicy food – they’re mouths and foreheads are steaming, their noses are running, they might be hiccuping, and they’re trying to pay attention as he unwinds a question that seems to be leading to a specific point, then he twists it at the end, and they’re unprepared, so they have to fish around for an answer they weren’t expecting. It’s actually one of my favourite parts of the show.
No because they’re…wait for it…..eating fucking hot wings. On a fucking 20 minute YouTube show. Sheesh.
Your the first person I have heard say anything other then he is one of the best if not the best interviews out there.
That’s an interesting take I find myself agreeing with for the most part. I think he does a good job of working interviewees through the rigamarole with relative grace and asking insightful questions but the research (and neurological impairment via hot sauce) is why so many guests compliment him as an interviewer. He’s likeable enough. However, he doesn’t have much charisma or ability to build dialogue off of the question leading to an actual conversation that veers from the template of prepared research that GOATs like Dick Cavett had. I now want AI to craft Hot Ones with Dick Cavett as the interviewer. Now that would be something.
Agreed. Evans doesn’t seem natural as an interviewer, despite having done the show for so many years. You’d think he’d relax a become a bit more organic, but he’s still so stiff.Yesterday I watched the Conan episode, the Josh Brolin episode and the NPH episode. Brolin was surprisingly funny and carried things. NPH was low key and it didn’t work against Evans.
I’d trust the guests more than our own opinions on Sean. Every single one of them seems to love Sean’s interview style – which they confirm all the time, and would have strong opinions on given the number of interviews they sit through. He’s prepared, doesn’t fanboy, matches energy (where it’s possible – who could match Conan’s energy?), brings deeper insights out of his guest than almost anybody, and is very professional.I don’t know what else you could want?
He’s well researched and does ask insightful questions, but I don’t think he matches anyone’s energy… ever. And that’s the problem. They like him because he’s a blank sponge who doesn’t challenge them or make them feel anything other than the gimmick. That doesn’t make him entertaining to watch.
I never really considered that Sean himself should be focussed on being entertaining. Interview hosts that attempt this usually fail hard – taking the attention away from the guest, which is not the point of this show. He’s not trying to be Jiminiy Glick or Zach Galifinakis and do a schtick
Those are largely the only type of interviewers most American audiences are used to seeing.Watching someone like Sean who is not that feels different. And lots of people conflate different with bad.
Counterpoint: good interviewers are not and do not try to be the story or the center of attention.
Counter-counter point. I never said he should be.
My takeaway is that you have a real problem with spicy foods.
Look. Contrarians are just smarter than everyone else and the guests themselves… because they let everyone else tell them what opinion to think the opposite of.
Agreed.
I feel like you’re missing a nuance of the format, and that’s specifically to ask more serious-minded and thought-provoking questions while the guest’s brain is overwhelmed with capsaicin-induced pain. Just having someone on to joke around and plug their new project wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
Is it too much to want someone with a personality do that?
No, and that’s a fair question. But I’d argue the point of the show isn’t him at all – it’s the guests setting their mouths on fire.Him being too gregarious or having to much personality or whatever would distract from the whole focus of the show.
Not the point, no, but he is still a (pretty big) part of it. I’ve found myself bored to tears when I’ve tried to watch the ones from sports stars, singers, etc., because there’s just so much dead air when he is asking the questions and he can’t bring much out of them. But you get a Conan on there and I’ll tolerate the personality void to watch someone answer some questions with flair and mouthful of wings.
And for me, Conan has so much personality (and is so over the top at times) that I think he’d drown out anything truly interesting from the guest. To each their own, I suppose.PS I have tried Da Bomb and I’m always impressed anyone can be capable of speech after eating that one.
Same here – #9 and #10 seemed mild by comparison. Although the people I was trying them with discussed that, and we all agreed it’s probably because all of the sauces other than Da Bomb have actual flavor that masks the relative increase in heat and provides something for your mouth and brain to give a shit about, while Da Bomb is just hot for the sake of hot without any redeeming features.
Comedians (and Shaq) are the best guests because they know the assignment – have fun and be entertaining. The (only) gimmick is watching the wheels come off as questions get more in-depth, not in actually giving thoughtful answers. I used the think Evans was a terrible host, but he’s actually good at staying out of the guest’s way. When the guest takes it too seriously, it puts a spot light on Evans and how dull the format is without enough spice. And I’m always amazed at how a gimmick hot wing eating show somehow became a “must do” for celebrities.
When the guest takes it too seriously, it puts a spot light on Evans and how dull the format is without enough spice.It’s this right here. And there are too many guests that really don’t get it.
Austin Butler was trying to give thoughtful answers to method acting questions up until the last wing. Dude, it’s not Inside the Actors Studio, your mouth is full of bar food!
Austin Butler was trying to give thoughtful answers to method acting questions.
Austin Butler is one of a few stars of the latest generation of actors that all seem to take themselves ABSURDLY seriously, without having earned a cent of it.
What a madman!
As a lifelong class clown, I have to bow down to Conan for this magnum opus of adhering to the bit!!!!
