During its dinner hours on Thursday, March 6, Goudy hosted a “Hot Ones” style interview with Steve Thorsett, Lisa Landerman and Eric Williams, the football coach. “Hot Ones” is a hit TV show where the host, Sean Evans, interviews famous individuals who join him in eating chicken wings which progressively get hotter as the episode continues. Goudy put its own spin on the event, with Student Worker Supervisor Connor Everett (’26) as host. A stage and cameras were set up in the dining hall so Everett could interview Willamette’s own celebrities.
The Goudy Hot Ones was organized by Nicole Arreola, the assistant general manager of Goudy, who hoped to create a fun and memorable experience for students. Management at Goudy has put on a plethora of events in the past, each one organized to engage and entertain students during their dining experience. Examples of these events include Midnight Breakfast and the Women’s Fair that Goudy put on during Women's History Month. Goudy Hot Ones, however, was the first to take place during regular dinner — the rest of these events have primarily taken place during the lunch hours. By shifting the audience and time of this event, Arreola hoped to diversify and expand student engagement in these activities.
Arreola found the inspiration for this event in the original show, being a fan herself and wanting to bring that energy to Willamette. The process for planning the heated interview took root in November 2024, as logistics from sauces to topics of conversation were set in stone one brick at a time. She hopes this can be an event to be continued for years to come, ideally becoming an experience in the university’s culture. Arreola mentioned her desire to see people in a few years meeting students and saying, “Oh you went to Willamette? Did you see the ‘Hot Ones?’”
Onlookers of the inaugural event were delighted by the fruits of these labors and often responded in a sensational uproar as the guests gave their responses to questions or reacted to the increasing spice. Some patrons did not like the event due to the sheer volume that amassed from these reactions, while others saw the positive impact that it had on midterm morale. Parker Gauldin (’27), self-proclaimed “No. 1 Goudy fan,” found the event to be a great way to reach students. She said that she “[thinks] it's really fun that Goudy hosts events like this because sometimes [she thinks] it gets more engagement. … Also, it is just a fun event to do on campus.”
There was a swell in emotion following the interviewee’s reactions to the escalating spice; one might say it was the loud and uproarious noise of student engagement. Arreola hopes that if enough people share these reactions to Goudy's events, students will even make suggestions on how they might improve or enact new events in the future. She wants to incorporate what the students want, noting “[Goudy is] here for you guys. We want you all to have fun.” Hot Ones was just the beginning of that effort.
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