Season 2: Back in Vegas

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Aspiring magicians who perform for Penn and Teller include Jon Armstrong, Xavier, Greg Dow aka The Shocker and Steve Brundage.

[SomethingClever]

Solid start to the season.

 

I really like Jon Armstrong's magic. He has clever presentations and he's a really engaging presence. The Tiny Plunger is a great trick, it's one that's in my repertoire. You could tell that it totally caught Penn off guard, but I had a feeling watching Teller that he knew what was up. Still, a really fun trick.

 

I was so excited to see Xavier on there because I think his mirror act is just fantastic. I don't think he had any illusions (heh) that he would actually fool P&T, but the act itself is so entertaining I'm glad they had him.

 

Honestly, I thought "The Shocker" was pretty bad. The magic was the sort that you can find from any of hundreds of mentalists around the country, and his persona was not my bag. And again, there's no way he was going to fool P&T with that act.

 

I was a bit surprised on how they didn't even have a guess for Brundage's act, but I'm really glad he fooled them. It's a terrific piece of entertainment.

[The Crazed Spruce]

I was impressed by the bit with the Rubik's Cubes and the act with the plungers. And while I easily figured out how the trick with the mirror was done, it was very artfully performed. (Which is really the point of an act like that, isn't it?)

The Shocker had a decent act, but not a great one. A good gimmick, but there really wasn't anything special. (And I think I figured it out around the same time Penn did.)

I'm pretty sure I've seen P&T do that cell-phone-in-the-fish trick before, but it's still a fun bit. :)

[Amarsir]

Honestly, I thought "The Shocker" was pretty bad. The magic was the sort that you can find from any of hundreds of mentalists around the country, and his persona was not my bag. And again, there's no way he was going to fool P&T with that act.

I did like his persona, even though the "wild" magician has been done. It played well. But I agree the trick wasn't great. And I thought how he did the ending actually detracted from it, even though it was a different method. Once audiences see you're using

a remote whiteboard

, they'll assume technology for everything.

 

Brundage was a nice act. I know solving Rubik's Cube is a very mechanical thing that can be learned, but solving it one-handed on a behind-the-back toss is still impressive beyond that.

 

Cell Fish was a good trick to open the season with, too. Classic P&T in that it's more joking than actual trickery, and yet classic magic in that the trick you're trying to figure out isn't the one you should be.

Edited July 7, 2015 by The Crazed Spruce
hid speculation of how a trick was performed

[The Crazed Spruce]

A quick reminder, no speculation on how the magicians performed the trick here in the episode threads. We have a dedicated and spoiler-tagged speculation thread for that very purpose.

Stage magicians are notoriously protective of their secrets, and the last thing we need is bad mojo between us and the Magician's Guild. They might turn us all into toads or something. :)

[Amarsir]

Whoops! Sorry, Spruce. I don't know where my head was, because I legit thought I wasn't spoiling anything when I wrote that. Obviously now I see it.

[Monty]

Mentalism is usually a boring act, and it's not much improved by putting on a mask and shouting a lot. I much preferred the tiny plunger, which was a small, fun effect that I haven't seen a million times before.

[theatremouse]

While I appreciate showmanship, I definitely prefer when acts really are trying to fool them. Why would you go on with something so basic that even if non-magicians don't know precisely how it's done, they've definitely seen it done by a bunch of others so there know there's some existing method. I know sometimes the appeal of the trick is Penn and Teller can guess an obvious way and if the person has genuinely rejiggered an old trick with a new method, then they're actually wrong and that can be interesting. But too much of this episode was...I have seen at least 3 magicians do precisely this on myriad shows. The dressing of an old trick can sometimes be delightful, but not this time. Other than tiny plunger and Rubik's dude, I wasn't impressed. And even the Rubik's thing... I don't have speculation on how it's done but it does seem to me that someone well versed in those over someone well versed in magic might have a better shot of guessing. Those cubes did look hinky, but since Penn and Teller did handle them I suppose they concluded it wasn't just that.

[Amarsir]

While I appreciate showmanship, I definitely prefer when acts really are trying to fool them. Why would you go on with something so basic that even if non-magicians don't know precisely how it's done, they've definitely seen it done by a bunch of others so there know there's some existing method. 

Yeah, I was surprised to see that in the new season, especially in the first episode. It was understandable during the UK run with a smaller magician pool and without knowing how successful the series would be. But here it shouldn't be necessary.

