TV Review: National Geographic's "David Blaine: Do Not Attempt" is Not for the Faint of Heart

Join National Geographic in exploring the world through magic and visual clips in their upcoming series David Blaine: Do Not Attempt.

Famous magician David Blaine and National Geographic have teamed up for a brand new six-part documentary series traveling the world to find and attempt the coolest tricks and illusions. David Blaine: Do Not Attempt sees the famous entertainer, known for his record breaking stunts and up-close magic, travel through India, South East Asia, Brazil, the Arctic Circle, Japan, and South Africa. With the help of Nat Geo, Blaine is bringing audiences along for an epic journey of death-defying stunts and tricks from these locations and their rich cultures. Throughout his adventures, Blaine lights himself on fire, comes close with venomous snakes, performs with sharp needles and knives, and more. Each episode explores a different location, showcasing Blaine’s immersion into each culture, learning from local performers and traditions. His famous skills are showcased through these acts, testing his limits and celebrating the strength and dedication that safely performing tricks and illusions takes.

Stepping into one of the episodes of David Blaine: Do Not Attempt, I was curious as to how Blaine’s performance art would translate to a travel series. This stop was in India, where Blaine quickly jumped into the action, bouncing around with different locals as he explored the world of magic through a different lens. While the narration made me hopeful the series would really dive into each individual culture and the history of these stunts and tricks, I found that Do Not Attempt was far more interested in showcasing Blaine’s ability to rebel against the title’s instructions. I don’t necessarily feel like the series moved too quickly through each impressive stunt, Blaine just lacked a connection to the people around him, managing to make moments where he was set ablaze still feel cold.

For those wondering if Do Not Attempt is worth the watch, the series is not for the faint of heart. For someone who grew up on Fear Factor, there were still moments I had to look away. But I cannot discredit the incredible feats of the amazing people Blaine met around the world. For that alone, I might recommend checking it out. Unfortunately, National Geographic and David Blaine just weren’t able to make Do Not Attempt more than just a less compelling version of Jackass.

David Blaine: Do Not Attempt is set to premiere on March 23rd on National Geographic and will stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

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