Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal Team Up While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones

Summary

John Bernthal and Tom Holland return to Hot Ones together, sparking an episode that blends an intense spice challenge with unexpectedly compelling “working chemistry” storytelling. After a quick intro that references their past collaboration on the medieval thriller Pilgrimage and teases upcoming projects—Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Nolan’s The Odyssey—they settle into a competitive-but-caring mindset, repeatedly insisting they’ve “got each other’s backs,” even while predicting chaos.

Highlights & key moments

• Fast plunge into pain (and denial) Their spice banter begins playfully (“no small bites”) before quickly escalating into watery eyes, coughing, and shock at how rapidly the heat intensifies.

• Tom’s “unconscious competence” interruption During the heat, Tom discusses learning until a skill becomes automatic. The group jokes that as the spice ramps up, the “unconscious competence” moment vanishes—turning the acting concept into an absurd “brain shutdown” comedy beat.

• Surreal Odyssey set story (Nolan’s scale in real time) Tom recalls visiting the Morocco set and feeling like there was no crew in sight—just massive scale: dunes, soldiers, and ships far off—until he finally located where Nolan’s team actually was. He compares it to the mythic ambition of old Hollywood epics.

• Method-actor chemistry anecdote (Bernthal’s early intensity) Tom shares a story from when they first worked together. Bernthal wanted to fully commit to method acting and stay silent for two weeks. His intensity was so extreme it even affected ordering at restaurants—once leading to a miscommunication where “lemon” was delivered incorrectly (lemon ended up dropped into his drink). Bernthal reportedly snapped back, “I’m talking again.”

• Hot Ones superlatives game: Odyssey vs Spider-Man: Brand New Day They answer comedically across categories:

  • More intimidating first day: Odyssey
  • Longer hours: Odyssey
  • Better accommodations/trailers: Spider-Man
  • More intense prosthetics/costumes: they land on Spider-Man, while praising the craftsmanship of both productions.

• Spice “milestone” drama They hit multiple named sauces—including ones with “dragons” and tropical amaro—and the episode keeps escalating past moments where one of them thinks they’re “past it,” only for the heat to jump again.

• Audience-spiced childhood/vocation stories under pressure

  • Bernthal recalls his first major acting breakthrough: crying in class over a catcher mitt his mom gave him on her deathbed. The teacher believed in him because of the intensity and helped set his path.
  • The interview also touches theater superstition/rituals—ghost light, “don’t tempt anything,” and avoiding saying certain Shakespeare names—while the spice makes Tom’s reactions particularly chaotic.

• Baseball/catcher deep dive Bernthal explains the mental and physical responsibility of being a catcher—“field general” duties like calling pitches/positions, reading batters, and managing psychological pressure—then everyone humorously relates it to his intense screen presence.

• Final wing peak The last wing hits hard enough that Tom jokes he might throw up. The duo repeatedly checks in (“is it worse than the bomb?”) and celebrates getting through the “wings of death.”

• Earned emotional close Still clearly affected by the spice, they end by praising each other. Tom, in particular, highlights Bernthal’s family/work ethic and mentorship across his early career and beyond—framing it as gratitude for “leaping of faith” and shared growth.

Notable jokes / reactions

• Frequent jokes about milk/ice cream “resetting” the pain—only for the heat to return immediately.
• Bernthal’s storytelling intensity shows up in humor too (especially the method-silence ordering story), contrasting with Holland’s quicker comedic asides.
• The hosts’ “aggressive bites” energy meets the actors’ “we’re fine” confidence, resulting in constant comedic overconfidence before inevitable coughing and watery-eyed reactions.

Personalities appearing

• Sean Evans (host, First We Feast / Hot Ones)
• John Bernthal
• Tom Holland