They dig their own graves, hide in rubbish bins and stick their tongues in mouse traps. Without a real purpose – just to shock people and amuse themselves in a strange way. Inspired by the controversial American MTV-show “Jackass”,

Neglecting the rules of self-preservation and good manners, they go to extremes on camera.

The Debloids are future Geography teacher, Mikhail, also known as Kusok,  yesterday's schoolboy Nazar, and the show's creator Aleksandr, although he prefers to call himself the Dead Head. No longer a teenager, Aleksandr says the guys want to promote their tomfoolery in Russia and make money out of it.

“It all began in 2000. We started to shoot home video at first, then we showed it to our friends, they liked it. And now we hope to make our shows popular across the country!” Aleksandr notes.

They have already been featured on MTV in Russia and have performed in Moscow nightclubs. They say, even their parents don't mind this somewhat strange hobby of theirs anymore – after all, it might have career prospects.

“I’m old enough to be responsible for myself. I’m not an alcoholic or drug-addict, I just like to do what others would never do and would just call me crazy,” Nazar says.

The Debloids have already met their American counterparts, Jackass, and now dream of becoming as popular.

But they believe the Russian audience doesn't seem to be ready for them. Some find their stunts cool and funny, others – silly and vulgar.

If they are carrying a stun gun, don't be fooled – it's not for self defence. It's more about self destruction…

“We dug a grave, put one of our guys in it, tied his legs to a car with rope, filled up the grave, put a wooden cross on top and set it on fire. The car was supposed to pull him out, but the wheels slipped. We rushed up to him, everything was on fire. The guy was shocked. He was crying and laughing at the same time. His hair was burnt, but he wasn't badly hurt fortunately,” Mikhail remembers. 

But professionals are rather critical of their efforts.

Alik Gukhanov, a sportsman and stunt artist, who starred in a number of Russian films and popular TV-series, believes the Debloids will never be able to do film stunts.

“Oh, this is silly, this is not serious” Alik said and then continued: “These are not real stunts, anyone can copy them. The guys just have too much spare time, probably military service could fix it. They seem to have no responsibilities. There is nothing courageous about their tricks. They are just silly.”

Psychotherapist Andrey Ermoshin says the tendency to take risks is inherent in the nature of youngsters, especially boys, as well as the desire to look original and unconventional, even if it isn't justified.

“They want to explore the limits of the allowable. So-called ”peak experiences“ are interesting to them. And talking about the medical aspect, some of the stunts are really dangerous. Even if they are lucky enough not break the spinal column, they might soon face health problems, from chronic headaches and nausea to more serious ones,” stresses Andrey Ermoshin.

Whatever we call it – an adrenaline rush or a lust for fame and money – this phenomenon seems to be growing. The Moscow Debloids have rivals in Minsk and Saint Petersburg. Whether on TV or in the street there's always a willing audience.