Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011–…): Season 8, Episode 12 - P&T's Big Game Halftime Show - full transcript
Featured magicians include Rick Smith Jr. & Rokas, Lindsey Noel, Jason Suran and Roddy McGhie.
Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.
- From the Penn & Teller Theater
at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas,
here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan.
- Welcome to "Fool Us."
What's the recipe for
fooling Penn and Teller?
Well, I just so
happen to have it here.
A half a pound of palming,
a teaspoon of trickery,
and 2 milliliters
of misdirection.
Well, that's my recipe.
Who knows what
tonight's magicians
will cook up in order
to fool our tasty tandem,
Penn and Teller?
Penn and Teller put their
world-famous magic show
on the line as they offer
a slot in their live show
to any magician who
successfully fools them.
Our first winner
might be this first act.
Today we're gonna
learn how to do
the long-distance spinner
with my buddy Rokas
from Lithuania.
The internet's helped me reach
millions and millions of fans.
And I guess Rokas
is one of them.
- I started card throwing
because of Rick.
I saw his video, and
I was so inspired.
- Yes!
- He's very competitive.
He holds four world
records for card throwing.
Rick has never been
on "Fool Us," but I have.
The first time I appeared
I said something
that turned out to
be very significant.
And I'm a holder of the
world Guinness record
for the highest throw
of a single playing card.
- I didn't even know
the world record existed.
Once I did, I
wanted it to be mine.
- Yeah, and so Rick
respectfully
defeated my records.
- He still holds a world
record for card throwing.
- I am able to shoot 122
cards in a minute with one hand.
- Something that I will
never be able to do.
- Can you give me
a copy of that? Yeah.
Now we're performing as a duo.
We have very specialized skills.
There's no doubt Rick
is the best card thrower
in the world.
He's fast. He's accurate.
- Rokas, he's the only
card thrower in the world
that I will share
the stage with.
Dude.
I hope you guys
have two trophies.
- Fingers crossed.
- Please welcome
world-record card throwers
Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
- Hey, guys. My
name is Rick Smith Jr.
- Hi, my name is Rokas.
- Some people say that I am
the best card
thrower in the world.
- And some people say
that am the best card
thrower in Lithuania.
- Wait, aren't you the only
card thrower in Lithuania?
- Yes.
- Oh, my goodness.
I am known for throwing
playing cards the farthest...
The hardest...
and I am considered
the most accurate.
Whew.
- And I'm known
for throwing cards
the fastest in the entire world.
- Now, there's a lot of
people out there that say
there is no magic
in card throwing,
that it's merely pure skill.
- But tonight Rick and I
intend to prove otherwise.
- Rokas, are you ready?
- I'm ready.
- Let's go.
All right, let's move
this board into position.
- During the last year, we
spent a lot of time at home
competing on YouTube
at card throwing
and talking about,
what we would we do
when the world
returned to normal?
More than anything,
we found ourselves
wishing that we could
be somewhere else.
Like outside?
So we invented a game.
We challenged ourself
to create artwork of places
we wanted to travel by
throwing playing cards.
In fact, Rokas and I, we're
throwing cards right now
drawing a picture.
I want you guys to think of this
as a magical prediction.
- In a second, two of the
greatest magicians of all time
will be joining us onstage for
the card throwing competition,
Penn, Teller, would you join us?
Round of applause to
Penn and Teller, everyone.
Here we have a wall
that has 24 targets.
And on the back of each
target is an iconic building
from a city that
we want to visit.
- Like the Colosseum in
Rome or the Big Ben in London
and so on.
- What we would like you
each to do is to throw cards
at these targets
until one card sticks.
And the building on the
back of the target will be yours.
So let's see who is the
first one to stick the card
and select the building.
- Let me show you
guys how I do this.
Take a playing
card, and I pinch it
with my two fingers.
And I throw it by bending
and throwing the card like this.
- Okay.
- You guys are gonna
be aiming at the target.
So you can choose
any target you'd like.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- So in this case
Rick's building
would be Gediminas
Castle Tower in Lithuania,
which by the way
is a great choice.
- That's good.
- Rick, do you want to
make this more interesting?
- Absolutely. How
are we gonna do that?
- Okay. So if Penn's card
sticks to the target first
you give a $100 to me.
- Okay.
- And if Teller's card sticks
first I'll get 100 from you.
- Deal. Wait, what?
- Penn, Teller, you can
start throwing cards now.
- Okay. Sure.
- Oh, that was close.
- It was.
- Oh, we got one.
- We got one.
- Rick, you owe me 100.
- Argh.
Thanks a lot, Penn, Teller.
You guys can take a seat.
But give them a round of
applause for helping out.
- Round of applause,
Penn and Teller, everyone.
- So, Penn, you successfully
threw a playing card
into this target
right over here.
- I did.
- There's a lot of
different targets.
You could have chosen
the Great Pyramids of Giza.
You could have chosen
the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
It rhymes, like a match game.
- Teller, you threw
cards, and you could have
randomly chose Taj Mahal
or Eiffel Tower.
- But, Penn, you successfully
threw a playing card
into this target.
And on the back of this target
is the Tower Bridge from London.
So for everyone out there
that thinks there is no magic
in card throwing, we say...
Take a look at this.
Very nice.
- Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
So, Rokas, how
did you rehearse this
if you're in Lithuania
and you're in the U.S.?
- So we were just
practicing on the internet
through the webcam.
And the first time we met,
like, practice everything
in real, like, life
was 24 hours ago.
- Yeah.
- Basically.
- No way.
- During the rehearsal it was
the first time we ever did it.
- And we have never
shared the stage ever before.
- Together.
- So the real magic is just
getting this act together.
- Yes.
- Yeah, it was.
- All right, guys, let's
see if Penn and Teller
will throw you a trophy.
- Oh, yeah. We shall see.
- Rick, Rokas, boy, really nice.
You know, we... we were
friends with one of the...
One of the greatest magicians
of our lifetime was Ricky Jay.
- Yeah.
- And Ricky Jay
was a world-class card thrower.
And Ricky Jay was also
a fabulous magical mind
and a wonderful historian.
And it is astonishing that
you've come up with something
that Ricky Jay never did.
Ricky Jay never really did...
That I know of... a magic
trick with card throwing.
He did them as two
kind of separate things.
And you've got a really,
really good trick here
that has... I mean, you have
juggling and magic together.
You have a real skill with
a real trick, and we loved it.
But I'm gonna ask
you one question,
'cause I don't
think you fooled us.
And I know you'll be honest.
But we think even
though you showed us
the Eiffel Tower
and the Taj Mahal,
and I happened to
hit the Tower Bridge
that you could have
taken any one of the plates,
including the ones you showed
that were the Eiffel
Tower in the Taj Mahal.
Any one of those plates
you could have turned over,
and there would've
been a mechanism
to make that plate... any plate
that I'd hit turn into
the Tower Bridge.
- Absolutely not.
- Absolutely not?
- He was saying mechanism, so...
- Whee. Hey, a new passion..
- I'm not sure.
- Frisbee.
- We're gonna give
them the trophy.
- Are you kidding?
- You did it.
- Are you joking?
- We have a Fooler.
Whoo-hoo.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- You guys were great. Amazing.
- Thank you.
Wow this is...
- You did it.
- This is so awesome.
- Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
- Whoo! Yes!
- Thanks, everybody.
- Thank you so much.
- So good.
- We just saw Penn
and Teller get fooled.
Boys, shake it off.
You still have
more tricks to bust.
