Is David Blaine Cheating?

Magician David Blaine is probably best known for his stunts - being buried alive for 7 days, being frozen in ice for almost 3 days, and for being sealed inside a Plexiglas case suspended in the air 30 feet for 44 days in London - just to name a few. But his current stunt, hanging upside down for 60 hours without a net above Wollman Rink in New York's Central Park, is the latest to draw criticism and awe alike.

So what exactly is the stunt? According to his website, www.davidblaine.com, Blaine is attempting "to hang from a thin wire five stories in the air - with no safety net or airbag to break his fall." And according to ABC News, which will air his exit from the wire on September 24, 2008, Blaine will be on the wire for more than 60 hours without food, hanging on for dear life, even sleeping by dangling upside down. (David Blaine: Dive of Death - http://abc.go.com/specials/davidblaine/index?pnindex)

Is this really a big deal? Yes and no. Yes, it is an amazing feat to hang upside down for an extended period of time. And it can be very dangerous. Hanging upside down will increase blood pressure in the head, raising the risk of stroke or blindness, and possibly decrease circulation to the rest of his body so there is no doubt that this kind of stunt is very dangerous, even with careful planning and supervision. But truth be told, he will not be hanging upside down for the entire 60 hours.

What!?!? When I first heard about the stunt, I thought, wow, this guy is crazy, which is a typical reaction to any of his stunts. But when I saw the piece on Good Morning America promoting their primetime special on David Blaine, they do admit that he's not going to be in the air for the entire 60 hours. At least once an hour (probably more), Blaine will come up for water and to relieve himself and to restore circulation to his body. Um, hello, isn't the point of the death-defying stunt to defy death? Is it just me or isn't it cheating to come up and stand and walk around for awhile before going back out on the wire? Yes, I understand that his doctors are insisting upon this measure, but isn't the amazing part supposed to be to defy all logic and doctors and critics alike to perform a feat that no one else can (or should) do?

Blaine's representatives say that he never intended to stay upside down for the entire time, but if that's the case, then what's the big deal? Couldn't he have devised a stunt where he would have been able to hang upside down for the entire time of the stunt? What makes 60 hours so special? If he gets to take breaks, then couldn't he have done this for a longer period of time? That would have been a little more impressive.

I don't mean to take away from his stunt; it is still an incredible feat to hang upside down for that amount of time. And I'm sure that when he finally comes down on primetime TV, it will be an exciting stunt itself, just like all the ads are promising. He is a great entertainer and showman after all. But still, I can't shake that feeling that when he gets to take potty breaks in the middle of the stunt, David Blaine is cheating. Even if it is just a technicality.