 

My guess is that either they're trying to stretch over many episodes, or they figure a "Fool Us" audience will want stuff that we ourselves can figure out.

 

Mentalism is usually a boring act, and it's not much improved by putting on a mask and shouting a lot.

One of the best acts of last season was the dinner plates one, which was mentalism. And Derren Brown has a pretty successful career in the UK doing nothing but that. Now both are vastly superior to a trick I remember classmates doing in 9th grade, but I don't categorically hate it. 

[Monty]

"Usually" gives me a lot of room to weasel around. There are certainly good mentalism acts, but I feel like an awful lot of them are just a bunch of stalling until the envelope gets opened. The act with the newspaper wasn't particularly difficult to figure out, but at least things happened in it, you know?

 

I might just be cranky about mentalism because of Wizard Wars, where so many acts used it without doing anything interesting with it.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Aspiring magicians who perform their best tricks include Leon and Romy, Mike Hammer, Shin Lim and Peter Boie.

[mansonlamps]

I'm interested to hear theories on what Penn was getting at with the cartoon rabbit. I am really enjoying this show, but I adore magic and love Penn and Teller so I guess that's not too surprising.

[Actionmage]

I enjoyed all the acts. I liked their presentations and that Penn & Teller also enjoyed the acts, even if they weren't fooled.

 

Shin Lim's act was cool. I loved Teller's reaction to the Sharpie disappearance. The smoke was indeed artistic, but it was also the right note in that I haven't seen it as an element in an up-close trick before tonight. Then again, I don't go see many magic acts, even though I enjoy them.

[Kromm]

So glad they kept Wossy.  Even if he has to chew time out of his UK talk show schedule, he's a good fit with Penn and Teller, despite his speech impediment he's easy for US audiences to understand (unlike some Brits with certain accents or who use idioms), he loves magic and knows all his US cultural references.

 

He's certainly better than that annoying lady who hosted Wizard Wars.

A quick reminder, no speculation on how the magicians performed the trick here in the episode threads. We have a dedicated and spoiler-tagged speculation thread for that very purpose.

Stage magicians are notoriously protective of their secrets, and the last thing we need is bad mojo between us and the Magician's Guild. They might turn us all into toads or something. :)

It's good there IS a place to discuss it though. It's the proper way--a single dedicated location.

While I appreciate showmanship, I definitely prefer when acts really are trying to fool them. Why would you go on with something so basic that even if non-magicians don't know precisely how it's done, they've definitely seen it done by a bunch of others so there know there's some existing method.

Yeah, I had this thought with the French guy.  It was nice and theatrical, but was it really intended to fool anyone about anything?  Only at the end was there that single effect that came close to being a real head scratcher (pun intended).

[opus]

I'm interested to hear theories on what Penn was getting at with the cartoon rabbit.

I came here to mention that too. If someone wants to head to the spoiler thread and explain it, I'd be happy to read it.

[SomethingClever]

Leon and Romy were fine, though I thought the trick dragged a little, and the ending really wasn't all that spectacular. They also did the thing that irritates me most on Fool Us. They faked a move to throw P&T off. It's bad magic, and it's fooling them in bad faith.

 

I liked Mike Hammer. He's obviously done that act a million times and does a great job of keeping it entertaining, and the blow up doll rising up out of the bag to reveal the prediction is a great way to finish it. Wasn't ever going to fool P&T, but I enjoyed the act.

 

Peter Boie was alright. I'm not much for spiriualist acts, but his presentation was very classic and atmospheric. Again, he wasn't going to fool P&T with that, and I think he had to know it, but it's a good act.

 

Shin Lim. Man...that was good. I'm going to have to watch that about a dozen more times. I'm a close-up card magician. It's what I do. There's a lot of stage magic that I don't really know the concepts for, but it's really hard to fool me on close up. Even if I can't see the move exactly, I know what's going on. That act floored me. I have a few thoughts, and maybe when I see replay I'll be able to dissect it, but in the moment it was absolutely stunning. That's one of my favorite things I've seen on the show. Also, just two days ago, Shin won the Close-Up Card Magic title at FISM (basically the Olympics for magic), so the guy really is world class. 

[Amarsir]

Shin Lim's act was cool. I loved Teller's reaction to the Sharpie disappearance. The smoke was indeed artistic, but it was also the right note in that I haven't seen it as an element in an up-close trick before tonight. Then again, I don't go see many magic acts, even though I enjoy them.

