Las Vegas Weekly

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Breaking Magic star Wayne Houchin is recovering after a Dominican Republic TV host threw flaming Aqua de Florida cologne in his face. Houchin suffered burns on his head, face, neck, and hand. “This was not a stunt or part of an act,” Houchin said on his Facebook page. “[T]his was a criminal attack.”

Aqua de Florida is used by shamans in healing and cleansing rituals. In this part of the world, for many people, witches and witchdoctors are very real. Just two years ago in neighboring Haiti, around a dozen suspected witches were hacked to death by machetes and stoned in the streets. So it’s possible that the Approach the Stars TV host thought he was doing a good thing in burning Houchin. That would explain the statement released on the show’s Facebook page in which the attack was described as a “blessing.”

Local magicians David Copperfield and Lance Burton have taken to Twitter to wish Houchin well. Theory11.com magic producer Jonathan Bayme, who has worked with Houchin in the past, had this to say:

“Wayne is a hugely respected creator and performer of magic, and an inspiration to thousands of young magicians around the world. The incident this week was shocking, and the magic community was quick to respond with widespread support for Wayne. Magicians around the world were outraged by what occurred and are still in disbelief that something like this could happen.”