Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011–…): Season 8, Episode 4 - Monkeys, Donuts and X-Men - full transcript

From
the Penn & Teller Theater

at the Rio Hotel Las Vegas,

here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan!

Welcome
to a brand-new episode

of "Fool Us."

I can't wait for tonight's
acts to get their shot

at fooling Penn and Teller.

And since I'm the host of
the show, I'm not waiting.

Let's get this party
started and bring out

our main men in
magic, Penn and Teller.

The prize is the
"Fool Us" trophy



and a spot performing in Penn

and Teller's
amazing magic show.

The winner could be our
first magician right here.

In the village
where I am from,

girls were not given the
same opportunities as boys.

They were not even
allowed an education.

Even when I became a performer,

I felt like I had
to prove myself

because, in Indian society,
magic is really male dominated.

I did bigger and bigger effects

to make my name

until I did the
biggest escape of all.

It was a flame escape
with a crane that dangled me

in a box 100 feet in the air



and then dropped me into a fire

so big, it could
be seen for miles.

I know this was crazy,

but no one has
ever done it again

in quite the same way.

These days, I put more
of myself into magic

by including my other
loves... music and dance.

I'm known enough now that
when we go back to the village,

they tell us how
proud they are of me.

I want other girls to
see me on "Fool Us"

and know they can be
what they want to be.

I chose my own destiny.

Joining us from India,
give it up for Anchal.

Penn, Teller, Alyson,

and my audience from all over
the world, namaste from India.

Firstly, I would like to say
thank you for having me here.

It is indeed an honor
and pleasure for me

to perform on this stage.

Well, today I'm going
to show you something

that you have
probably seen before.

However, I'm going
to present it to you

with some of my twist.

So we have Hammond with us.

Would you please come
and join me on stage?

Thank you. So Hammond,
would you please

verify to our audience
that we have not set this up?

- We have not set this up.
- All right.

So I have a few
lipsticks with me.

A lot of different
colors like pink, red,

purple, maroon.
Please pick one.

- That's a pink color.
- That's a good choice.

Now, I would like you

to make a mark on Riya's cheek.

All right. Now I have

a few markers with me,

all different colors.
Please pick any two.

All right. Red and black.

That's a good choice.

Now, I would like
you to put your initials

on any one of her palms.

That's nice. Now,
use another marker

and put your credit card
number on her other palm.

Is that a monkey?

Credit card number?

I'm just joking.

You can make any
design or any shape.

Whatever you want.

Perfect. Can I have this?

Thank you so much.

So now please take your seats

and enjoy the act.

And so now we have Riya

with two unique
marks on her palms

and one on her cheek.

All right, folks.
Let's do this.

So Penn, Teller, please
keep your eyes on the marks.

So Hammond, could you
please come back to the stage?

Are these the
marks made by you?

Verify them.

Right. - Right.

Wait a minute. This is, too?

Right.

- This is Riya face, right?
- Right.

Hey, be careful.

Anchal!

Hi. Namaste.

That was so good
and so beautiful.

And there were
monkeys in there.

There were, as our audience.

So how long have
you been in magic?

- So it's almost 23 years.
- Wow.

I have done more
than 12,500 stage shows.

That sounds like it
could be a world record.

Yeah, it could
be. It could be.

Is your family in magic also?

My parents are
engineer by profession.

They both are engineers,

but magic was
my father's hobby.

So to build my career,
my parents left their job.

My parents, my brother... they
all support me in the shows.

Aww. Okay, Anchal.

Let's find out if your magic

was powerful enough
to fool Penn and Teller.

Hey, Anchal. Boy,
what a great act.

What a great act.

And you did perhaps the
biggest miracle possible.

You had a monkey
run across the screen,

and we still watched
the magic trick.

We were able
to keep it together

even when there was a monkey

'cause we have never had a
monkey run across our stage.

And you just kept
going. It's just so great.

And what this is called
is a stretcher illusion,

but you did... - Yes.

A version with provers in it.

The signing the
hands and the face,

putting those provers in
make it a much better trick,

but also, I believe
the stretcher illusion

is what we would consider

kind of a... kind
of a Vegas illusion,

and you make it totally
Indian. It's just so beautiful.

