Man Cements Head in Microwave and Nearly Dies Because That's Not What Kitchen Appliances Are For

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Microwaves should be used for nuking food, not wearing on your head, as one YouTube star discovered. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

People will do anything for internet fame, and that includes cementing their heads inside of a microwave.

This gem of a video was unearthed from the bizarre land of YouTube, where England-based Jimmy Swingler—a video director for the TGFbro channel, according to his Facebook profile—suctioned a microwave to his head using a paste of polyfilla and water.

Swingler begins the video by saying it is not, in fact, clickbait and declares, "This is the day where I probably kill myself," which he almost did. As he makes the paste, Swingler hypothesizes that wearing a microwave as a hat could be worse than being buried alive. Oh yeah, did we mention that he's also claustrophobic? Another indication that this experiment was just not a good idea.

But Swingler pressed on and filled the microwave with the homemade cement. He donned a plastic bag on his head and inserted a breathing tube through a hole in the bag to get fresh air. Then, he stuck his head in the microwave.

Unfortunately, the makeshift breathing tube got blocked, and Swingler's friends, who came to watch, attempted to get the microwave off his head to no avail. After a bit, Swingler freaked out and told his friends that he was going to die. They seem unconcerned saying, "No, you're fine," while marveling at how the microwave solidly adhered to his head.

In the end, they had to seek professional help.

The West Midlands Fire Department, located in Birmingham, United Kingdom, responded to their pleas for assistance and sent over five firefighters, according to a tweet. They were not amused, as can be seen by the angry red-faced emoji with the response. The department also released a statement via video.

We're seriously unimpressed 😡.
Five of our firefighters were tied up for an hour this afternoon, freeing a YouTube pranker whose head had been 'cemented' inside a microwave oven. Read more: https://t.co/6bZReGuKQX (Photos © West Midlands Fire Service) pic.twitter.com/2ch2UhszeH

— West Midlands Fire Service (@WestMidsFire) December 7, 2017

Station Commander Simon Woodward explained it took more than an hour to remove the object, which required the assistance of a special team at the station. He explained that pranks like this one, which was done irresponsibly, keeps his workers from attending to other serious situations. But he did take pity on Swingler as his life was in danger, explaining that he wouldn't charge him for the time it took to save his life. This annoyed some people who believe that Swingler got off too easy.

Twitter user @pipsuxx said, "YUP. like I understand why they're not, bc of the precedent it sets, but he's gonna be making money off the back of that video which he absolutely doesn't deserve."

So, did Swingler learn his lesson? Well, in an interview with the BBC, he laughs when the reporter points out he could have died. " Yeah, probably, I'm all good though," he said. But he did give kudos to the firefighters, saying he respects and appreciate what they did for him.

Uncommon Knowledge

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About the writer


Melissa is a science writer covering health for Newsweek and has contributed to Inc., Dr. Oz The Good LifeMen's Fitness, Marie Claire and others. She earned ... Read more

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