What is the one chip challenge? Teen dies after taking part in viral TikTok trend

A 14-year-old student named Harris Wolobah died on September 1 after taking part in the viral “one chip challenge” from TikTok. But what is the challenge and why is it dangerous?

Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old student from Massachusetts, died on Friday, September 1, officials said, following what his family suspects to be from “complications” due to the “one chip challenge”, although results from a post-mortem are pending.

The cause of Harris’ death has not been confirmed, and officials did not share more information about the circumstances around it.

Harris’s mother, Lois Walobah told NBC10 Boston that she was called to the school by a nurse on Friday and that her son had told him a classmate gave him the chip, leaving him with a bad stomach ache.

They went home but later that afternoon his brother yelled that Harris had passed out, she said. Harris was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up by Tashia Roberts, the boy’s cousin, the day after his passing with a goal of $30,000. At the time of writing over $33,000 has already been raised. 

“The pain our family is experiencing is unimaginable. Harris was a light that lit up the room with his presence and subtle charm,” Tashia wrote.

Since the news of Harris’ death was announced, many have warned against people taking part in the viral “one chip challenge” on TikTok and Paqui is even pulling the product from shelves — but what is it exactly?

What is the One Chip Challenge on TikTok?

The “one chip challenge” popular from TikTok involves munching on supposedly one of the spiciest tortilla chips in the world, then bearing the heat for as long as possible before eating or drinking something else for relief.

The challenge has drawn a following across social media, with the ‘#onechipchallenge’ tag boasting over two billion views on TikTok.

Manufactured by Paqui since 2016, the chip is the product of Texas-based Amplify Snack Brands which was acquired by The Hershey Company in 2017.

A new flavor was previously released every year, and the 2023 edition became available August 9 on Amazon before Paqui decided to pull the product. While under ten ingredients are listed, the two that stand out the most are the California Reaper Pepper and Naga Viper Pepper. 

The California Reaper Pepper was officially named the world’s hottest pepper, measuring up to 2.2 Million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) on the Scoville Scale. The Naga Viper Pepper came in just below it at 1,382,118 SHUs.

A warning label reads: ‘Keep out of reach of children. Intended for adult consumption.’ However, since Harris’ death, Paqui has announced they will be pulling the product from shelves after having seen an “increase in teens and other individuals not heeding the warnings on the packaging.”

The company is currently working with retailers and is “offering refunds for any purchases of our single-serve One Chip Challenge product.”