Annother Bad Reality TV Idea - Russian Roulette

[Ksyrup]

At least it's not in this country...yet.


Russian roulette stunt set for TV
Sunday, October 5, 2003 Posted: 3:41 PM EDT (1941 GMT)

LONDON, England -- A British illusionist plans to conduct a Russian roulette stunt on television despite police and other critics calling it irresponsible.

Self-proclaimed mind control expert Derren Brown plans to point a loaded pistol at his head and pull the trigger until he comes to the live chamber.

Britain's Channel 4 television plans to show the stunt "as live" with a short time delay in case it goes horribly wrong.

A volunteer from among 12,000 applicants will load the bullet in one of six numbered chambers of the Smith & Wesson hand gun to be used.

Brown, 32, will ask the volunteer to count from one to six. Brown claims that by using "sophisticated psychological techniques" he will be able to tell from their voice which chamber contains the bullet.

But Rick Naylor, chief superintendent of South Yorkshire Police and vice president of the Police Superintendents' Association, said the show was irresponsible.

"I'm flabbergasted," he said. "It sends entirely the wrong message. This is just a stunt. You're going to get copycat kids doing this and we're possibly going to end up with some tragedies."

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy also said the stunt could encourage vulnerable persons to consider suicide.

"The subliminal message that will be carried to young men is that guns are glamorous, risk-taking is masculine, depression is cool and suicide is sexy," a spokesman said.

Brown insisted the stunt is not irresponsible: "There could not be any more warnings on the show. We explain that it was done in a controlled environment and under the supervision of firearms experts.

"It's all about non gun violence, about not getting hurt. There are things that glamorize violence much more than this."

The stunt is to take place at a secret foreign location because of the UK's strict gun laws.

The volunteer will be the only person in the room with Brown and will speak with his or her back to Brown, protected by bulletproof glass.

Brown, a former law student, claimed he was "terrified" at the thought it may go wrong.

"There's a limit to what I can do. There's no 100 percent guarantee," he said. "If I'm not 100 percent sure I will not pull the trigger. It will be humiliating but preferable to the other option."

[Kodos]

There is no end to the stupdity in the world.

[TredWel]

Apparently, this happened last night. Taken from a post on another forum:

This happened last night and it was absolutely RIVETTING stuff, as you'd expect a man trying not to shoot his head off to be really.

Whilst I largely suspect misdirection (Derren Brown despite his current specialisation in suggestion and mind control was apparently an extremely talented close-up magician) so he was never really going to shoot his head off, he survived.

However, after shooting two empties into his head he shot the third chamber away from him but that was empty. He had to compse himself for several minutes before quickly firing another at his head and finally shooting the bullet away from him. Gripping.

The rest of the show was him whittling down the 100 participants to one person who would load the gun (also very entertaining).

Anyway, I think I'm a convert. And oh look, there's a DVD out!

Edit: Messed up the link.

[Travis]

Dammit Darwin! I thought your theory was a lock on this one...

[scooper]

Hmmm. I read this story and started singing:

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

Pardon the way that I stare.
There's nothing else to compare.
The sight of you leaves me weak.
There are no words left to speak,
But if you feel like I feel,
Please let me know that it's real.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby.
Let me love you.

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay..

[EagleFan]

Originally posted by Kodos
There is no end to the stupdity in the world.

There could be if there were more shows like this.


I can't remember the comedian, but now I can't get this Russian Roulette bit that I heard on Bob and Tom out of my head. "Next up is last season's rookie of the year, and only returning player."

[Ksyrup]

Magician defends gun stunt fake
Wednesday, October 8, 2003 Posted: 12:01 PM EDT (1601 GMT)


LONDON, England -- A British magician who staged a game of Russian roulette on live television says he is delighted that his stunt has been exposed as a hoax.

On his Channel Four program, broadcast on Saturday night, Derren Brown had a volunteer put a single bullet in a gun. He repeatedly put the gun to his head and squeezed the trigger. Eventually he pointed the gun at the floor and blew a hole in a sandbag.

The show was broadcast from Jersey, an island in the English Channel, because Brown said he had to perform the stunt abroad to get round British laws prohibiting handguns. However, police later revealed the bullet fired was a blank.

"We knew before this stunt took place that there was no risk of serious injury to anybody and we discussed this with Channel Four in some detail before it took place," Jersey's Deputy Chief of Police Lenny Harper told Reuters.

The magician himself told the news agency: "It probably sounds odd. But as a magic-related performer to have that event being asked: Was it real? Was it not real? That lifts it to a level that -- I'm very comfortable with.

"What's left is that fact that it was a terrific piece of television," Brown added.

In the wake of a spate of gun attacks in recent days, the stunt had earlier been attacked for fears that someone might copy it.

Rick Naylor, chief superintendent of South Yorkshire Police and vice president of the Police Superintendents' Association, said the show was irresponsible.

"I'm flabbergasted," he said. "It sends entirely the wrong message. This is just a stunt. You're going to get copycat kids doing this and we're possibly going to end up with some tragedies."

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy also said the stunt could encourage vulnerable persons to consider suicide.

[EagleFan]

I like this line "The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy also said the stunt could encourage vulnerable persons to consider suicide."


If that's all it takes to convince someone, let them. Darwinism in action.