Streamer to produce own version of viral show, marking latest YouTube IP to move to platform
Netflix has greenlit another YouTube-originated series with a US spin-off based on the Hot Ones interview format.
The show sees celebrities being interviewed while eating spicy hot wings and was created in 2015 by Chris Schonberger from US-based First We Feast, which former owner BuzzFeed sold to investors for $82.5m last year.
Netflix has now ordered Hot Ones: Extra Heat, which will bring the interview format to viewers via the YouTube version’s host, Sean Evans.
He will travel to settings “inspired by major moments on Netflix”, the streamer said, “be it live sports events or a premiere, in a series of 30-minute specials.”
Celebrities lined up to take part include Will Ferrell, Fortune Feimster and Jimmy Tatro (The Hawk), with additional specials set to be announced at a later date.
Evans, Chris Schonberger, Sarah Honda, Aaron Cooke, and K.P. Anderson are executive producers, with production by Digital Cinema Collective.
The Netflix deal does not affect Evans’ YouTube series, with new episodes in the works.
“As a student of the late-night genre, I’m obsessed with the art of the interview, and believe that these conversations warrant a level of scale and spectacle that sometimes can’t be contained by a studio,” said Evans.
“It’s exciting to partner with Netflix to continue to break new ground with the format while keeping the core of what fans love about Hot Ones firmly intact.”
Hot Ones has already spawned international versions, with a German version launched following a deal with Keshet International’s Tresor Productions and Endgame Entertainment. It launched exclusively on YouTube last July, with Uber Eats supporting production.
The original US show is now nearing 400 episodes that have been watched almost 3 billions times collectively worldwide. Celebs to have featured range from Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lawrence to Billie Eilish and Shaquille O’Neal.
Netflix has been finding increasing opportunities with talents that first appeared on YouTube, bringing talents such as The Sidemen, Ms Rachel and Mark Rober to the streamer.
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