"Fool Us" will be right back.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
If your grip on
reality is too firm,
this next magician just
might have the cure for you.
Take a look.
- Magic allows me the
freedom to be myself.
I'm a femme bisexual
glamour goblin.
In other words, I am
a tiny, stylish woman,
but people are often thrown
by my boisterous personality
and grand gestures.
It's taken me two
years to develop my trick
for "Fool Us," and
I'm really proud of it.
Magic is changing.
It's no longer just
an old boys' club.
"Fool Us" is a platform for
change in the magic community
allowing us to see that
magic is for everyone,
and everyone should
be represented.
If I had watched a
bisexual performer on TV
when I was growing up,
it would've made me
feel seen and valid.
Even if I don't fool
Penn and Teller,
being included on this stage
amongst the best in the world
is a trophy for everyone
who feels a little different.
- Give it up for the
lovely Lindsey Noel.
Penn, Teller, get
together, and say cheese.
Well, just Penn.
Memories.
I love magic.
As someone who finds
wonder in everything,
I have a gazillion passions.
These passions include
vintage photography,
filmmaking, costume design.
I actually made
this. It has pockets.
Before that I was
all about bubbles.
I was four, okay.
But my greatest love of all
has always been comic books.
Especially as a human
magician I thought to myself,
"Wouldn't it be amazing
if you could just know
what someone was thinking,
"just literally spelled out
right there above their head,
you know, in a thought
bubble like this?"
Eh.
Vintage photography,
filmmaking, costume design,
comic books, bubbles, magic.
These elements combined
create the perfect nerd.
Now, I've taken
my nerdy passions
and my desire to have easy
access to people's minds
to bring you something
brand-spanking new.
So, Alyson, would
you help a nerd out?
- Sure.
- This one specifically.
- Yeah.
- I have here a
bunch of Polaroids...
- Ooh.
One of my passions, as you know.
If a picture is worth
a thousand words,
well, then this is
31,000 words worth.
- Okay.
- Don't worry. I
did the math, nerd.
Alyson, I'm gonna have you
choose one of these scenes
from my life entirely at random.
- Okay.
- So as I drop down the
photos, just tell me when to stop.
- Stop.
- Go ahead and take the photo.
Okay. Don't show
it to anyone else.
And definitely
don't show it to me.
- Okay. Alyson, I know
I just said that a picture
is worth a thousand words,
but I'm gonna need you to
narrow it down a little bit...
A lot a bit... to one word,
one word that will fit
in the thought bubble
there on that paper.
- Okay.
- Once you have one word
that describes the photo
that you've chosen, go ahead
and refold the paper
and place the photo
and the paper in front
of you on the table.
- Okay.
- So you've written
down the word, Alyson?
- Yes.
- And you've refolded the paper?
- Yes.
- And the photo is facedown?
- Yes.
- Fantastic.
Alyson, it would be really
hard to read your mind.
But you know what will
be even more difficult?
To read the mind of
another magician...
- Ooh.
- One that doesn't even talk.
So, Teller, would you please
come up here and join us
on the stage to my right?
This is so cool. Okay.
Back to the magic.
All right, Alyson, go ahead
and send your thought to Teller.
Oh, wait, I'm sorry.
I'm the one that's come
here to fool them, right?
- Oh, yeah. Good. Whew.
- So I will just go ahead
and take your thought..
- Okay.
- To Teller.
- All right, Teller,
Alyson's thought is
now in your hands,
please put it in your
mind by way of your eyes,
which is a very weird way of
saying, go ahead and unfold
the paper and read Alyson's
thought the old-fashioned way,
like in a comic book.
Once you have it locked
away in your mind castle
go ahead and tear it up.
We don't need it anymore.
Just don't forget the word.
Now, back to
where this all began
when I was four years old.
Oh.
- But I still love bubbles.
Who doesn't, you monsters?
Teller, I'm gonna have
you move Alyson's thought
down from your mind to
your mouth over your tongue,
and keep it poised
on the tip of your lips
from whence we shall
blow it into our very own
IRL thought bubble.
Slow and steady
whenever you're ready.
You blew it...
perfectly might I add.
Okay.
I'm looking in,
and I'm getting...
hmm, this is a
very... a very fuzzy...
Oh, a lot of fuzzy
feelings and some lines.
And I'm seeing some pointy...
Oh, I'm just gonna go ahead
and re-expand the thought.
Oh, my gosh.
Alyson, according to
Teller's thought bubble,
you had a photo
of Salem, my cat.
Go ahead and show
the folks at home.
Ahh!
Teller, thank you so much.
Penn, thank you all so much.
- Lindsey Noel. That
was so much fun.
- Thank you.
- You really do
seem like someone
with a zillion passions.
- I am in fact that person.
That is me... yeah, all the way.
- I don't know if I'm more
impressed with the magic
or the fact that
you made this outfit.
- All of it. I made the shirts.
- That's hard.
- I made the pants.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- That's amazing.
- Thank you.
Is magic your sole profession,
or have you lived many lives?
- I've lived many
lives, but at this point,
magic is my sole profession.
- That's cool.
- Before this I was a
cabaret festival producer.
I was a costume designer
for film and television
for many years.
- Well, you're a
natural at this, so...
- Thank you.
- Have you always
wanted to perform magic?
- No. When I met my
now husband, Francis,
I was doing strictly
cabaret stuff,
but, like, there's only==
there's, like, a limit
to where you can go
if you're not keeping
all of your clothes on.
There's no limits to what
you can do with magic.
- Yeah.
- So...
- That's awesome.
All right, Lindsey, let's see
if you've earned yourself
a "Fool Us" trophy.
- Hey, Lindsey, boy, we like
to see someone
bouncing off the walls.
It's really great to
see all that energy.
And it's so great to
see a trick that has
so many kind of illusions
to other tricks, you know?
There were so many things
that we were worried about.
Because first we thought maybe
Alyson didn't really
have a free choice
and there was a
force or something.
But we don't think it's that.
And then we thought, well,
she's got it written down here.
She's got it in her hands.
Whenever someone's got
something written down,
then they have it in their hand.
We figure there's gonna
be some sort of peek
or something like that.
We don't think you did that.
'Cause Teller was
right on top of you.
So he would've seen
anything like that.
So we had to go through
and close all these doors,
but we ended up
really, really liking it.
And mark my words,
people at home
are gonna love it too.
They're absolutely
gonna love what you did.
Such a good
performance, so wonderful.
But I don't think you fooled us.
- Oh, what do you
think? Did you fool them?
- I did not fool them.
- Ohh.
- Uh-oh, she's going for a gun.
- But I still have a trophy.
- Oh, thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- Lindsey Noel.
We've got more fantastic magic
for you, so don't go anywhere.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
I'm not trying to misdirect you.
I'm actually trying to
direct your attention
to this next act.
- I call myself a
hyper extrovert.
I love to be around people.
In fact, my favorite
thing about mentalism
is that I get to learn
about a stranger's life.
I have pretty bad
ADD. And as a kid,
every minute of the day
was information overload.
I think the most
frustrating part
was not understanding
how my own brain worked.
The only time I don't feel my
ADD is when I'm performing.
I have a lot of nervous energy,
but I pour all of it
into my performances.
It's like I'm trying
to pull off this heist.
And the audience is
constantly trying to catch me.
So I have to stay vigilant.
So much could go wrong.
So I'm running
variables in my head.
I know I have a
zero margin of error.
You can't half fool
somebody; it's all or nothing.
