# Penn & Teller: Fool Us, US run on CW **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2014, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015 "2014-08-07T07:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/381 "2015-08-19T02:02:10Z")
> [@cluck](#): > > Penn was genuinely pissed, wasn’t he? The way he threw the cards in the guy’s face at the end. :eek: “Genuinely pissed”? - nah, that (and the business with raising and re-lowering the trophy) was basically an act that Penn (a showman above all else) put on to emphasize just how truly fooled and impressed they were (I’d bet he was whispering in his ear “That was f-ing great!” or the like before throwing the cards at him in a pretend fit). ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/382 "2015-08-19T02:09:37Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Penn referred to himself as “the big dumb guy”. All part of their very carefully calculated act - no doubt Teller is the more skilled of the pair, but directing attention away from Penn’s talents makes you less likely to catch all the stuff HE’S doing. ---
**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 19, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/383 "2015-08-19T03:12:14Z")
> [@Joey\_Tightlips](#): > > Well, I for one won’t be sleeping tonight after seeing that trick. From the point where he had P&T push the cards together very meticulously in a line, I was thinking obviously “stripper deck”. But then he had them haphazardly flip over cards and soup shuffle and that idea was out the window. I think you’re right that he had to be separating the cards slightly as he slowly fanned through them at the end, but how that translates into flipping them all over (EXCEPT for the two that were freely put back in the deck UP OR DOWN!!) is beyond me. The only visible move in the whole routine is the very end where he clearly flips the bottom half of the deck, but that doesn’t lessen the trick whatsoever. I’m gobsmacked. I’m shocked, too. > [@cluck](#): > > I feel bad for the second guy. He was clearly flustered by the presence of Simon Pegg and thrown off his game. (Penn was still being mean when he said the most amazing part about the trick was the fact that Pegg was on stage.) > > The Queen of Hearts was cool. Please tell me the whole gag is not dependent on the obvious trick that the watch does not change time when you turn the knob. That’s a teenager’s routine. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Seconded Thirded. It was amazing. Only Shawn Farquar has him beat in both seasons. Speaking of Shawn, he has been spamming(so to speak) his own YouTube channel with videos of him making bottles disappear. It’s kind of fun. Here are a few. [Smooth as silk on this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0RY9oKYLFY) [This time, he decides slower is cooler.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXHVV-2KXJU) [Even slower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ81bTFVkUk) [This time with no hankerchief/curtain over it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYoCZ30cRMI) He participates in his comment section, too. I believe he is claiming it does not go up a sleeve in any version of this, though I am not convinced, especially with the “naked” one. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/384 "2015-08-19T04:06:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Please tell me the whole gag is not dependent on the obvious trick that the watch does not change time when you turn the knob. Unless I’m recalling incorrectly, you don’t see the watch face/hands at all until after Simon Pegg supposedly “sets” it! ---
**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 19, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/385 "2015-08-19T04:26:11Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Unless I’m recalling incorrectly, you don’t see the watch face/hands at all until after Simon Pegg supposedly “sets” it! That’s true, but I have to hope the guy did not show up on the show with that weak-ass kind of trick. If I saw that guy live, I’d be tempted to call him out. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/386 "2015-08-19T06:46:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m shocked, too. > > Please tell me the whole gag is not dependent on the obvious trick that the watch does not change time when you turn the knob. That’s a teenager’s routine. > > Thirded. It was amazing. Only Shawn Farquar has him beat in both seasons. > > Speaking of Shawn, he has been spamming(so to speak) his own YouTube channel with videos of him making bottles disappear. It’s kind of fun. Here are a few. > > [Smooth as silk on this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0RY9oKYLFY) > > [This time, he decides slower is cooler.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXHVV-2KXJU) > > [Even slower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ81bTFVkUk) > > [This time with no hankerchief/curtain over it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYoCZ30cRMI) > > He participates in his comment section, too. I believe he is claiming it does not go up a sleeve in any version of this, though I am not convinced, especially with the “naked” one. Thoughts? Without reading any of the comments, here are my thoughts. For the first one, it’s probably pulled under his right arm by a piece of elastic and ends up hanging from his back (his friends are in on it obviously). For the second one, I think the guy behind him on his right reaches under his arm and takes the bottle. Watch the guy carefully. The third one is actually kind of lame. It ends up in his jacket. Duh. For the fourth one, I ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/387 "2015-08-19T06:56:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > … > Speaking of Shawn, he has been spamming(so to speak) his own YouTube channel with videos of him making bottles disappear. It’s kind of fun. Here are a few. > > [Smooth as silk on this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0RY9oKYLFY) > > [This time, he decides slower is cooler.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXHVV-2KXJU) > > [Even slower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ81bTFVkUk) > > [This time with no hankerchief/curtain over it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYoCZ30cRMI) > > He participates in his comment section, too. I believe he is claiming it does not go up a sleeve in any version of this, though I am not convinced, especially with the “naked” one. Thoughts? Without reading any of the comments, here are my thoughts. For the first one, it’s probably pulled under his right arm by a piece of elastic or a reel and ends up hanging from his back (his friends are in on it obviously). For the second one, I think the guy behind him on his right reaches under his arm and takes the bottle. Watch the guy carefully. The third one is actually kind of lame. It ends up in his jacket. Duh. For the fourth one, I think that there are two different things going on. The initial vanish is explained here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zkiY\_xmilk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zkiY_xmilk) After that, the bottle must then be pulled inside his shirt, possibly through a slit in the side under his right arm. Notice the odd way he jiggles that arm right after it vanishes. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/388 "2015-08-19T07:00:26Z")
Oops. Maybe a mod can remove [#386](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18613557&postcount=386) ---
