Pavilion wing challenge is more hot than you can handle

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Visual Editor

You don’t have to drive 60 miles to burn your face off anymore. The Pavilion Bar and Grill in Brookings offers a new challenge to wing connoisseurs looking for the hottest of the hot.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Sioux Falls has been known to tout the hottest wings around, but the Pavilion’s ghost-chili infused wings gives B-Dubs a run for their money.

The challenge sounds simple enough: eat a dozen wings in five minutes or less. However, there are a few twists to make this challenge a bit hotter.

You are not allowed to clean your hands or face during the challenge or for five minutes after its completion. Challengers get a glass of milk, but they are not allowed to drink it until after the five minutes post-eating.

The Collegian decided to take on this challenge.

We recruited the spicy-palate of Tony Reiss, Super Student and Marketing and Branding Director for The Collegian, who was eager to give it a shot.

The challenge started smoothly, and the first wing was down in under one minute. Simple math indicates he would not make the time limit, but this “logic” was not going to slow him down. After the third wing (4 minutes, 35 seconds in) it was obvious that he had failed.

“It’s not the heat,” Reiss said. “The flavor is awesome but there is simply too much wing to eat 12 of them in five minutes.”

After the challenge was botched, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. The aroma alone was enough to clear the sinuses. After two, the heat settled in and the tingling and numbness started.

Weston Holm is a server at the Pavilion and one of the few to complete the challenge.

“The first week we had the challenge, three people completed it,” Holm said. “The cook that prepares the wings made them hotter to make the challenge more intense.”

Holm said that only five people have completed the challenge, which started about two months ago as a promotion for their “all you can eat wing Wednesdays.” Now you can take the challenge any day of the week.

People who complete the challenge are rewarded with a complimentary T-shirt and complete bragging rights.

Head over to the Pavilion Bar and Grill today to see if you can handle the heat.