If you are familiar with the theory of Six Degrees of Separation, then this concept shouldn’t sound alien to you. The Bacon Number is a game which was designed to prove that any actor in Hollywood was merely six connections away from actor Kevin Bacon.
The Bacon Number is a concept that has gained immense popularity in the past and has been quite a trend amongst the youth. And if you haven’t tried this out, you maybe will after reading more about it in this article. Without further ado, let’s take you on this journey of exploring everything about this unique concept!
Origin of the Bacon Number
This interesting theory has been stemmed from the Six Degrees of Separation where it took an average of six people for you to find your preferred social connection. However, this trend really kicked off when four Albright College students invented a game called, ‘The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.’
They went on to write a letter to talk show host Jon Stewart explaining to him how Kevin Bacon was the center of attention in Hollywood. The students appeared on The Jon Stewart Show where they explained the game to Bacon. Initially, Bacon didn’t seem to be a fan of this but eventually went on to like the game. A book and a board game have also been released based on this theme.
How does the Bacon Number Work?
The Bacon Number works on the concept of Erdos Number which states that the lesser the number, the higher the chances of connecting with that person directly than otherwise.
For instance, Kevin Bacon’s Number is zero. Any actor who has worked with him in a film, his number is 1. If an actor works with another actor who has worked with Kevin Bacon in the past, then his number is 2 and the list keeps continuing in this trend.
The Bacon Number of Famous Celebrities
If you thought that only commoners like you and I indulge in these trends, think again. There are plenty of celebrities across the globe who have played this game and while some have ranked low, there are others who have ranked very high. Hopefully, that isn’t your favourite celebrity!
The man that tops this list is of course Kevin Bacon who has a score of zero (after all, he is the closest to himself!) Celebrities like singer John Legend and actress Jennifer Aniston have a score of 1 as they have worked with him as co-actors in various films and very good friends with him too!
Singer Beyoncé and British actor George Clooney rank 2 on this uniquely coveted list. Rappers Chris Brown and Macklemore rank a distant three on this list as they have been a well-known connection with Kevin Hart who has worked with Bacon in the past.
How Can I Find My Bacon Number?
There are various sites such as Oracle of Bacon which can help you find your Bacon number and tell you how far you are from meeting your next major social connection or help meet two celebrities (hypothetically though). One such site is the one that you use almost everyday and is probably the biggest household name in the world. Didn’t get it?
Well, it’s Google and they have launched a new feature where you can find the Bacon number of any celebrity in just a few steps. All you need to do is to Google search the celebrity along with the words ‘bacon number’. And just leave the rest to Google’s search algorithms which will not just reveal the bacon number of your favourite celebrity but also help you find the shortest possible connection route between two celebrities.