And it's so wonderful to
have somebody from India on,

so far away. And
also, I don't think

there are many women
Indian magicians.

Are there?

No, they are not so many.

There are very few
as compared to boys.

We're very honored that
you came on our show,

and so nice to see you.

But it is a stretcher illusion

that we are familiar with,

but we love all the
stuff you did to it,

the way you made it so
complicated, and a monkey.

Anchal, do they know
how you did your trick?

Of course. They are legends.

But to be on the
show in front of them,

it's the greatest honor for me.

Thank you so
much for having me.

Thank you. - Thank you.

So wonderful to have you on.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much, Anchal.

Penn and Teller will
take on more magicians

and then perform
a trick of their own.

Lots more "Fool Us" coming up.

We're back, and
Penn and Teller

are ready to take
another swing at trick.

Let's see who's
bringing the heat.

I always liked magic,
but I never really got into it

until I was, like, about
40. And I'm recently retired.

I've dropped out
of the real world.

That's what I tell people.

The only thing that
matters to me is magic.

I love performing.

I just love to see people's
faces when I blow their minds.

I'm probably having
as much fun as they are.

When I go out to perform, I
might have 40 tricks on me,

cards and wallets,
and all kinds of things.

I get a lot of repeat
people, and they're like,

"You got something
new this week?"

And I'm like, "I always
have something new."

This past year, I've been
doing a ton of magic online.

A new trick every day turned
into my 100-day magic project.

I've done 151 tricks.
The trick I'm doing tonight

involves having
some skin in the game.

Not necessarily my
skin, but somebody's skin.

We'll see what happens.

Here to perform something
extraordinary is Mark Doetsch.

There's something
special about the letter X.

Generation X, X marks
the spot, "X-Files," "X-Men."

There's no more powerful
symbol than X, and I can prove it.

Alyson, can you give me a hand?

Sure.

I mean, literally,
give me a hand.

Oh. - Prepare to experience

the power of the X.

- Okay.
- Feel the power.

The experiment begins.

And what's a magical
science experiment

without a little fire?

If I place my hand
over the flame,

ouch, it hurts.

But if I add to my palm
two deceptively simple lines,

one over the other...

X.

It increases my magical
powers exponentially.

I can't explain this.

And now, I feel no pain.

I feel like I
should stop you.

Alyson, it's your turn.

- Oh.
- Are you ready?

Not really.

Don't worry.
I'll give you the power.

All we have to do is
bump fists three times.

One, two, three. Don't move.

Did you feel anything?

If we take a look,

the X has left my hand

and traveled into yours.

Whoa!

- Wow.
- Alyson...

- Yes.
- You now have the X-factor.

Let's test your new
superpowers by putting your hand

into the fire. Sound good?

No, I was taught
not play with fire.

Bring your... bring the
X down over the flame

all the way down

as close as you can go.

All the way down.

Wow.

Now, Alyson, under
normal circumstances,

I wouldn't be able
to hold your hand

over a flame like this.

I mean, I hope not.

But you are now X woman.

Hey! Thank you.

All right.

But let's prove
this another way.

- Okay.
- Let's try your unmarked hand.

Oh. - The one without the X.

- Are you trying to burn me?
- Well, let's see how close

you can get to the
fire with that one.

Okay.

Bring it down as
close as you can go.

Yeah, it's hot. - That's hot.

Just as I expected.

But if you have any doubts,
Alyson, try the X hand again.

Bring that down over the
flame all the way down.

It's scary. - You can do it.

- Okay.
- You have the X power, Alyson.

- Yeah. All right.
- That's crazy.

- Yeah. Wow.
- Isn't that something?

- Amazing.
- I know. Alyson...

Weird.

You may be thinking
the X isn't so special.

Maybe any letter will work.
Let's try its cousin, the Y.

That's the letter for
questioners and skeptics.

- Let me have your unmarked hand.
- Oh, man.

I feel like I'm gonna
get burned, guys.

- Right.
- No quite an X,

but it's close. Let's
see what it can do.

Bring the Y down
over the flame.

- It's already hot.
- It's too hot?

Yeah. - You can't do it?