 

 

Shin Lim. Man...that was good. I'm going to have to watch that about a dozen more times. I'm a close-up card magician. It's what I do. There's a lot of stage magic that I don't really know the concepts for, but it's really hard to fool me on close up. Even if I can't see the move exactly, I know what's going on. That act floored me. I have a few thoughts, and maybe when I see replay I'll be able to dissect it, but in the moment it was absolutely stunning. That's one of my favorite things I've seen on the show. Also, just two days ago, Shin won the Close-Up Card Magic title at FISM (basically the Olympics for magic), so the guy really is world class. 

I think it was one of the most impressive acts I've seen on the show, if not the absolute best. I can't even praise the difficulty enough without risking a spoiler, so I'll just say that I've never seen slight of hand vanish a deck and leave the card before.

[jhlipton]

I mentioned in "Behind The Curtain" that I had seen Xavier's trick done on I can Do That, but as a straight-up routine, not magic.

[Taeolas]

I agree, even when P&T see through the trick, it's great that they are so respectful to the other acts. They love a good show, even when they aren't fooled; when they are fooled it's icing on the cake. 

 

Sim Lim's act, damn that was impressive. I have a few ideas how things might have been done, but just the way he moved those cards around so quickly was absolutely stunning. (And really the disappearing/reappearing pen seemed the least impressive).

 

With Leon and Romy's act, I don't mind the deception since it was so obvious. I was watching for a similar move because it's so obvious. I don't know if they are quibbling on the details (ie maybe it was the other magician that did the ditch), or they have a different way of doing it. I really hope it's the latter. I did find they dragged a bit, which was surprising since their intro implied they were much more active. 

 

The other two acts were good, enjoyable to watch and I can guess how they did it, more because I've seen similar acts elsewhere and/or can guess from how P&T guessed. The details I have no clue about and am fine not knowing.  They obviously were just putting on a good show, and I'm fine with that. 

[jhlipton]

Leon and Romy were fine, though I thought the trick dragged a little, and the ending really wasn't all that spectacular. They also did the thing that irritates me most on Fool Us. They faked a move to throw P&T off. It's bad magic, and it's fooling them in bad faith.

 

I noticed Romy shuffling her feet at the end.  Was that the thing P&T were sayinor was there something more?

 

I think it was one of the most impressive acts I've seen on the show, if not the absolute best. I can't even praise the difficulty enough without risking a spoiler, so I'll just say that I've never seen slight of hand vanish a deck and leave the card before.

 

Please post something in "Behind the Curtain".

[The Crazed Spruce]

Aspiring magicians who perform their best tricks include Brian Brushwood, Simon Pierro, John Lovick, and Kyle Knight with Mistie.

[Amarsir]

Handsome Jack had me going back and forth between loving him and hating him. The persona was funny, but then it went on too long, but then he tied it into the act, but then the act was a simple trick, but then he revealed it, but then the reveal was fake, but then he did it again, but the method on the second one was good enough to fool them. I think that was a magician's act for magicians: most audiences might not think about where the pieces go, but that's exactly the impressive part.

I really like P&T's bullet catch. It's a simple idea excuted with such difficulty that I can barely guess at a method and not even with confidence.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Amarsir

[ae2]

Handsome Jack felt like a bad comedian doing a simple magic act rather than a magician incorporating humor into his act. I guess the idea behind it was doing a classic act in a different way in order to fool P&T, but if they had never pointed out the change I think most viewers would not have noticed or cared. I give him a pass only because the point of the show is to fool P&T. (Something so many contestants ignore or don't care about.)

[jhlipton]

...the point of the show is to fool P&T. (Something so many contestants ignore or don't care about.)

 

That's the nominal point of the show, but I think for a fair number, it's getting a wider audience.  If you don't fool P&T, but they call your act "impressive" or "unique" or whatever, that's something you can use to sell your show.

[Amarsir]

That's true. Piff was the biggest success of Season 1 and he didn't fool them at all.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Featured magicians performing their best tricks include Austin Janik, Amazing Allison, Mac King and Norman Ng.

[SomethingClever]

Probably my least favorite episode so far, despite having one truly exceptional performance. Even the P&T trick at the end, though a lot of fun, wasn't up to the same level as things like the bullet catch or the red ball.

