Extreme Escape Artist Steve Santini was definitely feeling the heat during his latest performance.
Dubbed the World’s Most Extreme Escape Artist by Ripley’s Believe it or Not, the Owen Sound native lived up to his name in the Scenic City on Friday night.
Outside Heritage Place Mall in the bitter cold, Santini was chained to a rig equipped with a flame thrower to perform a stunt called “Incineration” for his OLN show “Deals from the Dark Side.”
Santini had to undo the shackles and free himself before the flames seared through the thin steel plate covering his head.
He made it — just barely.
Santini says not everything went exactly according to plan, as it took him over a minute to free himself — and then he got tangled in the waist restraint and hit his head on the pavement.
The flame thrower also started spitting out liquid propane before the stunt, so Santini says they had to turn the tank pressure down.
In terms of difficulty, Santini says this stunt ranks right up there with the Burning Raft stunt he did in the Owen Sound Harbour for Homecoming a few years ago.
20 year old Carissa Berner of Owen Sound watched the performance, and says it was impressive — but feels Santini may have slowed his escape to build the drama.
Young fan Selena McLaughlin of Owen Sound tells Bayshore Broadcasting News that she was glad to see Santini make it out okay, because she loves his show.
The “Incinerator” stunt will air on the season finale of “Deals from the Dark Side.”
