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It Burns
- The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chilli, An Audible Original
- Narrated by: Marc Fennell
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
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It Burns
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Summary
Winner of the Silver Narrative/Documentary Podcast Trophy at the 2020 New York Festivals Radio Awards
Nominated for the 2019 Rose D’Or award for Audio Entertainment
Please note: contains mature themes and graphic imagery.
Written and hosted by Marc Fennell, It Burns is the story of a 10-year scandal-plagued international competition that will take listeners from the Australian Coast to South Carolina (via an Indian Research Facility).
It’s a war filled with larger than life characters. There will be sledging, accusations of cheating, theft and performance enhancing drugs. And allegations that Australia was cheated out of a Guinness World Record. In the process of charting the scandal-plagued race to breed the world’s hottest chilli, the audio documentary lifts the lid on the subculture of ‘Chilli-heads’, hardcore chilli fans spread across the globe who compete in chilli eating and breeding competitions.
The internet is filled with videos of grown men being reduced to tears by a square millimetre of chilli. The docu-series asks: what motivates someone to breed and eat a demonic nugget that is so hot it no longer has flavour? At what point does this stop being cuisine and start being an endurance sport?
This humorous series shows that all this has never really been about chilli. It’s been about how people use pain to shape themselves, define themselves and make themselves feel alive.
Critic reviews
"It’s so full of weird twists and turns that I binged the entire five episodes in one go during a road trip." (PedestrianTV)
"A mental image isn’t hard to conjure when your headphones swell with the frantic splutters and gags of chilli eaters in pain, or the guttural aftermath of Youtuber Ted Barrus’s infamous Carolina Reaper chilli “bong rip”. Heed Fennell’s warning in episode one: “You might want to think twice about eating while listening.” (Broadsheet)
What listeners say about It Burns
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr Tony Cordon
- 20-03-20
Absolutely brilliant
Brilliantly wacky, weird and wonderful. Listeners digression is advised as it is very saucy, but utterly entertaining.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 20-11-19
better than I thought it would be
brilliant narrator, interesting interviews and funny stories. A must listen if you like hot sauce
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr Reynolds
- 22-08-23
Unreal
What a crazy world... Couldn't stop listening until the very end. Great storytelling of the hunt for the world's hottest chilli and the characters that surround it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Derek Johns
- 07-08-20
A fun listen, unexpected adult content.
Well worth a listen. Made me think. Enjoyed whole series while painting my living room.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kitty Primrose
- 23-08-20
Fascinating!
I truly enjoyed this. The eating of chillies will never be the same! Who knew!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Susanne Kirwan
- 22-08-19
Unexpected at every turn. an excellent piece!
Excellent blending of a good story, some facts and a truly creative narrative. I listened to it on a whim and was enthralled.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Alicia Weston
- 05-04-20
The psychology of pain
This is less about chilies than people who are trying to numb one pain with another. Quite interesting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ericod
- 03-05-20
Marc Fennell is class !
I really enjoyed this unexpected gem. A story very well told and produced. good listen
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 09-12-19
I dare you to listen
A fascinating adventure into one of the worlds most potent ingredients. Brilliantly presented and at times too hot to hear.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Jan-Hendrik
- 17-05-20
Very weird, but entertaining and interesting
Accompany the author on his quest through the weirdly ego-driven world of the chiliheads. As with all true stories some topics are touched and not resolved but such is life. In the end a touching insight into a strange world.
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