Hopefully I can
focus all of my energy
into fooling Penn
and Teller 100%.
- Give it up for
the mental magic
of Jason Suran.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Before we begin, I just
want to take a moment to say
that of all the experiences in
my career being on this show
has truly been by
far the most stressful.
It's an honor.
Obviously, it's an honor.
It's just that nobody
talks... nobody talks
about what goes into this,
you know, the sleepless
nights, the endless rehearsals,
the rewrites, the run-throughs,
the rules you have to follow.
'Cause the producers
told me I can do anything
I want on this stage...
as long as it's funny,
new, inventive, deceptive,
camera-friendly, risk-averse,
low-maintenance, high-impact
on brand, offbeat, in style
but out of the ordinary,
under six minutes,
and you keep it clean.
Other than that,
go crazy, and...
They were very clear
about that last rule.
They told me, "You
can't swear on TV.
"You have to keep it clean.
"'Cause if you swear,
then we have to bleep you.
And that's a giant
pain in the ass."
See, this... this is why I
brought my swear jar.
Because this is stressful.
And I found myself swearing
so much in rehearsals,
you know, that I was scared
I'd slip up in front of you,
and I didn't want to do
that, so I kept a swear jar,
a visual record of every curse
and cuss that came
out of my mouth
while figuring out what the
I was gonna do here
today. Son of a.
- Oh-ho-ho.
- The point is...
the point is, every
time I swore this week
I put money in that jar.
The worse the word,
the bigger the bill.
And then I realized something.
I realized I was worrying
for nothing, because
this could be the trick.
So, Penn, Teller, Alyson,
the game is simple.
You are gonna read my mind today
by guessing how much
money is in that jar,
or to put it a different way,
how much swearing it
takes to be on "Fool Us."
So, Teller, we're
gonna start with you
since you are literally
the only one here now
who has never sworn on camera.
Would you give
me a guess, please?
How much do you
think is in the jar
if you had to take a swing?
- He says $75.60.
- Oh.
- Only 75 over the whole week?
Can we round it to a dollar?
There's no coins in there;
should we say 75 or 76?
It's your decision?
- 76, says Teller.
- 76.
Didn't realize I
looked like a Mormon.
That's from Teller. Good.
Let's go to Alyson, please.
Alyson, how much do
you think is in the jar
if you had to take a guess?
- Is it, like, a dollar for
a just medium word?
- Yeah. So each word gets
worse as the bill gets higher,
and I've been told I should
stop saying them, so...
- Okay.
- I don't know that I
can give examples.
- All right, no problem.
I will go for... I'm
gonna go $88.
- $88.
See, everybody goes higher
when I make that Mormon joke.
And then finally, Penn,
since I learned most of these
words from watching you,
you will give us the
last guest, please,
nice and loud.
- 247.
- Wow.
- 247. I gotta tell
you, it's starting to feel
like these are more
about your guys' week
than they are
mine, but that's fine.
So here's the good
news. Nobody got it right.
Nobody got it exactly right.
But shockingly, one of
you was very, very close.
Believe it or not, Alyson,
you were the closest.
- Yes.
- Not your number, but,
like, physically you were
the closest to the
jar, and I only get
three more minutes.
Would you join me
onstage, please?
Give her a round of applause.
And, Penn, you
are going to hold on
to the list if you would.
- I will.
- Thank you so, so much, Penn.
- Thank you.
- Now, Alyson, before
we started any of this...
- Yes.
- I made a prediction...
- Oh.
- A prediction about how I
thought this game would go,
and I left it right there
at the top of the
jar right about there.
Now, even though that
prediction didn't come true...
Well, not exactly... I think
you're still gonna
find it interesting.
Alyson, I don't
want to touch it,
but would you please take
that piece of paper out of the jar
and nice and loud
read it to everyone here?
'Cause I think it
still worked out.
- "Nobody will be even close."
- Technically nailed it,
but there's more;
please read the rest.
- Open it?
- Yeah.
- "But together
everyone will get it right."
- And I know that sounds
like a bad fortune cookie,
but that's why I gave
you the list, Penn.
Could you open the
calculator on your phone
and start adding the guesses up?
- Okay. Sure.
- Alyson, I did something
else backstage as well.
I counted up the jar,
every single bill in there.
And I wrote the
total on a little sticker
inside the lid.
Can you see that?
- Yes.
- Would you hold
onto that please?
Because the thing I realized is,
predicting one of your numbers,
that would've been easy,
but predicting the total
of all your numbers, Penn,
nice and loud tell us
what did they all add up to?
- Well, I'll give you
the information,
It's 411.
Alyson, show them
how much was in the jar.
That was the real
pain in the... butt.
And that is what it
takes to be on "Fool Us."
Thank you very, very much.
- Jason Suran.
Is there anything else
that makes you cuss
as much as magic?
- Not even close.
- Do you use mentalism
in your everyday life?
- I do, but not in the
way I think people think.
I think people think
that you walk around
like a human lie detector
or something like that.
And for me it's more
about this thing that kind of
makes people light
up. Because everybody
likes getting to share
things about themselves.
And we all want to feel
connected to other people.
And I think mentalism
opens doors,
and it creates
opportunities for connection.
- Oh. All right. Have
you always loved magic?
- I didn't even begin
considering, you know,
magic until I was in college
and just kind of was
desperate for an artistic outlet
that I wasn't being
graded on every single day.
And then there was
this puzzle aspect to it.
There was this
tactile aspect to it.
And for somebody like me having
something that I could kind of
always be sort of practicing
in the back of my head
was really, really cathartic.
- All right. Should we find out
if your mental magic
earned you a trophy?
- Let's do it.
- All right, boys.
What a god great routine.
- Thank you.
- Money.
- It's really...
It's really good.
It's really a nice
way to present.
You know, the
problem with mentalism
is that the number
stuff just isn't interesting.
And you made the number
stuff represent something
that made it really,
really interesting.
And you also played to
something I care about.
I mean, even though we do a show
that a lot of families watch,
they still seem to realize
that I have been known
to use obscenity and
profanity and often.
As a matter of fact, there was
a big competition a while ago
for what magicians
swore the most.
And Al Koran you
probably know...
- Of course.
- Was someone who swore a lot.
And we had a competition
where someone listened to us
both for a long time,
and it was really amazing,
because at the end
of the whole thing,
I won the Al Koran
medallion. I did.
I won that, because I actually
swore more than he did.
And I tell you it's
a great premise
and a great, great idea.
And I think we
know how you did it,
and if we're wrong we're.
- So do they know
how you did your trick?
Abso... lutely.
Thank you very, very much
for having me. Thank you.
- It was great.
- Interesting. Jason Suran.
Don't go anywhere.
We have more fantastic magic
for you when we come back.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
One "Fool Us" trophy has
already come down from the sky.
Let's see if this next performer
can make it rain again.
- A first for "Fool Us,"
live from Scotland,
here's Roddy McGhie.
- Are we on already?
Sorry. I was just having
a little late-night snack
and watching bad TV.
Can you give me a minute?
Ooh.
Um...
- That's it, McGirt,
you're off the case.
- Just give me 48 hours.
- I'm getting too old for this.
- Shift from the east.
And now it's over to Jenny
in Nepal where David Blaine
is attempting to reach the
summit of Mount Everest.
- Completely naked
in the eyes of the Lord.
And he said to me, son...
- You're nothing
but a lousy thief.
- The only thing I
love are your huge...
- Huge savings.
