Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011–…): Season 7, Episode 9 - The Placebo Effect - full transcript
Featured magicians include Daniel K, Yukihiro Katayama, Andrew Evans and David Stone.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- From the Penn & Teller Theater
at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas,
here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan.
[upbeat jazzy music]
♪ ♪
- Ah, welcome to "Fool Us."
Tonight you'll see the hottest
magicians in the world
light up our stage.
Anyone who burns Penn
and Teller with their trick
wins our flashy
"Fool Us" trophy and a trip
back to Las Vegas to perform
alongside our leading men.
And here they are now ready
to kick ash and take flames,
Penn and Teller.
[cheers and applause]
- Ahh! Ahh!
You. You.
♪ ♪
- All right, Penn and Teller,
the heat is on,
because it's time to meet
our first potential Fooler.
[fireworks booming]
[applause]
- All the way from Uruguay,
here is Daniel K.
[cheers and applause]
- Thank you.
Hola.
Your Spanish is better
than my English.
It's a pleasure to be
with all of you
and to have Penn and Teller
in front of me.
I hope you enjoy my act.
As you can see,
my English is not so good,
so if you don't
understand something,
please ask me.
The problem is
that I don't know if I can
understand you, yes?
But you ask if you want.
You, sir, what's your name?
- Manuel.
- If I asked you to name
a famous magician...
Not me, another one... name one.
- Houdini.
- Houdini, perfect.
Houdini was a great
escapist artist.
In all escape,
we have to risk our life.
Today I don't want to risk mine.
You will risk your life
for everyone.
Come with me, please.
A big round of applause.
[applause]
Thanks.
Your name, say it.
- Manuel.
- Manuel, perfecto.
Okay, Manuel, I have this one.
Do you know what is this?
- Oh.
- Thumbcuff.
It's like handcuff
but just for your thumb.
- [laughs] All right.
- Today I will try to perform
an escape.
And to prove that it's real,
I want to prove with you.
Give me your thumb.
Have you been cuffed again?
No, no, don't say. Don't answer.
Too many people looking at you.
- [laughs]
- If you try to take out,
it's impossible.
- Impossible.
- You don't need this.
I bought this handkerchief
in my country,
and the people told me that
it belonged to Harry Houdini.
It got his initial, J.J.
Never mind. [laughter]
Only I have to do this.
I have to count to three.
One, two, three.
Not only did he take them off,
but he put them back on quickly.
[laughter]
Let me try again.
One, two, three.
He's improvising.
He's performing the fingers
that change color.
First they go red, then black,
and then they go... fall off.
Let me take out...
It is impossible, right?
- Yeah.
- Manuel, I set free.
Please, Manuel, take this.
Take this.
The key will be in my pocket.
If something is wrong,
Alyson, can you help me?
- I guess so.
- Come with me, please.
Thanks, Alyson. [applause]
Thanks, Alyson.
If something's wrong,
please take this, the key,
and set me free, yes? - Okay.
- Houdini loved the escape act.
But not many people know
that he loved the card tricks.
Not many people know that.
I saw it in Wikipedia.
- Ah.
- Today I will try to do
two things at the same time,
try to escape and try to find
a card that you will choose.
Alyson,
say stop wherever you want.
- Stop.
- Stop. Take the card.
Look the card. Show everyone.
Manuel is part of everyone.
Show it to him. Remember.
Yes, Alyson? - Ah, yes.
- Put the card
wherever you want.
Say stop. - Stop.
- Put the card here, please.
- Oh, I already put it in.
I ruined it.
This is...
- Let's do
only the escape things, yes?
[laughter]
Usually Houdini
don't like the card tricks.
Forget the card tricks.
Give me this.
Forget the... no, give me.
Open... extend your hand.
Extend your hand.
I will give you this.
I will give you this.
Only the escape things.
It's the same.
But this... easier.
Please fasten my thumb tightly.
Don't worry about my life.
- [laughs]
Do you remember the card? - Yes.
- I am thinking
that this is "Fool Us."
I will try to fool you.
I will try to take out
this handcuff
and find the card,
two things at the same time.
It is impossible.
What? I know. [laughter]
But I am a professional.
I will do three things.
Try to speak in English too.
- Okay.
- Manuel, cover with this
handkerchief.
Yes, and take the deck
of cards, but wait.
Take out the handkerchief.
Take out.
I will try to find,
but I am handcuffed.
Please, cover.
Be careful with this.
I don't want that... [laughter]
I want to give you the key,
because I know what you think.
"He used a key."
Where is the key?
Here's the key.
Keys for you.
I will try to find the card
in a blink of an eye.
- [laughs]
- It's already. [laughter]
Did you feel anything?
- I didn't.
- What a pity. [laughter]
Please, Alyson, open the box.
Take everything that is inside,
and show...
What... what is this?
Show it. Is handcuff?
If you want...
You've got this handcuff.
What is in my finger?
Please take. A card.
[audience oohs]
- Nuh-uh.
- Wait.
[applause]
- What was your card?
- Ahh... six of hearts.
- I can't believe it, because
this is a six of hearts.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Alyson and Manuel.
Thank you so much, Manuel.
Thank you for helping me.
Be careful with the steps.
Thank you so much. - Daniel K.
- Thank you so much.
[cheers and applause]
[indistinct].
- That was insane.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- I didn't feel anything.
That was amazing.
- Thank you so much.
- Oh, and so enjoyable,
even if it hadn't been
so astonishing.
- I don't understand anything
that you say.
- That's...
- I think that you are saying
a lot of thing...
Good things about me.
Thank you. - I like it.
They must be so proud of you
in Uruguay.
Am I saying that right?
- Yes, yes, Uruguay, yes,
it's true.
- Ooh, Uuur-a-guay.
- Uruguay.
- Uruguay.
- Perfect.
- Ooh.
- Uruguay.
- Uruguay
- Yes.
- Yeah.
And have you always wanted
to do magic?
- Yes, since I was a boy.
First... ahh...
always I was a boy.
[laughter]
- I'm glad you clarified that.
- Yes, okay.
But when I was...
- A boy.
- Yes.
Your English is better
than mine.
- Yes. [laughter]
But first I want to do, uh,
detective. Detective?
- Detective, yeah.
- Yes, then I found the magic,
and this is my passion.
- I'm glad you switched,
'cause I feel...
- Yes.
- Like you're too funny
to be a detective.
- Maybe. Maybe.
- Okay, let's find out
if you fooled Penn and Teller.
- Let's.
- Daniel, the first thing,
very first thing I said
to Teller
when I turned to him was,
"That's a perfect routine."