I was an undergrad when Late Night with Conan O’Brien started (1993) and was thus just exactly the right audience for his brand of talk-show. His kind of absurdity and self-deprecation was always right in my wheelhouse. He has continued to be exactly who he is and I respect him mightily for that. Oh, and Jimmy Fallon can go die in a fire.
Feel the same way about Letterman … senior year in high school through adulthood he was the man. I still find him extremely funny and a wonderful interviewer. Conan is right there with him!! I wish Ferguson had kept his offbeat, goofy show going longer but he probably got out at the right time.
I have always loved Conan and Craig Ferguson because they are the opposite of the usual fluff hosts.And I agree, Jimmy Fallon is the absolute worst.
I actually enjoyed his stint on The Tonight Show. It paled a bit to Late Night, but when his run was coming to a close, holy hell did it become awesome. He and the writers just decided “F it!” and did the show they wanted to do. I became a solid Team Coco member that year.
I went to a few tapings of Late Night with Conan in New York as well as one of his TBS shows at the Apollo Theater. He would come out after the warm up comedian did his bit and would do as much if not more. He’d be in the audience, bantering with people, posing for pictures.
Frankly this was one of the most entertaining Hot Ones I’ve ever seen. The only eps which even come close were the Peele & Keyes and Tenacious D interviews. I cannot believe Conan had the chutzpah to drink the sauce. I already liked Conan generally—his comedy usually doesn’t make laugh much save for his remotes or the segments he did with Jordan Schlanksy or staff members—but this definitely made me admire him for his commitment to the bit.
I’m genuinely impressed he made it all the way through. I’m even more impressed that he flat-out drank some of the sauces.
You never know who’s going to crush the wings and who’s going to struggle. As I recall, Daniel Radcliffe, with his meek English palate, managed pretty well.
“Curry” is the most popular take out in England which although you can get it mild is traditionally spicy. So although traditional food is not spicy they have of spice in food they have adopted.
You need to know about Vindaloo , the main flavour of which is basically just ‘Pain’. And is actually quite nice .
Anna Kendrick was another one who going in you’d think would be a candidate to not complete the gauntlet, but she powered through and was hardly fazed.
Man, I loved AK’s episode. “Drink the beer, Kevin!”
michael cera also demolished.
To quote Cera himself (from one of the ‘Arrested Development’ audio commentaries), “You have to have a soul to break.”
I feel like the ending there was quintessentially Conan. He’s so, so happy to inflict incredible pain and suffering on himself to get a laugh. He’s gotta do whatever it takes.
I enjoy very hot sauces. My “table” sauce is the penultimate sauce from Hot Ones a season or two ago (Taco Vibes Only). The Last Dab XXXperience is a goddamned nightmare in a bottle and it grows on your palate like nothing I’ve experienced (no pun intended) before. The fact that he was able to speak after taking a slug or eating the slathered wing was a testament to his commitment to the bit. Dude is an unflappable joke machine.
Legit a bit worried about Conan’s health afterwards. It must have been a rough night! I hope he talks about it on the podcast at some point.
He talks about it on a Paley Center interview. He said it was a rough night.
Thanks for letting me know about it – watching it now!
By the end I was less concerned about his stomach and bowels than I was about his face and hands.
Gah, I can’t even watch this because of my dislike for super-hot stuff. Shame, I know I’m missing out on some good segments. But for me it’s like watching someone get their teeth drilled. Gah.
First one of these I’ve watched, and wow this guy is a terrible interviewer. He just completely stepped on and wrecked Conan’s Bea Arthur / dead in 4 years joke. Dude, the punchline wasn’t who he told it to, it’s that his prediction was right.And yeah, I in no way took Conan’s compliment to the interviewer as sincere. Particularly after he’d explained how guests should pretend shit is going great in order to keep the audience engaged.
He’s a pretty well regarded interviewer, and Conan’s comments weren’t a lie.
Lie? No. Joke, yes.You could see Conan’s frustration peek out when the guy talks about Conan committing to the bit. Interviewer couldn’t pick up the framing Conan was going for, even though again he had spelled it out earlier.Is this guy really well regarded? Again, he ruined the Bea Arthur joke.
He’s well regarded by Reddit guys who think reading Wikipedia makes for good questions
I’ve actually tried the hot sauces that Conan drank straight from the bottle in this episode and even as a person who really likes hot sauce I cannot imagine doing that, or how much discomfort he must have been in by the end of this. You can never say that Conan isn’t committed to the bit.
That was an extremely enjoyable watch.
F Leno and Jeff “I boosted Trump” Zucker for the rest of their miserable lives.
Really would love to live in the universe where he kept the Tonight Show, (from NY) and was the host for nearly 2 decades.
I think creatively, it would have stifled him. He’s gone on to do many great things with less restrictions. The “talk show” format of interviewing inane celebrities because they’re popular was old then, is even older now. On the TBS show he had more control over his guests, and could choose people who would actually be funny or interesting to listen to.
Right. (Oh thanks for reminding me F you Zucker. coco is laughing now Magasshole)
A lot of comments are using the same wording, and that’s suss. Like waddled over from a forum suss.
This was great, I haven’t actually watched this before. Watching his eyes and then entire head go bright red at the end…
Shut it down. No guest can come close to topping this for Hot Ones.