The Nampa Farmers Market has been around for more than 30 years and for the second time they hosted a hot pepper eating contest.
16 brave contestants attempted to eat 20 peppers with each pepper increasing in heat and the signature theme to this contest was suffering.
"Extreme pain," said Bob Wagner the master of ceremonies for the event. "We started off with a jalapeño pepper and that has 2,800 to 8,000 Scoville units and we ended up with a primotalii which is hotter than the Carolina reaper and that is estimated at 2.2 million to 2.5 Scoville units."
Two years ago Toby Waters won the competition, he was back and after five contestants ate every pepper there was a tiebreaker to see who could eat five primotalii peppers the fastest, Waters defended his crown by eating all five in eleven seconds.
"It feels the same as it did last time I suppose," said Waters. "I just came to reclaim my crown and get my 300 dollars."
Waters received $300, Joshua Ast finished second and won $200 and in third place was Arthur Nephew who won $100.
We mic'd up Nephew and followed his journey through the competition as his family cheered him on.
"He did amazing he really did," said Carmina Nephew, Arthur's wife. "I didn’t think he was going to go that far, I mean he loves hot sauce anyways, but this was nuts.”
Dozens of spectators gathered around to watch the carnage as the contestants started dropping one by one as the peppers got hotter.
"I think it was a resounding success we had a huge crowd and it is just a fun thing we love to do every year," said Wagner.
The Nampa Farmers Market will continue to be open to the public every Saturday until October 30.
