Will Ferrell made a very brave return to Hot Ones for the viral video series’ Second Annual Holiday Extravaganza … and nearly went blind in the process.
The actor, who first did the show back in 2020, was back in the hot seat with host Sean Evans, answering questions as the pair threw back increasingly-spicy chicken wings. While he got off to a good start and was able to maintain his composure for the first half of the video, it went downhill fast after he got some hot sauce in his eye.
Before things took a turn, Ferrell opened up about his time working as a mall Santa Claus before making it big on “Saturday Night Live.”
“I did that in my starving actor days, I was Santa and Chris Kattan was my elf,” he told Evans, before sharing what he considered his “worst and best moment” on the job.
Ferrell explained that while they were working, some children came over to them as they stood by the entrance to a cosmetic store which had a coyote sculpture out front. “We look up and there’s a parent with them … and it’s Kevin Costner,” he continued, saying the actor was “being very incognito” and hiding under a hat.
“[The kids] they’re crawling on this coyote … and then Chris can’t help himself and is like, ‘It looks like you’re dancing on the coyote … it looks like you’re ‘Dancing with Wolves,'” Ferrell then revealed.
With that, Costner retreated, as the pair had blown his cover.
As the heat got higher, Ferrell ran into a little more trouble keeping his cool as he answered questions about why he was comfortable playing bit parts on “SNL” and reflecting on his most memorable break on the show.
With tears in his eye, he then stated he got hot sauce in his eye, before grabbing a towel, dabbing it in ice water and applying it to his face. “Am I gonna lose my eyesight?” he asked, before he finally finished the game.
Evans thanked him for “Taking on the ‘Wings of Death’ on two separate occasions,” presenting his guest with the Hot Ones Spirit Award. Though he couldn’t even open both of his eyes at this point, Ferrell was thrilled by the honor — joking, “Every morning when I wake up, I’m gonna look at it with my one good eye.”
The full, nearly 42-minute episode also included an award ceremony honoring 2022 guests including Viola Davis and Bear Grylls, while also acting as a fundraiser for Common Threads — a nonprofit providing children and families cooking and nutrition education to encourage healthy habits that contribute to wellness.
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