Prop Bag Search at Airport Security Takes Three Hours as Juggler Explains Every Single Item

A routine baggage screening at Denver International Airport escalated into a three-hour ordeal Tuesday when TSA agents opened a juggler's prop bag and discovered what they initially described as 'an alarming quantity of unidentified cylindrical objects.' The bag, belonging to traveling performer Nigel Multiplex, contained eleven juggling clubs, seven rings, three sets of stage balls, two diabolos, a set of devil sticks, a rola bola, one unicycle wheel, and a collapsible balance beam, all of which required individual explanation. 'The first club came out and we thought, okay, maybe it's some kind of exercise equipment,' said TSA agent Patricia Scanfield. 'The second club, we're thinking sporting goods. By club number seven, I was questioning whether this man was preparing for some kind of extremely specific uprising.' Multiplex, who was traveling to a corporate entertainment gig in Omaha, attempted to accelerate the process by demonstrating each prop's intended use, a decision that created what airport security described as 'a secondary situation.' 'He started juggling the clubs right there at the checkpoint,' Scanfield said. 'Which, in fairness, did prove they weren't weapons. But it also caused a crowd to form, which triggered a crowd-control protocol, which triggered a supervisor notification, which made everything worse.' The screening ultimately required a supervisor, a shift manager, and a call to the TSA's national operations center, which confirmed that 'juggling props are not prohibited items' but added that 'we've honestly never been asked before.' Multiplex was cleared and made his flight with four minutes to spare. He has since invested in a laminated letter from the Jugglers' Association explaining his equipment, which he describes as 'the saddest document I own.'