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Did Angel's Clearwater Beach Stunt Implode?

Photo from A&E

A dusty Criss Angel walks away from the implosion of the Spyglass Resort on Wednesday night in Clearwater.

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 31, 2008

Updated: 07/31/2008 11:37 pm

TAMPA - Illusionist Criss Angel's escape from the imploded Spyglass Resort on Wednesday night is drawing mixed reactions from fans, pans from critics and praise from Clearwater officials.

An estimated 2.2 million viewers in the United States watched the stunt, according to Nielsen Media Research results released by A&E.

In the first live telecast of "Criss Angel Mindfreak" on A&E, the dark-haired, muscular escape artist appeared to be trapped in the nine-story hotel when it came crashing down before more than 20,000 spectators.

He emerged unscathed after an illusion that many fans felt was too transparent and not up to past Angel stunts.

"The sad part about it is that even the 'illusion' part was nothing more than a camera trick. And if it's a trick of the camera, is it really an illusion?" wrote Michael Hinman on his SyFy Portal, one of the top science fiction and fantasy Web sites.

"I did what I had to do," a dust-covered Angel said in a news conference after the blast.

"Trust me, I'm not a fool," he said. "There is no way in hell that I'm going into a building that has 450 sticks of dynamite and not have a plan. ... I am who I am. The artistry that I perform is what I do."

But others are calling the stunt "lame," "a joke" and "pathetic." Of the more than 160 comments posted on TBO.com, most were from disappointed viewers.

Clearwater spokesman Doug Mathews, however, gives the event a thumbs up because regardless of whether Angel's stunt was a critical success, it drew the largest crowd ever to see a single event on the beach.

He said it also showcased the city's new $32 million Beach Walk park to an international audience. "And that's something that we just couldn't buy," he said. "I just scanned over the Internet after the event and found 7,500 references to Clearwater Beach."

The city invested $10,000 in covering some of the costs for police, traffic and fire department personnel, he said. A&E also helped cover the costs as well, as did the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission.

Before the program, it was heavily promoted that in less than four minutes Angel was to escape from handcuffs and scamper up three flights of stairs (picking padlocked doors along the way) to catch a ride from a hovering helicopter.

Things seemed to go awry when he couldn't pick the last lock and the building was turned into 4,500 tons of rubble. But he survived, stumbling from the debris.

Those involved with the production were required to sign nondisclosure agreements that carried a $1 million penalty, Matthews said.

"The city didn't want to get involved with that so we don't know any of the details of how he did it," he said. "We were just assured that no one would get hurt."

Angel acknowledges that what happened was a performance designed to entertain his fans, many of whom anticipated the outcome.

Danielle Dennison, 19, of Melbourne, one of those crammed on the beach, said, "I knew he would do something like this and I wasn't disappointed. I think he's great."

"I flipped it on you, didn't I," Angel said after the escape. "This is what I am going to say about it. I am like a cat. I have nine lives. I only have eight left. I try to utilize my skills and my ability and what I do is a kind of amalgam of things and I did it."

The most popular theory on how he did it is that after he left the balcony and went inside the building (out of the view of the public) what viewers saw was a prerecorded escape attempt. And while that was being shown, Angel slipped out the back of the building.

The episode's host, Tim Vincent, said Wednesday night that none of the apparent mishaps - his inability to pick a few of the locks and get to the roof - took place during rehearsals.

"I absolutely, categorically, say now that all those cameras were live," Vincent said.

Angel blamed his fumbling with the locks on the rainy weather and the challenge of doing it live on camera in three minutes and 30 seconds.

"Honestly, the water" was a problem, he said. "When we were doing rehearsals ... it was raining and it was screwing up my grip. Picking locks is a very detailed and precise thing and I always use the analogy that it's very much like a police officer on a target range shooting his gun and he is very skilled. But when he's put in a combat situation, his heart rate goes up ... and he is unable to perform at his capacity."

He said that what really matters is that his performance might serve as an inspiration for his fans to believe in themselves.

"That is the real magic," he said.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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