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Shahina Waseem is a world champion competitive chilli eater from Uxbridge, Middlesex. As at November 2023, she had an unbeaten streak consisting of 97 consecutive wins in chilli eating competitions in the UK, USA and Belgium. She ranks second in the Official League of Fire (LOF) world ranking, which recognises “the best of the best chilli heads on the planet”.

Personal life

Waseem’s parents moved to the UK from Pakistan before she was born. She studied mechanical engineering with aeronautics at Brunel University London. After graduating in 2004 she started a property letting company.

Competitive chilli eating

Waseem’s first competitive chilli eating competition was in 2012 at the Kingston Food Festival. Her favourite pepper is the Thai Bird's eye chili. Of competitive chilli eating she said, “it’s a form of extreme competitive sport which is not affected by age or gender.”

After her third win, in 2015, she described the experience of competing as ““the pain from my lips, mouth and throat being on fire, ear drums feeling like they were about to explode, face muscles twitching involuntarily, hands shaking uncontrollably, shivers, chills and shakes and violent body tremors... followed by muscle spasms and cramps and heartburn.”

In 2019 she competed against, and beat, US champion, Johnny Scoville in Guildford, UK. She then flew to America and competed against, and beat, Dustin “Atomik Menace” Johnson. In order to raise the funds for the trip she ate 105 Carolina Reapers in one sitting; the only woman to have ever done this.

Of the 71 competitions she had entered by 2021 she had “failed to throw up afterward about 11 times, which means you get the dreaded cap cramps: gastric distress caused by capsaicin in the GI tract.”

In 2021 she was the world record holder for the most consecutive wins at chilli-eating competitions with 81 consecutive wins. The person ranked second behind her at that point had 8.

Other chilli-related activities

Waseem features on the labels of two bottles of chilli sauce made by The Chilli Project: Killer Queen Chug Challenge and Killer Queen 2 Chug Challenge. In 2022 she partnered with GymBox to create a chilli-based workout system based around capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilli, and its ability to increase body temperature and oxygen consumption. She hosts chilli eating competitions, including the World Halal Food Festival at the London Stadium in September 2023.

TV and book appearances

• Food: Truth or Scare (BBC One) Series 5, episode 3. Aired 22 July 2020
• Game of Talents (ITV) Series 1, episode 2 where she took on DJ Jordan North in a chilli eating competition
• Good Morning Britain (ITV) July 2019

In 2021 Waseem was interviewed for two books:

• Cowart, Leigh (2021). Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose. London, UK: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1541798038.
• Mahmood-Ahmed, Saliha (2021). Foodology: A Food Lover’s Guide to Digestive Health and Happiness. London, UK: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1529319828.

External links

• League of Fire website

References

1. Tim Dowling. "The shocking, stupendous rise of superhot chillies: 'The stomach cramps can last for 14 hours'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
2. "Shaheena 'UK Chilli Queen' Waseem". leagueoffire.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
3. "Turn up the heat". Foodies Festival Magazine. London, UK: Foodies Festival. 2023-08-22. p. 19.
4. "The official League of Fire world champions". leagueoffire.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
5. "Chilli eating champion makes TV appearance". Brunel Link - Alumni Magazine. Uxbridge, UK: Brunel University. 2020. p. 8.
6. "Shaheena 'UK Chilli Queen' Waseem". leagueoffire.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
7. Sam Hatherley (2021-05-26). "Shahina Waseem at Winchester Foodies Festival". hampshirechronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
8. Katherine Clementine (2014-05-29). "Uxbridge "Chilli Queen" wins third eating contest". mylondon.news. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
9. Kate Robertson (2021-04-01). "It smelled like pain and regret: inside the world of competitive hot chilli eaters". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
10. Emma Spicer. "Lee is Portmouth's chilli champion". medium.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
11. Tim Dowling. "The shocking, stupendous rise of superhot chillies: 'The stomach cramps can last for 14 hours'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
12. Leigh Cowart (2021-12-20). "What would possess someone to eat a Carolina Reaper pepper? This writer tried to find out". popsci.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
13. Grace Harbage (2021-08-31). "The world of chilli eating competitions". swlondoner.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
14. Erin Lyons (2017-08-27). "HEATWAVE: Chilli festival returns - and chilli-eating challenge winner crowned". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
15. Chris Roberts (2018-10-30). "Chipping Campden Chilli Eating Competition to raise Cotswold Olimpicks funds". cotswoldjournal.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
16. Kate Robertson (2021-04-01). "It smelled like pain and regret: inside the world of competitive hot chilli eaters". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
17. Nikki Preston (2019-10-21). "Waikato man Justin Rummel world's second best chilli eating champ". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
18. "HEATWAVE: Killer Queen 2 Chug Challenge". firedragonchillies.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
19. Natasha Colyer (2022-09-05). "Get your "hottest" bod yet with GymBox chilli themed workout class". seeninthecity.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
20. John Baker (2023-09-23). "UK Chilli Queen reigns supreme at Westbury Chilli Festival". wiltshiretimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
21. "What's on at the World Halal Food Festival 2023?". worldhalalfoodfestival.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
22. "One: Food Truth or Scare". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
23. Grace Harbage (2021-08-31). "The world of chilli eating competitions". swlondoner.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
24. Adam Starkey (2019-07-30). "Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway left gasping after eating new Armageddon chilli live on air". metro.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-08.

• 1979 births
• Living people
• Competitive eaters
• English competitive eaters
• Alumni of Brunel University London
• People from Uxbridge