Claus Pilgaard, better known as Chili Klaus, is a Danish musician, entertainer and chili entrepreneur. He rose to fame with his Chilismagning series, in which celebrities eat progressively hotter chili peppers on camera - the videos have collectively racked up over a quarter of a billion views. A trained pianist, he also runs a chili business based in Aarhus with hundreds of products. In 2022 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the US YouTube show Hot Ones.
Chili Klaus entered into a paid collaboration with skincare brand Kiehl's for the event 'Copenhagen Meltdown', where participants competed in chili eating in front of a live audience.
Claus Pilgaard turned 60 on 30 March 2025 and mentioned in this connection that he is planning a stage tour around Denmark in 2026, where music and chili are mixed.
Chili Klaus released a combined Christmas calendar video with all four advent episodes of 'The Elf Pyrus Advent Chili Tasting', which received 71,400 views.
Chili Klaus appeared in a special episode of Hot Ones, where he together with the show's host Sean Evans and chili grower Smokin' Ed Currie tasted the world's hottest pepper, Pepper X.
