Learn how to eat some balls of fire!

Learn how to eat some balls of fire!
Number	54
Broadcast Date	March 25, 2009
Episode Length	8:41
Hosts	Brian Brushwood

Impress everyone at the next party you attend by learning a simple fire eating trick!

Revision3 Summary

How it looks: After intently looking at your burning torch, you reach in and tear out a piece of flaming ember. Without pause, you toss the coal into your mouth and chew it up.

How it's done: This one's a bit of a trick. The effect is pretty clean looking: it really looks like you're tearing off and eating chunks of fire! However, in actuality, you'll be eating a fiery cotton ball.

Get some cotton balls (make sure they're made of 100% cotton, as any synthetic fibers will literally melt in your mouth--ouch!) and stick them in your back pocket. Walk up to a burning tiki torch, reach into your pocket and "palm" the cotton (watch the video for details).

...There's nothing difficult about this, you're just holding the cotton pinched between your middle and ring fingers, while allowing your hand to dangle loosely by your side.

Give an intent look at the torch and bring your hand up to the wick, with the cotton facing toward you (again, see video) then, pinch the cotton toward the wick, and pivot your hand as you move away, revealing the cotton as you do. This motion should appear like a plucking or ripping motion to the audience. As you do this motion, reveal the cotton so it seemed to have plucked from the torch. In performance, the cotton will ignite, and it will seem like you've torn out a bit of the flame to toss in your mouth.

Now, just toss the flaming cotton into your mouth and close it.

Since the cotton ball ignites quickly and burns slowly, closing your mouth will snuff out the flame long before it gets hot enough to do any damage.

If you don't think you can convincingly pull off the magic moves, you can perform this effect simply as is: just pull out a cotton ball, light it, and toss it in your mouth. That's still something they don't see everyday!

NOTE: You're playing with fire here, and you'll only have a couple of seconds of holding the cotton ball before it will begin to burn your fingertips...make sure you take sensible precautions when doing this or ANY other fire related acts! Make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby and (most importantly), a PLAN for how to deal with any mishaps.

Sponsors

Special thanks to our sponsor: Adidas Originals

Adidas Originals is celebrating 60 years as a brand. Since they first came on the scene, Adidas has created some of the most original and iconic designs in shoes and apparel.

Adidas wants to invite the world to CELEBRATE ORIGINALITY. Whether it's through technology, music, design, fashion, sports, science or whatever inspires you.

Go to Adidas.com/originals, and check out their shoes and apparel and videos Adidas created that are all about the house party.

Next Week

We're gonna be learning how to convert old TVs into kegerators.

Links

• Show Notes on Revision3

Preceded by: "Brian Live and Direct from Austin and SXSW"

Learn how to eat some balls of fire!

Followed by: "Watch Cali Lewis, Tony Hsieh and Jay Adelson get scammed!"