A man let a black widow spider bite him in a bit to debunk any myths about the insect, but it instead seemed to make some people’s fear of the arachnid worse. To put it shortly, Jack Schonhoff’s YouTube channel could only be described as Running Wild with Bear Grylls meets Jackass. It sees wildlife enthusiast Jack come face-to-face with some of the world’s most dangerous creepy crawlies. But rather than just inspecting the bugs, Jack actually allows some of them to bite or sting him in a bid to document what it’s like.
YouTuber Jack Schonhoff was bitten by a black widow spider. Credits: Jacks World of Wildlife/YouTube
Some may believe that black widow bites are fatal, but this actually isn’t the case.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should try be bitten by one – as proven by Jack.
According to the content creator, after being bitten by the spider it took him nearly two weeks until he ‘felt totally normal’ again.
One of the key symptoms he felt was lower back pain, which Jack described at one point as being ‘the most painful it’s been in my entire life’.
While Jack had a pretty bad time with the aftermath of the bite, he still wanted to raise awareness about spiders like the black widow – the reason he did the video in the first place.
Noting that someone might have an allergic reaction to a spider bite, Jack argued that ‘that doesn’t necessarily make [black widow spider bites] as dangerous as everyone thinks’.
“Essentially, [the bite] is terrible, it hurts, but it’s not going to kill you,” he continued.
“Again, these widow spiders a very, very, very reluctant to bite. The only way you’re realistically going to be bitten by a black widow is if you pin it to your skin.
“So if you’re leaving your shoes outside, check your shoes. If you’re leaving stuff in you’re garage that you’re putting on, check it before you put it on.
“It’s as simple as that. These spiders are not aggressive.”
“You’ve confirmed my fear of black widows. Thanks,” someone replied to his 2019 YouTube video.
Another echoed: “You didn’t change my mind about black widows. You still proved to me to avoid the hell out of them.”
But others applauded Jack for literally taking one for the team to educate people about the insects and labelled his channel as ‘criminally underrated’.
While Jack went on to make a full recovery from the bite, it’s definitely not something you should try at home kids.