What is under his pant leg is speculation. It would be any number of things. An obstacle like that in on the rear of the calf would be unwise and a control risk while taxing, taking off, and landing in the Taylorcraft, as anyone that has flown one can imagine.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands of landing sites in that video. If someone couldn't put that Tylorcraft on the ground with a stopped prop, one has no business flying it.

Given reports of the mechanical and legal condition of the airplane, he had no business flying it in the first place.

The Taylorcraft has a slick bench seat and little room; sport parachute rig compromises control travel distance to the pilot and the ability to sit in and strap in to the airplane. It's a stupid idea in an airplane like that.

Exiting with a sport parachute rig without an open door puts the pilot at considerable risk of snagging the main parachute pilot chute, reserve handle, and cutaway handle, as well as snagging either of the main or reserve closing pins. Snagging the pilot chute could cause an out of sequence deployment or cause the pilot chute to release from it's pouch during the airplane exit; almost certainly fatal, and the same goes for snagging the reserve ripcord, or causing either the main or reserve container closing pins or loops to be damaged or pulled. Snagging the cutaway handle would result in release of the three-ring releases on one or both shoulders, causing a loss of failure of the main parachute, and possibly interference with the reserve, on deployment of either the main or reserve. Squeezing out that door poses a lot of risks and is a stupid act, especially done intentionally. The best solution for an engine failure in that airplane revolves around landing it.

There was a lot of altitude and time involved in that exit and deployment. The Taylorcraft is not a high altitude airplane.

There are a lot of ways to film an exit and free fall. A selfie stick isn't among them. It's an idiotic way to attempt an exit, freefall and deployment, especially in an emergency. If one is too frightened to land the airplane, yet plans far enough ahead to take selfie pictures as one exits, it's incongruous and clearly staged.