Tom Henihan
Express Staff
@SmokyRiverExprs
Local performer Doug Thompson will be a featured performer on the Discovery Science Channel’s “Outrageous Acts of Science,” on Wednesday, September 27.
Thompson who owns a welding company “To Hell N’ Back’ just south of Nampa, often performs with his wife Susan and daughter Aurora under the name “Circus of Hell.”
“We’re fire performers and we do many different creative fire acts. I tend to be doing a little more fire magic and exploring other creative avenues,” he says.
Circus of Hell has been busy in the region recently performing at the Fairview Fair, Fort St. John street festival and Valleyview Medieval Fair.
On September 22, Thompson headlined in Calgary at an apocalyptic sideshow called “Circus of the Strangely Beautiful.”
On the Record Setters website, Thompson holds the record for extinguishing the hottest flame on a human tongue, a distinction earned for extinguishing 6300 degree Fahrenheit cutting torch flame using only his tongue.
Outrageous Acts of Science is a show with each episode focusing on a specific premise or theme with the performances ranging from funny to daring to the death defying and unbelievable. Following the performances, the show offers an analysis and explanation by science and engineering professionals.
Thompson’s segment is probably closest to the death-defying end of the spectrum and runs approximately 9 minutes.
“Actually I’m eating hot coal at a 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s no illusion, I actually eat it. It’s not quite like spicy food but there is a little technique in how I do it. They want to capture that and then explain in scientific terms what I have done.”
He says he also does a really unusual act that very few people in the world perform where he heats a ten inch butcher knife to 1000-degree Fahrenheit and licks it.
In the process of developing his acts Thompson admits there can be a learning curve and putting it rather colourfully says, “it takes its bites every now and then but I learn a little bit more.”
Doug Thompson’s performance on “Outrageous Acts of Science” airs at 6pm and 11pm on Wednesday September 27 and at 7am and 2pm on September 28.