In the ongoing game of charitable one-upmanship that is the Ice Bucket Challenge, people have been going to increasingly daring (though some might say foolhardy) lengths in order to take a relatively simple task – dumping a bucket of ice on oneself – and turning it into something that could be broadcast on ESPN. Internet news has been teeming with stories about those who've taken the challenge to the next level. There was, for instance, P.K. Subban of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, who had an entire truck of freshly liquefied ice dumped – or, more aptly, unloaded – onto his head. Then came Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who wakeboarded his way to ice bucket virality.
But unfortunately, the event hasn't been all good cheer and meaningful awareness. In the midst of the many antics-ridden challenges, there have been a number of videos that haven't ended well at all. There's even been at least one death. As these examples illustrate, it's best to exercise caution when making your ice bucket video. After all, getting a few more clicks than the average video certainly isn't worth your life:
- A death in the challenge: According to The Stir contributor Lisa Fogarty, 18-year-old Cameron Lancaster, a Scottish resident preparing to start at university in the fall, died after jumping off of a cliff as part of his own extreme rendition of the challenge. When he was challenged, Lancaster decided to take his performance to the next level, and instead of the typical bucket dump, he chose to leap from a cliff into a quarry. His body was recovered hours after his deadly jump. Tragic as it is, Lancaster's isn't the only Ice Bucket performance to not go according to plan.
- Firefighter challenge goes awry: Perhaps firefighters should stick to dispensing water on fires instead of Ice Bucket subjects. According to The Washington Post, four Kentucky firefighters suffered injuries after offering to douse students in water for the challenge. Mounted on a ladder, the firefighters unleashed streams of water on the subjects below. But the event veered from spirited enjoyment when the firefighters crossed paths with a low-hanging power line, which shocked them with thousands of vaults of electricity. Two of the firefighters had to be airlifted to the hospital following the incident.
- A bump on the head: Irish teacher Teresina Bell was almost certainly not predicting that the video of her carrying out the Ice Bucket challenge would rack up 1.9 million views (and counting). But then again, Bell was likely also not planning to sprint head-first into a large metal rod immediately following her challenge. The gaff has garnered Bell her 15 minutes, and thankfully she emerged from the incident relatively unscathed (though someone off camera does say "You have a nice bump on your head").
- The 400 gallon man: "One ice bucket? One puny bucket?" This was evidently the thought that spurred Bruno Brokken – a Belgian photographer currently based in Catalonia – to request that 400 gallons of water be dumped on him from a plane, according to The Telegraph. After the stunt was carried out, Brokken looked, well, broken, with injuries that at least initially appeared to be critical. Fortunately, though, that wasn't the case, and because he sustained no internal injuries, he's projected to recover just fine.
The Ice Bucket Challenge has largely been a harmless activity that's done great work of galvanizing people to fight ALS. That said, the extreme nature of some of the challenges suggests that performative flair has in many instances evidently usurped the charitable nature of the ice bucket campaign. It's important to remind people that the focal point of this effort is raising awareness about ALS. And in that regard, actions speak louder than ice buckets.
