Alexandria and Michael Morgan, a husband-and-wife team from Missouri, have an extreme passion for spicy food, which has garnered them significant notoriety in the spicy community.
They have set world records for League Of Fire, a website dedicated to spicy challenges, pepper-eating contests, challenger rankings, and much more.
In early 2023, they launched a YouTube channel titled Never Better Club, where they could showcase their love of hot foods. Their first YouTube video was titled "Paqui One Chip Challenge 2022 - #onechipchallenge."
In the almost nine-minute video, Alexandria and Michael attempt to take down the Paqui One Chip Challenge 2022 edition, an extremely spicy tortilla chip that has dominated in the spicy challenge world.
After reading the disclaimers included with the challenge, they dive right in and consume their respective chips, officially boarding the spice train. Watch below to see how they did!
Following the One Chip Challenge, the pair consistently uploaded their experiences with the world's hottest food challenges. Their enthusiasm, impressive spice tolerance, and atmospheric background added to the production quality of the videos, gaining them more views and subscribers along the way.
Alexandria and Michael would take their spicy expedition even further in the spring of 2023, when they began attempting challenges live on their channel.
The pair interacts with their audience while eating increasingly spicier foods and providing overall entertainment. Additionally, they feature guests that take on challenges in a separate live stream.
Alexandria has taken on many of these real-time challenges solo, where she greets the audience and answers questions as she explains each challenge.
In this previous live video, Alexandria attempts to take down three Carolina Reaper peppers, the former world's hottest pepper, which was surpassed by Pepper X in 2023.
An average Carolina Reaper pepper clocks in at anywhere from 1.6 million SHU (Scoville Heat Units) to over 2 million. Consuming even one is no small feat, but Alexandria dares to push her limits.
Recently, Alexandria became the first woman in the world to win the World Community Chili Championship and the highest point-earning individual in any season on record for League Of Fire.
These amazing feats have secured her place in history, and she has accomplished it with passion and grace.
At Food Challenge News, we love covering spicy challenges and showing a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into them. We caught up with Alexandria to chat about her recent championship victory, spicy challenges, pepper-eating contests, and more!
It's about to get spicy!
FCN: Where did you grow up, and how did you begin your spicy journey?
Alexandria: I grew up in Winter Haven, Florida, and at the time, it was a pretty small town. My earliest memories of spice come from my dad growing Jalapeños and banana peppers in our garden. I loved banana pepper sandwiches as a little girl and I thought it was magical watching the plants start from seed and produce fruit.
I don’t consider this the beginning of my spicy journey, however. I went my whole life only occasionally having spicy snacks here and there. Sometimes I would eat a few Tabasco Cheez-Its and have traditional Thai or Indian food.
That was the extent of it, until I met Michael. He has been a “Chilihead” his whole life. He used to take me on dates where he would conquer challenges with whole Carolina Reapers, spicy wings, and ramen. I would always watch and support him, but I never would dream of eating the foods he did.
Fast-forward to the end of 2022: I entered my first 9-million-SHU (Scoville Heat Unit) wing challenge with Michael. He defeated it; I did not. I knew I wanted more. We went online looking for more opportunities and found the League Of Fire. I did my first challenge, the Paqui One Chip '22, and I was hooked.
FCN: When did you and Michael meet and discover you both had a passion for spicy foods?
Alexandria: This is mostly answered in the previous question and I’m sure most people who don’t know me think I’ve been a lifelong chilihead. Michael is completely responsible for my excitement over the world of hot sauce and spicy challenges. It has turned into part of who I am. A lifelong obsession!
We met in person for the first time in Orlando, Florida, where I traveled for work. I used to watch him cover his food in super hot sauces when he took me on dates. I thought he was mad. I didn’t realize I would be the same way at a later point.
FCN: Can you walk us through the origins of Never Better Club and its evolution over time?
Alexandria: Never Better Club began out of necessity, a YouTube channel to document our spicy challenge and chili-eating journey. NBC has turned into a lifestyle brand. People know when they put on the Never Better Club shirt, it’s go time. We burn hard and take home wins.
If you’re wearing the tiki skull at a festival or event, people know what kind of chilihead you are. I love that I am able to share the passion of NBC with the world.
We are active donors to Feeding America and Harvest912. We hope that Never Better Club continues to grow in size and remain the same at the core for decades to come.
FCN: You have competed in several pepper-eating contests. How do you prepare for them, and how do you feel once they are over?
