New Year's Eve in Las Vegas always promises a night of unparalleled entertainment and unforgettable experiences. This past New Year's Eve took a remarkable turn when my wife and I found ourselves in the audience at the Encore theater, witnessing the enigmatic David Blaine work his magic. The show, aptly named "Impossible," ran for just three nights, from December 29th to December 31st. The limited run only added to the exclusivity and mystique of the evening.

The anticipation in the air was palpable as the audience waited with bated breath for the renowned illusionist to weave his spell. What we didn't expect was that we would become an integral part of the performance itself. David chose us to step onto the stage, setting the stage for an evening of heart-pounding thrills and mind-boggling magic.

The centerpiece of this extraordinary act was a Russian roulette-style routine involving three Styrofoam cups. One of them concealed an ice pick standing straight up, a sight that sent shivers down our spines. With David's guidance, we mixed up the cups, obscuring his vision entirely with coins and tape. The tension in the theater was electric as we mixed the cups once more, and then placed his arms over two of them. The audience was in stitches as David brought humor into the act, but the real challenge was yet to come.

You can find Youtube videos of this type of Russian roulette stabbing routine going wrong, but as if that wasn't enough, Blaine took it one step further. In a moment that defied belief, he proceeded to plunge the ice pick through his arm. Or rather I should say, he had ME plunge the ice pick through his arm. To say that we were astounded would be an understatement. We stood there, holding our breath, as David, with an ice pick through his arm, continued his friendly banter with us. As the ice pick punctured his skin on either side, I felt his skin ripping as I held the handle. I imagine it's the same feeling as puncturing an uninflated balloon with an ice pick. He then instructed me to slowly pull the pick out of his arm. I pulled as slowly as I could given the force I had to use. Turns out, stabbing someone in the muscle takes some muscle.

As if the evening couldn't get any more surreal, as we left the stage, David Blaine gifted us the very coins that had covered his eyes and the ice pick itself. Yes, there was slight blood residue on the ice pick.

My wife and I left the Encore theater that night, our hearts still racing from the astonishing spectacle we had just witnessed. David Blaine had not only entertained us but had taken us on a journey of disbelief, wonder, and a newfound appreciation for the Impossible. It was a New Year's Eve we would cherish forever, a night when reality blurred with magic in the heart of Las Vegas, and we were left with a story to "stab" into our memory books.