 

Austin Janik - He was very confident for a 16 year old, and his trick was fine. The mismade card is a really strong effect, but it isn't an original take on it, and it plays a whole lot better to a table of 5 than it does to a theater of hundreds. Some of his sleights were a little stiff as well. Good for his age, but not up to the standard of a good act on this show.

 

Amazing Allison - I hate almost all mentalism. Unless it's in the hands of someone really, really good, I almost always feel that it's either hokey, boring, or obvious (and often all 3). The magic square is probably my absolute least favorite magic trick ever. It's SO dull. Even if it's incredible, after the first few reveals it just goes on and on. Maybe some people like it, but it bores me to tears, especially because it wouldn't have tricked me even before I got into magic. The second trick was a little better, but people have been doing drawing duplication for centuries, and this brought nothing new to it. In fact, the thing that made it entertaining was how funny Teller is.

 

Mac King - That, folks, is a world class entertainer. I knew we'd be getting something great from Mac King, and he certainly didn't disappoint. What's more impressive is that he was basically putting on a clinic in how to handle a spectator as well. That guy did not volunteer, he did not want to be up on that stage, and he was not going to play along any more than he had to. Magicians hate guys like that, and part of the skill of being a performer is not picking out guys like that, and King didn't even care. Didn't phase him in the slightest. He was playing jokes off the guy whether he was playing along or not. And because the guy was so clearly reticent, the moment where he reacts to the guinea pig showing up makes it so much stronger (and it's damn strong already). And that moment...Oh man, so good. Totally took me off guard, totally shocking. Amazing, fantastic act. I also loved his interplay with Penn. So much fun.

 

Norman Ng - Very clever take on the standard silverware bend, and I loved how he tweaked a classic method to make it work. I liked it, didn't love it.

 

3 acts that honestly had no real chance to fool P&T. The first and last were never ever going to fool them. The drawing duplication maybe could have, but only because there are a variety of different devices she could have used, and they might have guessed the wrong one (though Teller was holding onto the pad, so there wasn't much chance of that). I don't think King really expected to fool them either, but he at least had a chance.

[Amarsir]

Mac King - That, folks, is a world class entertainer. I knew we'd be getting something great from Mac King, and he certainly didn't disappoint. What's more impressive is that he was basically putting on a clinic in how to handle a spectator as well. That guy did not volunteer, he did not want to be up on that stage, and he was not going to play along any more than he had to. Magicians hate guys like that, and part of the skill of being a performer is not picking out guys like that, and King didn't even care. Didn't phase him in the slightest. He was playing jokes off the guy whether he was playing along or not. And because the guy was so clearly reticent, the moment where he reacts to the guinea pig showing up makes it so much stronger (and it's damn strong already). And that moment...Oh man, so good. Totally took me off guard, totally shocking. Amazing, fantastic act. I also loved his interplay with Penn. So much fun.

When you look at Mac King compared to, say, a David Blaine, it's hard to say they're even in the same profession. I don't mean that as a slight, but this was clearly a guy who's been entertaining audiences night after night for decades, knows all about it, and doesn't really care about "amazing" anyone.

 

It's also nice to hear about Harry Anderson as a source. As a kid I knew him from Night Court and Cheers, but always got the sense there was more to him that a dumb viewer like me didn't appreciate. That he goes down in history as a magic inventor makes me happy.

 

The knife trick at the end was enjoyable, if old and silly. This might have been a trick where you want a slightly more reluctant volunteer because Briana was very easy-going. And while that's normally a positive, it made fooling her a little less fun.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Amarsir

[Kromm]

I didn't mind Amazing Allison. The Magic Square is old hat, but I actually think her patter about it was reasonably well done. She DID need to cut it down to less, true, but she speaks well and that's the main requirement for the reveal.

I DO wish we were getting more serious attempts at fooling. We had them stacked up in one episode mostly. I appreciate the Mac Kings of the world, but of course he didn't for even a moment think a Harry Anderson trick was going to fool P&T.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Kromm

[mansonlamps]

I'm so glad I'm totally dense when it comes to magic. Serioiusly I don't figure out anything. Though I love to read about how it's done so feel free to clarify all the tricks tonight in the reveal thread.

[OhioSongbird]

Hubby & I watch this every week and Mac King is awesome. We would pay to see him in a heartbeat. Plus him being a KY boy makes it even better!

Loved Austin J. Kid has amazing poise for a 16 yr old. We'll be hearing more from him....

