# I'm Pretty Sure I Just Saw Penn & Teller Royally Screw Up **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435 "2014-07-30T18:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/21 "2014-07-31T20:02:30Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > On last night’s _Penn & Teller: Fool Us_, they did a bit where Teller [I assume deliberately] gave a little too much away. Penn ribbed him for it, then talked to the audience about Teller’s “mistake.” Then they pulled off an amazing trick. > > I think Teller making “mistakes” is slowly becoming part of their act. Is the show back on the air or something, or did I fall into a time portal and emerges several years in the past? ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/22 "2014-07-31T20:06:10Z")
The CW picked up the US rights: [http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/](http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/23 "2014-07-31T20:15:04Z")
I don’t get why P&T are promoting the show as if it were brand new. The point of the show was that the winners would go with them to Vegas. Didn’t they go three years ago when the show was first run? Won’t people now be expecting to see the winners? Are they bringing them back for a second performance? What’s the payoff here? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/24 "2014-07-31T20:15:47Z")
> [@Nekosoft](#): > > The CW picked up the US rights: > > [http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/](http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/) Ahh thanks, that makes sense. Damn, was hoping it was renewed for a 2nd season ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/25 "2014-07-31T20:17:24Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I think Teller making “mistakes” is slowly becoming part of their act. I’ve been watching Penn and Teller for 35 years, and making “mistakes” that are obvious to the audience has always been a part of their act. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/26 "2014-07-31T23:29:05Z")
> [@Monocracy](#): > > It could’ve been a marked deck. Would still leave the problem of Penn communicating to Teller the value of the cut-to card. [spoiler]IMO the most likely method used is a stacked deck and two false shuffles (first time T second time P). Curiously, having watched the video again, there’s one detail I \*think \*I clocked in the video that makes me believe they did something VERY quick and dirty for the second card which precluded the need for Teller to communicate to the band, but which made Penn’s handling a lot harder.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/27 "2014-07-31T23:30:30Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I’ve been watching Penn and Teller for 35 years, and making “mistakes” that are obvious to the audience has always been a part of their act. Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![PorchePine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@PorchePine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PorchePine)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/28 "2014-08-01T01:04:01Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > And they know full well that pretending to screw up a simple card trick can make the payoff [that much crueler](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO8boL0XiUU). They’re so young! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/29 "2014-08-01T01:33:11Z")
> [@Nekosoft](#): > > The CW picked up the US rights: > > [http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/](http://dcdrights.com/news/penn-teller-fool-us-to-air-on-us-television/) My hope is that it does well and the CW commissions a new series. I think Penn and Teller loved the show and would do it. It has to be fun watching non-famous magicians do great magic, even if they know how a lot of the tricks are done. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/30 "2014-08-01T14:08:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I don’t get why P&T are promoting the show as if it were brand new. The point of the show was that the winners would go with them to Vegas. Didn’t they go three years ago when the show was first run? Won’t people now be expecting to see the winners? Are they bringing them back for a second performance? What’s the payoff here? The next day Penn was discussing the show with Opie on Sirius. The CW is broadcasting the show edited for US TV. If is does ok there will be an American filmed second season. On the show he also talked briefly about being doing this trick on tv the night before. He was happy they were able to do a more subtle trick than they have in the past. He said because Seth is a fan. He also said it was much more difficult than anything they did in their show. I don’t think it was as simplistic as some here are making it seem. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/31 "2014-08-01T16:33:12Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The next day Penn was discussing the show with Opie on Sirius. The CW is broadcasting the show edited for US TV. If is does ok there will be an American filmed second season. So why not say so on network tv? Watch the show so we can make another season! That’s normal publicity. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/32 "2014-08-01T23:40:55Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > What are you implying? Penn and Teller _have been deceiving US?_ > > :shocked: I’ve even heard that the short one can talk. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/33 "2014-08-02T14:41:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The next day Penn was discussing the show with Opie on Sirius. The CW is broadcasting the show edited for US TV. If is does ok there will be an American filmed second season. > > On the show he also talked briefly about being doing this trick on tv the night before. He was happy they were able to do a more subtle trick than they have in the past. He said because Seth is a fan. He also said it was much more difficult than anything they did in their show. I don’t think it was as simplistic as some here are making it seem. It was a) exactly as simplistic as I made out, or b) P&T wasted a lot of effort creating an uber-complicated effect that looks exactly like a rather straightforward effect. Of course, the latter is a possibility, but seriously, why would they bother? Speaking of possibilities, is it possible that what Penn says in interviews about their own performed illusions doesn’t necessarily correspond to reality? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/34 "2014-08-07T07:27:10Z")
[New thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17616830#post17616830) for this series run on CW. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435/35 "2014-08-07T22:29:47Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](#): > > It was > a) exactly as simplistic as I made out, or > b) P&T wasted a lot of effort creating an uber-complicated effect that looks exactly like a rather straightforward effect. > > Of course, the latter is a possibility, but seriously, why would they bother? > > Speaking of possibilities, is it possible that what Penn says in interviews about their own performed illusions doesn’t necessarily correspond to reality? A lot of the new show is magicians doing the same tricks but in a new way. So they are making it complicated so they can fool just a small segment of the population that reads esoteric magic books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-pretty-sure-i-just-saw-penn-teller-royally-screw-up/694435.md?page=1)