Buldak is still the most-filmed product in food-challenge videos. In 446 TikTok challenge videos we sampled on 2026-11-09, the 31 that mention Buldak had about 180 million views between them, more than any other product we counted. Start with the Original: it is the version the challenge began with.
Price tables: SpicyExtreme foods
At a glance
| Product | Claim | Lowest eBay | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
 Samyang Buldak Carbonara Hot Chicken Ramen | 2 of 5 on Samyang's scale | $12.90 | Check price |
 Samyang Buldak Original Hot Chicken Ramen | 4,404 SHU; 4 of 5 | $8.99 | Check price |
 Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy Ramen | 5 of 5 on Samyang's scale | $19.86 | Check price |
 Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy Ramen | 5 of 5; “3x Spicy” on the pack | $43.31 | Check price |
How the Fire Noodle Challenge works
The challenge began when the YouTube channel Korean Englishman filmed friends in London eating Buldak in 2014. The format has barely changed since:
- Cook one packet of Buldak as the pack directs and stir in the whole sauce sachet.
- Start the camera and a timer, then eat the full bowl as fast as you can.
- Many challengers add a rule: no water or milk until the bowl is empty.
- Finished it? Step up to 2x Spicy, then 3x Spicy. Starting out? Try Carbonara first.
Do it safely
- Eat something first; an empty stomach makes it worse.
- Keep milk or yogurt within reach, and stop if you feel unwell.
- Not for young children.
The noodles, mildest first
Samyang Buldak Carbonara Hot Chicken Ramen
The creamy, milder Buldak and the one TikTok keeps cooking: #buldakcarbonara had 72 million views on the 9 videos we sampled. Samyang rates it 2 of 5 for heat, per Wikipedia's list of Samyang's products, so it is the easy way in before the Original.
Samyang Buldak Original Hot Chicken Ramen
The packet the challenge started with, rated at 4,404 Scoville units per Wikipedia: roughly a jalapeño's heat in a bowl of noodles that you eat fast.
Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy Ramen
Samyang's own step up from the Original. Denmark recalled it in 2024, then lifted the recall for the 2x, per Wikipedia.
Samyang Buldak 3x Spicy Ramen
The hottest pack in the regular Buldak line by its own label, and the one serious challengers film. Denmark kept its ban on this one after lifting the others, per Wikipedia.
We earn a commission on purchases through these links. eBay prices (item + shipping) read from our latest check; Amazon links open a search, so check the price there. Listed in no particular order. Each figure is the maker’s or the named source’s claim, as of 2026-11-10.
Good to know
- Heat figures are as listed by Wikipedia (page read 10 November 2026), including its table of Samyang's own 1-to-5 spiciness ratings from buldak.com. We have not found an official Scoville number for the 2x and 3x packs.
- TikTok figures: our own samples of #foodchallenge, #spicychallenge, #buldak and related hashtags, pulled 2026-11-09 and 2026-11-10. Views are as shown on those dates.
- Not for young children. Keep milk or yogurt nearby.
Watch the Fire Noodle Challenge
▶Fire Noodle Challenge in London (the original)Korean Englishman · YouTube · 2014
▶Most Korean fire noodles ever eaten (15 packs)Matt Stonie · YouTube · 2019
▶EXO take the Korean Fire Noodle ChallengeKorean Englishman · YouTube · 2025Videos open on YouTube. We don't make or endorse them; they show what the challenge looks like.
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Sources
- Wikipedia: Buldak Ramen, including Samyang's product list with spiciness ratings, read 2026-11-10: “The challenge was started by the YouTube channel "Korean Englishman" in 2014.”
- YouTube: Korean Englishman, Fire Noodle Challenge, Feb 2014