- Thank you so much.
- It's an absolutely perfect
routine.
- Thank you so much.
- It has the most important
thing I magic, which is,
the ending is completely
a surprise
and then totally inevitable.
I mean, we watch magicians work,
you may not know
what they're doing,
but you know they're doing
something.
There's not a moment
in your routine
where you think,
"He's doing something."
- Thank you so much.
- There's now telegraphing.
You're acting is superb,
perfect all the way through.
This is something
that I don't usually do.
'Cause even though we love
showing magicians on TV,
I must tell you that I do feel
the competition,
and I do want to win.
This is a very rare case where
we think we figured it out...
- Okay.
- And we so hope we are wrong.
- Aww.
- Okay.
- 'Cause I want you
to have fooled us.
You might notice I'm not
speaking at all in code.
- Yeah.
- This act is so perfect,
I don't want to give the
slightest little crack in it.
I don't want anybody at home
to go,
"Oh, I know what he means now.
I know what he did now."
I want this to just live on
as a jewel and perfect.
But we've got to play the game.
- Okay.
- So Teller has written down...
- Okay.
- How you did it.
He will show you.
And please,
please have us be wrong.
- I really hope they're wrong.
Aww. - Damn it.
- That's right.
- Damn it.
- Thank you so much.
- Aww.
- That's so good, so good.
- So you didn't fool them?
- Thank you. No, but...
- Aww, but...
- Thank you so much...
- Aww.
- Teller. Thank you, Penn.
Thank you so much.
- Oh, that was so wonderful.
- Nice to be with you.
- Daniel K.
- Thank you. Bye.
[cheers and applause]
- We're taking a quick time-out.
We'll get our next magician
into the game
when "Fool Us" returns.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[applause]
- "Fool Us" is back,
and our next magician
is about to take the stage.
Let's meet him first.
[fireworks booming]
[cheers and applause]
- Please welcome master
manipulator
Yukihiro Katayama.
[gentle piano music]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
Yukihiro Katayama.
- Thank you so much.
- That was beautiful.
- Ah, thank you so much.
- You're so welcome.
How long have you been
doing this?
- Wow.
How does it feel to be here?
Yeah.
- Oh, wow.
- Aww, congratulations.
- Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
- Well, that was
a wonderful performance.
Let's see if it was also
a fooling performance.
Penn, Teller.
- Yukihiro, I... you were at
a little bit of a disadvantage.
Because I had already seen you.
I saw you at the S.A.M.
convention here in town.
And we went backstage,
and he bowed,
and then I bowed,
and I thought we were done.
And then he bowed again,
and then I bowed again,
and I thought we were done.
And then he bowed again,
and I bowed again,
and I said, "I'm walking away,
because I don't know
what's going on,"
and if I was in any way
insulting by how I did that,
it's just a culture clash,
and I'm very, very sorry,
so... okay,
now I get the last one in.
We're done. [laughter]
Everybody knows it's beautiful.
And you can translate beautiful
any way you want.
The audience just loved it.
Forgive me for cutting it short,
but I just thought
it was so great,
and I don't want you
to translate for five minutes
as I go through a thesaurus
of "beautiful."
I'm gonna ask you
some questions.
- Yes.
- And I want an honest answer
to every one of them.
- Yes.
- Question number one.
- Yes.
- The first thing Teller thought
was that you were using
a mirror glass.
Were you using a mirror glass?
- [speaking Japanese]
- No, I don't use mirror glass.
- I'm not done.
[laughter] - [speaking Japanese]
- [laughs] Oh.
- After Teller thought you were
using a mirror glass,
I thought you were using
black art.
Were you using black art?
- No.
- I'm not done. I'm not done.
- [speaking Japanese]
- Three, we thought together...
[whispering]
- [speaking Japanese]
- Were you twisting the glass?
- No, no twist.
- Okay,
now I'm gonna leave you...
- How many guesses do you get?
- Shut up. [indistinct].
[laughter] - No, no, no.
- I'm on your side.
- I get the number of guesses
that the person whose
first name in the title gets.
[laughter] - One.
- I don't... I'm not gonna talk
to you for a moment.
I'm gonna talk
to the translator.
What's your name? - Tamoko.
- Tamoko,
would you please tell him
as clearly and succinctly
as you can
that he has fooled us.
- [speaking Japanese]
[cheers and applause]
- Tell him. Tell him.
Tell him.
- [speaking Japanese]
- Beautifully done.
- [sobbing]
- Yay.
Ohh.
- Thank you so much.
- Ohh, Yukihiro Katayama.
Thank you. [cheers and applause]
Aww.
We have ourselves
a successful Fooler,
and Penn and Teller still
have to take on more magicians,
so stay close.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back.
Two Fooler shows are rare,
but with one in the books,
it could happen tonight.
Here's our next magician.
[fireworks booming]
- When I came here
two years ago,
the audience
at the Penn & Teller Theater
was the largest audience
I'd ever performed for.
That was nuts.
- Andrew Evans.
- My show in San Francisco
used to be
a very underground experience.
Now we do shows far more often
and in a real venue,
significantly more legal.
San Francisco is
the perfect place to do magic.
You get audiences
from the world of technology
who are all about
understanding how things work,
so when they see something
that they can't figure out,
they actually love being pushed
out of that comfort zone.
The illusion we're doing
tonight is a reimagining
of maybe the most classic plot
in magic.
We're actually really
celebrating the fact that women
onstage
make this trick possible.
The fact that we're performing
for Penn and Teller
for me is more exciting
than anxiety-inducing.
It's something new.
I don't think they've seen this.
I hope they get as excited
about this trick as I am.
[cheers and applause]
- Please welcome back
Andrew Evans.
- Thank you.
Thank you all,
and, Penn and Teller,
thank you for having me back
on the show.
So we find ourselves
at a historic moment for magic.
In 1921,
almost exactly 100 years ago,
one of the most famous
magic tricks of all times
was invented by a man
named P.T. Selbit.
You probably don't know
his name,
but I guarantee you
you know his trick.
He was the first person
to saw a woman in half.
There he is now, the first.
Now, this trick has changed
throughout the years,
but one thing remains
pretty consistent,
and that's the fact that it is
almost always a woman
who gets inside the box,
but it's mostly a man
who ends up taking the bow.
I'm here to tell you
that tonight I am actually not
the real magician when it comes
to this trick.
Instead, there is someone else
who deserves all your applause.
So with that,
please help me welcome back
to the stage Naomi.
[cheers and applause]
- Now, you've seen magicians
do sleight of hand,
but I'm doing something
a little bit different.
