In testing on Arena · Not officially confirmed Last updated:
Spicy-mayo: the mystery image model on Arena
Spicy-mayo is an anonymous image generation model being tested on Arena's image leaderboard. It hasn't been officially announced, but it's widely believed to be Google DeepMind's Nano Banana 2.5. You can currently only use it through Arena's blind battles.
Status timeline
Updates about spicy-mayo, ordered newest first. Each entry carries an evidence label so you can judge how much weight to give it.
- 2026-09 Reportedspicy-mayo spotted in Arena's image arena; community posts on X link it to Google DeepMind's Nano Banana 2.5.
What we know
We sort every claim by how solid the source is. Confirmed means an official source said it. Reported means named community or media sources. Speculation is what people are guessing.
Confirmed Confirmed
Nothing officially confirmed yet.
Reported Reported
- An anonymous image model called 'spicy-mayo' is appearing in Arena's image battles.
- Community members on X have suggested it matches the rumored behavior of Google DeepMind's Nano Banana 2.5.
- No official statement from Google, Google DeepMind, or Arena about 'spicy-mayo' has been published as of the last-updated date on this page.
Speculation Speculation
No speculation logged.
How to try spicy-mayo on Arena
spicy-mayo is only available inside Arena's blind image battles. You cannot request it by name.
- Open arena.ai The new home of the former lmarena.ai image leaderboard.
- Pick the image arena (sometimes labelled Image Battle or Image Arena). If you don't see it, the entry point is usually in the top nav.
- Type a prompt and submit. Arena will return two anonymous outputs side by side.
- Vote for the image you prefer, then look at the revealed model names. If spicy-mayo is paired, its name appears in the reveal panel. Arena pairs models at random, so you may need several battles to see it.
- If you want a guaranteed image model today, see the GPT-Image 2.5 callout below.
spicy-mayo vs other image models
Direct head-to-head benchmarks are not available because spicy-mayo cannot be invoked on demand. Where the source data is empty, we show "Not disclosed" instead of guessing.
| spicy-mayo | GPT-Image 2.5 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release status | Testing on Arena | Released | Released as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image |
| Where you can use it | Arena blind battles only | Third-party API (Flare and Sunburst endpoints) | Google AI Studio, Gemini app, Gemini API |
| API | Not available | Available via third-party providers | Available via the Gemini API |
| Pricing | Not disclosed | Per provider, see gpt-img.com | Google's published Gemini pricing |
Sample outputs
Images below were generated by the site owner inside Arena battles that revealed spicy-mayo. Each caption is the exact prompt used.
Sample outputs coming soon.
Can't wait for a public release?
GPT-Image 2.5 is already available through third-party APIs (Flare and Sunburst endpoints). If you need to ship image generation today, that's the closest currently-public option.
Try GPT-Image 2.5 on GPT-IMGWhy a codename-only page?
The previous Arena image model nano-banana was later confirmed as Google DeepMind's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. The codename drove weeks of search traffic before the official launch. spicy-mayo looks like the same kind of pre-release test, so we are tracking it here while it is still in the blind-battle phase.
The name people have settled on for whatever comes next is Nano Banana 2.5 — that page covers where the name came from and what is actually established, with separate pages for release timing, API access and free access.
FAQ
What is spicy-mayo?
Spicy-mayo is the codename of an anonymous image generation model currently being tested in Arena's image leaderboard. It has not been officially announced by any company.
Is spicy-mayo Nano Banana 2.5?
Many community members believe so based on its behavior in Arena battles, but neither Google nor Arena has confirmed the link. Treat this as a reported claim, not a fact.
Who made spicy-mayo?
The model's origin has not been officially confirmed. The most common community hypothesis is Google DeepMind, but no party has taken responsibility at the time of writing.
How can I try spicy-mayo?
You can only encounter it through Arena's image battles. Go to arena.ai, open the image arena, enter a prompt, vote on the two outputs, and the model names are revealed after you vote. You cannot request spicy-mayo directly — Arena pairs it against you at random.
Is spicy-mayo free?
While it is being tested on Arena, running a battle is free. There is no paid spicy-mayo product or API.
When will spicy-mayo be released?
No release date has been announced. If it follows the path of the original 'nano-banana' codename, a public release under a real product name could happen on a short timeline, but this is speculation.
Is there a spicy-mayo API?
Not yet. As soon as an official API is announced this page will be updated. If you need an image model API today, GPT-Image 2.5 is publicly available through third-party providers.
How does spicy-mayo compare to GPT-Image 2.5?
We cannot run controlled comparisons yet. spicy-mayo is only accessible inside Arena's blind battles, and it is not clear which prompts reveal it. Public benchmarks and pricing do not exist for spicy-mayo, so any direct comparison would be speculation.
Is this site affiliated with Google?
No. spicy-mayo.com is an independent, unofficial site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Google, Google DeepMind, or Arena. Product names are used for identification only.
Get notified at launch
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