I don’t know how many times Steve-O has been hit in the nuts in his life. Between his early career as a flea market clown and his later career making appearances on Jackass and all the various spinoffs, he’s engaged in a lot of behavior that has put his testicles in danger. Now he’s back with footage of a new stunt, which he’s billed as “the most elaborate nut shot” he’s ever taken, and for him, you know that’s saying a lot.
If you’re picturing a multi-part Rube Goldberg Machine, you’re probably thinking a little too high concept, but the basic idea is the same. In the clip, which Steve-O posted to his Instagram account, the reality star stands on one end of a seesaw with the seat part between his legs. On the other end, Jukka Dudeson is standing on a ladder. The Dudesons star flips off the ladder onto the seesaw, which propels the other end into Steve-O’s nuts. You can check out the painful clip below…
It’s hard not to grimace watching that footage. You can see how fast the seesaw is traveling when it makes contact, and if you play with the sound on, it’s pretty obvious how aggressive the impact is. The noise Steve-O lets out after impact is pretty intense too, but from a detached perspective, it’s also fair to acknowledge how great this footage looks. The shot is really well put together, and it’s presented in a way that maximizes its impact.
The son of a successful Coca-Cola executive, Steve-O went to the prestigious American School in London but ultimately stepped off the more common path and went his own way. He went to clown college in the late 90s and began recording himself doing crazy stunts. He mailed the footage into Big Brother Magazine and one of its editors, Jeff Tremaine. Not long after Tremaine created Jackass alongside Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze and hired Steve-O to work on the show, where he quickly turned into a breakout star for his willingness to do truly outrageous things… like hitting himself in the nuts with seesaws.
Jackass 4 began filming back in December, and it almost immediately led to both Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville being hospitalized. In the time since, it has attracted a lot of headlines, both because fans are so excited about seeing the gang back together and because longtime star Bam Margera may or may not be involved because of alleged issues with his drinking. Many of the Jackass stars were legendary in their early years for how hard they partied and how many issues they ran into with the law, but after Ryan Dunn tragically passed away, Steve-O ended up in a psychiatric hospital for a period of time and the guys got older and changed perspectives, there has been a much stronger push toward sobriety. Steve-O himself recently celebrated thirteen years of sobriety.
Getting hit in the nuts might not be the career path most guidance counselors would recommend, but if you’re going to do a job, you might as well do it to the best of your abilities. Steve-O has made a great living over the years by pushing his body to the limits in creative ways designed to entertain others. It’s nice to see him still out here doing what he loves, and it’s nice to see him doing it sober. I can’t wait for Jackass 4. Hopefully all of his injuries will have healed by the time it premieres, which is currently scheduled for September.