I guess you could call it
sleight of body.
- It requires lots of skill,
incredible patience,
but most importantly,
it demands complete focus.
[light acoustic guitar music]
♪ ♪
- From the theaters
of vaudeville
to the stages of Las Vegas,
millions of people have seen
a woman get cut in half.
- But tonight without any boxes
or blades,
you get to see something
even more remarkable.
- You get to see it
from the inside.
- Take a look.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Now, of course,
a little privacy
does feel courteous.
- So you'll need to use
your imaginations to fill in
the specific details.
- But with this light,
you'll be able to see
the center of Naomi
right where this
sleight of body needs to occur.
♪ ♪
Now, watch carefully.
Because it happens
in just a single breath.
Breathe out...
and in.
[audience gasps]
But see that right there
is just the minimum required
to safely pass the saw blade
right through the center.
And that's just the start
of the process.
Take a look. Breathe out.
Because with
a little extra focus,
Naomi can actually amplify
the effect.
Watch.
Breathe in.
[audience gasps]
But tomorrow you might think
that's a trick of the light,
an optical deception.
Of course, Naomi is far more
skilled than that.
So it feels time
to finally give credit
right where credit's due.
Take a look.
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
[applause]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
Now, we're only gonna ask her
to hold this
for a few moments longer,
because as much as Naomi
can make it look effortless...
- Removing most of your body
is not as easy
as you might think.
- It's true.
So get one last good look.
Because we're gonna let her
relax again.
♪ ♪
And watch carefully.
She comes back just as quickly.
Take a look.
Breathe in.
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Let's hear it
for Andrew Evans.
Wow.
Hi. That was amazing.
How do you come up with
your ideas, both of you, or...
- Yeah,
we definitely work together.
I'd say, you know,
my background is in engineering
and design, so for me half
the fun once we have an idea
is going into the shop
and building it
and figuring out how
to make it real.
And then getting
onstage together.
We rehearse it, figure it out.
We have a whole team of folks
too that helps out, so...
- Wow.
- It's a lot of fun.
- He has a long background
in magic.
I'm more from theater
and circus.
So with his magic expertise
and my sort of outside
different viewpoints,
it makes a nice team.
- Nice, and how long have you
guys been working together?
- How long? What...
- Three years?
- Three years? Four years?
- Is it three or four?
- Really? Nice.
See, I feel like for me I would
wait at least five years
before I allowed someone
to saw me in half.
- We rush things a little bit.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, you're kind of rushing
into it.
All right, should we... should we
talk to those guys over there?
- Let's talk to those guys. Hey.
- Hi, guys.
- Hello. Remember us?
- I do.
- Well, sure, I think we should
maybe talk to Naomi,
'cause you said she's
the big cheese on the this.
She did the...
She did the sleight of body,
which is absolutely true.
It does take a great deal
of control of the body.
It also takes other stuff,
and you mentioned Selbit,
who did start,
but you've kind of left out
the Bamberg family,
which was a key, though,
in Fu Manchu.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Who also did a version
of this principle much
inferior to what you've done.
You've really done the best
version, really gorgeous.
It's a really hard trick to do,
because everybody knows
what you have to do
to accomplish it,
and you've got to
accomplish that in a way
that fools people.
And I think you did,
and if we hadn't taken
this great submarine ride...
- Yeah.
- Teller and I took
a submarine ride.
- Yeah.
- And we were...
We were cruising around
on the submarine.
And I bet you love
that submarine too, don't you?
- Um, I do.
I think we probably both
love submarines.
- Oh, yeah.
- I will say when I think
of some of those submarines
you may have been riding in,
I'm thinking of ones from,
like, way, way back when.
- Yeah, before electronics.
- Pretty different
from those submarines.
- I have no idea what any
of you are talking about.
So do we have a verdict,
everyone?
- I think we'll let
the submarine captains decide.
- Why don't we go to the judges?
They are in Alyson's ear.
- So what's happened here...
- Yeah.
- Is, they've gone
to the judges.
- Right.
- And the judges have made
a decision. - Got it.
- And the final decision
from the judges is,
you did not fool them.
- Oh, that's all right.
- Ahh,
but you entertained us all.
Thank you so much.
- Good. Good, good, good.
Thank you.
- Andrew Evans and Naomi.
[cheers and applause]
More puzzling performers
when we return,
including a performance by Penn
and Teller later in the show.
Stick around.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back.
We've had one Fooler so far,
but there could be more.
Here's our next
potential Fooler.
[fireworks booming]
[cheers and applause]
- Please say Allô
to French magician David Stone.
- Wow. Tonight I would like
to show you
a simple card trick
with only one card,
but not any card,
a debit card
that I'd like to borrow
from any gentleman
in the audience.
So if you are a gentleman
with a debit card
and you want
to have fun tonight,
please raise your hand now,
okay?
Don't worry.
I will not make
your card vanish.
[audience oohs]
Sir? Anybody?
You do have a debit card on you?
[applause]
Take it out, and come over.
The most important information
on any bank card
is actually on the back.
That's why I will cover it
with a sticker.
Thank you for bringing me
your debit card.
Don't worry. I will just cover
the information.
Are you sure this is
a debit card?
- Yes.
- Yeah?
[card squeaks] Yes, it is.
Okay, so please keep it and sit
right over here gently.
And more important, relax.
Because tonight with your card,
we are going to have
a lot of fun.
Believe me.
[laughter]
- [laughs]
- Well, if I ask you
to yell out loud
live on national television
your pin code number,
you wouldn't do it, right?
- Y... no.
- No.
That's why I have exactly
what you need for you.
It's a microphone.
No need to yell.
[laughter]
But I understand
your hesitation.
But you know what?
I have ways to guess
your pin number by magic
just by asking anybody
in the audience.
Just like Penn, for example.
Could you please name
any two-digit number?
- 72.
- 72.
72, and please, Teller,
could you mime two-digit number?
Three and five.
35.
Honestly, sir,
is 72..35...
7235 your pin code number?
And be honest. - Nope.
[scanner rattling]
- Are you sure?
Actually, you paid $72.35.
32... 75.
You didn't guess the pin code,
guys.
You guessed something else.
Sir, on the back
of my brand-new jacket,
there's a tag
with a prize on it.
Can you please read it out loud
and say if you see
a number on it?
What do you read?
- 7235.
- That's amazing.
[cheers and applause]
You guessed the exact price
of the jacket I took
from the shop,
and he just paid for it.
I love this country.
[telephone rings]
What's that? Excuse me.
