. . . . . . "1123806537"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . "12682317"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Geek show"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . "7430"^^ . . . . . . . . "Geek shows were an act in traveling carnivals and circuses of early America and were often part of a larger sideshow. The billed performer's act consisted of a single geek, who stood in the center ring to chase live chickens. It ended with the performer biting the chickens' heads off and swallowing them. The geek shows were often used as openers for what are commonly known as freak shows. It was a matter of pride among circus and carnival professionals not to have traveled with a troupe that included geeks. Geeks were often alcoholics or drug addicts, and paid with liquor \u2013 especially during Prohibition \u2013 or with narcotics. In modern usage, the term \"geek show\" is often applied to situations where an audience is drawn to a performance or show where the performance consists of a horrific ac"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . "Geek shows were an act in traveling carnivals and circuses of early America and were often part of a larger sideshow. The billed performer's act consisted of a single geek, who stood in the center ring to chase live chickens. It ended with the performer biting the chickens' heads off and swallowing them. The geek shows were often used as openers for what are commonly known as freak shows. It was a matter of pride among circus and carnival professionals not to have traveled with a troupe that included geeks. Geeks were often alcoholics or drug addicts, and paid with liquor \u2013 especially during Prohibition \u2013 or with narcotics. In modern usage, the term \"geek show\" is often applied to situations where an audience is drawn to a performance or show where the performance consists of a horrific act that the crowd finds distasteful but ultimately entertaining. It may also be used by a single person in reference to an experience that he or she found humiliating but others found entertaining."@en . . . . . . . . .