Are you tired of those
awkward social situations?
Well, now you can banish
those soul-crushing insecurities
with the wonders of magic.
Yes, with this Vegas magic show,
you'll be the life
of soul of any party.
Start learning right away
from our helpful
downloadable app.
- Lesson one,
sawing a lady in half.
We have provided you with a
compact cabinet and assistant.
Simply place the
assistant in the cabinet.
Make sure your audience
can see your assistant
goes all the way
through the cabinet.
Now insert the blade.
Watch out. That's sharp. Ouch.
You can now move
one end of your assistant
to the other end of the cabinet.
Even in this wacky state
your assistant continues
to be able to move freely,
even wiggle her toes.
Of course, your assistant
emerges from the cabinet
completely intact and unharmed.
Everything can be
completely examined.
Your audience will never
discover the real secret
that hidden in the cabinet
the whole time was
another assistant.
No way, Jose.
Congratulations, miracle maker.
You have completed lesson one.
Lesson two, the crystal
casket of mystery.
We have provided you with
a crystal clear sealable casket
containing your
magician and assistant.
The magician and
assistant enter the stage
as the crystal casket
descends from above.
They engage in a
seductive dance, smokin'.
Then the assistant
leaves the stage,
and the magician
enters the casket.
We can clearly see
the magician inside
before the casket
is sealed shut.
The casket revolves, and
then in a blink of an eye
the magic happens. Wow.
The magician and assistant
have impossibly switched places.
As the assistant
leaves the casket,
the magician emerges from
the audience to take his bow.
Now get ready for the secret.
Ready to learn how
the magic is done?
While appears that the
magician has stepped
inside the casket
you can't always believe
everything you see.
He's not actually in there.
The real secret is, the
magician doesn't exist.
Nothing does. Nothing
is real. Nothing is real.
Nothing is real.
Nothing is real.
So now you know how
it works. Nothing is real.
- Roddy McGhie.
Well, hello. Oh, thank
you for dressing up.
- Well, it's not every
day you perform
for Penn and Teller, right?
- It's important to let
everyone know that
after the funny introduction
there were absolutely no
camera chicks involved, right?
- Yeah. That's right.
- So you call it
device-driven magic.
What is that?
- Well, gadgets and
gizmos, I suppose.
That's the kind of thing I like.
- And do you invent them?
- Yes. Yes, I do. Yeah.
- Wow.
I hear Scottish
audiences are pretty tough.
Did that prepare you for being
in front of Penn and Teller?
- Yeah, kind of. Well, you know,
Scottish audiences have
this reputation for being tough,
but I think you just
have to win them over,
and then they kind
of love you forever.
So that's really
what it's about.
You've just gotta prove yourself
a little bit, you know.
- Okay, Roddy, let's see
if your Scottish magic
fooled Penn and Teller.
- Hey, Roddy, you've done
a wicked big miracle here,
an incredible miracle, because
we are really, really
hard-ass about magic.
Get to the magic.
And you did that whole
first hunk just being funny,
really funny, really good.
You were very meticulous
in making sure that
the magic was all done
not using any camera
stuff, not using any cuts.
And it's really, really
good and really smart.
And you do this thing
that Teller and I love doing.
You know, a lot of magicians
want to bring out props
that they've worked on,
want to make 'em look
really special and fancy
and things like you've
never seen before.
And you're using props that
look like things we all know
and would never question
and are really simple.
And boy, they're not.
You did miracles
with those props
that looked like you could
just pick 'em up in any kitchen.
And it's so smart.
I don't want to
give away any of it,
because I'm sure you'll be
doing those in Scottish bars
forever and fooling
the hell out of people.
And we absolutely love you.
We want you on the show as
much as you want to come on.
And we don't
think you fooled us.
And I hope I don't have
to say anymore, 'cause I...
I really don't want to tip
any of the stuff you did.
- Okay, Roddy, do you
take 'em at their word?
You didn't fool them?
- Well, I have take
him at his word,
but I'm sure... I
hope they enjoyed it.
- Oh, definitely.
- Very much, very
much. You're wonderful.
- Thank you so
much, Roddy McGhie.
- Thank you.
- We can't let you go
without seeing a performance
from two all-time greats.
Penn and Teller perform
right after this quick break.
Don't go anywhere.
- Welcome back.
You'd think with all the
accomplishments of Penn
and Teller's storied career
they wouldn't have anything
left on their bucket list.
But that's not true.
Here trying to put
one more notch
in their decades-long
belt are Penn and Teller.
- You know, about 2 million
people watch this show
every week, on a
really good week
maybe 3 million,
and that's a lot.
And then they come to
Vegas; they see our show.
It's wonderful. We've
heard that sporting events
have many more
people than that watching.
Now, Teller and I,
we don't play sports.
We have no chance
getting in a game.
We found out that during the
intermission of these games
when the players are back
changing their costumes
they have entertainers
come out on the field
or on the ice or whatever.
And we want to be part of
that, because so many people
see that, like, 100
million worldwide.
And these games are
so big and so popular
and so powerful you
can't even say their names,
which is why we have this,
because people, you know,
they eat chips
during these games.
They have big bowls
of chips, giant bowls,
supersize bowls
of chips, so in 2024
we hope when you're watching
the game with your super bowl
we'll be on it 2024
doing our trick.
We're working on this.
It's the field. It's the ice.
It's intermission. Penn
and Teller come out.
The players are getting
ready; was very excited.
There's all these commercials.
And then it's entertainer time.
And in 2024 those entertainers
are gonna be Penn and Teller.
We've got a trick
we've been working on,
but we haven't got it
completely perfect yet,
but we're gonna get it
perfect. We keep working on it.
We're gonna keep
working on it till it's perfect,
but we'll give you the idea.
First of all, I
get on the field.
"Hey, good evening.
My name's Penn Jillette,
"good afternoon;
I don't really play.
I'm Penn Jillette with
my partner Teller."
And then with the
blimp going around
and the drones
Teller starts rising.
See, he's rising in the
air. He's rising like a freak.
And he'll go up, like,
like, 20 feet, 30 feet.
We haven't gotten that
yet, but he'll go way up.
And then he, like, has his flag,
and he spins it around him,
shows there's no wires
behind him or over him.
But we don't say that.
But everybody knows it.
And there's, like, 500
cheerleaders that are doing
all of the same stuff
with him at the same time.
'Cause choreographed
movement is really big in this game.
And it's, like, huge. And
everybody's going crazy.
Whoa, Penn and Teller.
I came for the sports,
but I'm staying for the magic,
and he's down here like this,
and there's, like, the
Rolling Stones and Beyoncé.
Let's see how high he is. Okay.
He's not that high, but
he's gonna get higher.
You want to measure to the top.
He's already, like, 10 feet
up, and people are going crazy.
They're going,
"Look how high he is."
And there's cameras all around,
thousands of people,
like, millions of people
all over the world
are watching him.
And he just keep getting higher.
He's still going up.
He's, like, higher
and higher and higher.
He just keeps...
We've never
gotten him this high.
This is great. He's, like...
He's, like, 40 feet up already.
He's way, way up. He's way up.
And he's... he's leaving
He's on the other side.
I can't even see him.
He's in the ceiling. Oh.
He came down really fast.
So that would be Penn and Teller
at the big game, could
be the intermission,
and the people all coming to
Vegas, and they would see us.
If you know anybody
in sports get us in.
- Okay.
- We'll be good.
- I'll try.
- Way up.
