In 2015, Portuguese model Sara Sampaio starred in the commercial dedicated to the “El Diablo” burger, the spiciest sandwich ever launched by Carl’s Jr. The commercial is set in a hotel entirely made of ice: Sara enters wrapped in a white fur coat and, once sheltered, removes it revealing a fiery red bikini. As she bites into the sandwich, heat (symbolic and visual) begins to melt the ice walls around her. The message is clear: it is “too hot to handle.” The commercial continues the brand’s tradition of blending sex appeal and food into a single visual and spectacular narrative.