Hello.
Oh, this is your bank.
He said not to worry.
Your card is now frozen.
It is blocked.
It's all good now.
No problem at... ow!
Mm...[bleep].
Oh, "[bleep]" means "thank you"
in French.
Excuse my French.
[laughter]
Do you want to find
your card back?
- Yes, please.
- Yes, please stand up.
Do you trust me?
- [stammers] Yeah.
- Ahh, it's a little yeah.
Please turn around,
because I... turn around.
Okay, perfect,
and bend over slightly.
[laughter]
No, I mean to take the cooler.
No, to take the cooler and check
it's completely closed,
that there is no opening in it.
No opening.
Can you please put it here?
Inside the cooler,
there is a box.
Inside the cooler,
there is a box.
I don't know if...
can you please take the box
by yourself?
I don't want to touch it,
because I am a professional.
Take the box and make sure.
Is the box completely sealed?
The box is sealed? - Yep.
- No opening?
- Nope.
- That's why I will use a knife
to op... ahh!
[bleep]. Oh, God!
Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!
Ahh! It's okay. I'm fine.
I'm all good. Come over.
- Okay.
- I'm going to cut this.
Can you please open it
and say out loud what do you
see inside the... the box?
What do you see inside the box?
- A package.
- Okay.
Can you please
put the box aside?
Put the box aside.
Inside the bag... come over here.
Inside the bag,
there is a surprise for you.
- Okay.
- There is kind of present.
It's big. You can touch it.
You can feel. You see? - Yep.
- Is it big?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, please, do you see...
Can you see...
Can you see the ice in it?
- Yep.
- Yeah, you can see it?
And can you see what's next
to the ice?
- A hammer.
- No, it's not a hammer.
It's a present. - Oh, okay.
- Yeah, it's to thank you,
because, you know,
your... when your banker
called earlier
and said that your card
is blocked and frozen,
well, it is really blocked
and frozen
in a block of ice.
- Oh, wow.
[applause]
- Can you please break it,
make sure...
Just to break it, yes.
Yes, break.
Oh, you like that, huh?
[laughter]
Okay, let me... oh, yeah, yes,
please, take...
Take your card; take your card.
Yes, is it really
your card inside?
- Yep.
- And-and-and...
[card squeaks] It still works.
[cheers and applause]
- David Stone.
Wow.
Hello. - Ice-cold everything.
- It was so creative.
It just kept going and going.
- I try to create a story,
and most of the time,
the story becomes funny,
because when it's funny,
it's easier for you to perform,
especially when you are...
When you have stage fright
when you're nervous.
- Do you get stage fright?
- Oh, always, every time.
- Really?
- Even when I am with
my girlfriend.
[laughter]
- So how do you get over
your stage fright?
- Well, actually,
to take it out,
I just... I make people laugh,
you know, and then I see
that people like it.
Then I can start to be more
in my script
and tell them the story
of the trick.
- Shall we find out
if you fooled the boys?
- I don't know. We're gonna see.
- Guys.
- Oh, man,
people come here to see magic
and getting an audience
to just laugh
all the way through a routine
is really, really hard.
And as a second language,
amazing.
We just had the audience
in the palm of your hand.
And in doing that,
you were able to justify
all sorts of stuff
that a magician
who didn't have the audience
loving them
would never be able
to get away with.
I mean, we want to get
a few things out of the way.
The jacket.
We believe your tailor
is in Las Vegas
and is named Paul Vigil.
And to be funny enough
and lovable enough
and have the plot go
strong enough
that you can turn your back
on the audience
in order to do stuff is amazing,
and what this trick is called
for the people at home
is object in
an impossible location.
And we have never seen
that impossible location
be inside a block of ice.
It was just astonishing
in that way and beautiful,
and we just loved
everything about it,
and I... I hate to compliment you
all this
and say how great you are
and then end with kind of a
cold shoulder,
but I do not think
you fooled us.
- So do you know that they know?
- Yeah, I know what they mean.
Yes, unfortunately,
I do agree with the two
cheaters tonight.
- Well, thank you, David Stone.
- Thank you very much.
[cheers and applause]
- Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
- I'm getting Penn and Teller
out of
the trophy-giving business
and back into show business.
Penn and Teller perform
when we come back.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
Here with just what the doctor
ordered to close the show,
open up and say ta-da
for Penn and Teller.
[cheers and applause]
- "Placebo" is Latin
for "I will please."
And back when doctors wrote
their prescriptions in Latin,
if they had a patient who was
a real pain in the ass
who they couldn't help,
they would just write on
the prescription pad "placebo,"
and the pharmacist would give
that patient sugar pills.
And that would shut
the patient up.
But they found
that in measurable,
physiological ways,
the sugar pills often helped
the patients.
Pretty amazing, and that is
the basis for magic.
Because if we've got a cup
and a ball
but we don't have a placebo,
then we don't have magic.
Now, the simplest placebo
in magic is the magic wand.
That's our sugar pill.
You know it doesn't do anything.
You know we'll be doing
everything
with sleight of hand.
But this is something
for your superstitious
lizard brain to believe.
Because if we have a placebo,
then we have...
magic.
[applause]
And lizard brain will follow
the placebo anywhere.
Like, now it vanishes it
from Teller's hand
and moves it into my hand.
Just like that. [applause]
And as things keep changing,
so does your superstitious
lizard brain,
because now it vanishes
from both our hands,
and both balls appear
under the cup
and no balls under my cup.
But one little tap here,
one little tap here,
and we are back to where
we started.
[applause]
But this is the only trick
where we use
this obvious of a placebo,
the only trick that we use
magic wands,
but we always have a placebo,
so if you're watching our act,
and we have a cup,
and we have a ball,
and something miraculous
happens,
well,
you've got to ask yourself,
what's causing that?
What is the placebo?
Is it magic balls?
Is it magic cups?
Or in this case,
is the magician magic?
Nope.
But a snap... [snaps fingers]
Is magic.
So when you're watching...
[cheers and applause]
Ask yourself what we are doing
that's causing the magic.
What is the placebo?
And sometimes we don't even know
what's gonna cause the magic.
Like, what if we did two snaps?
[snaps fingers]
Then we get a totally changed
color on the ball.
And if we do
a big Vegas placebo,
we get a big Vegas ball.
And the best placebo of all is,
of course, a magic word.
How about the word "placebo"?
And a nice big sugar pill
right there.
That's placebo.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
Well, it's time for me to put
the show to bed,
but we'll rise and let more
of the world's
best magicians shine
on next week's
"Penn & Teller: Fool Us."
