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Have you watched “Hot One” before?

Durwin Ho
3 min readMar 13, 2025

BuzzFeed just sold one of its hottest properties, and it’s not their Pulitzer-winning newsroom or viral listicles about the best cat memes.

No, they cashed in on a YouTube show where celebrities sweat profusely while gnawing on spicy chicken wings.

First We Feast, the brand behind the wildly popular “Hot Ones,” went for $82.5 million in cold, hard cash.

The buyers included George Soros’ investment firm, the podcast powerhouse Crooked Media, and YouTube duo Rhett and Link.

The deal feels like the ultimate mash-up of financial muscle and Internet cool kids, proving once again that niche is the new mainstream.

For those unfamiliar with “Hot Ones” — first, where have you been? — the premise is delightfully simple.

Celebrities sit down to answer increasingly intense questions while consuming wings coated in sauces that could power a rocket launch.

Over the years, everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Shaq has sweated, cried, and sometimes tapped out in front of host Sean Evans, who somehow remains unphased.

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Durwin Ho
Durwin Ho

Written by Durwin Ho

CEO of StartupX | Web3.0, Crypto, DeFi, NFT Enthusiast |HyperX Sustainability Hackcelerator | Startup Weekend Singapore.

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