The Polar Vortex-inspired “boiling water challenge” turned out to be the polar opposite of fun for some people.
At least eight people in Illinois ended up in the hospital after their attempt at performing the “boiling water challenge” in the frigid weather last week went awry, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. The stunt requires participants to fill a pot or other container with boiling water and then toss the liquid in the air in subzero temperatures. The "challenge" is supposed to end with the liquid immediately dispersing into a cloud of frozen vapor.
“We strongly warn people to not perform the boiling water challenge,” Loyola burn surgeon Dr. Arthur Sanford told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There is no safe way to do it.”
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A Maywood hospital spokesman said Wednesday that eight people, between the ages of 3 and 53, were admitted to the burn center at Loyola University Medical Center.
The “boiling water challenge” became a viral sensation among Midwesterners last week, when temperatures dropped to a low around minus 23 in Chicago. Wind chills reportedly made it feel like minus 50 or colder.
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Several stunning images emerged on social media showing people attempting the challenge.
An Indiana photographer garnered hundreds of likes after sharing an epic photo on Instagram Wednesday of the vapor cloud that formed at minus 20 degrees.
Fox News’ Jennifer Earl contributed to this report.
