David Blaine Do Not Attempt: release date and everything we know

(Image credit: Nat Geo/Disney+)

He’s been buried alive, shackled to a rotating gyroscope and suspended from a crane in a glass box for 44 days with no food. Now American magician and endurance performer David Blaine is on a mission to showcase and learn from performers around the world who have mastered their own dazzling variety of mind-blowing feats.

Here's everything we know about his six-part series David Blaine Do Not Attempt...

David Blaine Do Not Attempt release date

Episodes one and two of David Blaine drop on Disney Plus on Monday, March 24.

Episode one airs on National Geographic Channel on Thursday, March 27 at 9pm.

David Blaine Do Not Attempt premise

David Blaine Do Not Attempt is a six-part documentary series following magician David Blaine as he explores the world seeking out incredible people who perform real feats that look like magic.

David takes us on a wondrous journey through some of the world’s most extraordinary cultures, searching for these masters to find inspiration and learn new skills along the way.

What happens in David Blaine Do Not Attempt?

Episode 1
In Brazil, David Blaine seeks inspiration by immersing himself in his hosts’ vibrant energy, passion, and spontaneity. The exceptional daredevils, artists, explorers and athletes he counters unite to help him bring an audacious feat to life that’s lingered in his dreams for years.

Episode 2
In Southeast Asia, David Blaine explores how pain endurance can transform fear into magic. He meets practitioners who appear impenetrable by sharp objects and performers who can endure the stings of venomous creatures. David unpacks how people exploit fear in order to create wonder.

Episode 3
In the stunning frozen landscape of the Arctic Circle, David Blaine explores humanity's curiously extreme ability to endure freezing temperatures. He meets and learns from people who reach beyond their limits to transform barriers into new frontiers and to embody a sense of resilience, perseverance and grit that is unique to the region.

Episode 4
Growing up, David Blaine was fascinated by images from India of extraordinary physical feats. This evolved into a life-long obsession with real acts that are so extreme they look like magic. Using secrets passed down over hundreds of years, people still perform these acts today. In India, David unearths these modern practitioners to explore how belief and performance intersect to make magic.

Episode 5
In a country once shaped by Apartheid, David explores how magic can break down barriers and transform our preconceptions while engaging with a diverse tapestry of people and wildlife in the ever-evolving nation of South Africa.

Episode 6
From perfectly punctual bullet trains to meticulously assembled pieces of sushi, Japan is renowned for its craftsmanship, artistry, and commitment to excellence in all endeavors. In Japan, David explores the concept of mastery by meeting with people who spend a lifetime refining a single skill.

David Blaine Do Not Attempt interview

Despite the show’s title including the warning ‘Do Not Attempt’, Blaine simply can’t resist having a go at the stunts himself – which means a pretty steep learning curve as opposed to his usual painstaking preparations.

"I woke up in the middle of the night thinking: 'Oh my God, what if somebody tries to copy something?'" he explains. "And that was when I decided the actual title needs to be the disclaimer. But for me, the only time you grow is by breaking your comfort zone."

He’s certainly doing that across the six-parter, which starts with a trip to Brazil, where Blaine sees street magic being performed in the favelas and meets high-diving sisters Jackie and Patti Valente, before attempting a dangerous ‘fire jump’, which involves leaping from a bridge while set alight.

And in episode two, set in South East Asia, Blaine introduces a highly unpredictable element to his work as he learns tricks featuring dangerous animals including a swarm of bees, scorpions and a king cobra snake.

After allowing his body to be covered in bees and then scorpions, Blaine, who grew up with a phobia of creepy crawlies, attempts to kiss the head of a deadly king cobra snake.

"You don’t know what the cobra is going to do from one second to the next, and it has enough venom to kill an elephant!" he reveals. "So I had no control, which is unusual for me."

But with help from a local snake performer, Blaine manages to conquer his fears and kiss the cobra. However, he says, once was enough. "It changed the way I feel about everything that I do," he says. "But I will probably never kiss a king cobra again."

The remaining episodes take Blaine to the Arctic Circle, India, South Africa and Japan. And despite his have-a-go attitude, there’s one point during the series when the 51-year-old decides against attempting a stunt that could result in serious injury, after speaking to his daughter on the phone.

"Since becoming a father, everything has changed," he admits. "So I talk to her about anything that is dangerous, and I didn’t want to do anything that was traumatic for her."

He adds that his love of magic grew out of his own relationship with a parent... "My mother worked in a diner as a waitress," he recalls. "And one day, when I was in the library waiting for her to pick me up, the librarian showed me a card trick. And when I did it for my mother, she freaked out! So that began my love of magic, because even if she’d had a tough day, I could change it by doing a trick."