- For Penn and Teller
and all of us here
at "Fool Us," good
night from Las Vegas.
- He was way up there.
Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.
- From the Penn & Teller Theater
at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas,
here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan.
- Welcome to "Fool Us."
What's the recipe for
fooling Penn and Teller?
Well, I just so
happen to have it here.
A half a pound of palming,
a teaspoon of trickery,
and 2 milliliters
of misdirection.
Well, that's my recipe.
Who knows what
tonight's magicians
will cook up in order
to fool our tasty tandem,
Penn and Teller?
Penn and Teller put their
world-famous magic show
on the line as they offer
a slot in their live show
to any magician who
successfully fools them.
Our first winner
might be this first act.
Today we're gonna
learn how to do
the long-distance spinner
with my buddy Rokas
from Lithuania.
The internet's helped me reach
millions and millions of fans.
And I guess Rokas
is one of them.
- I started card throwing
because of Rick.
I saw his video, and
I was so inspired.
- Yes!
- He's very competitive.
He holds four world
records for card throwing.
Rick has never been
on "Fool Us," but I have.
The first time I appeared
I said something
that turned out to
be very significant.
And I'm a holder of the
world Guinness record
for the highest throw
of a single playing card.
- I didn't even know
the world record existed.
Once I did, I
wanted it to be mine.
- Yeah, and so Rick
respectfully
defeated my records.
- He still holds a world
record for card throwing.
- I am able to shoot 122
cards in a minute with one hand.
- Something that I will
never be able to do.
- Can you give me
a copy of that? Yeah.
Now we're performing as a duo.
We have very specialized skills.
There's no doubt Rick
is the best card thrower
in the world.
He's fast. He's accurate.
- Rokas, he's the only
card thrower in the world
that I will share
the stage with.
Dude.
I hope you guys
have two trophies.
- Fingers crossed.
- Please welcome
world-record card throwers
Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
- Hey, guys. My
name is Rick Smith Jr.
- Hi, my name is Rokas.
- Some people say that I am
the best card
thrower in the world.
- And some people say
that am the best card
thrower in Lithuania.
- Wait, aren't you the only
card thrower in Lithuania?
- Yes.
- Oh, my goodness.
I am known for throwing
playing cards the farthest...
The hardest...
and I am considered
the most accurate.
Whew.
- And I'm known
for throwing cards
the fastest in the entire world.
- Now, there's a lot of
people out there that say
there is no magic
in card throwing,
that it's merely pure skill.
- But tonight Rick and I
intend to prove otherwise.
- Rokas, are you ready?
- I'm ready.
- Let's go.
All right, let's move
this board into position.
- During the last year, we
spent a lot of time at home
competing on YouTube
at card throwing
and talking about,
what we would we do
when the world
returned to normal?
More than anything,
we found ourselves
wishing that we could
be somewhere else.
Like outside?
So we invented a game.
We challenged ourself
to create artwork of places
we wanted to travel by
throwing playing cards.
In fact, Rokas and I, we're
throwing cards right now
drawing a picture.
I want you guys to think of this
as a magical prediction.
- In a second, two of the
greatest magicians of all time
will be joining us onstage for
the card throwing competition,
Penn, Teller, would you join us?
Round of applause to
Penn and Teller, everyone.
Here we have a wall
that has 24 targets.
And on the back of each
target is an iconic building
from a city that
we want to visit.
- Like the Colosseum in
Rome or the Big Ben in London
and so on.
- What we would like you
each to do is to throw cards
at these targets
until one card sticks.
And the building on the
back of the target will be yours.
So let's see who is the
first one to stick the card
and select the building.
- Let me show you
guys how I do this.
Take a playing
card, and I pinch it
with my two fingers.
And I throw it by bending
and throwing the card like this.
- Okay.
- You guys are gonna
be aiming at the target.
So you can choose
any target you'd like.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- So in this case
Rick's building
would be Gediminas
Castle Tower in Lithuania,
which by the way
is a great choice.
- That's good.
- Rick, do you want to
make this more interesting?
- Absolutely. How
are we gonna do that?
- Okay. So if Penn's card
sticks to the target first
you give a $100 to me.
- Okay.
- And if Teller's card sticks
first I'll get 100 from you.
- Deal. Wait, what?
- Penn, Teller, you can
start throwing cards now.
- Okay. Sure.
- Oh, that was close.
- It was.
- Oh, we got one.
- We got one.
- Rick, you owe me 100.
- Argh.
Thanks a lot, Penn, Teller.
You guys can take a seat.
But give them a round of
applause for helping out.
- Round of applause,
Penn and Teller, everyone.
- So, Penn, you successfully
threw a playing card
into this target
right over here.
- I did.
- There's a lot of
different targets.
You could have chosen
the Great Pyramids of Giza.
You could have chosen
the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
It rhymes, like a match game.
- Teller, you threw
cards, and you could have
randomly chose Taj Mahal
or Eiffel Tower.
- But, Penn, you successfully
threw a playing card
into this target.
And on the back of this target
is the Tower Bridge from London.
So for everyone out there
that thinks there is no magic
in card throwing, we say...
Take a look at this.
Very nice.
- Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
So, Rokas, how
did you rehearse this
if you're in Lithuania
and you're in the U.S.?
- So we were just
practicing on the internet
through the webcam.
And the first time we met,
like, practice everything
in real, like, life
was 24 hours ago.
- Yeah.
- Basically.
- No way.
- During the rehearsal it was
the first time we ever did it.
- And we have never
shared the stage ever before.
- Together.
- So the real magic is just
getting this act together.
- Yes.
- Yeah, it was.
- All right, guys, let's
see if Penn and Teller
will throw you a trophy.
- Oh, yeah. We shall see.
- Rick, Rokas, boy, really nice.
You know, we... we were
friends with one of the...
One of the greatest magicians
of our lifetime was Ricky Jay.
- Yeah.
- And Ricky Jay
was a world-class card thrower.
And Ricky Jay was also
a fabulous magical mind
and a wonderful historian.
And it is astonishing that
you've come up with something
that Ricky Jay never did.
Ricky Jay never really did...
That I know of... a magic
trick with card throwing.
He did them as two
kind of separate things.
And you've got a really,
really good trick here
that has... I mean, you have
juggling and magic together.
You have a real skill with
a real trick, and we loved it.
But I'm gonna ask
you one question,
'cause I don't
think you fooled us.
And I know you'll be honest.
But we think even
though you showed us
the Eiffel Tower
and the Taj Mahal,
and I happened to
hit the Tower Bridge
that you could have
taken any one of the plates,
including the ones you showed
that were the Eiffel
Tower in the Taj Mahal.
Any one of those plates
you could have turned over,
and there would've
been a mechanism
to make that plate... any plate
that I'd hit turn into
the Tower Bridge.
- Absolutely not.
- Absolutely not?
- He was saying mechanism, so...
- Whee. Hey, a new passion..
- I'm not sure.
- Frisbee.
- We're gonna give
them the trophy.
- Are you kidding?
- You did it.
- Are you joking?
- We have a Fooler.
Whoo-hoo.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- You guys were great. Amazing.
- Thank you.
Wow this is...
- You did it.
- This is so awesome.
- Rick Smith Jr. and Rokas.
- Whoo! Yes!
- Thanks, everybody.
- Thank you so much.
- So good.
- We just saw Penn
and Teller get fooled.
Boys, shake it off.
You still have
more tricks to bust.
"Fool Us" will be right back.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
If your grip on
reality is too firm,
this next magician just
might have the cure for you.
