You know that moment when you realize civilization might have peaked at “salt, oil, and potato”? That’s where we begin this bonus episode. Pete, Tommy, and returning culinary chaos agent Mandy Kaplan gather around a table piled high with some of the strangest snack inventions ever unleashed on the palate—because if adulthood is about making terrible decisions and pretending they’re research, then this is a dissertation.
Armed with a scientific scoring system that rates flavor accuracy, emotional resonance, and the elusive chaos factor, the trio wade bravely into the salty abyss: Late Night Loaded Taco Doritos, Dill Pickle Lays, Flamin’ Hot Limón Cheetos, Hot Ones Verde Pringles, Pizza Pringles, Special Sauce Kettle Chips, and a truly cursed bag of Stranger Things “Cool Ranch Collisions.”
Along the way, Pete delivers a history lesson revealing that the potato chip was invented out of spite (because of course it was), Tommy questions every life choice that brought him to this recording, and Mandy achieves spiritual awakening through protein chips. Together they confront the unspoken truth of snack evolution: we’ve weaponized flavor.
This is an episode about chips, sure—but it’s also about curiosity, regret, and the very adult ability to know better and eat it anyway. So grab a bag, loosen your moral compass, and join us as we discover which chip truly embodies the modern condition: chaotic, over-flavored, and proud of it.