- No.
- Only the hand with the X

has the power to do this.

But if we add one line,

one little line to that Y,

it now becomes an X.

Now bring your hand down
over the flame, all the way down.

You can even touch the glass.

What?

Alyson. - Yeah.

You can leave it
there as long as you like.

I mean, I don't
really like this.

You have just
witnessed Alyson

defying expectations

with the magical
power of the X.

Mark Doetsch.

Wow. All right.

So you clearly weren't
taught, "Don't play with fire."

I guess not. I guess not.

It's very, very intriguing.

- I don't know how you did that.
- Thank you.

So if it was up to me,
you'd get the trophy.

- Oh, so I fooled you?
- Yeah.

But that's not too
hard to do, though.

- Doesn't matter, right?
- Sorry.

That's all right.

Who do you love
to perform for most?

Well, I love doing
close-up magic,

table with table,
that kind of thing.

And does magic change
the way you see the world?

Probably.

It puts a smile on my face,

and pretty much everyone
I come into contact with,

which I love.

Yeah. All right.

Shall we see if the power
of X will get you a trophy?

All right.

- Hey, Mark.
- Hey.

My compliments to
you, and they are many,

but they all come down
to one simple thing.

I like the lack of showbiz.

I like the fact that you just
came out and presented a trick.

- Thank you.
- And, you know,

people are watching
the show for that.

And a lot of times
they get a lot

of razzle-dazzle and sparkle,

and you just came out and said,

"Here's a really hard trick."

I mean, we knew
the ashes thing.

You know, we knew you
getting the X on the palm,

but that also
misdirected us a little bit.

And I really love

that no-nonsense
presentation, you know.

It's like when a guy
doesn't have a band

and just pulls out
the acoustic guitar

and says, "Here's the song."

Yeah. - "Here it is."

I just liked that style.

- Thank you.
- And now I'm done with you.

I don't wanna talk
to you anymore.

I wanna talk to Alyson.

- Yeah.
- Because you know, Alyson,

a lot of times,
they bring you up

instead of us up there,

it's because they don't want
us to see a certain angle.

So we have a guess
on this, and I'm gonna...

I'm gonna trust you
to answer me honestly.

- Yeah.
- We're looking at a flame

through a glass from
a long ways away.

Yeah.

And because I have
allergies and can't burn candles

and I like candlelight, I have
fake candles all over my house.

And I know that they've
gotten really, really good.

So we think
that's a fake flame,

and you're right on top of it.

So I wanna ask you,
Alyson, is that a real flame?

- That is a real flame.
- Absolutely real flame.

Absolutely real.

Absolutely real flame. - Yes.

And you're not doing
some sort of thing...

- No.
- Getting in cahoots with him.

Remember, our
name's on the show.

You tell us the truth.

I've never even
met him before.

- That's a real flame.
- Yeah.

But there's no sort
of mechanical mesh

that goes over the top.

I mean, when
you were doing this,

could you see something
happening that...

No. I... no.

Legitimate. I mean,
I'm easy to fool,

but legitimately they're... like,

I saw nothing. No.

So I got one more
question for you, Alyson,

that'll clinch it.

- There's got to be a limit.
- I know.

From where you're
standing right now...

- Yeah.
- Looking at us

and having experienced that,

do you think he fooled us?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Yay!

Whoa! - Holy cow.

- Thank you very much.
- Awesome.

Thank you. Thank you. Wow.

Aww.

Mark Doetsch!

- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you very much.

Thank you. - All right.

See? It's hot!

Yeah.

Yay!

There goes
tonight's first Fooler.

Will there be more?
Only one way to find out.

Come back for more "Fool Us."

Welcome back.

Penn and Teller couldn't
figure out our last act.

Let's see if they can get
back on track with this one.

Hi, I'm Michael O'Brien.

I'm proud of my Irish heritage.

I always wear this hat

as a way to connect
with my roots.

It's an O'Brien
family heirloom.

Family means everything to me.

And my daughter loves
to help me perform.

My first glimpse
of watching magic

was actually watching a
street magician perform,

and it blew me away.

Incredibly, he was happy
to share his secrets with me,

and he let me stand behind him

as he flashed all of his moves.