Good night.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- From the Penn & Teller Theater
at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas,
here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan.
[upbeat jazzy music]
♪ ♪
- Ah, welcome to "Fool Us."
Tonight you'll see the hottest
magicians in the world
light up our stage.
Anyone who burns Penn
and Teller with their trick
wins our flashy
"Fool Us" trophy and a trip
back to Las Vegas to perform
alongside our leading men.
And here they are now ready
to kick ash and take flames,
Penn and Teller.
[cheers and applause]
- Ahh! Ahh!
You. You.
♪ ♪
- All right, Penn and Teller,
the heat is on,
because it's time to meet
our first potential Fooler.
[fireworks booming]
[applause]
- All the way from Uruguay,
here is Daniel K.
[cheers and applause]
- Thank you.
Hola.
Your Spanish is better
than my English.
It's a pleasure to be
with all of you
and to have Penn and Teller
in front of me.
I hope you enjoy my act.
As you can see,
my English is not so good,
so if you don't
understand something,
please ask me.
The problem is
that I don't know if I can
understand you, yes?
But you ask if you want.
You, sir, what's your name?
- Manuel.
- If I asked you to name
a famous magician...
Not me, another one... name one.
- Houdini.
- Houdini, perfect.
Houdini was a great
escapist artist.
In all escape,
we have to risk our life.
Today I don't want to risk mine.
You will risk your life
for everyone.
Come with me, please.
A big round of applause.
[applause]
Thanks.
Your name, say it.
- Manuel.
- Manuel, perfecto.
Okay, Manuel, I have this one.
Do you know what is this?
- Oh.
- Thumbcuff.
It's like handcuff
but just for your thumb.
- [laughs] All right.
- Today I will try to perform
an escape.
And to prove that it's real,
I want to prove with you.
Give me your thumb.
Have you been cuffed again?
No, no, don't say. Don't answer.
Too many people looking at you.
- [laughs]
- If you try to take out,
it's impossible.
- Impossible.
- You don't need this.
I bought this handkerchief
in my country,
and the people told me that
it belonged to Harry Houdini.
It got his initial, J.J.
Never mind. [laughter]
Only I have to do this.
I have to count to three.
One, two, three.
Not only did he take them off,
but he put them back on quickly.
[laughter]
Let me try again.
One, two, three.
He's improvising.
He's performing the fingers
that change color.
First they go red, then black,
and then they go... fall off.
Let me take out...
It is impossible, right?
- Yeah.
- Manuel, I set free.
Please, Manuel, take this.
Take this.
The key will be in my pocket.
If something is wrong,
Alyson, can you help me?
- I guess so.
- Come with me, please.
Thanks, Alyson. [applause]
Thanks, Alyson.
If something's wrong,
please take this, the key,
and set me free, yes? - Okay.
- Houdini loved the escape act.
But not many people know
that he loved the card tricks.
Not many people know that.
I saw it in Wikipedia.
- Ah.
- Today I will try to do
two things at the same time,
try to escape and try to find
a card that you will choose.
Alyson,
say stop wherever you want.
- Stop.
- Stop. Take the card.
Look the card. Show everyone.
Manuel is part of everyone.
Show it to him. Remember.
Yes, Alyson? - Ah, yes.
- Put the card
wherever you want.
Say stop. - Stop.
- Put the card here, please.
- Oh, I already put it in.
I ruined it.
This is...
- Let's do
only the escape things, yes?
[laughter]
Usually Houdini
don't like the card tricks.
Forget the card tricks.
Give me this.
Forget the... no, give me.
Open... extend your hand.
Extend your hand.
I will give you this.
I will give you this.
Only the escape things.
It's the same.
But this... easier.
Please fasten my thumb tightly.
Don't worry about my life.
- [laughs]
Do you remember the card? - Yes.
- I am thinking
that this is "Fool Us."
I will try to fool you.
I will try to take out
this handcuff
and find the card,
two things at the same time.
It is impossible.
What? I know. [laughter]
But I am a professional.
I will do three things.
Try to speak in English too.
- Okay.
- Manuel, cover with this
handkerchief.
Yes, and take the deck
of cards, but wait.
Take out the handkerchief.
Take out.
I will try to find,
but I am handcuffed.
Please, cover.
Be careful with this.
I don't want that... [laughter]
I want to give you the key,
because I know what you think.
"He used a key."
Where is the key?
Here's the key.
Keys for you.
I will try to find the card
in a blink of an eye.
- [laughs]
- It's already. [laughter]
Did you feel anything?
- I didn't.
- What a pity. [laughter]
Please, Alyson, open the box.
Take everything that is inside,
and show...
What... what is this?
Show it. Is handcuff?
If you want...
You've got this handcuff.
What is in my finger?
Please take. A card.
[audience oohs]
- Nuh-uh.
- Wait.
[applause]
- What was your card?
- Ahh... six of hearts.
- I can't believe it, because
this is a six of hearts.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Alyson and Manuel.
Thank you so much, Manuel.
Thank you for helping me.
Be careful with the steps.
Thank you so much. - Daniel K.
- Thank you so much.
[cheers and applause]
[indistinct].
- That was insane.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- I didn't feel anything.
That was amazing.
- Thank you so much.
- Oh, and so enjoyable,
even if it hadn't been
so astonishing.
- I don't understand anything
that you say.
- That's...
- I think that you are saying
a lot of thing...
Good things about me.
Thank you. - I like it.
They must be so proud of you
in Uruguay.
Am I saying that right?
- Yes, yes, Uruguay, yes,
it's true.
- Ooh, Uuur-a-guay.
- Uruguay.
- Uruguay.
- Perfect.
- Ooh.
- Uruguay.
- Uruguay
- Yes.
- Yeah.
And have you always wanted
to do magic?
- Yes, since I was a boy.
First... ahh...
always I was a boy.
[laughter]
- I'm glad you clarified that.
- Yes, okay.
But when I was...
- A boy.
- Yes.
Your English is better
than mine.
- Yes. [laughter]
But first I want to do, uh,
detective. Detective?
- Detective, yeah.
- Yes, then I found the magic,
and this is my passion.
- I'm glad you switched,
'cause I feel...
- Yes.
- Like you're too funny
to be a detective.
- Maybe. Maybe.
- Okay, let's find out
if you fooled Penn and Teller.
- Let's.
- Daniel, the first thing,
very first thing I said
to Teller
when I turned to him was,
"That's a perfect routine."
- Thank you so much.
- It's an absolutely perfect
routine.
- Thank you so much.
