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Caitlin Heller posted a video on Youtube titled "Worst Twerk Fail EVER - Girl Catches Fire!".

There have been many articles about it, e.g. Telegraph; NY Daily News; AJC.

Was it staged? I watched it over 10 times in a row nonstop, and I'm still not sure.

It may be real because

  • Glass table broke, and her leg caught on fire – a lot of effort for a staged stunt
  • Her friend's surprised reaction appears genuine

But it's suspicious because

  • The video surfaced right as "twerking" gained mainstream attention
  • It's framed perfectly and cuts prematurely
Emmett
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    @Sancho: the OP clearly means; was this a staged stunt? – Oddthinking Sep 06 '13 at 21:57
  • I edited the title/body to ask whether the video was staged, not whether it's real or fake. ...@Sancho clearly the video itself actually exists, so it's real in that sense... – Emmett Sep 06 '13 at 21:58
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    [This author](http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/205294/this-video-may-finally-herald-the-end-of-twerking/) points to the apparent volume change in the music as evidence it is staged. – Oddthinking Sep 06 '13 at 22:51
  • It looked pretty fake to me from the beginning. Reasons: 1. The video is very short and the girl jumps straight to the handstand position. 2. She turns the volume up but when the door is about to open and the action is going to occur, then the music volume turns down and we can't hear the music anymore after the fall. 3. The fall is too perfect. Everything happens to be perfectly positioned and the girl, instead of rolling over her head, which would be a more logical and safe way to land, goes for a back splash against the floor/table. 4. That table looks sturdy enough not to break like that. –  Sep 08 '13 at 07:06
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    I'm suspicious on she catches fire. Clothing may be rather flammable, but candles are not very hot and it should take a while for her pants to catch on fire. A second of exposure to a bunch of candles shouldn't be enough. – Muz Sep 08 '13 at 13:12
  • Reminder for the people attempting answers: We are looking for definitive answers based on real evidence, not opinions about what seems likely or unlikely. – Oddthinking Sep 08 '13 at 13:21

1 Answers1

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On the September 9 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jimmy revealed the full video that included him being ready with a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

It was staged, and filmed months ago. The name of the actress in the video is Daphne Avalon, a stunt woman. The co-star was Caitlin Geier (ref).

Jimmy Kimmel said:

To all the conspiracy theorists on the internet who thought the video was fake: you were right, it was fake, we made it up.

  • Looks like there is an IMDb entry for [Daphne Avalon](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5631732/). – rjzii Sep 10 '13 at 13:33