If it wasn't for him,

I probably wouldn't be
doing magic right now.

Tonight, I'll be
performing a trick created

by my good friend,
Matthew Garrett.

It takes a classic of
magic and puts a spin on it

that no one has
ever seen before.

Let's hope that it leaves
Penn and Teller spinning too.

Give it up for the magic

- of Michael O'Brien.
- Thank you.

Thank you so
much for having me.

As you could probably tell
from my name, from my hat,

that I am a stout Irish lad.

In fact, speaking
of stout... there it is.

This will come in handy...

for the stout.

Now for the really cool part.

- Ooh.
- Cheers.

In fact, can I
have... Penn, Teller,

can you come up and join
me here on stage, please?

Sure.

Aah, quick little swig.

Penn, if you can go ahead
and have a seat right over here...

- I will.
- Teller, if you can join me

right over here. Thank
you guys so much.

I would like to show you both
the most magical thing I know

with the most magical
object that I own.

Of course, I am talking
about my wedding ring.

- It's very nice.
- Thank you.

You can have a
look if you'd like.

Oh, sorry. It tends to
jump back onto my finger.

That's my wife's favorite
part. Keeps me out of trouble.

You know what I mean?
But do me a favor, Penn.

Would you mind to hold out
your left hand, just like this?

I'm gonna place my ring
on the tips of your fingers.

We are gonna try something
with my wedding ring

and this hoop.

Okay.

Thank you so
much. But like I said,

the ring does tend to jump
right back onto my finger.

Did I mention that's
my wife's favorite part?

But I don't wanna confuse you

because this isn't
a one-ring trick

or even a two-ring trick.

In just a second, you're
gonna see my wedding ring

jump from one hoop
right onto another one.

Now, of course, what
goes on must come off.

But do me a favor. Go
ahead and feel around there.

Does it feel like that
ring comes off at all?

- It doesn't.
- No?

And do me a favor
if you don't mind too.

Can you feel right around
there, make sure that

that doesn't come off?

Yeah, you can... use
the other hand too.

Yeah, in fact, go ahead,
please, have a... have a look.

Feel around that ring.

Of course, as you
can probably imagine,

the ring tends to jump
right back onto my finger.

Now, I know what
you're probably thinking.

You're thinking,
"Obviously, Michael is using

"some kind of gimmicked ring.

Maybe it's special
in some way."

So I'm noticing that you're
wearing quite a beautiful ring

on your finger there yourself.
Can I... can I borrow this one?

Sure. - Yeah.

In fact, I don't want... I
don't want you to think

I'm gonna do any switches
or anything like that,

so we're going to try
something rather interesting.

- Okay.
- Teller,

can you look straight
up at the ceiling for me?

You're gonna lean your
head all the way back.

Perfect.

Do not move.

Go ahead and place your ring
right on to Teller's forehead.

- On Teller's forehead?
- Yes.

Place my ring on
Teller's forehead?

Right about there
should be perfect.

We're gonna try something
now with your ring,

your forehead, and the hoop.

Do me a favor, if you can
have a seat one more time.

I'm gonna have you cup
your hands together like this.

The ring is actually going
to pop right off of the hoop

and into your hands.
Please catch it just like this.

Very nice. - Now, I know

it's always a ring linking
through another ring,

but the cool thing
is, is it can actually

be any object, just
like this bottle opener.

You see the ring can
pass straight through.

Even that long
thick part of metal

and through to both sides.

But you can get
the bottle opener

to come off as well.

Now, every time I do this,

it's always the same
kind of thing, right?

It's always a ring linking
through another ring,

or at the very least,
a ring-like object.

So I thought I would
show you something

that I'm sure you
have never seen before.

Would you mind to go ahead
and open up the contents

of that bag, please?

Heavy, yes?

This is a solid
steel ball bearing,

much like the ones
that you might see,

my grandfather produced
in the mills of Belfast.

I'm gonna take this ring

and pass it straight through
this Belfast ball bearing.

Creates quite the
convincing illusion.

In fact, I will show
you all around the ball,

and it melts, straight on. I
know what you're thinking,

Penn, and yes, you
can have a closer look.

Go ahead and grab
that for me. Feel around.

