How Sean Evans Achieved a Net Worth of $8 Million
In the past, people became famous by releasing music or starring in films. These days, the Internet is increasingly becoming a platform for people to earn money and become famous. One platform that people use is YouTube, and there are lots of people who have become rich from their YouTube channels. Just one of the many people making a living in this way is Sean Evans, who is famous for his ‘Hot Ones’ series on YouTube. It is now estimated that he is worth $8 million, and here is how he became so rich.
Beginning His Career
According to Wikipedia, Sean Evans was born in Evanston, Illinois, on April 26, 1986. He stayed close to his roots when he went to university, as he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At the beginning of his career, he worked as a copywriter for the Chicago tourism board, says Cheat Sheet.
However, what he really wanted to do was to act as an interviewer in front of the camera. He wanted to make people laugh, and his inspiration was Letterman, as he would watch these shows with his dad on Saturday nights.
Evans then began working in a freelance capacity for Complex Magazine, which is based in New Orleans. His role involved interviewing celebrities for the magazine and then posting the interviews on the magazine’s YouTube channel. During his time working as a freelancer for the magazine, Evan interviewed celebrities including Steph Curry and 2 Chainz.
Due to the success and popularity of these interviews, Complex magazine offered Evans a full-time job in New York. Evans was quick to take them up on the job offer, and this marked the official start of his career with Complex.
Hot Ones
Sean Evans’ main role with Complex is presenting the YouTube series ‘Hot Ones’. This series was inspired by ‘Popworld’, which is an interview show starring Alexa Chung. ‘Hot Ones was created by Christopher Schonberger, who also founded ‘First We Feast’.
The first episode of the series was aired on YouTube on March 12, 2015. Since then, there have been 183 episodes across 11 seasons. The format of the show is simple. Evans interviews a celebrity while they are eating chicken wings. Evans and his guests have 10 chicken wings each.
The wings are progressively spicier, so some celebrities find it difficult to continue eating or even to answer the questions. Others have no trouble plowing their way through a plate of hot food. Vegan celebrities get a plant-based alternative with an equal level of spice.
That First Chicken Wing was Memorable
The first chicken wing eaten by Evans and the celebrity guest has a mild spice, such as Sriracha. This has a Scoville rating of approximately 2,200. These get spicier until the final wing which has a spice that was created especially for the show. This is called The Last Dab, and it has a Scoville rating of more than two million.
Evans asks his guests another question after they have finished eating a wing. Most guests find it increasingly difficult to answer as their mouths are burning. All guests have the chance to promote their ongoing or upcoming projects while taking part in the interview and eating challenge. However, those who do not complete the challenge and do not eat all 10 chicken wings are added to the Hall of Shame.
A Long List of A-List Celebrities
Sean Evans is clearly very experienced at eating spicy food as this is something that he does for every episode of the ‘Hot Ones’ series. However, he says that he has always eaten spicy food and began to build up his tolerance while he was still a child.
While interviewing, he has eaten the Carolina Reaper, which currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the hottest pepper. There have been many high-profile celebrities taking part in interviews on ‘Hot Ones’. Just some of the celebrities interviewed by Sean Evans include Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsay, Charlize Theron, Shaquille O’Neal, Paul Rudd, and Scarlett Johansson. How many viewers each episode attracts depends on the celebrity, but the figures run into millions.
Hot Ones: The Game Show
The success of ‘Hot Ones’, inspired a spin-off show called ‘Hot Ones: The Game Show’, This premiered on truTV on February 18, 2020. Just like in the YouTube series, the show is hosted by Sean Evans. Two pairs of contestants appear on each episode, and they have the chance to win up to $25,000.
There are three rounds in the main game, which involves the contestants eating increasingly hot chicken wings. The contestants are given buckets in which they can vomit, if necessary. Just like in the YouTube series, the contestants must answer questions while eating the wings.
Unlike in the celebrity interviews, the questions are based on general knowledge topics. Their answers are worth more as the rounds progress. The contestants are given no water or milk to drink during the show.
Sean Evans’ Net Worth
According to The Wealth Record, Sean Evans now has an estimated net worth of $40 million. He has made this money almost solely through his work as a presenter and producer of ‘Hot Ones’. This means that he has become rich due to being paid to eat spicy chicken wings while interviewing celebrities.
Most recently, he has also earned money from presenting ‘Hot Ones: The Game Show’. This has given him the opportunity to continue to increase his net worth. The success of this show will impact on his potential earnings in the coming years. However, due to the continued popularity of the YouTube series, it is probable that his net worth will continue to increase.
Sean Evans’ Personal Life
Evans prefers to keep his personal life private, so little is known about his life beyond work, such as his relationships or hobbies. However, it is known that he has a younger brother called Gavin.
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Written by Allen Lee
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