In Sean Evans’ view, if Hot Ones was just about generating viral clips of celebs eating hot wings from hell, the show would have lost its appeal a while ago. Why it’s lasted for 24 seasons, he says, is the meaningful conversations that go hand-in-hand with the eating, a format inspired by classic shows like Late Night With David Letterman and The Conan O’Brien Show.
Those shows were also Primetime Emmy winners, which is now in the realm of possibility for Evans, whose YouTube show is finally eligible for contention for a coveted trophy (for outstanding talk show), along with Rhett and Link’s Good Mythical Morning (for outstanding shortform comedy, drama or variety series); the two shows were allowed to compete shortly after YouTube CEO Neal Mohan wrote an impassioned op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter making the case for their inclusion.
“I’m a traditionalist. I grew up on Letterman and Conan and Jimmy and those kinds of shows. To compete against those institutions, I think would be the most important distinction we’ve ever had,” Evans said in a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter co-editor-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody.
Rhett and Link, who also joined Evans and Moody for the FYC conversation, agreed.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the conversation with, like Sean said, names that we respect and that we compare ourselves to in terms of the level that we want to be at and the experience we want to give to our audience,” Link said.
Watch the entire conversation below.
