escape artist

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'Something Went Terribly Wrong' on 'Extreme' Version of AGT

Daredevil Jonathan Goodwin severely injured after being smashed between 2 swinging cars

(Newser) - Maybe "extreme" versions of talent show competitions aren't a great idea. A stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme, an NBC spinoff of the popular original, went awry on Thursday at Georgia's Atlanta Motor Speedway, and "it was so bad people on the set thought [the...

Police: Magician Did Not Survive Houdini Stunt

His peers say mistakes cost 'Mandrake' his life

(Newser) - A Houdini stunt in the Hooghly River was Mandrake the magician's last act, police in India say. The body of the magician, whose real name was Chanchal Lahiri, was pulled from the river Monday, a day after he was lowered into the water bound with a chain and six...

Illusionist in 'Water Torture Cell' Has a Close Call

Spencer Horsman said to have nearly drowned in promo for Criss Angel show

(Newser) - With just a rubber band and a piece of bent wire, Spencer Horsman entered a 30-by-30-inch Plexiglas tank filled with 100 gallons of water on Tuesday in handcuffs and chains, hoping to pull off a feat that would excite crowds for an upcoming show with illusionist Criss Angel, New Jersey...

Here's Why 'Buried Alive' Stunts Are a Bad Idea

UK's Antony Britton almost died when he was smothered in soil

(Newser) - Antony Britton's plan: to pull a Harry Houdini and claw his way to the surface after being handcuffed and buried underneath 6 feet of soil. But his charity stunt in West Yorkshire on Saturday took an almost deadly turn when the escape artist was smothered by the dirt and...

Florida's 'Prison Houdini' Could Go Free Next Year

Best-case scenario will have him out in 2015; worst case in 2018

(Newser) - Had Mark DeFriest just waited a couple of months to collect his inheritance, he never would have gone to prison. Had he just behaved while he was there, he would have been released more than 30 years ago. But the man dubbed Florida's "prison Houdini" kept escaping instead...

Escape Artist to Free Self From Coffin, While Skydiving

Anthony Martin expects to escape after 40 second of free fall

(Newser) - Imagine the terror of being handcuffed, chained, and locked inside a wooden casket ... that is subsequently dropped from an airplane. That's the scenario Anthony Martin faces later today when he takes to the sky over Serena in northern Illinois. The escape artist has a long history of impressive feats...

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