[Charlesman]

The red ball trick is truly great. I remember reading about it years ago, back when Teller was suing another magician for stealing the rose & vase shadow routine. The author mentioned the red ball trick in the article, saying something like Teller had been working on it in secret, after every show they did he'd go onstage after everyone left and practice. He'd been practicing for years already before showing anyone else the trick, and would be practicing for another several years before it'd go into the show.

[Violet Penner]

Same here, Mansonlamps! This show actually makes me irritated because I need to know how these things were done, so I'm trying to google the answer or come to this forum in the hopes that someone has explained things in the spoiler thread! I NEED TO KNOW.

[opus]

Same here, Mansonlamps! This show actually makes me irritated because I need to know how these things were done, so I'm trying to google the answer or come to this forum in the hopes that someone has explained things in the spoiler thread! I NEED TO KNOW.

Have you ever seen Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed?

[Violet Penner]

Yes, but a long time ago and if these tricks were on that show, I've forgotten how they were done.  There are SOME I chalk up to very good sleight of hand and "magic boxes" but other stuff I still can't figure out.  I feel stupid, but I don't know how the lady drew Teller's flower.  Or how the kid did the thing with the playing card back to front.  

[Latverian Diplomat]

Same here, Mansonlamps! This show actually makes me irritated because I need to know how these things were done, so I'm trying to google the answer or come to this forum in the hopes that someone has explained things in the spoiler thread! I NEED TO KNOW.

 

Yeah, this isn't really the show for that. Don't expect P&T ever to make it clear how something was done. The only time they come close is when someone isn't willing to take the hint that they've been busted, and then there'll be a little bit of explanation, but it will be incomplete and make use of magician lingo.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I felt bad for the tablet guy. P&T said they had seen his tricks up on youtube and that preview gave them time to figure it out.

 

I hope that was just incidental, because as I understand it, they are supposed to seeing these tricks cold (even if they know the performers already, as they do in a few cases).

 

So, I almost think that should have given it to him, in the spirit of the thing. 

[Kromm]

Yes, but a long time ago and if these tricks were on that show, I've forgotten how they were done.  There are SOME I chalk up to very good sleight of hand and "magic boxes" but other stuff I still can't figure out.  I feel stupid, but I don't know how the lady drew Teller's flower.  Or how the kid did the thing with the playing card back to front.  

About the only huge mystery to me is why the kid let someone KEEP the card. Admittedly someone who's not likely to go blabbing, but I bet a good examination of that actual card would give some answers--at the very least, you could tell if the card appears to have been MANUFACTURED that way or not (which clearly steers you to really only about two possible explanations for the trick, which I won't go into detail here on, but I might in the other topic).

[theatremouse]

I sort of got the impression they were saying, by coincidence, they'd already seen it and therefore figured it out? Not that they knew he was booked, and therefore looked him up and had time to figure it out. So, in that spirit, I think it's kind of the same as them having seen any other trick before when someone does it, and knowing how it was done from having seen it and had time to figure it out.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Aspiring magicians who perform their best tricks include Bill Cook, Wes Barker, Matt Holtzclaw and David Regal.

[ennui]

I only recently discovered this show, and I love it.

 

I think it was Wes Barker who had the phone book/sword trick. I enjoy not knowing the secret!

[Amarsir]

It should be stated how awesome Jonathan Ross is. His ability to improvise when interacting with the performers is just great.  I think that every week but was really struck by it tonight.

 

Penn said once that the host of "Fool Us" has to play 3 roles:

1) He's part of the production, working with Penn & Teller to keep the flow and preserve the rules.

2) He's playing along with the magician, helping them do the best trick they can and hoping they win.

3) He's playing the part of the audience, a volunteer who's amazed and delighted by the tricks performed.

 

And Penn said that he couldn't imagine anyone pulling off all 3 roles as well as Jonathan Ross does.  So I thought that deserved repeating.

 

As for the tricks this show, I felt they were slightly below par. Not bad, but you could tell none of the guys were really doing their best stuff. And I know it doesn't really matter if the performer fools them or not, but it's always more fun if it feels like they're bringing their best stuff.

 

(And Cups & Balls we've all seen a hundred times since it's something they can easily take on the road. It's a fine performance I still enjoy seeing, but it's definitely no Bullet Catch.)

