Carl Skenes (born 1955 in Columbia, South Carolina) is a magician, stunt performer, and balloon artist whose most notable contribution to the entertainment field is his 1980 performance of the bullet catch on the television show, That's Incredible. Skenes began his work in the entertainment field in his teens, working various gigs as a magician, stunt performer, comedian, and balloon artist. In the late 1970s, Skenes and a close friend developed the idea for performing the bullet catch stunt without gimmicks. In 1980, Skenes appeared on That's Incredible, performing the bullet catch with his friend as his sharpshooter. For the first time in history, the That's Incredible crew did a frame by frame stillshot replay, tracing the bullet's path from the rifle and into Skenes' mouth. After his December 1980 marriage, his wife, Tina Benson Skenes, became his sharpshooter. Together, Carl and Tina Skenes performed their ungimmicked bullet catch four more times: Super Sabado Sensacional (Venezuela, 1982); We're Number One! (Japan, 1982); and Fantastico! (Puerto Rico, 1984 and 1986). In 1986 after his appearance on Fantastico!, Skenes retired the stunt, and has since made his mark in the fields of magic and balloon art, having established himself as one of the country's foremost balloon artists.


References:

Ayres, Mick. "Carl Skenes: Biting the Bullet" in "The Linking Ring" (November 2000).

An Interview with Carl Skenes about his preparation for and performance of The Bullet Catch