- It has the most important
thing I magic, which is,
the ending is completely
a surprise
and then totally inevitable.
I mean, we watch magicians work,
you may not know
what they're doing,
but you know they're doing
something.
There's not a moment
in your routine
where you think,
"He's doing something."
- Thank you so much.
- There's now telegraphing.
You're acting is superb,
perfect all the way through.
This is something
that I don't usually do.
'Cause even though we love
showing magicians on TV,
I must tell you that I do feel
the competition,
and I do want to win.
This is a very rare case where
we think we figured it out...
- Okay.
- And we so hope we are wrong.
- Aww.
- Okay.
- 'Cause I want you
to have fooled us.
You might notice I'm not
speaking at all in code.
- Yeah.
- This act is so perfect,
I don't want to give the
slightest little crack in it.
I don't want anybody at home
to go,
"Oh, I know what he means now.
I know what he did now."
I want this to just live on
as a jewel and perfect.
But we've got to play the game.
- Okay.
- So Teller has written down...
- Okay.
- How you did it.
He will show you.
And please,
please have us be wrong.
- I really hope they're wrong.
Aww. - Damn it.
- That's right.
- Damn it.
- Thank you so much.
- Aww.
- That's so good, so good.
- So you didn't fool them?
- Thank you. No, but...
- Aww, but...
- Thank you so much...
- Aww.
- Teller. Thank you, Penn.
Thank you so much.
- Oh, that was so wonderful.
- Nice to be with you.
- Daniel K.
- Thank you. Bye.
[cheers and applause]
- We're taking a quick time-out.
We'll get our next magician
into the game
when "Fool Us" returns.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[applause]
- "Fool Us" is back,
and our next magician
is about to take the stage.
Let's meet him first.
[fireworks booming]
[cheers and applause]
- Please welcome master
manipulator
Yukihiro Katayama.
[gentle piano music]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
[applause]
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
Yukihiro Katayama.
- Thank you so much.
- That was beautiful.
- Ah, thank you so much.
- You're so welcome.
How long have you been
doing this?
- Wow.
How does it feel to be here?
Yeah.
- Oh, wow.
- Aww, congratulations.
- Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
- Well, that was
a wonderful performance.
Let's see if it was also
a fooling performance.
Penn, Teller.
- Yukihiro, I... you were at
a little bit of a disadvantage.
Because I had already seen you.
I saw you at the S.A.M.
convention here in town.
And we went backstage,
and he bowed,
and then I bowed,
and I thought we were done.
And then he bowed again,
and then I bowed again,
and I thought we were done.
And then he bowed again,
and I bowed again,
and I said, "I'm walking away,
because I don't know
what's going on,"
and if I was in any way
insulting by how I did that,
it's just a culture clash,
and I'm very, very sorry,
so... okay,
now I get the last one in.
We're done. [laughter]
Everybody knows it's beautiful.
And you can translate beautiful
any way you want.
The audience just loved it.
Forgive me for cutting it short,
but I just thought
it was so great,
and I don't want you
to translate for five minutes
as I go through a thesaurus
of "beautiful."
I'm gonna ask you
some questions.
- Yes.
- And I want an honest answer
to every one of them.
- Yes.
- Question number one.
- Yes.
- The first thing Teller thought
was that you were using
a mirror glass.
Were you using a mirror glass?
- [speaking Japanese]
- No, I don't use mirror glass.
- I'm not done.
[laughter] - [speaking Japanese]
- [laughs] Oh.
- After Teller thought you were
using a mirror glass,
I thought you were using
black art.
Were you using black art?
- No.
- I'm not done. I'm not done.
- [speaking Japanese]
- Three, we thought together...
[whispering]
- [speaking Japanese]
- Were you twisting the glass?
- No, no twist.
- Okay,
now I'm gonna leave you...
- How many guesses do you get?
- Shut up. [indistinct].
[laughter] - No, no, no.
- I'm on your side.
- I get the number of guesses
that the person whose
first name in the title gets.
[laughter] - One.
- I don't... I'm not gonna talk
to you for a moment.
I'm gonna talk
to the translator.
What's your name? - Tamoko.
- Tamoko,
would you please tell him
as clearly and succinctly
as you can
that he has fooled us.
- [speaking Japanese]
[cheers and applause]
- Tell him. Tell him.
Tell him.
- [speaking Japanese]
- Beautifully done.
- [sobbing]
- Yay.
Ohh.
- Thank you so much.
- Ohh, Yukihiro Katayama.
Thank you. [cheers and applause]
Aww.
We have ourselves
a successful Fooler,
and Penn and Teller still
have to take on more magicians,
so stay close.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back.
Two Fooler shows are rare,
but with one in the books,
it could happen tonight.
Here's our next magician.
[fireworks booming]
- When I came here
two years ago,
the audience
at the Penn & Teller Theater
was the largest audience
I'd ever performed for.
That was nuts.
- Andrew Evans.
- My show in San Francisco
used to be
a very underground experience.
Now we do shows far more often
and in a real venue,
significantly more legal.
San Francisco is
the perfect place to do magic.
You get audiences
from the world of technology
who are all about
understanding how things work,
so when they see something
that they can't figure out,
they actually love being pushed
out of that comfort zone.
The illusion we're doing
tonight is a reimagining
of maybe the most classic plot
in magic.
We're actually really
celebrating the fact that women
onstage
make this trick possible.
The fact that we're performing
for Penn and Teller
for me is more exciting
than anxiety-inducing.
It's something new.
I don't think they've seen this.
I hope they get as excited
about this trick as I am.
[cheers and applause]
- Please welcome back
Andrew Evans.
- Thank you.
Thank you all,
and, Penn and Teller,
thank you for having me back
on the show.
So we find ourselves
at a historic moment for magic.
In 1921,
almost exactly 100 years ago,
one of the most famous
magic tricks of all times
was invented by a man
named P.T. Selbit.
You probably don't know
his name,
but I guarantee you
you know his trick.
He was the first person
to saw a woman in half.
There he is now, the first.
Now, this trick has changed
throughout the years,
but one thing remains
pretty consistent,
and that's the fact that it is
almost always a woman
who gets inside the box,
but it's mostly a man
who ends up taking the bow.
I'm here to tell you
that tonight I am actually not
the real magician when it comes
to this trick.
Instead, there is someone else
who deserves all your applause.
So with that,
please help me welcome back
to the stage Naomi.
[cheers and applause]
- Now, you've seen magicians
do sleight of hand,
but I'm doing something
a little bit different.
I guess you could call it
sleight of body.
- It requires lots of skill,
incredible patience,
but most importantly,
it demands complete focus.
