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Bam Margera was subjected to plenty of abuse during his time as a member of the Jackass crew. However, there’s apparently one stunt that firmly stands out among the rest based on what he had to say while reflecting on a career that was overflowing with traumatizing moments.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Jackass was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world while launching the careers of the amateur daredevils who essentially transformed into professional stuntmen after the MTV series thrust them into the spotlight.
If you’ve kept tabs on that crew over the years, you’re very aware it took a toll on many of the cast members involved. Steve-O famously overcame the substance abuse issues that contributed to Ryan Dunn’s death in an alcohol-related car crash in 2011, and Bam Margera spent years waging an incredibly public battle with addiction before seemingly turning the corner following his latest stint in rehab.
His struggle to get clean was the primary factor in the messy divorce that led to the Viva La Bam star being excluded from the filming of Jackass Forever, and it appeared the negative attention he’d managed to attract while grappling with those demons contributed to him being left out of the most recent Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater remake before the legend who lends his name to that franchise intervened.
Margera currently appears to be in a much better place than he was—he’s closing in on a year of sobriety—and he’s been incredibly candid about his journey while looking back on what he endured to get to the point where he is today.
Bam Margera sheds light on the one Jackass stunt that almost made him pass out
Margera recently chatted with ESPN in an interview where he talked about the toll his heavy drinking and drug use took on his health (he credits his wife, a stretch coach, for helping him rehabilitate the legs that were too damaged to allow him to skateboard), and he also got the chance to reflect on the franchise that made him famous.
He was at the center of plenty of wild stunts during his time on Jackass, but he pointed to a double-cross that unfolded on the set of the third movie that really sticks out above the rest, saying:
“The scariest thing I’ve ever done was probably get sabotaged into falling into that pit of 100 snakes. Because if I knew that that was going to happen in real life, I would have been on the first airplane out of there..
There’s a hole in the 18-wheeler that I fell in and I could not get out. Me telling them that I’m terrified of snakes is basically just like saying, ‘Put snakes on Bam.’
But um, yeah, that was absolutely terrifying to the point where I cried, and if they hadn’t brought me out of there within another minute, I probably would have, like, convulsed and fainted or something gnarly. It was complete panic.”
If you’re not familiar with the fateful moment in question, here’s the clip.
That wasn’t the only time he fell victim to a snake-related prank, as the Indiana Jones of the Jackass team also had his ophidiophobia exploited in the second movie.
I almost feel bad laughing at both of those videos based on the psychological damage they caused, but I can only hope he can take some solace in knowing it wasn’t all for naught.