Polish morning TV host Marzena Rogalska probably won't be applying for another job as a magician's assistant anytime soon. She agreed to help a guest, Marcin Połoniewicz, a magician who had appeared on the Polish version of Poland's Got Talent, with a trick in which a nail is concealed, point up, in one of four paper bags. Helped along by the magician, the participant in the trick successively hits each paper bag (heightening the suspense), but not injuring herself, and the magician then demonstrates that the nail is in (ta da) the last paper bag. Unfortunately, you guessed it. The nail wasn't in the last paper bag, and Ms. Rogalska ended up with the nail in her hand. She screamed (I would have done a lot more than that). The magician thought she was pretending (I suppose until he saw the nail), convincing him that she needed medical attention, stat. Meanwhile, according to media accounts, her co-host just kept smiling. Just another day on morning TV, I suppose. Yikes.
She's doing much better now, thank you, and says that the mishap wasn't the aspiring Houdini's fault. She's more generous than I would have been, I think. I've accidentally stapled my finger, and that's painful. I cannot imagine impaling my hand with a nail.
Video (actually still pictures with narrative) here. Another account here from the Sydney Morning Herald. NB: Rather disturbing.
If you want to see a "nail gun" (Russian roulette) illusion that looks really dangerous, but isn't, and is really funny, here's Penn and Teller's nail gun routine.
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