Take a look.
- Magic allows me the
freedom to be myself.
I'm a femme bisexual
glamour goblin.
In other words, I am
a tiny, stylish woman,
but people are often thrown
by my boisterous personality
and grand gestures.
It's taken me two
years to develop my trick
for "Fool Us," and
I'm really proud of it.
Magic is changing.
It's no longer just
an old boys' club.
"Fool Us" is a platform for
change in the magic community
allowing us to see that
magic is for everyone,
and everyone should
be represented.
If I had watched a
bisexual performer on TV
when I was growing up,
it would've made me
feel seen and valid.
Even if I don't fool
Penn and Teller,
being included on this stage
amongst the best in the world
is a trophy for everyone
who feels a little different.
- Give it up for the
lovely Lindsey Noel.
Penn, Teller, get
together, and say cheese.
Well, just Penn.
Memories.
I love magic.
As someone who finds
wonder in everything,
I have a gazillion passions.
These passions include
vintage photography,
filmmaking, costume design.
I actually made
this. It has pockets.
Before that I was
all about bubbles.
I was four, okay.
But my greatest love of all
has always been comic books.
Especially as a human
magician I thought to myself,
"Wouldn't it be amazing
if you could just know
what someone was thinking,
"just literally spelled out
right there above their head,
you know, in a thought
bubble like this?"
Eh.
Vintage photography,
filmmaking, costume design,
comic books, bubbles, magic.
These elements combined
create the perfect nerd.
Now, I've taken
my nerdy passions
and my desire to have easy
access to people's minds
to bring you something
brand-spanking new.
So, Alyson, would
you help a nerd out?
- Sure.
- This one specifically.
- Yeah.
- I have here a
bunch of Polaroids...
- Ooh.
One of my passions, as you know.
If a picture is worth
a thousand words,
well, then this is
31,000 words worth.
- Okay.
- Don't worry. I
did the math, nerd.
Alyson, I'm gonna have you
choose one of these scenes
from my life entirely at random.
- Okay.
- So as I drop down the
photos, just tell me when to stop.
- Stop.
- Go ahead and take the photo.
Okay. Don't show
it to anyone else.
And definitely
don't show it to me.
- Okay. Alyson, I know
I just said that a picture
is worth a thousand words,
but I'm gonna need you to
narrow it down a little bit...
A lot a bit... to one word,
one word that will fit
in the thought bubble
there on that paper.
- Okay.
- Once you have one word
that describes the photo
that you've chosen, go ahead
and refold the paper
and place the photo
and the paper in front
of you on the table.
- Okay.
- So you've written
down the word, Alyson?
- Yes.
- And you've refolded the paper?
- Yes.
- And the photo is facedown?
- Yes.
- Fantastic.
Alyson, it would be really
hard to read your mind.
But you know what will
be even more difficult?
To read the mind of
another magician...
- Ooh.
- One that doesn't even talk.
So, Teller, would you please
come up here and join us
on the stage to my right?
This is so cool. Okay.
Back to the magic.
All right, Alyson, go ahead
and send your thought to Teller.
Oh, wait, I'm sorry.
I'm the one that's come
here to fool them, right?
- Oh, yeah. Good. Whew.
- So I will just go ahead
and take your thought..
- Okay.
- To Teller.
- All right, Teller,
Alyson's thought is
now in your hands,
please put it in your
mind by way of your eyes,
which is a very weird way of
saying, go ahead and unfold
the paper and read Alyson's
thought the old-fashioned way,
like in a comic book.
Once you have it locked
away in your mind castle
go ahead and tear it up.
We don't need it anymore.
Just don't forget the word.
Now, back to
where this all began
when I was four years old.
Oh.
- But I still love bubbles.
Who doesn't, you monsters?
Teller, I'm gonna have
you move Alyson's thought
down from your mind to
your mouth over your tongue,
and keep it poised
on the tip of your lips
from whence we shall
blow it into our very own
IRL thought bubble.
Slow and steady
whenever you're ready.
You blew it...
perfectly might I add.
Okay.
I'm looking in,
and I'm getting...
hmm, this is a
very... a very fuzzy...
Oh, a lot of fuzzy
feelings and some lines.
And I'm seeing some pointy...
Oh, I'm just gonna go ahead
and re-expand the thought.
Oh, my gosh.
Alyson, according to
Teller's thought bubble,
you had a photo
of Salem, my cat.
Go ahead and show
the folks at home.
Ahh!
Teller, thank you so much.
Penn, thank you all so much.
- Lindsey Noel. That
was so much fun.
- Thank you.
- You really do
seem like someone
with a zillion passions.
- I am in fact that person.
That is me... yeah, all the way.
- I don't know if I'm more
impressed with the magic
or the fact that
you made this outfit.
- All of it. I made the shirts.
- That's hard.
- I made the pants.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- That's amazing.
- Thank you.
Is magic your sole profession,
or have you lived many lives?
- I've lived many
lives, but at this point,
magic is my sole profession.
- That's cool.
- Before this I was a
cabaret festival producer.
I was a costume designer
for film and television
for many years.
- Well, you're a
natural at this, so...
- Thank you.
- Have you always
wanted to perform magic?
- No. When I met my
now husband, Francis,
I was doing strictly
cabaret stuff,
but, like, there's only==
there's, like, a limit
to where you can go
if you're not keeping
all of your clothes on.
There's no limits to what
you can do with magic.
- Yeah.
- So...
- That's awesome.
All right, Lindsey, let's see
if you've earned yourself
a "Fool Us" trophy.
- Hey, Lindsey, boy, we like
to see someone
bouncing off the walls.
It's really great to
see all that energy.
And it's so great to
see a trick that has
so many kind of illusions
to other tricks, you know?
There were so many things
that we were worried about.
Because first we thought maybe
Alyson didn't really
have a free choice
and there was a
force or something.
But we don't think it's that.
And then we thought, well,
she's got it written down here.
She's got it in her hands.
Whenever someone's got
something written down,
then they have it in their hand.
We figure there's gonna
be some sort of peek
or something like that.
We don't think you did that.
'Cause Teller was
right on top of you.
So he would've seen
anything like that.
So we had to go through
and close all these doors,
but we ended up
really, really liking it.
And mark my words,
people at home
are gonna love it too.
They're absolutely
gonna love what you did.
Such a good
performance, so wonderful.
But I don't think you fooled us.
- Oh, what do you
think? Did you fool them?
- I did not fool them.
- Ohh.
- Uh-oh, she's going for a gun.
- But I still have a trophy.
- Oh, thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- Lindsey Noel.
We've got more fantastic magic
for you, so don't go anywhere.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
I'm not trying to misdirect you.
I'm actually trying to
direct your attention
to this next act.
- I call myself a
hyper extrovert.
I love to be around people.
In fact, my favorite
thing about mentalism
is that I get to learn
about a stranger's life.
I have pretty bad
ADD. And as a kid,
every minute of the day
was information overload.
I think the most
frustrating part
was not understanding
how my own brain worked.
The only time I don't feel my
ADD is when I'm performing.
I have a lot of nervous energy,
but I pour all of it
into my performances.
It's like I'm trying
to pull off this heist.
And the audience is
constantly trying to catch me.
So I have to stay vigilant.
So much could go wrong.
So I'm running
variables in my head.
I know I have a
zero margin of error.
You can't half fool
somebody; it's all or nothing.
Hopefully I can
focus all of my energy
into fooling Penn
and Teller 100%.