Make sure that that actually

has melted straight
through the ring.

Yes it has. - Is on there.

Yep. - Nice and solid?

Ladies and gentlemen,
the Irish linking rings.

Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.

Michael O'Brien.

Hi.

- Hi, thank you.
- So good to see you.

Very, like, brave to do it

right with them up
there in your grill.

I'm not gonna lie.

Putting that ring
on his forehead,

it's got my heart... - I mean,

I don't think you can
get any closer than that.

One of my favorite
things about magic

is literally putting the
magic in their hands.

I don't think many
magicians can say

they literally put the
magic on their foreheads.

Yeah. That is the first.

Well, hopefully the method
went over his forehead too,

but we'll see. We'll see.

Do you perform
in a lot of bars?

Actually, yes,

I do a lot of, like,
restaurant style magic.

I'll do magic
performing behind a bar.

You must be really
good to keep the attention

of a drunk, rowdy bar.

I feel like my magic is
very warm and inviting.

And it's not so much
about "Look at what

the cool magician can do."
It's more about the experience

of "We're gonna
do this together."

We're gonna have this fun,
magical moment amongst us.

Do you have any funny
stories from your magic life?

I do.

So I was performing,
actually, the linking rings,

believe it or
not, of all things.

And I... I blew this woman's
mind so much to the point

that she actually
reached into her purse,

took out a vial of holy
water, splashed it on me,

grabbed her kids,
and ran up out of there.

Oh, no. - Sometimes people

suspend their disbelief
a little too much.

- Yeah, looks like.
- Okay, Michael, let's see

if your magic methods
went over their heads

and you earned
yourself a trophy.

Hello, Michael. - Hello.

Really nice, really nice.

You know, the big
problem, of course,

with the linking rings
is, it's a arbitrary prop

that has nothing
to do with anything.

It's just... it's very hard
to do a good routine

with the linking rings,

and it takes an Irish
guy to work out a way

to do the Chinese linking
rings in a really new way

'cause you bring
it into the world.

Starting out with
your wedding ring

is a really, really nice
idea. The stuff with my ring,

Teller's forehead,
really, really beautiful.

Lot of this is, if
someone's studying magic,

there's a lot to learn here.

You do multiple methods
for the... for the same effect,

which is one of the
most powerful things

in all of magic. And I
wanna compliment you

on... you know,
a lot of magicians

like to keep us at a distance,
but you have the balls,

the big Irish balls,

to bring us right up
there on top of you.

And it's a really
wonderful routine.

Very, very good use.

You know, you would
think after 1,000 years,

we would have seen everything

that could be done
with the linking rings,

but you came up
with some new stuff.

That's really amazing.

But I think I've said
a few things in there

that let you know that we
have the key to the ring thing.

And thank you very much,

but I don't think
you fooled us.

So did that ring
a bell, Michael?

Does he know how
you did your trick?

I think maybe I might've
hit him a little too hard

and jump-started that
being in his forehead

that just let him
in on the method.

I don't think I fooled
you guys today.

All right. Well,
thank you so much.

Michael O'Brien. - Thank you.

We'll be right back in
the flick of a magic wand.

Stay tuned.

Welcome back to "Fool Us,"

home of TV's best
magic, like this next act.

Last time I came
on "Fool Us,"

I was very prepared.

Your ring is tied
to my shoelace.

I put a twist on my tricks

so Penn and Teller
guessed wrong.

We think that ring went
through your clothing.

And then I did another trick

to prove to them
they'd be fooled.

Maybe I'm wearing some
kind of gimmick under my pants.

- Yeah.
- Could you please check it?

Everything. They
loved it, fortunately.

Yeah.

Now I have to fool them
again. It's a problem.

So this time, I'm
doing something

they won't think I thought of.

It's...

A card trick!

I know, I know, big
deal. But in Spain,

we have the greatest
card magicians in the world.

I can't help it. I'm
bored by cards.

And this is exactly
why Penn and Teller

won't expect some very
strange card magic from me.

When it comes
to Penn and Teller,

I think I know what
they think they know,

and that means I know

what they don't know, you know?

And hopefully, that's
good enough for me.

Back on the show,
this time live from Spain,

give it up for
Adrian Carratala.

