David Blaine Planning Electricity Stunt In New York City

Over the past decade and a half, David Blaine has almost killed himself during a variety of outlandish stunts. From burying himself alive to being encased in blocks of ice, he’s pushed his body to the extreme for our entertainment, his love of magic and the promise of a big paycheck. In two weeks, he’ll do the same again, and in the process, he could very well die.

Or he could be fine. I can’t really figure out what the hell is going on with this new stunt. It might be the most dangerous feat ever attempted, or it might be some nonsense I could do with a special suit on. Either way, it's sponsored by Intel, and it’s called “Electrified: One Million Volts Always On”. For three days and three nights between October 5 and 8, Blaine is going to hang out on Pier 54 with electricity running through or around his body. That sounds really dangerous to me, but I’m not Tom Edison. Go ahead and watch the preview video below and decide for yourself…

The spectacle looks like a deleted scene from The Prestige, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Old timey electricity displays are really creepy and awesome, and given how good Blaine is at drawing a crowd, it’s not a surprise to me that he eventually settled on this concept. Whether or not it will get old after three days, however, is unclear.

Expect a more thorough explanation to be given sometime over the next couple days. Until then, leave jabbing dinner forks into electric outlets to the professionals.