- Give it up for
the mental magic
of Jason Suran.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
Before we begin, I just
want to take a moment to say
that of all the experiences in
my career being on this show
has truly been by
far the most stressful.
It's an honor.
Obviously, it's an honor.
It's just that nobody
talks... nobody talks
about what goes into this,
you know, the sleepless
nights, the endless rehearsals,
the rewrites, the run-throughs,
the rules you have to follow.
'Cause the producers
told me I can do anything
I want on this stage...
as long as it's funny,
new, inventive, deceptive,
camera-friendly, risk-averse,
low-maintenance, high-impact
on brand, offbeat, in style
but out of the ordinary,
under six minutes,
and you keep it clean.
Other than that,
go crazy, and...
They were very clear
about that last rule.
They told me, "You
can't swear on TV.
"You have to keep it clean.
"'Cause if you swear,
then we have to bleep you.
And that's a giant
pain in the ass."
See, this... this is why I
brought my swear jar.
Because this is stressful.
And I found myself swearing
so much in rehearsals,
you know, that I was scared
I'd slip up in front of you,
and I didn't want to do
that, so I kept a swear jar,
a visual record of every curse
and cuss that came
out of my mouth
while figuring out what the
I was gonna do here
today. Son of a.
- Oh-ho-ho.
- The point is...
the point is, every
time I swore this week
I put money in that jar.
The worse the word,
the bigger the bill.
And then I realized something.
I realized I was worrying
for nothing, because
this could be the trick.
So, Penn, Teller, Alyson,
the game is simple.
You are gonna read my mind today
by guessing how much
money is in that jar,
or to put it a different way,
how much swearing it
takes to be on "Fool Us."
So, Teller, we're
gonna start with you
since you are literally
the only one here now
who has never sworn on camera.
Would you give
me a guess, please?
How much do you
think is in the jar
if you had to take a swing?
- He says $75.60.
- Oh.
- Only 75 over the whole week?
Can we round it to a dollar?
There's no coins in there;
should we say 75 or 76?
It's your decision?
- 76, says Teller.
- 76.
Didn't realize I
looked like a Mormon.
That's from Teller. Good.
Let's go to Alyson, please.
Alyson, how much do
you think is in the jar
if you had to take a guess?
- Is it, like, a dollar for
a just medium word?
- Yeah. So each word gets
worse as the bill gets higher,
and I've been told I should
stop saying them, so...
- Okay.
- I don't know that I
can give examples.
- All right, no problem.
I will go for... I'm
gonna go $88.
- $88.
See, everybody goes higher
when I make that Mormon joke.
And then finally, Penn,
since I learned most of these
words from watching you,
you will give us the
last guest, please,
nice and loud.
- 247.
- Wow.
- 247. I gotta tell
you, it's starting to feel
like these are more
about your guys' week
than they are
mine, but that's fine.
So here's the good
news. Nobody got it right.
Nobody got it exactly right.
But shockingly, one of
you was very, very close.
Believe it or not, Alyson,
you were the closest.
- Yes.
- Not your number, but,
like, physically you were
the closest to the
jar, and I only get
three more minutes.
Would you join me
onstage, please?
Give her a round of applause.
And, Penn, you
are going to hold on
to the list if you would.
- I will.
- Thank you so, so much, Penn.
- Thank you.
- Now, Alyson, before
we started any of this...
- Yes.
- I made a prediction...
- Oh.
- A prediction about how I
thought this game would go,
and I left it right there
at the top of the
jar right about there.
Now, even though that
prediction didn't come true...
Well, not exactly... I think
you're still gonna
find it interesting.
Alyson, I don't
want to touch it,
but would you please take
that piece of paper out of the jar
and nice and loud
read it to everyone here?
'Cause I think it
still worked out.
- "Nobody will be even close."
- Technically nailed it,
but there's more;
please read the rest.
- Open it?
- Yeah.
- "But together
everyone will get it right."
- And I know that sounds
like a bad fortune cookie,
but that's why I gave
you the list, Penn.
Could you open the
calculator on your phone
and start adding the guesses up?
- Okay. Sure.
- Alyson, I did something
else backstage as well.
I counted up the jar,
every single bill in there.
And I wrote the
total on a little sticker
inside the lid.
Can you see that?
- Yes.
- Would you hold
onto that please?
Because the thing I realized is,
predicting one of your numbers,
that would've been easy,
but predicting the total
of all your numbers, Penn,
nice and loud tell us
what did they all add up to?
- Well, I'll give you
the information,
It's 411.
Alyson, show them
how much was in the jar.
That was the real
pain in the... butt.
And that is what it
takes to be on "Fool Us."
Thank you very, very much.
- Jason Suran.
Is there anything else
that makes you cuss
as much as magic?
- Not even close.
- Do you use mentalism
in your everyday life?
- I do, but not in the
way I think people think.
I think people think
that you walk around
like a human lie detector
or something like that.
And for me it's more
about this thing that kind of
makes people light
up. Because everybody
likes getting to share
things about themselves.
And we all want to feel
connected to other people.
And I think mentalism
opens doors,
and it creates
opportunities for connection.
- Oh. All right. Have
you always loved magic?
- I didn't even begin
considering, you know,
magic until I was in college
and just kind of was
desperate for an artistic outlet
that I wasn't being
graded on every single day.
And then there was
this puzzle aspect to it.
There was this
tactile aspect to it.
And for somebody like me having
something that I could kind of
always be sort of practicing
in the back of my head
was really, really cathartic.
- All right. Should we find out
if your mental magic
earned you a trophy?
- Let's do it.
- All right, boys.
What a god great routine.
- Thank you.
- Money.
- It's really...
It's really good.
It's really a nice
way to present.
You know, the
problem with mentalism
is that the number
stuff just isn't interesting.
And you made the number
stuff represent something
that made it really,
really interesting.
And you also played to
something I care about.
I mean, even though we do a show
that a lot of families watch,
they still seem to realize
that I have been known
to use obscenity and
profanity and often.
As a matter of fact, there was
a big competition a while ago
for what magicians
swore the most.
And Al Koran you
probably know...
- Of course.
- Was someone who swore a lot.
And we had a competition
where someone listened to us
both for a long time,
and it was really amazing,
because at the end
of the whole thing,
I won the Al Koran
medallion. I did.
I won that, because I actually
swore more than he did.
And I tell you it's
a great premise
and a great, great idea.
And I think we
know how you did it,
and if we're wrong we're.
- So do they know
how you did your trick?
Abso... lutely.
Thank you very, very much
for having me. Thank you.
- It was great.
- Interesting. Jason Suran.
Don't go anywhere.
We have more fantastic magic
for you when we come back.
- Welcome back to "Fool Us."
One "Fool Us" trophy has
already come down from the sky.
Let's see if this next performer
can make it rain again.
- A first for "Fool Us,"
live from Scotland,
here's Roddy McGhie.
- Are we on already?
Sorry. I was just having
a little late-night snack
and watching bad TV.
Can you give me a minute?
Ooh.
Um...
- That's it, McGirt,
you're off the case.
- Just give me 48 hours.
- I'm getting too old for this.
- Shift from the east.
And now it's over to Jenny
in Nepal where David Blaine
is attempting to reach the
summit of Mount Everest.
- Completely naked
in the eyes of the Lord.
And he said to me, son...
- You're nothing
but a lousy thief.
- The only thing I
love are your huge...
- Huge savings.
Are you tired of those
awkward social situations?
Well, now you can banish
those soul-crushing insecurities
with the wonders of magic.