Hi, friends.

What a pleasure
to be here again.

Well, the last time I was
there, you accused me

of hiding gimmicks
under my clothes,

and I was forced to get
naked on the national TV.

It's okay. No hard feelings.

But this time, in
order to be prudent,

I'm not wearing
a jacket, sleeves...

Or pants.

These are the
advantages of video calls.

Guys, I know that
you love card magic.

I do.

Especially
Spanish card magic.

Yeah, I know.

But I don't have any decks,

and I can't be there with you.

So Alyson, please imagine

that you are holding
a blue deck of cards.

- Okay.
- These cards are magical.

If you throw
them up in the air,

they will remain
floating in front of you.

Go ahead, try it.

Okay.

Totally worked. Wow.

It's amazing.

Okay. Don't worry, guys.

This is not the trick yet.

Alyson, as you can see now,

this floating deck is
completely shuffled.

So please separate out
the number cards on one side

and all the picture
cards on the other side.

Do it now with your hands.

Great job.

Then extend just
one of your hands

and take all the number cards.

Now, extend the other hand

and take all the picture cards.

And without thinking
too much, throw in the air

just one of the piles,
just one of them.

Penn, it's your turn.

Catch them in the air.

Phew. You got it?

Yes. - Good catch. Right.

And Alyson, please tell him
what pile have you thrown

so he can follow
up your thoughts.

The picture cards.

The picture cards.

Good choice. Thank you.

Penn, now it's your turn.

Okay.

Please let all
the picture cards

float in front of you
and separate them.

All the red ones in one side,

and all the black
ones on the other side.

Do it now.

You look great from here.

And just as Alyson did it,

take all the red
ones in one hand,

all the black
ones in the other.

Get rid of one of
them and toss to Teller

the pile you want
to continue playing.

Not equivoque,
it's a free choice.

Great. And tell
him what pile it is

so we can follow
up your thoughts.

You got the black cards.

The black ones, good choice.

Teller, it's your time.

Alyson and Penn have
decided to leave you

the black pictures.

You have to make
one last decision,

the most important one.

Let them float,
floating in front of you.

They are all the kings,
queens, and jacks

of clubs and spades.

Try to visualize them.

Choose the one you
like, take it, fold it into four.

And this time, at
the count of three,

I want you to throw it at me.

Not yet, at the count of three.

One, two, three.

Wow.

What's this?

Your thought has just travelled
from the USA into Spain

and has become real,

but know the impossibility
of this moment.

This card has never been named.

It's just in your mind, Teller.

So for the first time,

what card have
you thrown at me?

The queen of clubs.

The queen of?

Clubs. - Let me check.

Just like this queen of clubs?

Whoa!

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

When you're performing,
it feels like laughter

is always about to
bubble out of you.

Is that what you're
like on stage?

Yeah. Yeah.

I tried many
times to make... to...

To play serious magic,
but it don't work for me.

Everybody is laughing
at me every time.

Yeah, well, it's hard to do
serious magic in boxer shorts.

It's more difficult. Yes.

What would it mean to
you to fool them tonight?

Well, it could be
a dream come true

because the last time...
the week I spent with them

on Las Vegas

was a highlight on my career.

All right, Adrian, you made
a card appear in your hand.

Let's see if you can
make a trophy appear too.

- I hope.
- Hey, Adrian.

There are... there are
so many different ways

I could open this
discussion with you.

You know, we've
talked to you back stage,

we've worked
on tricks with you.

When I wanted to fool
Teller, you're one of the people

I went to to try to find out
a trick that would fool him.

So we could not have
more respect for your ability

as an inventor
and as a performer.

You're just... you're
just wonderful.

And this thing...

It's really what real
magic would look like.

You'd get a card in your head,

throw it to you. Then
you've got it there

and becomes... it
becomes physical.

It's just... just
a beautiful trick

and really designed to be done

this kind of way across
the ocean, electronically.

Really wonderful. And
what we love about you

is how really, really
careful you are.

Every word, every gesture
is so carefully thought out,

so carefully choreographed.

You're watching every
move, doing every move,

every word you say
exactly perfectly chosen.

