Criss Angel Mindfreak

Criss Angel Mindfreak
Season 3 promotional poster
Created by	Criss Angel
Starring	Criss Angel
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	22 minutes
Original release
Network	A&E
Release	July 20, 2005

Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on unusual stunts and street magic acts by illusionist Criss Angel.

Season 1

Criss Angel Season 1 premiered on A&E Wednesday July 20th, 2005 with 18 episodes.

• Burned Alive: Criss Angel is set ablaze, as a present for his mother's 70th birthday, with the bare minimum of protection.
• Levitation: Levitation is one of the oldest practices of conjurers and fakers, but "The Worlds Greatest Illusionist", Criss Angel, takes it to the streets in a 360-degree demonstration of the power of defying gravity. He will take a random stranger off the sidewalks of Downtown Fremont Street in Las Vegas and float them right in the middle of a crowd.
• Wine Barrel Escape: Master Magician Lance Burton helps host as Criss performs his homage to the Great Houdini. Determined to go beyond Houdini, Criss devised a plan to top Houdini's 1908 milk can escape by locking himself inside a wine barrel filled with water hanging over 8 stories above the ground while being handcuffed. Complications arise such as the water temperature, the size of the water barrel, the amount of time Criss is able to hold his breath under water, and the fact the barrel will plummet to the earth after the 2-minute timer runs out. Criss will also make a couple experience Deja Vu.
• SUV Nail Bed: Lying on a bed of nails is an ancient Indian practice. Having a 4 and a half ton SUV drive over your body while lying on a bed of nails is crazy. Criss will take his ancient practice and demonstrate his modern vision that his predessors, both past and present, wouldn't think about. Most nail bed demonstrations consist of short nails spaced a maximum of one and a half inches apart allowing for equal weight distribution. Using a nail bed constructed of 8-inch nails, spaced 3-inches apart, Criss will lie flat over the nails. Raising the stakes higher, he will have an SUV Hummer drive on top of him while he lies on his suicide bed.
• Body Suspension: Master piercer Alan Falkner is flown to las Vegas to help Criss practice a mind over body demonstration of unique proportions. Despite warnings of wind and potential death, Criss demands to be suspended from a helicopter strung by fishhooks through the skin of his back and limbs and the flown over the surreal canyons and rock formation of the beautiful Valley of Fire, 90 min. North of Las Vegas.
• Buried Alive: With the help of rocker and director Rob Zombie, Criss reenacts his own funeral and attempts one of the most dangerous escape stunts in history. The "Buried Alive" demonstration proved fatal for "The Amazing Joe Barrus" a magician from Fresno, CA. The stunt was successfully done by Banachek and Lance Burton who are both helping Criss put his twist on this dangerous exercise. Rob Zombie will manacle Criss into a coffin and help lower him six feet under, on the Santa Clarita haunted house set of Rob's latest film "The Devil's Rejects" in front of a viewing audience. Criss's grave is then filled with earth. With little oxygen and even less time Criss must escape death and slither out of solid ground.
• Hellstromism: Based on hellstromism, an art that uses the mind to trigger a spectators physical reaction, Criss is challenged by Las Vegas' Desert Dodge dealership to find a hidden key belonging to a Dodge Viper using hellstromism. If unable to find the key Criss will have to give the dealership $100,000 for the car, otherwise he will take the car home for free.
• Superhuman: It's been said that in times of crisis, people may experience a sort of superhuman strength, chalked up to adrenaline. Angel attempts to harness this might for use any old time, and demonstrates his control over it on myriad tests, including lifting a parked taxi cab two feet off the ground.
• Blind: When he closes his eyes, Angel claims to see reality, whereas other people would see darkness. He puts this theory to the test, by driving Mandy Moore to a restaurant completely blindfolded, relying solely on his vision of reality beyond his closed eyes to guide him.
• Tesla Strike: People who survive being struck by lightning sometimes may show increased memory and mental capabilities. Wanting to experience these benefits, Angel heads to the largest Tesla Coil in the United States, in order to get struck by 3 million volts of electricity, and survive. When he did this stunt, at three million volts, he got electrocuted and had to be sent to the hospital. He lives, but had temporarily received nerve damage to his left foot.
• Oasis: Angel wonders what it would be like to be locked inside of an oxygen-filled glass tube, inside of a larger aquarium, in the middle of New York City. He challenges himself to stay in the tank for 30 hours, then make his escape without being seen.
• Building Walk: One of the most dangerous stunts in the series, Criss will lean over the side of the 55 floor Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas at unbelievable angles. But then even more astonishing, he will walk down the side of the building without any wires, harness or safety netting.
• C4 Crate: Criss is fascinated by explosions and decides to experience the power of C4 in a uniquely public fashion in Downtown Las Vegas. With the help of "Pyro Pete", the master explosives expert employed by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Motley Crue and AC/DC, Criss will be locked in an explosives filled crate detonated by remote control by Teller of Penn and Teller.
• Radio Prediction: Angel goes on Los Angeles radio for a public on-air attempt to predict a major news story and the lottery.
• Chicken: Angel faces off against his comedy magician friend, The Amazing Johnathan, in the ultimate game of Chicken to see who's crazier, culminating in a face off, where Jonathan tries to ram Angel straight through a brick wall with a car.
• Halloween Special: Angel takes a death-defying risk, as he attempts to free himself from a wooden coffin that is rapidly approaching the gnashing teeth of an industrial-sized wood chipper in yet another homage to Harry Houdini, on the anniversary of his death.
• Uncut: A clip show of Angel' most memorable moments, new footage, and an uncut, continuous shot of his most famous illusion: the trashcan teleport. This also includes footage of an un-aired episode, "Catching a Bullet." It was considered too controversial to air and was only shown then. It can also be seen in the introduction.
• Up Close: More magic tricks from Angel, though most of the episode is a behind-the-scenes view of Angel's world, his family and friends, and co-workers.

