Carl Payne was born in Lizard Lick, North Carolina on August 12, 1964. One night, when the Snickerdoodle Traveling Circus was in town, a baby was heard crying from the trailer of the Bearded Lady, Mabel Payne and her husband, Boris the Strongman. This union resulted in Carl, a youngster with such unique genes that at the tender age of three he sported a full beard and could lift 30-pound barbells.

Carl flashed his daredevil abilities at an early age. When he was five, he entertained audiences by riding his bicycle through a burning ring of fire. By the age of 8, he was being shot out of the cannon to the delight of the crowd. But in 1977, when the Snickedoodle Traveling Circus merged with a larger troupe in New York, Carl chose to go out on his own to become a professional daredevil. He was just 13 years old.

It wasn’t long before the young stuntman took on the name “Courageous” Carl Payne and began one of the most amazing and death-defying runs in the history of Daredevilism. His early highlights include a motorcycle jump over lagoon of hungry crocodiles, a steel cage match against a cantankerous llama and the 1979 stunt where he rode a wrecking ball right into an 8-story building.

The 1980s brought much fame to Carl. Blessed with an abundance of charisma and a flair for the dramatic, Carl soon had fans from around the world. He fraternized with many movie stars and had a long list of rumored affairs with Hollywood’s leading ladies. Despite his popularity, Carl’s extravagant lifestyle and reckless stunts eventually took a toll on him. A string of bad luck and poorly executed stunts soon made him a regular in emergency rooms across the country. Despite these mishaps, he lived up to his “courageous” moniker many times over.

In the early 1990s, Carl persevered through his many injuries, making appearances at corporate fundraisers and County Fairs. In 1994, after unsuccessfully attempting to jump a taco stand in Sante Fe, New Mexico, he took off his helmet, folded up his cape and officially retired as a stuntman. He was just 30 years old.

It wasn’t until 2009 when Courageous Carl Payne resurfaced again. Executives from Hotsy found the retired stuntman living quietly with his wife and two children in Portland, OR and approached him about participating in a series of “Man vs. Power Washer” challenges. Excited about the opportunity to prove his mettle once again, “Courageous” Carl Payne agreed to the challenge.

“When I put that helmet and cape back on,” Carl said. “I felt like I was 13 again. Only, I was about 50 pounds heavier, balding and kind of sore all the time. Nevertheless, I’m excited about the challenge and grateful to Hotsy for this opportunity to prove myself once again.”