Watch Steve Novick, Herman Greene and Sarah Iannarone Try to Answer Policy Questions While Eating Spicy Chicken Wings

At Candidates Gone Wild, Adams asked policy questions to a series of local dignitaries while they sampled increasingly spicy sauces from Fire on the Mountain and Hot Mama Salsa.

Backstage at Candidates Gone Wild. (Blake Benard)

By day, Sam Adams is an aide to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. By night, he tortures elected officials with hot sauces.

That was the revelation at Revolution Hall this week, where Adams hosted a segment titled “Spice Boiz… and Girls” for Candidates Gone Wild. In the pre-recorded segment, Adams asked policy questions to a series of local dignitaries—Rep. Rob Nosse, school board members Michelle DePass and Herman Greene, transit advocate Sarah Iannarone and former City Commissioner Steve Novick, among others—while they sampled increasingly spicy sauces from Fire on the Mountain and Hot Mama Salsa.

The video was produced by Portlandia and The Rehearsal veteran David Cress at Desert Island Studio in North Portland. It’s pretty spectacular.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.