Alexandria: I love and hate pepper-eating competitions. I love the festivals, but the competitions are stressful and unpredictable. I prepare by going into the event with the highest tolerance to capsaicin I can reach, and then eating a solid meal consisting of protein, fat, and carbs about one and a half hours before.
When the competition is over, I feel relieved. I have not fully unlocked my potential as a pepper eater yet, and I am considering focusing solely on that in the upcoming years. This year was the year of “spicy challenges” for me, so that was my core focus. When I give something my full focus, I win.
FCN: Can you share a moment when a spicy challenge or contest went wrong? How did you handle it?
Alexandria: The last pepper-eating competition I was in was brutal. It was the Americas Belt Match in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was a very hot day and the competition was running late. We were encouraged to “not over prep” and I took that statement far too literally. If you are reading this, NEVER change your prep for competitive eating comps.
Fast-forward, I took a shot of extreme sauce on stage, ate another round of peppers, and I realized my stomach was empty. I tapped out and immediately began seizing up with capsaicin cramps. I was dehydrated and ended up laying on the floor of a pavilion covered in sweat. I threw up six times. It was a miserable match for me, so I’m not eager to do that again soon.
Concerning challenges, the third challenge I ever tried was the Tube of Terror. I looked at it and said, “It’s just peanuts, I don’t have to eat that much before.”
I finished the challenge, drank some milk, and went on to have 12 hours of cramps. The most brutal of my life. It was like childbirth. I kept it all down and did not throw up. I just dry heaved covered in sweat all night. I remember praying to God to make the pain go away. I woke up the next day and vowed to never do another challenge again. Four days later I changed my mind and decided to shake off the bad experience. I’m glad I did.
FCN: What are three non-spicy treats you enjoy when taking a break from challenges?
Alexandria: Omg I love this question! The truth is, I don’t really take breaks from challenges. If you don’t see me posting YouTube videos, it’s because I’m burning in private with more underground groups like Capsaicin Crew (Black Hat Gang).
I do like non-spicy snacks after doing an extreme challenge, especially while I’m watching TV at nighttime. I would say mixed gourmet olives with funky cheese. Mochi is a favorite treat. I’m pretty hooked on that right now. The only other thing that I can think of is lobster or crab. Any raw seafood too. When Michael takes me out to St. Louis on special occasions, that’s all I want.
FCN: In February, Never Better Club launched Firehub. Could you explain what it is? What inspired the creation of it?
Alexandria: Firehub is a social experience for anyone, anywhere in the world, who loves spicy foods. You can check in any spicy product from anywhere and keep track of your journey as a chilihead or share new products with friends.
Firehub was my vision early on. I noticed the challenge world was very focused on purchasing designated products and eating those alone. But what about people with lower tolerance? What about those who want to be part of the community, but only have fresh peppers that they grew in their garden? Or what if you just use hot sauce occasionally on your lunch?
Firehub is for everyone: charity organizations, pepper growers, sauce makers, challengers, and anyone who loves spicy products is welcome on Firehub. Our app will be in the iOS and Android stores soon!
FCN: You recently became the first woman to win the World Community Chili Championship (WCCC) and are the highest point earner in any season on record for League Of Fire.
Could you explain what these achievements mean to you personally and how hard you have worked to reach this point in your spicy career?
Alexandria: It means the absolute world to me. I pushed this hard to win not for glory or to impress anyone, but to prove that I could to myself. This achievement is something that no one can take from me. It is part of history and I pushed myself this season beyond what I think most challengers thought was possible. Every single day I sacrificed time and most days I cramped. I missed out on events. I spent a lot of money on travel and products. I trained to the point of complete exhaustion, but I did it.
I hope I can serve as inspiration for people who think they can’t do something. Anything. A year ago I would have never thought this was possible. My tolerance was much lower than where it is now. You absolutely can achieve whatever you are working towards. Will it be painful? Perhaps. But I promise whatever you are working towards will be worth it when you reach that goal. Be optimistic. Be positive. Lift up those around you. Most importantly, never give up.
FCN: Do you have any upcoming challenges or projects you would like to share?
Alexandria: I am a deeply creative person and an artist before all else. I have many upcoming challenges, some of which will send shockwaves in this community.
More importantly, I have some incredible artistic projects I am working on. I can’t say what yet, but keep an eye on Never Better Club.
FCN: What is one important lesson you have learned on your journey as part of Never Better Club?
Alexandria: Always stay true to who you are and prioritize your happiness. Don’t let anyone tell you who to be or how to act. I keep my blinders on and keep progress on my mind.
Everything else is noise.
Photo Credit: Never Better Club.
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