“Hot Ones” could spice up Netflix’s live program

Netflix never quite managed to crack the talk show concept, but perhaps the company can borrow an existing hit from YouTube.

According to Bloomberg, the streamer is in talks with BuzzFeed to create live episodes of the popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones.” Netflix and BuzzFeed did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

The show launched in 2015, and the format – host Sean Evans interviews celebrity guests who are forced to eat increasingly spicier chicken wings – has proven surprisingly durable, with new episodes sometimes drawing tens of millions of viewers on YouTube. (Evans will reportedly host the live episodes on Netflix as well.)

As traditional late-night talk shows struggle with declining ratings and shrinking budgets, “Hot Ones” is becoming a regular stop on the promotional tour for pop stars and Hollywood actors. BuzzFeed, which acquired “Hot Ones” through its acquisition of Complex, reportedly tried to sell the show but failed, as it faces a debt-payoff deadline at the end of the year.

Netflix has experimented with the talk format several times, including two seasons of a show hosted by Chelsea Handler. Perhaps its biggest success so far was the recently aired John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA – which was absolutely delightful but seems to have been designed as a short-lived, messy experiment; it’s not clear if there will be a second season.

Why is the normally pre-recorded “Hot Ones” becoming a live show? Well, the promise of seeing a celebrity break down without cut protection could set these specials apart from regular programming. Plus, Netflix has been experimenting with live content, from stand-up specials to reality TV reunions to WWE “Raw.”