Two Kentucky teenagers were injured Monday trying to recreate a scene from MTV's outlandish Jackass. It is the second copycat incident to result in injury in as many weeks and third since January.
According to police, one teenager, a 17-year-old, drove a car towards his 16-year-old friend, who stood in the middle of the road. The boy in the road was supposed to jump out of the way at the last second, but...
He didn't, and was hit by the car. Police say the teen had practiced the maneuver successfully prior to taping.
A passenger was operating a video camera when the car hit the wannabe stuntman, who is listed in good condition with a broken leg and assorted cuts, bumps and bruises.
The teens, who were planning to use the tape to get on Jackass, have been charged with wanton endangerment, a felony. Their names have not been released.
Although MTV's Website warns viewers not to try to imitate the stunts or send in home videos to the show, that hasn't stopped other teens from aping the dangerous stunts undertaken by host Johnny Knoxville and his crew of cretins.
In January, a 13-year-old Connecticut boy suffered second- and third-degree burns after two friends poured gasoline on his legs and feet and set him on fire.
They were imitating a stunt in which the masochistic Knoxville donned a fire-resistant suit covered with steaks and stretched over a giant grill to become a human BBQ. The boy didn't use a flame-resistant suit.
Since that incident and increasing attacks from parents and politicians, MTV has moved the show from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays and changed the wording of the disclaimer aired during the show.
But just last week an 11-year-old, also from Connecticut, suffered second-degree burns doing the same human BBQ stunt that triggered the earlier incident.
There was also an incident on Sunday in which a 19-year-old Minnesota man, wearing only a hospital gown, ran out on a busy street wielding a chainsaw. While he stopped traffic, no one was injured. He says he was inspired by--you guessed it--Jackass.
In a written statement, MTV pointed out that the show carries a TV-MA rating and a written disclaimer insisting that nobody try the stunts at home.
"While we don't accept responsibility, obviously we feel horrible when a young person does something to hurt themselves," the network said.
In addition to defending itself from Jackass copycats, MTV has come under legal fire for an overly outrageous stunt from another of its shows. Two teen girls in California sued the music network earlier this month after they were showered with human feces during a taping of a pilot for a new show, Dude, That Sucks.