[theatremouse]

Anyone know if the rules, or some audience friendly not legalese version of the rules are printed anywhere? I mean more specifically than the general description we get within the show. Specifically I'm wondering if there's a thin where P& basically get one guess only? Because it was confusing to me in this episode, for the one fooler, Penn said something like they "already had one run at it" and I think he used the word "sneak" in relation to his continuing to guess? And basically said something about fairness and giving it to him as a fooler.

I take it with tricks like this where there are obviously 3 or 4 ways to do it, so part of Penn and Teller's challenge isn't just listing all the possible ways it could be done, but rather guessing how they think this particular magician did it? That sort of bums me out, if true, and makes the fooling all the less impressive. I mean, yes, it does say something about the skill of the magician if they didn't see him do it. But if they know multiple methods and are limited to one (or two) guesses and then just have to stop, even if they still basically know other ways the trick may have been done, that's not really as fooling as a situation where they genuinely have no idea how the person did their version of the trick.

[portfino]

Jonathan Ross is a treasure, and I had really no experience with him before this.

 

Penn & Teller have taken multiple guesses before. I think Penn decided that he'd just be listing possible ways to do the trick which is somewhat unfair. I'm always bothered by people who win on what seem like technicalities. I get that there's a blurry line because inherently part magic is misdirection but maybe something should be in the rules.

[SomethingClever]

Ross is terrific. He's entertaining when he needs to be and unobtrusive when he doesn't, and he always looks completely befuddled by the tricks.

 

I feel like less of the acts this year are actually trying to fool P&T and more that are just there to showcase themselves on TV, which bums me out. You still get to see a lot of good magic, but that drive to fool two masters leads people to do unique tricks with unorthodox methods, which is more exciting. It doesn't bother me when you've got guys like Mac King, Michael Vincent or David Regal, who are top-level entertainers regardless, but I'd much rather watch Mathieu Bich than Bill Cook, and I feel like we've gotten a lot more of the latter this season. 

 

I was a little disappointed by the Bill Cook routine, since I know he's got some really creative stuff. This was just kind of vanilla, and I prefer it when Wayne Dobson does it. Also, felt he showed his display of the empty purse a little too long, but that's pretty nitpicky.

 

Wes Barker was a very entertaining act, and though P&T weren't "fooled" by it in the same way as they are with some acts (they would've gotten there if you'd given them 3-4 guesses, it's not like they don't know the method), it's not like he faked them out to try and cheat his way to victory. His method was direct and bold, and I think there was enough to pick up on to differentiate it if they'd been watching really closely.

 

Matt Holtzclaw was fine, but again a bit vanilla (I say as someone totally immersed in the world of magic, I suppose most people wouldn't feel the same). Again, wasn't ever going to fool P&T.

 

Loved David Regal. Perfect example of how presentation elevates a simple trick. I've seen essentially that same effect done 100 times. 95 of them would bore you to tears. Great trick, great performance.

[stonedlife]

I came here to mention that too. If someone wants to head to the spoiler thread and explain it, I'd be happy to read it.

 

I won't spoil it directly here, but if you want to know more, look up 'the thumper' trick

[The Crazed Spruce]

Featured magicians who perform their best tricks include Jay Sankey, Greg Wilson, Trigg Watson and Jen Kramer.

[opus]

Penn & Teller just did that trick, I think it was last week, on The Tonight Show.

[mansonlamps]

I think even I figured out the staple one and that's pretty bad since I never figure out anything.

[Taeolas]

I get the feeling that the Greg Wilson Fool Us reward was out of respect for his parents. I get the feeling Penn knew exactly how everything was done, but like last season, they were so impressed to meet the parents, they let it go. I'm a little disappointed they didn't talk more about the history of the magicians. 

 

Jen's card trick has me stumped, mainly because it's the card I picked too. Is the Eight of Diamonds that noticable in general? (I paused on her half of the fan, but didn't see the 8 of diamonds there).

 

Jay's trick was neat but fairly tame with a rigged deck. His force was so obvious even I noticed it. :) 

 

Trigg's trick was neat with the fakeouts and the quick change; but nothing we haven't seen other magicians do before. I suspect Penn revealed more than he may have intended behind how it was done, but I enjoyed his act.

 

Even P&T's trick was pretty straight forward; I noticed Teller loading the hat I think for the final reveal, mainly because I was expecting it (and could paws and rewind a little. ;) )

 

Still, fun magic to watch, but overall nothing really fooling in the end. I enjoyed all of the magicians; none of their patter was annoying which is a major plus in my book.