Season 2

Criss Angel Season 2 premiered on A&E Wednesday May 31st, 2006 with 21 episodes.

• Building Float: In a new twist to the old levitation trick, Angel attempts to float safely from one rooftop to another, inspired by the mysterious levitating feats of the 19th century spirit medium Daniel Dunglas Home.

• Vanish: The art of magic has included disappearing acts for centuries. In this episode, Criss attempts his own incredible take on this illusion: to vanish a spectator 360 degrees by thousands of witnesses in broad daylight, in the middle of Las Vegas' Fremont Street.

• In Two: Angel attempts to do his version of sawing a person in half without any boxes, covers, or trick clothing to confine the actual bisecting.

• Walk on Water: Angel attempts to walk fully across a swimming pool, while there are still people swimming around and under him. Special guest: Lance Burton.

• Animal Magic: Angel, in a tribute to the careers of Siegfried and Roy, dedicates the episode to performing a variety of animal-based illusions, including making a 4 1/2 ton Asian elephant disappear while spectators watch.

• Easy Rider: Paying homage to the legendary stunt driver Steve Baker, Angel attempts to escape from a suspended box packed full of explosives, before a stunt car plows through it. Special guests: The Amazing Johnathan, Steve Baker.

• Party: Angel, to celebrate the 21st birthday of one of his crew members, takes his team and the audience on tour through Las Vegas.

• Motorcycle Jump Vanish: Inspired by famed motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel, Angel trains with world-record motorcycle jumper Trigger Gunn for his first jump. Special guests: Trigger Gunn, Carey Hart, Ice Cube

• Chad's Story: Chad Juros is an aspiring young magician and Angel is determined to make Chad's dream of being a Magician come true. He also attempts to escape from a crate above Times Square. Special guests: Lance Burton, Chad Juros

• Celebrity Minds: Angel attempts to hypnotize and mind read Ice Cube, Vince Neil, Mark McGrath and Robin Leach and a restaurant full of people. Special guests: Ice Cube, Vince Neil, Mark McGrath, Robin Leach

• Metamorphosis On Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Criss performs one of his signature demonstrations: the fastest metamorphosis ever attempted in front of thousands of spectators. There are no curtains or covers, just an almost deadly wall of fire. Criss also receives the prestigious "Magician of the Year" Award for the third time!

• Back to School: Criss heads back to his Long Island home turf to visit some of his favorite haunts and neighborhood high schools. From the cafeteria to the football field, Criss freaks out the students and teachers and shows how to mindfreak your friends!

• Sucker: Angel exposes the secrets of street hustlers, casino croupiers, and other people who use the tricks of the magic trade.

• Prophecy: Criss stops his pulse and vital signs in five different body locations in front of a certified medical staff and in front of thousands of spectators, and predicts the outcome of a motor speedway race. Criss also waits tables and does close up magic in his favorite hometown diner!

• Motorcycle Roulette: Criss takes it underground in Long Island, New York and shares his passion for motorcycle trick riding with a crew of extreme riders who execute the craziest stunts on two wheels, and sometimes just one. Criss ups the ante when he makes a motorcycle vanish and reappear from nowhere, drives blind and demonstrates a fresh style of riding sure to astonish!

• Military Salute: Criss makes a Hummer appear from nowhere, as he visits Vandenburg Airbase in tribute to our men and women in uniform. This episode features mentalism, sleight of hand and grand illusions. Criss tries to guess a soldiers secret card by shooting it out of mid-air with a 9mm handgun. Criss introduces a special surprise guest from an empty duffel bag in front of hundreds of airmen!

• Straightjacket Keelhaul: Towed through the ocean by his ankles off the coast of the Riviera Maya, Mexico, completely bound in a straightjacket, Criss attempts to survive being drowned alive in the most insane escape imaginable.

• Shark Cage Escape: From Cozumel, Mexico, shackled, handcuffed and locked in a 3 foot by 3 foot 300lb. steel cage, Criss is pushed overboard and sunk to the bottom of the sea in swift currents and must escape from the ocean floor with but one breath in one continuous shot.

• Magician of the Year: Criss Angel surprises his magic team with a trip to Los Angeles, to help him accept the prestigious Magician of the Year Award. Other highlights include Criss performing a mind-blowing demonstration for the Oscar-winning rap group Three 6 Mafia, followed by the ultimate feat in mentalism: a pre-recorded dvd prediction that will leave the magic community floored. Criss also provides a sneak peek of his highly anticipated music video "MF2". Special appearances by Three 6 Mafia, Amazing Jonathan, Penn and Teller, Sully Erna and Shannon Larkin of Godsmack, Nuno Bettencourt and Vince Niel!