[light acoustic guitar music]
♪ ♪
- From the theaters
of vaudeville
to the stages of Las Vegas,
millions of people have seen
a woman get cut in half.
- But tonight without any boxes
or blades,
you get to see something
even more remarkable.
- You get to see it
from the inside.
- Take a look.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Now, of course,
a little privacy
does feel courteous.
- So you'll need to use
your imaginations to fill in
the specific details.
- But with this light,
you'll be able to see
the center of Naomi
right where this
sleight of body needs to occur.
♪ ♪
Now, watch carefully.
Because it happens
in just a single breath.
Breathe out...
and in.
[audience gasps]
But see that right there
is just the minimum required
to safely pass the saw blade
right through the center.
And that's just the start
of the process.
Take a look. Breathe out.
Because with
a little extra focus,
Naomi can actually amplify
the effect.
Watch.
Breathe in.
[audience gasps]
But tomorrow you might think
that's a trick of the light,
an optical deception.
Of course, Naomi is far more
skilled than that.
So it feels time
to finally give credit
right where credit's due.
Take a look.
♪ ♪
[audience gasps]
[applause]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
Now, we're only gonna ask her
to hold this
for a few moments longer,
because as much as Naomi
can make it look effortless...
- Removing most of your body
is not as easy
as you might think.
- It's true.
So get one last good look.
Because we're gonna let her
relax again.
♪ ♪
And watch carefully.
She comes back just as quickly.
Take a look.
Breathe in.
♪ ♪
[applause]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Let's hear it
for Andrew Evans.
Wow.
Hi. That was amazing.
How do you come up with
your ideas, both of you, or...
- Yeah,
we definitely work together.
I'd say, you know,
my background is in engineering
and design, so for me half
the fun once we have an idea
is going into the shop
and building it
and figuring out how
to make it real.
And then getting
onstage together.
We rehearse it, figure it out.
We have a whole team of folks
too that helps out, so...
- Wow.
- It's a lot of fun.
- He has a long background
in magic.
I'm more from theater
and circus.
So with his magic expertise
and my sort of outside
different viewpoints,
it makes a nice team.
- Nice, and how long have you
guys been working together?
- How long? What...
- Three years?
- Three years? Four years?
- Is it three or four?
- Really? Nice.
See, I feel like for me I would
wait at least five years
before I allowed someone
to saw me in half.
- We rush things a little bit.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, you're kind of rushing
into it.
All right, should we... should we
talk to those guys over there?
- Let's talk to those guys. Hey.
- Hi, guys.
- Hello. Remember us?
- I do.
- Well, sure, I think we should
maybe talk to Naomi,
'cause you said she's
the big cheese on the this.
She did the...
She did the sleight of body,
which is absolutely true.
It does take a great deal
of control of the body.
It also takes other stuff,
and you mentioned Selbit,
who did start,
but you've kind of left out
the Bamberg family,
which was a key, though,
in Fu Manchu.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Who also did a version
of this principle much
inferior to what you've done.
You've really done the best
version, really gorgeous.
It's a really hard trick to do,
because everybody knows
what you have to do
to accomplish it,
and you've got to
accomplish that in a way
that fools people.
And I think you did,
and if we hadn't taken
this great submarine ride...
- Yeah.
- Teller and I took
a submarine ride.
- Yeah.
- And we were...
We were cruising around
on the submarine.
And I bet you love
that submarine too, don't you?
- Um, I do.
I think we probably both
love submarines.
- Oh, yeah.
- I will say when I think
of some of those submarines
you may have been riding in,
I'm thinking of ones from,
like, way, way back when.
- Yeah, before electronics.
- Pretty different
from those submarines.
- I have no idea what any
of you are talking about.
So do we have a verdict,
everyone?
- I think we'll let
the submarine captains decide.
- Why don't we go to the judges?
They are in Alyson's ear.
- So what's happened here...
- Yeah.
- Is, they've gone
to the judges.
- Right.
- And the judges have made
a decision. - Got it.
- And the final decision
from the judges is,
you did not fool them.
- Oh, that's all right.
- Ahh,
but you entertained us all.
Thank you so much.
- Good. Good, good, good.
Thank you.
- Andrew Evans and Naomi.
[cheers and applause]
More puzzling performers
when we return,
including a performance by Penn
and Teller later in the show.
Stick around.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back.
We've had one Fooler so far,
but there could be more.
Here's our next
potential Fooler.
[fireworks booming]
[cheers and applause]
- Please say Allô
to French magician David Stone.
- Wow. Tonight I would like
to show you
a simple card trick
with only one card,
but not any card,
a debit card
that I'd like to borrow
from any gentleman
in the audience.
So if you are a gentleman
with a debit card
and you want
to have fun tonight,
please raise your hand now,
okay?
Don't worry.
I will not make
your card vanish.
[audience oohs]
Sir? Anybody?
You do have a debit card on you?
[applause]
Take it out, and come over.
The most important information
on any bank card
is actually on the back.
That's why I will cover it
with a sticker.
Thank you for bringing me
your debit card.
Don't worry. I will just cover
the information.
Are you sure this is
a debit card?
- Yes.
- Yeah?
[card squeaks] Yes, it is.
Okay, so please keep it and sit
right over here gently.
And more important, relax.
Because tonight with your card,
we are going to have
a lot of fun.
Believe me.
[laughter]
- [laughs]
- Well, if I ask you
to yell out loud
live on national television
your pin code number,
you wouldn't do it, right?
- Y... no.
- No.
That's why I have exactly
what you need for you.
It's a microphone.
No need to yell.
[laughter]
But I understand
your hesitation.
But you know what?
I have ways to guess
your pin number by magic
just by asking anybody
in the audience.
Just like Penn, for example.
Could you please name
any two-digit number?
- 72.
- 72.
72, and please, Teller,
could you mime two-digit number?
Three and five.
35.
Honestly, sir,
is 72..35...
7235 your pin code number?
And be honest. - Nope.
[scanner rattling]
- Are you sure?
Actually, you paid $72.35.
32... 75.
You didn't guess the pin code,
guys.
You guessed something else.
Sir, on the back
of my brand-new jacket,
there's a tag
with a prize on it.
Can you please read it out loud
and say if you see
a number on it?
What do you read?
- 7235.
- That's amazing.
[cheers and applause]
You guessed the exact price
of the jacket I took
from the shop,
and he just paid for it.
I love this country.
[telephone rings]
What's that? Excuse me.
Hello.
Oh, this is your bank.
He said not to worry.
Your card is now frozen.
