There's been long-held allegations that The Chilli Factory, in Morisset, was cheated out of a Guinness World Record for the hottest chilli - and now a new podcast by popular presenter Marc Fennell (think Triple J and SBS) aims to uncover the truth behing the hot topic.
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Audible.com.au has launched 'It Burns', an Australian audio series by Fennell that delves deep into the cut-throat world of competitive chilli-eating and the race to breed the world's hottest chilli.
'It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World's Hottest Chili' is the first Australian Audible Original for the nation's leading audiobook and audio entertainment provider and is free to listen to until June 15. The series takes listeners from the Central Coast to South Carolina (via an Indian Research Facility) following long-held allegations that an Australian chilli-growing family was cheated of a Guinness World Record.
As a chilli lover himself, Marc discovers the race is about much more than this spicy fruit as he digs into a dark, unforeseen cultural underbelly. It's about how people use pain - whether it's their own or others' - to shape and define their sense of self and feel more alive.
"Creating It Burns was a huge and profoundly odd challenge. I initially thought this would just be a quirky story about a few chilli farmers, I was then drawn into something far darker, more personal and challenging," Fennell said.
"It's a war filled with larger than life characters, sledging, broken friendships, getting high off extreme heat, addiction, BDSM, mental health, misguided spirituality and death threats. It forced me to explore aspects of my past that I have never really dealt with."
Ben Naparstek, Director of Original Content, Audible.com.au, said Fennell's narrative talents helped to create an emotive and 'gripping' podcast.
"Using intimate and gripping audio, Marc is able to go into places and unlock emotion and narrative from characters in a way that couldn't be done in any other medium," Naparstek said.
"It Burns is the first of many Australian Audible Originals and reflects our commitment to supporting talented story-tellers to deliver compelling and high quality audio experiences to a local and global Audible audience."
