Illusionist Angel Walks Away From Building Implosion

Tribune photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ
More than a minute passed before Criss Angel emerged from the Spyglass hotel's rubble, stumbling toward the cameras.
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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 30, 2008

Updated: 07:56 am

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CLEARWATER - Of course, there was a Plan B, says a coy Criss Angel, who managed to walk away from a building implosion Wednesday night while 20,000 onlookers cheered on Clearwater Beach and millions more watched live on cable television.

"I flipped it on you, didn't I?" he said, a half-hour after what appeared to be a failed stunt. "In my mind, things went according to my plans."

The popular illusionist had an elaborate strategy for escaping from the Spyglass Resort, but things seemed to go awry when he couldn't pick the last of a series of locks as 450 sticks of dynamite razed the building to 4,500 tons of rubble.

He said the implosion was "indescribable," adding that he would have been "a fool not to have a contingency plan to get out if things didn't go right."

Angel was to escape from handcuffs and scamper up three flights of stairs and through locked doors to catch a ride from a hovering helicopter. He had to do so in less than four minutes, when the explosives were automatically detonated. Instead, he appeared to be stuck at the final door.

As the final seconds ticked away, the helicopter left and it appeared Angel was doomed. There were several loud explosions and the Spyglass fell to the ground.

More than a minute passed before Angel emerged, stumbling toward the cameras covered in dust.

Some fans were surprised, some shocked and some were expecting a twist in the stunt that was telecast on "Criss Angel Mindfreak" on A&E.

Shelia Georgio of St. Petersburg said she expected he would pull something different, but she was worried for a few moments that something had gone wrong.

"I've seen his show before and I thought it was a 50-50 chance he would survive," she said.

Danielle Martin of Lakeland said she knew he would survive no matter what.

As media and fans speculated that camera feeds on "Mindfreak" were pretaped, Tim Vincent, who hosted the show on A&E, responded, "I can assure everybody that those cameras were live," he said.

Salena Bonnell, 13, of Kansas expressed disappointment in the stunt. She suspects Angel ran downstairs rather than up, but still is a fan.

After a buildup of 55 minutes, the ending came rapidly and implosion occurred about 10:55 p.m.

"This was our first nighttime implosion and the first where someone was trying to escape from inside," said Lisa A. Kelly, president of Advanced Explosives Demolition, the Idaho-based company in charge of the implosion.

"It was worth the wait because my son got to meet Criss Angel," said Michael O'Toole. 32, of Temple Terrace who, along with his wife and children spent most of the day camped out in front of the Spyglass in pouring rain. He said his son, Austin, 13, was thrilled to meet the 40-year-old performer.

O'Toole was among about 200 fans who came early. Some like Ron Bennett from Largo and his son, also named Austin, were there as early as 6 a.m. Some, like Ron Bennett from Largo, had been waiting since 6 a.m "My 13-year-old son Austin wanted to do this so we decided to rough it out," he said as rain dripped off his face. "I hope it was worth the wait."

Others, like Angel fan Danielle Dennison, 19, of Melbourne traveled long distances. Others like Jamie Brown, 15, and Missy Taylor, 13, of St. Petersburg had Mindfreak" scrawled across their foreheads.

Some of them got to meet Angel when the performer strolled out on the beach for a meet-and-greet in the early afternoon. Heavy rains persisted throughout the day, but the weather cleared after 6 p.m. and the crowds swelled to an estimated 15,000.

Prior to the stunt, Angel told The Tampa Tribune that he had done nearly a thousand "demonstrations" — his word for performances — on "Mindfreak" and this was his greatest challenge because it is the first time he has ever done one live.

"The challenge for me is to remain calm, cool and collected," he said. "I've done escapes thousands of times but it's like a policeman who can hit a bull's-eye every time on the practice range, but can he do it under pressure in the line of duty?"

The Spyglass was being brought down to make way for a new resort that will house condominiums as well as seasonal rental units.

Reporter Walt Belcher