Penn and Teller's Fool Us

[PhantomWolf]

They are about 5 seasons in now I think, and I have just been catching up. I have found it pretty entertaining, and have actually learned a lot. I find myself trying to our guess Penn and Teller and also figure out the "codes" to learn the sleight of hands and other tricks. I have to admit the one thing I have learned from the show is that is a magician tells you that a prop is a certain thing, it's probably not. Also that even when things deem to be innocuous, they probably aren't.

What do other's think of the show. If you are a practitioner of the arts, would you like to try and have a chance to fool two of the best?

 

[Garrette]

They are about 5 seasons in now I think, and I have just been catching up. I have found it pretty entertaining, and have actually learned a lot. I find myself trying to our guess Penn and Teller and also figure out the "codes" to learn the sleight of hands and other tricks. I have to admit the one thing I have learned from the show is that is a magician tells you that a prop is a certain thing, it's probably not. Also that even when things deem to be innocuous, they probably aren't.

What do other's think of the show. If you are a practitioner of the arts, would you like to try and have a chance to fool two of the best?

On those roughly 2/3 of the times when I have a decent idea of the method, I like to guess what code words or phrases Penn will use. I'm worse at that than I am at figuring out the methods themselves, but occasionally I'm spot on enough that it gives me a completely worthless but nonetheless exhilarating feeling. On the sole occasion my wife watched the show with me I got extremely lucky on the method and turned to her and said "Betcha dinner Penn will say X Y Z in his explanation." He used the exact words.

 

[dudalb]

ALyson Hannigan as the third host is a nice plus IMHO.

 

[Cain]

If you are a practitioner of the arts, would you like to try and have a chance to fool two of the best?

Yes, if I could create or find a trick that is both entertaining and fooling. It only gets harder as the show goes on because people have already thrown out the more obscure methods (Aronson's UnDo Influence Principle) and P&T have learned from the times they've been fooled.

On a magic forum, we recently discussed Jen Kramer's appearance. Penn only disclosed half the method, but she was too kind to press the point and conceded that she didn't fool them.

 

[Mr Salk]

The code-words always make me wince. Exposure is so simple these days if you know the argot. Most contestants know they won't fool magic-experts with classic methods; they just want the audience exposure.