Crossbows : Are They Suitable for Dangerous Act Exhibitions?
September 19, 2020
Crossbows are largely popular because of their accuracy attribute that oftentimes, they are used by dangerous act performers in global talent competitions. The acts are amazing if the performers pull it off. Yet there have been some cringeworthy crossbow acts that actually failed while televised live globally. The failed acts could have been fatal, and showed that because of their accuracy mechanisms, it is difficult for the audience to watch crossbow acts that suffer from mechanical malfunctions.
Crossbow Act that Failed Twice in Separate Talent Contests
The most recent crossbow act that went wrong was performed last January 2020 in America’s Got Talent (AGT) by a professional magician named Ben Blanque. Actually, it was a repeat of the crossbow roulette act that previously failed, when Blanque competed at Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) in 2016. Although Blanque refrained from publicly performing the failed BGT act in between 2016 and 2019, he decided he needed to try to do it again as a form of redemption.
Apparently, Ben Blanque chose to do it at AGT because Alesha Dixon was sitting there as one of the regular judges, Ms. Dixon was the same BGT judge whom Blanque had requested inn2016 to act as his crossbow trigger assistant. Since it seemed that part of his redeeming act was to prove that his BGT failure was not caused by Ms. Dixon, Ben once again requested her to be his trigger assistant for the 2020 AGT act.
The video above shows how Ben Blanque failed for the second time; but this time AGT judges Howie Mandell, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell had to stop the act as the unnerving technical failures could result in actual bodily harm to Ben Blanque.
https://youtu.be/ClxW8aZCIoM
Successful Crossbow Act that Made it Through the AGT Semi-Finals
There was one successful crossbow act at AGT, but it was performed by a husband-and-wife team called Deadly Games. As the finale for their dangerous knife-throwing act, Alfredo, the male performer used a crossbow , while his wife Anna, a former ballerina, was a living target. Yet unlike the Ben Blanque and Alesha Dixon tandem, Alfredo and Anna showed confidence — apparently drawn from their years of practicing and performing such acts together.
Alfredo and Anna’s confidence was felt by the judges and by the audience as well; watching them perform was not an ordeal viewers had to endure. Actually, their Deadly Games crossbow acts sent them to the semifinals, garnering votes that landed them the 7th spot in the near finish.
Although eliminated, the substantial votes they garnered indicated many enjoyed their performances and that they have great potential to land lucrative contracts at high-end entertainment venues.
Conclusion
When comparing the crossbow acts performed by Ben Blanque and that of the Deadly Games couple, confidence in using a crossbow can influence shooting accuracy. Crossbow manufacturers strive to improve the accuracy level of their products, as in the case of TenPoint Titan SS, a model which manufacturer TenPoint touted as an accuracy-enhanced upgrade of their best selling model.
The upgrade clearly highlighted the fact that users need only to have the right grip and confidence to be able to use a crossbow efficiently and effectively,