There’s absolutely no way I would bring any of these items into my home, but for people who like to collect unusual artifacts Syfy’s got a new series right up your alley. The relic-hunting reality series Deals from the Darkside premieres on November 7, 2012 at 10pm ET/PT.
Season one consists of 13 half-hour episodes featuring, according to Syfy, some of the “creepiest and most notorious antiques and relics in existence.” Items that collector Steve Santini comes in contact with during the series include a knife claimed to have been used by Jack the Ripper, a deck chair off the Titanic, and a real executioner’s sword.
The Plot:
Follow along as Santini, his sidekick Robert “Biker Rob” Duguay and researcher Stef Proctor travel far and wide to call on experts to prove that the artifacts are (or aren’t) what they’re claimed to be. When Santini isn’t driving a hard bargain for the real deal relics, he engages in his other passion – escapology. Santini, who’s been dubbed the world’s most extreme escape artist by Ripley’s Believe It or Not, works with dangerous materials such as machete blades, power drills and water chambers as he perfects his craft in this most unique of hobbies.
Upcoming Episodes:
“Titanic Deck Chair” – Wednesday, November 7 at 10 PM ET/PT
A seller approaches Steve Santini claiming to be in possession of an authentic deck chair salvaged from the Titanic. Santini’s quest to determine whether or not the chair is the real deal leads him to the world famous Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri.
“Houdini Handcuffs” – Wednesday, November 7 at 10:30 PM ET/PT
Steve Santini gets the rare chance to purchase Victorian handcuffs said to have been used by his idol, Harry Houdini. Santini’s efforts to authenticate the cuffs include a visit to Scranton, PA to hook up with some quirky Houdini experts and a pit stop at Houdini’s grave in Queens, New York.
Upcoming episodes this season involve a Mohawk axe and a shrunken head (November 14 at 10 PM), a “dark relics” auction where an executioner’s hood and an antique coffin are on the block (November 14 at 10:30 PM) and a replica Inquisition cloak that may turn out to be a bona fide original (November 21 at 10 PM).
