Subscribe by RSS
Whip Guy brings cracking good time to Boone County Fair
By Matt Helm
REPORTER
World champion whip cracker and entertainer Chris Camp, otherwise known as “The Whip Guy,” brought North America’s only family whip act to the Boone County Fair.
“We are a high speed thrill act that does stunts with whips, we are a tribute to the old time whip acts that toured the United States doing musical routines and tricks,” Camp said.
When Chris was 12-years-old, he saw “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and at age 13 he got his first whip mat. Camp has whipped professionally since 1999.
“The show is super fun and unlike anything an audience has seen before,” Camp said. “There’s lots of audience participation, and there’s a lot of comedy in spite of the fact that the act can be pretty dangerous.”
The Whip Guy performed Wednesday through Saturday on the grounds.
Camp performs with his wife and children, known collectively as The Whip Cracking Dare Devils.
“I was a graphic designer and my wife was a nurse before we took up performing,” Camp said. “I had the opportunity to do shows and she said, ‘If you think you’re taking anybody else with you, you’re wrong,’ and we started traveling.”
This is the first time the Boone County Fair has featured the talents of the Whip Guy.
“We are super excited to perform at the fair,” Camp said. “Audiences like seeing a family work together. We can cut paper down using our whips and pull the trigger of a shot gun.”
The Whip Guy has appeared on The Tonight Show and on America’s Got Talent, where he placed 42nd out of 70,000. The act has traveled abroad to many different countries.
“My favorite part is performing with my kids and watching them perfect tricks and watching the audience enjoy what they see,” Camp said. “Every audience is a little bit different, but they all just love it. It’s multi-generational, grandparents like it because they probably haven’t seen an act of this kind since the 50s, and kids like it because they’ve seen movies with whip tricks. There’s a parallel everyone can share.”
For more information on The Whip Guy, check out www.thewhipguy.com.
