The One Chip Challenge: Another one of those teenage activities.

Amongst teenagers, eating spicy chips for enjoyment isn’t a crazy thing, but this chip takes a crazy turn in the spicy department. The One Chip Challenge debuted originally in 2016, being a viral trend on YouTube. This challenge’s whole goal is to be able to consume the entirety of carolina reaper- and scorpion pepper-laced chili and go as long as possible without drinking water. However, most people are not even able to eat beyond one bite of the chip.

Elkhart High School junior Yadhira Diaz Miranda is one of many who partook in this challenge recently here at school. “I had heard about this challenge from TikTok,” she begins. “I didn’t realize how bad it would be, though!” Cringing at the memory, she adds, “I thought it would only be a bit hotter than a normal spicy chip would normally be.” She was wrong.

Diaz Miranda isn’t the only the only one who hadn’t realize just how bad the One Chip Challenge could burn. The longer the challenge is progressing, the more students are being hospitalized. Less than a week ago, three Californian students were hospitalized from ingesting too much of the single chip. The audience for this challenge is reaching an all-time high with 475 million views on TikTok for the hashtags, “OneChipChallange.” As a result, more and more students are partaking in what seemed originally to be a harmless challenge. 

Some have even been brave to ingest the entirety of the chip, while others can’t even make it through one bite. “When I ate it I didn’t even feel a thing at first,” Diaz Miranda states. “Then a hint of spice kicked in a few seconds in. My tongue started to burn up,” she recalls, “but that wasn’t even the worst part!” Unlike some others, she had not ingested the whole chip, but the consequences were still severe. “My friend and I had to run to the bathroom because of how bad it was.” 

With only taking in a small amount of the chip, Diaz Miranda still found herself suffering long after the bite. “I thought I would feel better soon, but it took 40 minutes for me to even feel a bit normal.”

Now knowing just how dangerous this chip can be, many are looking to see what people will do about stopping this–and most importantly what schools will do about it. Elkhart Community Schools has yet to put any information out about how they will regard the situation. However, other states and school districts are even taking it upon themselves to ban the One Chip Challenge completely on school property. Huerfano School District in Colorado is just one example many banning the challenge. 

One chip could be just one thing to take someone to the hospital.