Random Like His Illusions, There's More To David Blaine Than Meets The Eye (16 items)

(#7) He Trained With Navy SEALS To Get Better At Stunts

Blaine is nothing if not prepared. After all, the intensity of his stunts requires an almost superhuman strength. To reach this level of ability, he's trained with Navy SEALS. "What was amazing about the Navy SEALs - a lot of their training, although it is physical, is more about the mental and spiritual part," Blaine told ABC News. "They talk about overriding the pain in your body by finding something to take you away from it."
(#16) He's A Millionaire

Though Blaine is known to turn down lucrative deals, he is still one of the richest magicians on Earth. In 2017, he made the Forbes list, earning an estimated $6 million. That's a considerable sum for anyone to amass, let alone a magician. Blaine commanded an impressive salary starting with his very first televised special in '97, and his talents have only led to bigger and bigger paychecks with each subsequent special and live show.
(#5) He's Been Studied By Scientists To Discover His Dark Magical Secrets

Obviously, David Blaine does cool magic tricks. But some of his illusions are so mind-bending, even doctors and scientists have been baffled not only by how Blaine performs his tricks, but how he's able to survive his tricks at all. According to the results of a study published by The New England Journal of Medicine, doctors recorded the:

anthropometric, biochemical, and endocrine changes during the refeeding period after a much-publicized 44-day fast by David Blaine, a performance artist; we compared the findings with results obtained from a control group of 16 age-matched men who had a similar body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) after an overnight fast.

The study's findings were nothing revolutionary. But just the fact that Blaine attracted the attention of skeptical scientists probably feels like a victory for him.
(#8) He Once Drew An Eye On His Hand That He Said Was 'Protection From Death'

During a bizarrely unsettling 2001 interview on British television, Blaine scrawled some sort of small eye on his hand. When the interviewer asked him what it was for, he replied: "Protection from death."

And this reply, though cryptic, was one of the most elaborate answers Blaine gave in the whole interview. Barely uttering more than a word or two in reply to the questions being asked, the magician looked preoccupied at best. The appearance was so awkward The Guardian labeled it one of the most excruciating interviews of all time.
(#4) He Hitched A Ride On A Snowplow To Get His Pregnant Fiancee To The Hospital During A Blizzard

In January 2011, Blaine's then-fiancee, Alizée Guinochet, went into labor. Unfortunately, New York City was in the grips of a major winter storm at the time. What's a father-to-be to do?

If you're David Blaine, you flag down a snowplow, hop on with your pregnant lady, and head to the hospital. Despite the bizarre beginning, the labor went fine and the couple had a healthy baby girl.
(#2) He Got His First Special By Levitating In Front Of Studio Executives

Blaine landed his first television special, Street Magic, in 1997. He filmed himself doing magic tricks on the street, and he brought the video to ABC executives, showing up to the studio's headquarters without so much as an appointment. But he worked his magic, so to speak, and landed before some major network decision makers.

Blaine astounded them with both his video and a live card trick. Then, he pulled out the big guns: He levitated right there in the meeting.