EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” is published every Monday, with an extra Flashback Friday edition. This installment in our ongoing series first appeared on June 26, 2023.
In July 2003, a video producer played a prank on KLAS-TV/Las Vegas. He orchestrated a mock safari featuring attractive young women wearing sneakers and only sneakers, hunted with paintball guns by men who allegedly paid thousands for the privilege.
Reporter LuAnne Sorrell aired a live segment showcasing a hunt in action, taking Michael Burdick’s word that the “Hunting for Bambi” venture was entirely legitimate. The story gained traction with CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, and various reputable newspapers globally.
Burdick mentioned to FOX, “Many women harbor a fantasy of being pursued by a stranger.” He also interviewed a “Bambi” who referred to herself as Taylor. She remarked, “We’re not suffering significant harm,” stating that potential injuries are legally irrelevant because “I’m aware of what I’m signing up for.”
The women were allegedly compensated $1,000 for each paintball hit and $2,500 if they remained unscathed.
If that’s more misogyny than you can handle today, you might want to check out another recently debunked myth instead. (Perhaps that one about Celine Dion helicoptering to Caesars Palace?)
HuntingForBambi.com promised that hunters would be flown to Las Vegas to select from a menu of 30 naked women to “chase down and shoot like animals.”
“This is the ultimate gift for someone who thinks they have it all,” the website claimed.
See? I warned you. But you weren’t interested in Celine today, were you?
Paying Dearly
This elaborate hoax was a marketing stunt aimed at promoting the shockingly insensitive softcore videos Burdick made of these staged hunts. The website maintained the illusion that these hunts were real while charging $10,000 for the experiences to deter actual bookings. And if the steep price didn’t turn anyone away, the website wasn’t set up to process credit card transactions of that size.
The women featured in the videos and news reports were all actresses, while the “hunters” were friends or associates of Burdick, including George Evanthes, owner of Tough Girl Productions, a Las Vegas adult video firm.
The subsequent expose that revealed “Hunting for Bambi” as a fabrication received a fraction of the national attention compared to the original sensationalized reports. As a result, most viewers still vaguely remember it as an actual Vegas occurrence.
Only in Vegas, right?
Brass Eagle, a major paintball manufacturer, even issued a press release expressing their condemnation of this “irresponsible activity.”
Bambi: The Reckoning
Deceiving news reporters isn’t against the law. However, offenses like obstructing justice, providing false information to law enforcement, and operating a business without a proper license are misdemeanors. A year later, Burdick faced the city of Las Vegas in municipal court on these charges. The only business license he held permitted him to sell videos, not to function as a sexually oriented business or run paintball operations.
“He was a remarkably persuasive con artist. The public must be aware of individuals like him—especially when they are caught and show cowardice,” stated Oscar Goodman, the former mob defense attorney who served as mayor at the time, to the Las Vegas Sun.
Burdick ultimately accepted a plea deal, paying a $1,105 fine and issuing a formal apology. In return, the city dropped its two obstructing justice charges. After that, Burdick disappeared from the public eye.
Currently, Burdick’s original “Hunting for Bambi” VHS and DVDs retail for about $20 online, with minimal collector markup. As for Burdick, he now works as a producer for WWE, which seems fitting.
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