Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Episode #11
First aired March 22, 2000 (Rated TV-PG-V)
Segments:
Teen Strong Girl
14-year-old Shannon Pole Summers has won numerous lifting competitions and can lift up to 1,000 lbs. When she was nine she began strength training with her father and soon proved to be a very powerful lifter. Now, Shannon will take on her high school football team by pulling a school bus packed with all of the players.
Hypnothesia
Shanti Provasoli is about to have a root canal without anesthesia. His physician, Dr. Gestara has been using hypnothesia on his patients for the past 20 years as an alternative to traditional anesthesia. Using distraction to block the pain of surgery, hypnothesia can be a perfect alternative for patients who are allergic to local anesthetics or for those who opt not to have anesthesia. Believe it or not, 80-90% of his patients make it through medical procedures without one second of pain. Will Shanti endure his root canal free of pain?
Mr. Feet
Moses Lanham has a one-of-a-kind ability - he can effortlessly and painlessly rotate his legs and feet 180 degrees. After discovering this unique talent at age 14, Moses often pulled pranks on his friends by standing in a telephone booth with his back to the door and his legs and feet facing front! Now, his six-year-old son Trey is following in his father’s backward footsteps and displaying the same twisting ability.
Seeing Eye Horse
The way in which visually impaired people get around is being revolutionized. Seeing-eye dogs may be replaced by seeing-eye horses. Both dogs and horses cost about $25,000 to buy and train, but mini-horses can put in over 30 years of service (that's 20+ years longer than a dog). Mini-horses also have better peripheral vision and an incredible memory.
Rubber Band Man
While working in the mailroom at a law firm, John Bain began collecting rubber bands. Little did he know that he would eventually put together a rubber band ball almost 13 feet in circumference and weighing over 2,000 lbs. According to his family, John always has been a collector of sorts - from old movie tickets to baseball cards. Luckily, the Alliance Rubber Company has supplied many of the larger rubber bands used for the outer layer of his ball, which have saved him a lot of money.
Micro Artist
Behind a common storefront in Bath, England, lies the Microworld Exhibition. It holds over 500 objects of microscopic art. Many of these works can actually fit on the head of an ordinary straight pin. The artist, Willard Wagins, must concentrate on his breathing when carving his masterpieces because otherwise they might blow away. Some of his works include two birds carved into an eyelash; Mt. Rushmore carved into the tip of a pencil lead; and the Statue of Liberty carved into a toothpick.
Piranha
Dr. David Schlese, a noted biologist, reports that he has unlocked the key to what makes piranha attack. His theory challenges the myth that piranha eat human flesh. Dr. Schlese believes that most piranha will not attack if they don't sense the presence of blood in the water. To test his theory, Schlese will submerge himself into a tank full of carnivorous piranha. Believe it or not!
Cheapskate
Meet Roy Haynes, the "Cheapest Man in the World." Roy is so cost-conscious that he splits his 2-ply toilet paper into 2 rolls of 1-ply toilet paper and he dries out and reuses paper towels again and again. What’s more, he takes ketchup packets from restaurants and squeezes them into his own ketchup bottle to save money. You’ll be amazed when Roy shows Ripley’s all the outrageous things he does to save a buck.
Mexican Cave Jump
The Sontana de las Golandrinas (Cave of the Swallows) in Mexico is a quarter of a mile deep. The only way in is to parachute down. But there are more than 100,000 swallows that live within the cave and parachuting can turn deadly if the birds become tangled in the lines. Don’t miss our Ripley’s daredevils attempt this very dangerous jump.
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