It is blocked.
It's all good now.
No problem at... ow!
Mm...[bleep].
Oh, "[bleep]" means "thank you"
in French.
Excuse my French.
[laughter]
Do you want to find
your card back?
- Yes, please.
- Yes, please stand up.
Do you trust me?
- [stammers] Yeah.
- Ahh, it's a little yeah.
Please turn around,
because I... turn around.
Okay, perfect,
and bend over slightly.
[laughter]
No, I mean to take the cooler.
No, to take the cooler and check
it's completely closed,
that there is no opening in it.
No opening.
Can you please put it here?
Inside the cooler,
there is a box.
Inside the cooler,
there is a box.
I don't know if...
can you please take the box
by yourself?
I don't want to touch it,
because I am a professional.
Take the box and make sure.
Is the box completely sealed?
The box is sealed? - Yep.
- No opening?
- Nope.
- That's why I will use a knife
to op... ahh!
[bleep]. Oh, God!
Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!
Ahh! It's okay. I'm fine.
I'm all good. Come over.
- Okay.
- I'm going to cut this.
Can you please open it
and say out loud what do you
see inside the... the box?
What do you see inside the box?
- A package.
- Okay.
Can you please
put the box aside?
Put the box aside.
Inside the bag... come over here.
Inside the bag,
there is a surprise for you.
- Okay.
- There is kind of present.
It's big. You can touch it.
You can feel. You see? - Yep.
- Is it big?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, please, do you see...
Can you see...
Can you see the ice in it?
- Yep.
- Yeah, you can see it?
And can you see what's next
to the ice?
- A hammer.
- No, it's not a hammer.
It's a present. - Oh, okay.
- Yeah, it's to thank you,
because, you know,
your... when your banker
called earlier
and said that your card
is blocked and frozen,
well, it is really blocked
and frozen
in a block of ice.
- Oh, wow.
[applause]
- Can you please break it,
make sure...
Just to break it, yes.
Yes, break.
Oh, you like that, huh?
[laughter]
Okay, let me... oh, yeah, yes,
please, take...
Take your card; take your card.
Yes, is it really
your card inside?
- Yep.
- And-and-and...
[card squeaks] It still works.
[cheers and applause]
- David Stone.
Wow.
Hello. - Ice-cold everything.
- It was so creative.
It just kept going and going.
- I try to create a story,
and most of the time,
the story becomes funny,
because when it's funny,
it's easier for you to perform,
especially when you are...
When you have stage fright
when you're nervous.
- Do you get stage fright?
- Oh, always, every time.
- Really?
- Even when I am with
my girlfriend.
[laughter]
- So how do you get over
your stage fright?
- Well, actually,
to take it out,
I just... I make people laugh,
you know, and then I see
that people like it.
Then I can start to be more
in my script
and tell them the story
of the trick.
- Shall we find out
if you fooled the boys?
- I don't know. We're gonna see.
- Guys.
- Oh, man,
people come here to see magic
and getting an audience
to just laugh
all the way through a routine
is really, really hard.
And as a second language,
amazing.
We just had the audience
in the palm of your hand.
And in doing that,
you were able to justify
all sorts of stuff
that a magician
who didn't have the audience
loving them
would never be able
to get away with.
I mean, we want to get
a few things out of the way.
The jacket.
We believe your tailor
is in Las Vegas
and is named Paul Vigil.
And to be funny enough
and lovable enough
and have the plot go
strong enough
that you can turn your back
on the audience
in order to do stuff is amazing,
and what this trick is called
for the people at home
is object in
an impossible location.
And we have never seen
that impossible location
be inside a block of ice.
It was just astonishing
in that way and beautiful,
and we just loved
everything about it,
and I... I hate to compliment you
all this
and say how great you are
and then end with kind of a
cold shoulder,
but I do not think
you fooled us.
- So do you know that they know?
- Yeah, I know what they mean.
Yes, unfortunately,
I do agree with the two
cheaters tonight.
- Well, thank you, David Stone.
- Thank you very much.
[cheers and applause]
- Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
- I'm getting Penn and Teller
out of
the trophy-giving business
and back into show business.
Penn and Teller perform
when we come back.
[jazz music]
♪ ♪
[jazz music]
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
Here with just what the doctor
ordered to close the show,
open up and say ta-da
for Penn and Teller.
[cheers and applause]
- "Placebo" is Latin
for "I will please."
And back when doctors wrote
their prescriptions in Latin,
if they had a patient who was
a real pain in the ass
who they couldn't help,
they would just write on
the prescription pad "placebo,"
and the pharmacist would give
that patient sugar pills.
And that would shut
the patient up.
But they found
that in measurable,
physiological ways,
the sugar pills often helped
the patients.
Pretty amazing, and that is
the basis for magic.
Because if we've got a cup
and a ball
but we don't have a placebo,
then we don't have magic.
Now, the simplest placebo
in magic is the magic wand.
That's our sugar pill.
You know it doesn't do anything.
You know we'll be doing
everything
with sleight of hand.
But this is something
for your superstitious
lizard brain to believe.
Because if we have a placebo,
then we have...
magic.
[applause]
And lizard brain will follow
the placebo anywhere.
Like, now it vanishes it
from Teller's hand
and moves it into my hand.
Just like that. [applause]
And as things keep changing,
so does your superstitious
lizard brain,
because now it vanishes
from both our hands,
and both balls appear
under the cup
and no balls under my cup.
But one little tap here,
one little tap here,
and we are back to where
we started.
[applause]
But this is the only trick
where we use
this obvious of a placebo,
the only trick that we use
magic wands,
but we always have a placebo,
so if you're watching our act,
and we have a cup,
and we have a ball,
and something miraculous
happens,
well,
you've got to ask yourself,
what's causing that?
What is the placebo?
Is it magic balls?
Is it magic cups?
Or in this case,
is the magician magic?
Nope.
But a snap... [snaps fingers]
Is magic.
So when you're watching...
[cheers and applause]
Ask yourself what we are doing
that's causing the magic.
What is the placebo?
And sometimes we don't even know
what's gonna cause the magic.
Like, what if we did two snaps?
[snaps fingers]
Then we get a totally changed
color on the ball.
And if we do
a big Vegas placebo,
we get a big Vegas ball.
And the best placebo of all is,
of course, a magic word.
How about the word "placebo"?
And a nice big sugar pill
right there.
That's placebo.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
Well, it's time for me to put
the show to bed,
but we'll rise and let more
of the world's
best magicians shine
on next week's
"Penn & Teller: Fool Us."
Good night.
[cheers and applause]