Our 6 Wildest Side Hustles Ever, Including This Year’s $1,000 Pie-Tasting Job

From binge-watching Star Wars movies to taste-testing food from Buc-ee's, we've paid people a pretty penny to do some crazy things. But this year, we're taking it one step further. And if you've got a sweet tooth, our latest gig might be the one for you. 

Here's a look at some of the wildest side hustles we've ever offered, along with our best offer yet: the chance to earn $1,000 taste-testing Thanksgiving pies.

Reviewing all the pumpkin-inspired foods at Trader Joe's

In our Pumpkin Spice Pundit (2024) side hustle, we paid a fall-lover $1,000 (plus $500 to cover groceries) to taste test Trader Joe's 2024 pumpkin lineup.

From snacks to desserts, food scientist Liam MacLeod reviewed and ranked all of Trader Joe's seasonal pumpkin selections and crowned one the ultimate winner.

Binge-watching the entire Star Wars saga

In our Wookiee Rookie gig, we paid someone $1,100 to watch and review the entire Star Wars saga for the first time, from start to finish. 

After more than 25 hours of movie marathoning, the viewer reviewed each one and rated them based on how fun it was to watch, how bored she got, and how confusing each film was.

Building IKEA furniture

Furniture isn't cheap, even at more affordable stores like IKEA. To find out if it's worth it to splurge on IKEA delivery and assembly, we paid a couple $1,000 to build IKEA furniture together.

In the IKEA DIY Duo side hustle, the couple received $1,000, plus $1,000 toward the cost of a bedroom set of their choosing, and teamed up to put it together.

Taste-testing food from Buc-ee's

Last summer, we paid a Buc-ee's superfan to taste-test 25 popular foods from Buc-ee's. In the Buc-ee's Bud-ee Taste Tester job, a Texas native received $1,000, plus the cost of snacks, and tried tons of Buc-ee's favorites to determine the best road trip snacks.

Listening to 24 hours of breakup songs

In our DJ of Heartache (2024) side hustle, we hired someone to listen to breakup songs for 24 hours. The DJ of Heartache received $1,000 to rate and review popular songs to figure out what actually helped her get over a recent breakup.

Watching the scariest movies ever made

We paid someone $1,300 and sent them a Fitbit in our Horror Movie Heart Rate Analyst side hustle. In exchange, the analyst recorded their heart rate while watching 13 scary movies to find out if a movie's budget impacts how horrifying it feels to watch.

Which movie spooked our analyst the most? Saw increased her heart rate up to 106 bpm, even though it had one of the lowest production budgets of the group.

Taste-testing grocery store pies

Among all of these wacky side hustles, we saved the sweetest one for last. This year, we're hiring a pie aficionado to be our Chief Pie Correspondent. We're offering someone $1,000 (plus $500 to cover the cost of pies) to taste and rate Thanksgiving pies from the biggest grocery stores around the country. 

Want to help our readers find out where to get the best pies for the season's festivities? Apply here by Nov. 4, 2025, at 11:59 EST. 

Bottom line

Pet sitting and delivery driving are great ways to make some extra cash, but how about eating pies instead? We'll choose our Chief Pie Correspondent on Nov. 5, so be sure to check your email. And in the meantime, check out some other surefire ways to boost your bank account.