Magician Set on Fire on Television in Voodoo Ritual? (VIDEO)
A magician has been set on fire as he appeared on television in the Dominican Republic in what is being described as an improvised voodoo ritual.
Wayne Houchin, the magician, was the host for the Discovery Channel's Breaking Magic for one season and recently appeared on a talk show in the Dominican Republic to publicize a new show he created called Curiosidades.
A video was posted on YouTube of footage shot during the incident and shows the host of the talk show ignite Houchins hair while watching as he tries to extinguish the flames.
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The host reportedly dumped burning cologne on Houchin's head. The cologne was said to be Aqua De Florida, which has been known to be used in voodoo and shamen rituals as a way to rid a person of evil spirits.
The video shows the host touching Houchin's head and setting him on fire. Houchin was rushed to the hospital and suffered burns on his head, face, neck and hand from the incident. Doctors were optimistic that he would recover without scaring.
Local authorities told reporters that they are currently conducting and investigation and are asking witnesses what happened during the show.
"Monday while appearing on a TV show in the Dominican Republic, the TV host took a handful of Aqua De Florida, ignited it and intentionally dropped it on my head, setting me on fire. I was not aware he was going to do this. This was not a stunt or part of an act – this was a criminal attack. The fast actions of the rest of our Curiosidades team saved my life," read a statement posted on Houchin's Facebook page shortly after the attack took place.
The incident does not seem to have changed the magician's love for the Dominican Republic.
"The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Despite all that has happened over the past couple of days, our team has not forgotten why we're here: to spread joy, wonder, and love through the performance of magic and illusion," the post read.
