Dunedin man Stefan "Stef Dawg" Johnston is going to Auckland on May 11 to compete in the New Zealand Chilli Eating Champs after winning the Otago heat for a fourth time on Friday.
He said the secret to his success was eating two raw eggs before taking on some of the hottest chillis in the world.
He had heard burns could be treated by applying raw eggs to the affected area, so decided to use the same principle to help protect his stomach lining — which burned during competitions.
Other than the eggs, he kept his diet quite light on competition days. On Friday, it consisted of smoothies.
Mr Johnston became accustomed to eating a lot of hot food when he was a young boy.
"We had a Bangladeshi family down the road and they would make some wicked curry," Mr Johnston said.
"I liked the curries and they just got hotter and hotter."
He said his pain tolerance was pretty strong, even in general life.
Friday’s regional heat went for 13 tongue-sizzling rounds.
The final two competitors, Mr Johnston and crowd favourite Amelia-Rose McShane, had to eat three super-hot chillis in a row in the final round to decide the winner.
The last chilli of the competition was a Carolina reaper rated at 2.2 million Scoville heat units. A jalapeno pepper is between 2500 and 10,000 Scovilles.
However, Ms McShane tapped out, conceding victory to Mr Johnston before the final round.
"It was quite special," he said.
"My grandmother [Dot Johnston] died just last month, so it was good to get the win for her."
Just for fun, Mr Johnston will also be heading to Motueka in a fortnight to try to win another regional heat in the competition.
"For me, it actually gives me a bit of an identity.
"It’s an obscure hobby that’s taken me all around the country."
He said he was really proud to be representing Dunedin in the national final for the fourth time.
His best result to date was fourth, and he hoped to make the podium this year.
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