Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show broadcast by A&E on Wednesday nights. It premiered on July 20th, 2005 and has been roundly critised by fans and critics alike as being silly and in some cases outrageous.
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Criss Angel Mindfreak is magnetic, electrifying, and combines "Street Magic" (improvised magic without the aid of special effects/unstaged) with outrageous stunts as part of a half hour reality tv program. Criss Angel is A hybrid mixture of Harry Houdini and David Blaine in his style of entertainment. Criss Angel defies tradition through his extremist brand of entertainment. Criss performs stunts usually involving escaping extrodinary circumstances, performing amazing tricks (see Levitation) and tolerating agonizing pain. Part of Criss Angel's act is performing these stunts with minimal tools and technology needed for these extreme situations. There is a dramatic element to the series involving Criss Angel's family. Criss's family is terrified by his daring risk and openly express their disapproval for Criss's risktaking as a form of entertainment. Aside from Criss's magic performances and daredevil circus like stunts, Criss candidly discusses his past and early childhood in camera confessionals, along with his personal inpirations behind performing magic and death-defying stunts.
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"Burned Alive" (episode 1) In this episode Criss Angel performs a stunt in which fire technicians set Criss ablaze with little body protection in the form of multiple layers of anti-flamable clothing needed for a 45 second burn. This stunt viewed by a crowd of eager spectators in Las Vegas. Criss stays engulfed in flames past the 45 second mark with a dramatic mindblowing ending. At the end of the "Burned Alive" stunt Criss incorporates an illusion by morphing into one of the fire technicians. Criss's inspiration for this stunt was to embody a general fear of being "Burned Alive"... "Levitation" (episode 2) In this episode Criss uses his self-proclaimed mental powers to Levitate a member of a live audience. Criss induces the audience member in a trance like hypnotic state as he Levitates her four ft above the ground in front of perplexed spectators. "Wine Barrel Escape" (episode 3) With moral support from Criss's friend and mentor Lance Burton Criss demonstrates a stunning "Wine Barrel Escape". Stunt technicians place Criss in a unspacious wine barrel completely filled with water while his hands are handcuffed through the top. There are numerous delays before Criss finally performs the stunt. The challenges Criss has to overcome are freeing himself from the handcuffs while holding his breath 80 ft above the surface, Criss has to free himself within a 2 minute time limit before the wine barrel falls and crashes to the ground. Criss escapes the wine barrel 8 stories above the ground by undoing his handcuffs and fastening a safety line onto his back seconds before the wine barrel comes crashing to the ground with the velocity of 20 mph. A similar stunt was performed by Houdini and Criss recreates the stunt with more inherit risk to pay homage to "Houdini". "SUV Nail Bed" (episode 4)- Criss performs a stunts where he lays on a bed of nails while being rolled over by a 5 ton (10,000 IB) suv. "Body Suspension" (episode 5)- Criss is suspended (body suspension is a ritual practice where hooks are penetrated through the skin and a line is attatched to the hooks, the subject is suspended several ft in the air for extended periods of time) over 1000 Ft in the air by a helicopter. "Buried Alive" (episode 6; featuring Rob Zombie) In this episode Criss Angel is "buried alive" and has to escape before he runs out of oxygen. Over a hour and a 1/2 elapses before Criss Angel is able to perform a sucessful escape. During "buried alive" stunt unexpected weather conditions compromise a sucessful escape as spectators begin to worry.
- Episode 1 "Burned Alive" aired 7/20/2005
- Episode 2 "Levitation" aired 7/20/2005
- Episode 3 "Wine Barrel Escape" aired 7/27/2005
- Episode 4 "SUV Nail Bed" aired 7/27/2005
- Episode 5 "Body Suspension" aired 8/3/2005
- Episode 6 "Buried Alive" aired 8/10/2005
- Episode 7 " coming soon!!" aires 8/17/2005
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Every episode features Criss Angel performing street magic during the first 15 minutes of the program and during the last 10 minutes performing a dangerous and life threatening stunt. Criss's form of street magic is untraditional and unconventional, Criss Angel performs magic tricks using methods unseen on television by a new generation of viewers. Criss Angel claims to use "powers of the mind" to achieve his illusionary magic and not hidden techniques or technology. In episode 3 Criss Angel levitates objects like writing pens and frizbies, Criss claims to inhabit the ability to levitate any object including people. In episode one Criss uses a doll to perform penetrative acts on, the act he performed on the doll physically effects the live subject he choose as his ginny pig. Criss Angel performed an act where he teleportes from one location to another in front of puzzled spectators in episode 4. Criss is covered with a trash can and when the trash can is removed he suddenly appears on top of a balcony above.