• Celebrity Séance: Angel invites celebrities to join him in a haunted hotel to prove whether or not communicating with the dead is possible. Special guests: Steve Valentine, Deborah Gibson, Three 6 Mafia and others.

• My Secret Cabaret: Shot in the Palace Showroom of the Magic Castle, this episode climaxes with Criss stopping his pulse in five places while being monitored by a team of medical experts. Jonathan Davis of Korn gives Criss an unforgettable surprise in Los Angeles, California. Other highlights include never before seen bloopers and footage of Criss performing as a teenager!

Season 3

Criss Angel Season 3 aired on A&E Tuesday June 5th 2007 with 26 new episodes.

• Luxor Light: Criss opens his third season with a one-hour hair-raising special. He levitates in the light of the Luxor pyramid 500 feet above the Las Vegas strip and transforms a motorcycle into three beautiful women. Then he gets tied up by Dog the Bounty Hunter and dropped into a pool of water. He is not able to completely escape but is pulled out before drowning, making it the first time he was not completely successful.

• Steamroller: In this episode, Criss lies on a bed of broken glass as a heavy steamroller rolls over his body. Criss will also make a beautiful woman appear from a box of merchandise, and performs other street magic where he bends a quarter in his mouth and makes a card appear in a lit cigar. Special guest: Jason Hervey from The Wonder Years.

• Prisoner Transport Escape: After being locked in a mailbag, Criss will attempt to escape a caged truck filled with explosives as it races towards the edge of a cliff.

• Motorhead: In this episode of Mindfreak, Criss will take his obsession with cars and bikes once again back into the magic world. Criss will vanish a moving object, while driving his Lamborghini at a high rate of speed, he defies physics by making it disappear. Criss will also bring some of the sickest cars, trucks, and bikes in his illusions. He morphs a Bently into a Lamborghini, builds up to the Lambo vanish starting with high-speed-go-karts, and will try to move everyday objects from one area to another while unsuspecting fans look on in awe.

• Screwed: In this episode, Criss will take the most ordinary objects and makes them the center of the most amazing illusions. He will put a beer bottle through an onlookers stomach and moves his friend's eyebrow to his chin. Criss will turn a little girl into an adult woman, and eats his pet mouse, shocking his friend Jamie Kennedy. In the final demonstration, Criss will balance himself on 2 upright standing screwdrivers and will proceed to walk on a row of them barefoot. He is then presented with the prestigious International Magician of the Year Award.

• Animal 2: Criss loves animals - and loves to amaze us with his incredible animal illusions. Last season, Criss made an elephant vanish, and in this episode, he'll try to make the pachyderm reappear. Criss also visits Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden, where he turns a cage handler into a full sized-tiger, and transforms a full-grown dog into a cuddly puppy.

• Car Crash Escape: Hang onto your seat, because Criss will be chained to the side of a parked car filled with explosives, and then try to escape before a second speeding car plows into him. Also, he'll make a chopper bike appear from nowhere in the middle of an empty parking lot.

• Quad Drag Escape: Distracted by news of his mothers emergency heart surgery, Criss finds it hard to concentrate before a dangerous stunt. But the show must go on, so Criss goes through with the amazing ATV drag escape where he's bound and then dragged through the Excalibur arena at high speed while crowds cheer and mud flies everywhere.

• Underwater Car Escape: Criss takes Sully from Godsmack's watch, and smashes it to bits with a hammer; he then produces that same watch, undamaged, to the relieved Sully. More mayhem in the arcade when Criss draws a picture that starts talking to startled kids. Criss convinces Carrot Top that a trick has gone wrong and mistakenly chops off his finger. Then he shows an adoring Luxor employee his superhuman strength as he levitates a heavy manhole cover hovering below one hand. The episode culminates as Criss remembers his uncle who drowned as his car slid off the road into a watery ditch. In a tribute to his uncle, Criss is tied in the trunk of a car as it is lowered into a lake. Criss must escape or face the same doom as his uncle.

• Criss Angel Roast: This year, the cast and crew have decided to throw a good-ole fashion roast, paying homage to Criss. The Mindfreak himself will play a number of roles as he transforms himself into Siefried and Roy, David Blaine, and Doug Henning and performs some of their signature illusions with a Criss Angel twist. Many of Criss' celebrity friends will make their way to the stage to roast and kid Criss. The roast culminates with Criss making the Luxor disappear. Guests include Vince Neil, Robin Leach, The Amazing Jonathan, Lance Burton, Howie Mandel, and Penn and Teller.

References

'''''Cement Block''''' http://www.aetv.com/criss_angel/cementblock/ HIGHLIGHTS

External links

• Official Criss Angel website
• Official Criss Angel Mindfreak TV Series website at A&E
• Review of Criss Angel Mindfreak by About.com
• Titles & Air Dates Guide of Criss Angel Mindfreak at epguides.com