**Author:** ![KellyCriterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/389 "2015-08-19T14:20:48Z")
The face-up face-down cards guy (Kostya Kimlat) has uploaded his Fool Us performance to his YouTube channel: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SCFXV6o7cro/maxresdefault.jpg "Kostya Kimlat Fools Penn & Teller // Fool Us: Penn's Favorite Card Trick") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCFXV6o7cro) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/390 "2015-08-19T14:32:09Z")
davidm, you’ve caught how those bottles disappear. It’s easy for him in a video but he does it on stage also. It’s just not the kind of thing that can be done close up. He’s having fun using a series of videos to counter the comments from the previous ones. Oddly the videos aren’t that good, he could easily make them more impressive looking. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/391 "2015-08-19T14:36:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > That’s true, but I have to hope the guy did not show up on the show with that weak-ass kind of trick. > > If I saw that guy live, I’d be tempted to call him out. He really, really did. Perhaps even worse than that, he had the nuts to protest that Penn and Teller were fooled. Dude, _nobody_ was fooled. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/392 "2015-08-19T14:40:49Z")
I kept waiting to see the guy do a trick. It seemed like a set up for something, then he was done and never did anything. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/393 "2015-08-19T14:57:20Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I kept waiting to see the guy do a trick. It seemed like a set up for something, then he was done and never did anything. Yeah, his little bit at the end with the 4 dollars and 50 cents in coins somehow made the whole thing even worse. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/394 "2015-08-19T16:10:15Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Yeah, his little bit at the end with the 4 dollars and 50 cents in coins somehow made the whole thing even worse. I really don’t understand how he even got on the show. As I understand it, the producers screen possible contestants, right? Even if the screeners aren’t magicians, surely they should have seen through his act, especially since they’ve had experience screening for the show and presumably watching the results. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/395 "2015-08-19T16:13:54Z")
Since getting to Vegas the producers don’t seem to be doing a good job. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/396 "2015-08-19T16:17:28Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I really don’t understand how he even got on the show. As I understand it, the producers screen possible contestants, right? Even if the screeners aren’t magicians, surely they should have seen through his act, especially since they’ve had experience screening for the show and presumably watching the results. Maybe it’s like “American Idol” where they throw in some clunkers for comedic effect. If so, it’s not working. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/397 "2015-08-19T16:18:27Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I really don’t understand how he even got on the show. As I understand it, the producers screen possible contestants, right? Even if the screeners aren’t magicians, surely they should have seen through his act, especially since they’ve had experience screening for the show and presumably watching the results. I think the producers are often looking for visual acts that will play well on TV, and not necessarily the ‘best’ magic tricks. An hour of close-up card tricks - however impressive - will likely bore viewers. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/398 "2015-08-19T16:26:10Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > I think the producers are often looking for visual acts that will play well on TV, and not necessarily the ‘best’ magic tricks. An hour of close-up card tricks - however impressive - will likely bore viewers. That may be exactly what happened here. A watch is even smaller than a card but he did have that big board. Maybe they’re getting so many people with card tricks that anything not a card trick stands a good chance of getting on. Maybe I should try to get on with my “steal your nose” trick, or my clever thumb removal. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/399 "2015-08-19T16:27:50Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > I think the producers are often looking for visual acts that will play well on TV, and not necessarily the ‘best’ magic tricks. An hour of close-up card tricks - however impressive - will likely bore viewers. They wouldn’t bore me. Maybe I’m not an average viewer, but I don’t think anybody cared about that clock trick. The confetti guy may not have done impressive magic, but at least he was providing some entertainment in his act. The clock guy wasn’t presenting well, I think he just doesn’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015/400 "2015-08-19T16:34:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They wouldn’t bore me. Maybe I’m not an average viewer, but I don’t think anybody cared about that clock trick. > > The confetti guy may not have done impressive magic, but at least he was providing some entertainment in his act. The clock guy wasn’t presenting well, I think he just doesn’t get it. Yeah, I wouldn’t be bored either, but the producers are thinking of those casual viewers armed with a remote control. ETA: Also, I wonder how much having movie star Simon Pegg as part of the trick went into the decision whether to cut it or not. I’d be willing to bet he’s the only reason such a lame trick made it to air. Also, it was kind of interesting to see a ‘fool us’ decision go to the judge! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-teller-fool-us-us-run-on-cw/695015.md?page=21)