Mythbusters -- Bullet Catch

[Adam Brooks]

There's a new episode of Mythbusters on the Discovery channel at this very moment, where they are testing if catching a bullet in one's teeth is actually a feasible notion.

All magic jokes aside, it's sure to be an interesting watch. It will likely be in reruns over the next couple of weeks; it is listed on the website as the "Helium Football" episode -- the one other myth they explore in this episode.

[magicam]

"testing if catching a bullet in one's teeth is actually a feasible notion"

No attack on Adam here, but that sounds like it should be on the Comedy channel instead, since it seems kinda like testing to see if a human freefalling off a 30 story building will in fact suffer from broken bones....

Clay

[Robert Allen]

Don't laugh too hard. About 30 years ago the Wild World of Sports featured a German guy who "caught bullets with his teeth." He was using a .22 single shot rifle and the standard holder for a pane of glass between him and shooter. Bullet was marked, etc. He got a big buildup about how he'd been shot a few times, had teeth replaced, etc. At the end of the clip they mentioned that after filming he'd been killed doing this 'feat'.

[John LeBlanc]

Anyone remember the television show That's Incredible? A magician named Carl Skenes did a bullet catch. I seem to recall the guy sort of missed and his lip was bleeding after the catch.

UPDATE: Gotta love Google. Here's a Wiki article that mentions the Linking Ring:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Skenes

And there's an interview:
http://www.psycheology.com/2006/01/sess ... ullet.html

And the guy's web site:
http://www.skenesentertainment.com/carlskenesjr.htm

John
http://www.escamoteurettes.com/blog/

[Guest]

I remember the episode of That's Incredible with the bullet catch, and yes he was bleeding a little afterwards. I seem to remember he was using a bullet with reduced powder?

[Bill Duncan]

The "German fellow" was Ralf Bialla see Master Payne's post on the Cafe...

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... b48b65f26b

[Tony Brent]

We gave Carl Skenes permission to do the bullet catch in our dinner theater in Orlando for the Ripley's Believe It Or Not TV show and at the last minute a producer pulled the plug when he found out it was REAL.

Best,
Tony Brent
Orlando, Florida

[Guest]

There's a site called bulletcatch.com which reproduces a Ripleys's cartoon, which says

"Magician Carl Skenes, of Myrtle Beach, S. C., using a metal and plastic mouthpiece catches a bullet, fired by his wife, Tina, in his mouth.

The metal and plastic mouthpiece, and perhaps .22 caliber ammunition of the mildest kind, makes really catching a bullet a possible, but very dangerous, stunt.

This may be what
Dorothy Dietrich does, too.