Yes, with this Vegas magic show,
you'll be the life
of soul of any party.
Start learning right away
from our helpful
downloadable app.
- Lesson one,
sawing a lady in half.
We have provided you with a
compact cabinet and assistant.
Simply place the
assistant in the cabinet.
Make sure your audience
can see your assistant
goes all the way
through the cabinet.
Now insert the blade.
Watch out. That's sharp. Ouch.
You can now move
one end of your assistant
to the other end of the cabinet.
Even in this wacky state
your assistant continues
to be able to move freely,
even wiggle her toes.
Of course, your assistant
emerges from the cabinet
completely intact and unharmed.
Everything can be
completely examined.
Your audience will never
discover the real secret
that hidden in the cabinet
the whole time was
another assistant.
No way, Jose.
Congratulations, miracle maker.
You have completed lesson one.
Lesson two, the crystal
casket of mystery.
We have provided you with
a crystal clear sealable casket
containing your
magician and assistant.
The magician and
assistant enter the stage
as the crystal casket
descends from above.
They engage in a
seductive dance, smokin'.
Then the assistant
leaves the stage,
and the magician
enters the casket.
We can clearly see
the magician inside
before the casket
is sealed shut.
The casket revolves, and
then in a blink of an eye
the magic happens. Wow.
The magician and assistant
have impossibly switched places.
As the assistant
leaves the casket,
the magician emerges from
the audience to take his bow.
Now get ready for the secret.
Ready to learn how
the magic is done?
While appears that the
magician has stepped
inside the casket
you can't always believe
everything you see.
He's not actually in there.
The real secret is, the
magician doesn't exist.
Nothing does. Nothing
is real. Nothing is real.
Nothing is real.
Nothing is real.
So now you know how
it works. Nothing is real.
- Roddy McGhie.
Well, hello. Oh, thank
you for dressing up.
- Well, it's not every
day you perform
for Penn and Teller, right?
- It's important to let
everyone know that
after the funny introduction
there were absolutely no
camera chicks involved, right?
- Yeah. That's right.
- So you call it
device-driven magic.
What is that?
- Well, gadgets and
gizmos, I suppose.
That's the kind of thing I like.
- And do you invent them?
- Yes. Yes, I do. Yeah.
- Wow.
I hear Scottish
audiences are pretty tough.
Did that prepare you for being
in front of Penn and Teller?
- Yeah, kind of. Well, you know,
Scottish audiences have
this reputation for being tough,
but I think you just
have to win them over,
and then they kind
of love you forever.
So that's really
what it's about.
You've just gotta prove yourself
a little bit, you know.
- Okay, Roddy, let's see
if your Scottish magic
fooled Penn and Teller.
- Hey, Roddy, you've done
a wicked big miracle here,
an incredible miracle, because
we are really, really
hard-ass about magic.
Get to the magic.
And you did that whole
first hunk just being funny,
really funny, really good.
You were very meticulous
in making sure that
the magic was all done
not using any camera
stuff, not using any cuts.
And it's really, really
good and really smart.
And you do this thing
that Teller and I love doing.
You know, a lot of magicians
want to bring out props
that they've worked on,
want to make 'em look
really special and fancy
and things like you've
never seen before.
And you're using props that
look like things we all know
and would never question
and are really simple.
And boy, they're not.
You did miracles
with those props
that looked like you could
just pick 'em up in any kitchen.
And it's so smart.
I don't want to
give away any of it,
because I'm sure you'll be
doing those in Scottish bars
forever and fooling
the hell out of people.
And we absolutely love you.
We want you on the show as
much as you want to come on.
And we don't
think you fooled us.
And I hope I don't have
to say anymore, 'cause I...
I really don't want to tip
any of the stuff you did.
- Okay, Roddy, do you
take 'em at their word?
You didn't fool them?
- Well, I have take
him at his word,
but I'm sure... I
hope they enjoyed it.
- Oh, definitely.
- Very much, very
much. You're wonderful.
- Thank you so
much, Roddy McGhie.
- Thank you.
- We can't let you go
without seeing a performance
from two all-time greats.
Penn and Teller perform
right after this quick break.
Don't go anywhere.
- Welcome back.
You'd think with all the
accomplishments of Penn
and Teller's storied career
they wouldn't have anything
left on their bucket list.
But that's not true.
Here trying to put
one more notch
in their decades-long
belt are Penn and Teller.
- You know, about 2 million
people watch this show
every week, on a
really good week
maybe 3 million,
and that's a lot.
And then they come to
Vegas; they see our show.
It's wonderful. We've
heard that sporting events
have many more
people than that watching.
Now, Teller and I,
we don't play sports.
We have no chance
getting in a game.
We found out that during the
intermission of these games
when the players are back
changing their costumes
they have entertainers
come out on the field
or on the ice or whatever.
And we want to be part of
that, because so many people
see that, like, 100
million worldwide.
And these games are
so big and so popular
and so powerful you
can't even say their names,
which is why we have this,
because people, you know,
they eat chips
during these games.
They have big bowls
of chips, giant bowls,
supersize bowls
of chips, so in 2024
we hope when you're watching
the game with your super bowl
we'll be on it 2024
doing our trick.
We're working on this.
It's the field. It's the ice.
It's intermission. Penn
and Teller come out.
The players are getting
ready; was very excited.
There's all these commercials.
And then it's entertainer time.
And in 2024 those entertainers
are gonna be Penn and Teller.
We've got a trick
we've been working on,
but we haven't got it
completely perfect yet,
but we're gonna get it
perfect. We keep working on it.
We're gonna keep
working on it till it's perfect,
but we'll give you the idea.
First of all, I
get on the field.
"Hey, good evening.
My name's Penn Jillette,
"good afternoon;
I don't really play.
I'm Penn Jillette with
my partner Teller."
And then with the
blimp going around
and the drones
Teller starts rising.
See, he's rising in the
air. He's rising like a freak.
And he'll go up, like,
like, 20 feet, 30 feet.
We haven't gotten that
yet, but he'll go way up.
And then he, like, has his flag,
and he spins it around him,
shows there's no wires
behind him or over him.
But we don't say that.
But everybody knows it.
And there's, like, 500
cheerleaders that are doing
all of the same stuff
with him at the same time.
'Cause choreographed
movement is really big in this game.
And it's, like, huge. And
everybody's going crazy.
Whoa, Penn and Teller.
I came for the sports,
but I'm staying for the magic,
and he's down here like this,
and there's, like, the
Rolling Stones and Beyoncé.
Let's see how high he is. Okay.
He's not that high, but
he's gonna get higher.
You want to measure to the top.
He's already, like, 10 feet
up, and people are going crazy.
They're going,
"Look how high he is."
And there's cameras all around,
thousands of people,
like, millions of people
all over the world
are watching him.
And he just keep getting higher.
He's still going up.
He's, like, higher
and higher and higher.
He just keeps...
We've never
gotten him this high.
This is great. He's, like...
He's, like, 40 feet up already.
He's way, way up. He's way up.
And he's... he's leaving
He's on the other side.
I can't even see him.
He's in the ceiling. Oh.
He came down really fast.
So that would be Penn and Teller
at the big game, could
be the intermission,
and the people all coming to
Vegas, and they would see us.
If you know anybody
in sports get us in.
- Okay.
- We'll be good.
- I'll try.
- Way up.
- For Penn and Teller
and all of us here
at "Fool Us," good
night from Las Vegas.
- He was way up there.
Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.