Attention-Hungry Hotel Owner Helped Plan Evel Knievel’s Near-Fatal Motorcycle Stunt

Evel Knievel’s daredevil attitude and risky motorcycle stunts caught the attention of Jay Sarno, an American developer, hotelier and casino owner who founded the Caesars Palace hotel and the Circus Circus in Las Vegas.

As soon as he made his name known, Evel Knievel revealed his wish to jump over the Caesars Palace’s infamous fountain—and fame-hungry Sarno loved the idea!

“This is getting a lot of attention! I wanna meet this guy so he can jump over my fountain,” Jay Sarno allegedly said, according to Knievel’s son, Kelly Knievel.

“That’s literally how it happened,” assures Kelly Knievel in a teaser for REELZ’s new docuseries, Collision Course: Evel Knievel.

Before his near-fatal crash, both Evel Knievel and Jay Sarno were fully committed to making the performance as grandiose as the Vegas resort itself.

“Jay Sarno was the kind of guy who really liked making impact. And he really carried that over in every detail, including the entertainment,” says Las Vegas historian, David Schwartz, in the clip.