And it's a joy to watch you.

We love having
you on this show.

You fooled us last time.

We don't think you
fooled us this time.

I think I snuck
a few things in.

I tried to be pretty subtle,

'cause I don't want
to give it away on you,

but don't think you fooled us,
but boy, we love you, Adrian.

Adrian, did they
sneak in enough words

to let you know that they
know how you did your trick?

Of course, this was
for her... for the pleasure.

And you were
completely successful.

- Thank you.
- Well, thank you,

- Adrian Carratala.
- You're welcome.

Thank you.

When "Fool Us" returns,
we hand the stage over

to our headliners.

See Penn and Teller
perform right after this.

Stay close.

Penn and Teller love

to ruffle the feathers
of the magic community

by revealing how
tricks are done.

Here to show the method
behind their magic,

it's Penn and Teller.

When we first got
the idea for this show,

we thought we will
close every show

with a Penn and Teller trick.

That would be a great idea,
and we had a lot of materials.

We did live shows, so we
pulled stuff out of the live show,

just did it at the
end of the TV show.

We thought that would be great.

But we never thought it would
run more than two seasons.

So now we've done nine
seasons, over 100 of these closers,

and we are plumb
out of material.

We are tap city.

So now we have to
come up with stuff.

We can't just think
of what we'd like to do.

We just need to come
up with stuff like crazy.

So one technique we
use is to go to old tricks,

not other people's,
but public domain,

and try to do a Penn
and Teller version of those.

So here's the trick.
We're gonna show you

exactly how it's done.

But first, we'll show
you what the trick is.

It is the doughnut
on the ribbon trick.

So go to your friend,
and you have them thread

a doughnut onto a ribbon
and tell them to hold

both ends of the
ribbons and never let go.

Then you explain that
doughnuts have integrity,

not just morally and
ethically, but also structurally.

So if you rip a doughnut
apart to get it off the ribbon,

you could not put
it back together.

Then you show them a miracle.

You put a napkin
over the doughnut,

reach under, say magic
words, if you want,

and then show them the
doughnut with complete integrity.

Let them examine
it. It's a little sticky.

Let them examine
it all they want

because that is
a perfect doughnut

that came off the ribbon.

That is a miracle.

Now, you can do that... you
can do that trick at home

'cause we're going
to show you the secret.

Now, here's the secret.

You take the doughnut and
you have your friend thread it on.

And then while you're
talking about them holding it

and the integrity
of the doughnut,

you sneak in another
doughnut, a duplicate.

You hook it over
your little finger,

and we'll show you what
you do without the napkin.

With a napkin covering
it, you reach out

and you really do rip
the doughnut apart.

You show your
friend the duplicate,

and meanwhile, you just
eat the evidence, just like that.

So here's the trick you can do,

but that's not a
Penn and Teller trick.

That's not big enough for TV.

We have to make it bigger
and more Penn and Teller.

So this shape is a torus.

The shape here,
like a doughnut.

So we thought, what else
has... there you go, Georgie.

It's a little sticky.
Be careful.

What else has that shape?

And the answer
came back: a tire.

And a tire also
has the integrity

because if you break the tire,
you can't put it back together.

It pops.

So here's the Penn
and Teller version.

Come on out, Georgie.

Here's the Penn
and Teller version.

It's not a doughnut
on a ribbon.

It is a tire on a rope.

So you've got a solid
rope, just like the ribbon.

And then Teller comes out
with the exact same napkin.

Okay. Now, you
at watching home,

forget all about
the doughnut trick.

This is now the Penn and
Teller tire on the rope trick.

Same exact method,
same exact way of doing it.

Forget about the
doughnut trick.

This is the Penn
and Teller tire on...

Tire
on the rope trick.

See, both ends of the
rope are being held,

and the tire is completely
and utterly intact.

So forget about
the doughnut trick.

This is a brand... this
is a brand-new trick,

the Penn and Teller
tire on the rope trick.

Oh, no. Don't eat that.

It's good. It's good eating.

Okay, well, Teller is
full and Penn looks tired.

Seems like a great time to
say good night from Las Vegas,

and we'll see you next time
for a new episode of "Fool Us."

Aww.

Aww, thank you.