One Chip Challenge Takes Rosemont by Storm

By Rhyle Sullivan

A viral TikTok trend dubbed “The One Chip Challenge” had made its way across campus during the past week, before getting banned. Tons of middle school students have tried the chip, with many more wanting a bite of the spicy snack.
After being released into the crowds by an anonymous daredevil, a notable percentage of the school got hold of the chip. Some reacted strongly after only taking a small bite, while some managed to eat the entire chip without any reaction.
Released by Hershey-owned Paqui, the chip itself costs upwards of 25 dollars, using real Carolina Reaper Peppers, which are over 1,500,000 scovilles. An average jalapeno pepper is only 5,000 scovilles, less than a hundredth of the Carolina Reaper. Due to the extreme heat of this chip, there was an inevitable ban on the chip by administrators at Rosemont. Assistant-Principal Mrs. Park says that, “Students were getting sick. …There is a warning label that this is not meant for kids.” Students who ate an entire chip or most of it were missing class and experiencing nausea.
The One Chip Challenge posed quite a safety issue at the school. One example of this is when a seventh grader who got some of the powder from the chip into his eye. “I ate the whole thing in two bites,” he says. When he accidentally rubbed his eye with some of the chip powder still on it, there were consequences
“I couldn’t open my eyes, and it was burning ten out of ten on a pain scale,” he said. The student also missed part of class, washing out his eye for more than five minutes with water, thankfully, there was no swelling.
He describes the One Chip as smelling strongly like caffeine and tasting awkward and unusual. Another seventh grader who tried the chip said that “It [the chip] wasn’t good in the least… It tasted like rubber.” Multiple others describe the taste of various chemicals within the chip.
Admin agrees that the trend was like a virus, with many trying the chip to “show-off” and prove something, which led more students to follow down that path. It was quickly shut down, ending the ordeal and helping maintain the safety of students at Rosemont Middle School.