A light-hearted segment on a morning TV show was moments from catastrophe after a liquid nitrogen experiment went wrong and nearly seriously injured a presenter.
Australian Studio 10 host Natarsha Belling was helping a scientist with a demonstration involving a coke bottle and the freezing gas when she accidentally dropped the container.
The soft drink reacted with the liquid nitrogen, causing an explosion and sending the bottle rocketing just centimetres past Belling’s head as she and guest co-host Roxy Jacenko screamed in terror.
‘I can’t hear out of my right ear!’ the Network Ten personality said following the incident.
A light-hearted segment on a morning show barely avoided catastrophe after a liquid nitrogen experiment went wrong and nearly seriously injured a presenter
Studio 10 host Natarsha Belling (pictured) was helping a scientist with a demonstration involving a coke bottle and the gas when she accidentally dropped the container
The mixing of the soft drink and the gas cooled to an extremely low level is a popular stunt with amateur filmmakers online. The cooled nitrogen expands at an exponential rate when exposed to the warmer liquid, causing a rocket-like effect for the object its contained in.
Jacob Strickling, a scientist and author, appeared on Studio 10 on Tuesday to conduct the experiment and promote his book.
The former-science teacher has a large following on social media and regularly posts videos of experiments that students can safely do at home or in their classrooms.
Studio 10 host Natarsha Belling was helping a scientist with a demonstration involving a coke bottle and the gas when she accidentally dropped the container
Jacob Strickling (pictured), a scientist and author, appeared on Studio 10 on Tuesday to conduct the experiment and promote his new book
PR maven Roxy Jacenko is a regular guest co-host on the popular morning show
Strickling initially performed the trick on his own, with Belling and PR maven Jacenko watching nearby.
‘Are these safe to do at home?’ Belling asks after the second successful attempt.
‘Now that you’ve asked the question, how about you have a go? You’ve just seen me do it twice without being injured,’ the scientist replies.
The TV presenter then takes hold of the soft drink bottle, without any safety or protection gear, as Strickling pours the liquid nitrogen into the container.
The two then begin quarreling as Belling is unsure of what her role is in the experiment.
‘I’ve done it twice, you should’ve been watching!’ Strickling says before he is cut off by the exploding bottle and the screams of the two media personalities.
The soft drink reacted with the liquid nitrogen, causing an explosion and sending the bottle rocketing mere centimetres past Belling’s head as she screamed in terror
Belling, with leaves and sticks in her hair, then walks back into shot, wincing as she holds her hand to her ear, temporarily deaf from the near-miss
The bottle falls to the ground before shooting off screen amidst the billowing remains of the nitrogen.
Belling runs screaming off set as branches tumble to the ground, torn off by the projectile. Jacenko holds her hands to her face in shock before pointing and laughing at her co-host.
‘I told you this was going to be the best live television ever,’ Strickling says.
Belling, with leaves and sticks in her hair, then walks back into shot, wincing as she holds her hand to her ear, temporarily deaf from the near-miss.
‘What was your insurance details?’ she jokingly prods the scientist.
The trio then awkwardly attempt to plug Strickling’s new book as he repeats that the experiment is completely safe.