Watch a Talk Show Host Purposely Set a Guest's Hair on Fire
[There was a video here]
It's still unclear why the host of a Dominican talk show set Las Vegas-based magician Wayne Houchin's hair on fire: Some say it was an unscripted prank gone wrong; others say it was an attempted exorcism gone wrong.
Those who claim the latter note that Approach the Stars host Franklin Barazarte doused Houchin with Aqua de Florida — a highly flammable liquid commonly used by Caribbean shamans "in healing and cleansing rituals."
Either way, the attack left Houchin with severe burns on his head, face, neck, and he remains in great pain.
On Facebook, Houchin, co-host of the the Discovery Channel's Breaking Magic, thanked the staff of Curiosidades, the TV show he went on Approach the Stars to promote, for saving his life with their quick thinking.
"I was not aware he was going to do this," Houchin wrote. "This was not a stunt or part of an act - this was a criminal attack."
Houchin also linked to a statement from the producers of Curiosidades, who outright accuse Barazarte of trying to "bless" away the magician's evil spirits.
They also note that some local journalists have "accused our team of practicing publicly VooDoo and Witchcraft and that the above mentioned attack was a divine justice for the nastiness of the practices of our artistic cast."
It's worth pointing out, as the New Statesman does, that Houchin has devoted his career to revealing magicians' secrets, while the show he appeared on "is described in some accounts as one specialising in astrology and other 'psychic' matters."
Meanwhile, no word yet on what has become of Barazarte or whether he will be charged with a crime.
