Yes I like a good curry or chilli dish. Has unfortunate affects on my nose and eyes though. (Sometimes other things as well!)
But yes some dishes are simply there so folk can claim to be macho enough to eat them. Unfortunately there is variation too, for example a Madras at one restaurant may be very hoot, and yet mild at another. I've had a couple of vindaloos over the years but each time it was more a case of enduring it than enjoying it. Would not surprise me if the spice content has reduced over the years in order to make new "hottest curry" versions.
Caught that Man v Food programme once. A couple of days ago. Weird. What's the point of massive fat laden 'heart attack on a plate' portions, or chilli so hot you can hardly eat 5 bowlfuls ?