Man made it to national TV in 1974 claiming he could 'jump' on eggs without breaking them

Countless people have talents that are worth getting worldwide exposure. But what do we do about those who have useless talents or something that can barely pass as a unique talent? Turns out, in the 70s, broadcast shows used to invite those people to show off their skills or lack thereof. A writer and broadcaster, Rae Earl, posted a quirky video on her X handle, @RaeEarl. The video garnered over 1 million views and people couldn't stop poking fun at the absurdity of the man's so-called talent. The black and white clip was said to be from a 1974 British TV show.

An old man wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt appeared on screen. There were two eggs placed on a tiny podium in front of him. The man was identified as Tony McCabe, who was known for his ability to jump over eggs and human noses without breaking them, per Weird Universe. In the British TV clip, McCabe demonstrated his trick, which entertained people of that time. To prove his point, McCabe repeatedly jumped over the pair of eggs. He assured the viewers that his foot was skimming the eggs as he jumped.

Upon closer inspection, it was obvious that his weight was not falling on the fragile eggshells and his foot was not making contact with the eggs. By the end of his act, McCabe confirmed that the eggs "definitely got jumped on" as the host of the show looked on in confusion and amusement. "I was at university when I first saw this clip in the early 90s. It generated a great deal of debate once the hysteria had subsided," Earl wrote in a separate comment. People who came across the video on X didn't waste time to compare the man's absurd skills to a modern-day "Air Walking" challenge on TikTok. Many others dropped in hilarious jokes about McCabe.

 @Jack_Inis joked, "At university, my flatmate and I had a very long, overly heated discussion on the definition of 'on' based on this clip." @FreddieHodkin joked, "As someone born in 1997, I was shocked that this says 1974 and it looks so much older." @PeterSonofdod wondered, "I thought his claim was he could stand on eggs and his notion of standing was touching them with the sole of his shoe for an instant." @TheCilla added, "This is Tony McCabe, the Nationwide egg jumper. He was a protégé of a local Gorton (Manchester) hero known as 'Bouncing Billy Barker.' Barker's jumping feats were legendary and won him many a bet. One of his tricks was to jump over a horse from a standing start and another was 'egg jumping.'"

The same commentator added that McCabe used black paint under the soles of his shoes that would rub off the egg every time he jumped on it. It proved to the viewers that he made contact with the surface of the egg. "His most famous trick was bouncing over a canal from a standing start, 'bouncing' on the water in the middle and then making it to the other side," the comment continued. "As an encore, he would do the same from the opposite bank but backward. His technique was to hold two weights in his hands and swing them, using the momentum to carry him to the other side."