EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT

Stevie Starr | Česko Slovensko má talent 2011

Stevie Starr is a performance artist who refers to himself as a professional regurgitator. His act consists of swallowing various items (coins, lightbulbs, balloons, nails, billiard balls, dry sugar, goldfish) and regurgitating them. He has never described exactly how this is done, and the implausibility of some of his regurgitations have led some to believe that he is an illusionist. (Although, during an appearance on Howard Stern's TV show in the 1990s, Starr was shown swallowing broken glass and other dangerous objects and carefully regurgitated most of it, then the camera followed him into a restroom where he stuck his finger down his throat and vomited up the last of it.) Starr has appeared on many television shows, with several appearances on each of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Starr has a busy international touring schedule for his longer solo act.

According to his live act and official biography, Starr grew up in Glasgow, Scotland in a children's home. He claims to have developed his talent in order to hide money. Starr claims to be the world's only "professional regurgitator", though similar acts do exist in modern and historical performance related to the geek show tradition^.

Stevie auditioned for the 2010 series of Britain's Got Talent. He appeared on the episode broadcast on 24 April 2010, swallowing numbered coins and a billiard ball and then regurgitating them on demand and in order. Having progressed to the semi-finals, Starr appeared on the first live semi-final show on Monday 31 May, though the show spelt his surname with only one r ("Star"). The main part of his act involved swallowing Amanda Holden's engagement ring, much to her horror, followed by a locked padlock and finally the key. He then regurgitated the padlock—now enclosing the engagement ring—followed by the key. Starr finished fourth in the public vote and so did not progress to the final. After being knocked out of the competition, he performed his talent in the German version of the show Das Supertalent. He placed third in the semi-finals and managed to advance to the final. In October 2011, he appeared on the Czech and Slovak version, and progressed to the final.