Chilli competitors set to face the heat at Ashburton Show
Ashburton’s chilli lovers should prepare for a serious test of their taste buds when the Great Ashvegas Chilli Eating Competition returns to the Ashburton A&P Show.
The competition, which proved a crowd favourite at last year’s show, will return for its second year at 11am on Saturday, October 31, with $500 on the line for the winner.
A further $100 is available to the runner-up, while third place will receive a competition box containing 10 SpicyBoys hot sauces.
Hot sauce aficionado Jay Madgwick-Pamment will once again be at the helm of the fiery contest, having hosted the inaugural competition last year.
The owner of Christchurch-based hot sauce company SpicyBoys, Madgwick-Pamment is no stranger to the world of extreme chilli eating.
SpicyBoys runs the annual Southern Spice Chilli Eating Competition in Christchurch, and after hosting the inaugural Ashburton event last year, he’s looking forward to bringing the “horrible” challenge back again.
“The show was awesome last year. There were definitely a few hundred people just in the audience watching us. We destroyed a lot of people down in Ashburton,” he laughed.
The competition begins with home-grown jalapeños before the heat steadily ramps up, eventually reaching the notorious Carolina Reaper.
“That’s a killer,” Madgwick-Pamment said. “It’s in the name!
“We start with your typical jalapeños, and we slowly get up to that Carolina Reaper level of spice. It’s pretty hot up there.”
But competitors shouldn’t expect the same chillies every year, with SpicyBoys also sourcing unusual varieties from growers around the country.
“We get some new, freak varieties every now and then from some growers around New Zealand, so always something new,” he said.
While the competitors are the ones putting their stomachs on the line, Madgwick-Pamment said the spectacle is an important part of the event.
“It’s always a highlight at an event. The determination of the competitors and the atmosphere created by the crowd make it a real experience.
“I always get very nervous that they’re going to eat all my chillies,” he laughed.
Madgwick-Pamment is the MC of the competitions, giving him a front-row seat to the action.
“I always view it as all the competitors against me, rather than them competing against each other. And I don’t like to lose!”
Competition organiser and A&P committee member Carmen Lye said last year’s event had provided plenty of entertainment for the crowd.
“Our first ever chilli competition last year was a huge success. It was great entertainment, and it really sorted out the serious chilli eaters after about the fifth round.”
Lye encouraged anyone confident enough to try to get their name down early.
“If you think you have what it takes, get in and start building up your tolerance now.”
There are only 30 places available, and competitors must be aged 18 or over.
Entry costs $40 and includes full-day admission to the Ashburton A&P Show.
But for those not brave enough to take part, the competition still offers a ringside view of competitors battling the Carolina Reaper.
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