03x03 - Have A Blast

[bunniefuu]

[jazz music]

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

- From the Penn & Teller
Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada,

here's our host,
Alyson Hannigan.

♪ ♪

- Thank you.

[cheers and applause]

Welcome to “Penn & Teller:
Fool Us,”

where magicians get
the once-in-a-lifetime chance

to pull one over on the masters
of magic, Penn and Teller.

If they can do it,
they'll win a slot performing

as part
of their world-famous show

here in Las Vegas.

But it's not gonna be easy.

These guys not only know
almost every trick

in the book, they've written
a few of the books themselves.

So please welcome
Penn and Teller.

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

Oh! Oh!

Okay, before Penn and Teller
get comfy,

we're gonna spring
our first magician on them.

Take a look.

- Hello, I'm Rob Ramirez,

and I'm a really good
close-up magician.

I am 100% Mexican, proud.

[upbeat music]

I hope all the Mexican people
now see me on camera and go,

“I want to do that too.”

I'd say my two passions
are musical theater and magic.

[percussive music]

There are beats in magic
that you really have to find,

and know, and understand,
and follow the rhythm.

It's the same thing with tap,
with jazz, with ballet.

It's not just about the moves,

but it's really
the musicality of it.

I think everyone belongs
in the magic community

because it really isn't about
what you look like,

it's about what you're bringing
to the table.

[cheers and applause]

- Please welcome Robert Ramirez.

- Hello, hello.

Oh, man.

I can't believe
I'm finally here.

So close to you guys.

Today, we're gonna play
the ultimate

in high-level,
intellectual mind games...

Tic-tac-toe.

A game where you really need
to know your opponents.

And trust me,
nobody knows Penn and Teller

like I do.

First, I have written down
the outcome of the game

on this piece of paper.

Now, I'm not a mind reader,
but like I said,

nobody knows Penn and Teller
like I do.

Coin toss.

I need you
to check this quarter,

make sure it's normal.

- I sure--I sure will.

- Is it a normal quarter?

- Yeah, yeah.
- Great.

What you're gonna do in a second
is you're gonna flip that coin.

If you win the coin toss,
you get to decide who plays me

in the ultimate game
of tic-tac-toe, you or Teller.

- Wonderful.
- If you lose the coin toss,

Teller decides your fate.
- Okay.

- So, before you flip the coin,
do you want heads or tails?

- I would like heads.
- Heads.

I knew you'd pick heads.

- I knew you did.
- Yeah, 'cause the other day,

when you were getting
your decaffed ice Americano,

the cashier
was handing you the change.

Quarter fell out of her hand

and landed on the counter
facing heads.

So, flip the coin,
heads or tails.

He called heads, it is...
- It's heads.

- Heads, you win.
Which means you decide.

Do you want to play
or do you want Teller to play?

- Oh, I want Teller to play.

- Round of applause for Teller
as he comes on up here.

[cheers and applause]

Now, Teller, we get
to play for the stakes,

and you get to choose
what we're playing for.

It's either cor , hard cash...

[audience oohs and ahhs]

Or this cute, adorable puppy.

[light applause]

Now, this is Brownie.
I got him from the pound.

I saved him
from being euthanized.

Temporarily.

- [laughs]

- You see, Teller...

if you don't choose
the puppy, well...

- Go for the cash!

- So, Teller, would you
like cold, hard cash...

- Go for the cash!

- Or...

Or the life of this cute,
adorable puppy?

Which is it?

- [sighs]

- The puppy?

[cheers and applause]

- Boo!

You suck!

- Now, Teller,
I knew you'd pick the puppy.

Because on Monday, April 4th,
you were in Los Angeles,

and you were walking
to the Magic Castle.

And you passed by
three puppies.

And you pet all of them.

So I knew you would pick him.

Alyson, will you please
come help me?

Will you hold Brownie
while we play the game?

- Yes!
Oh...

- Now, Teller, the only way
to save that puppy

is you have to win.

You can't tie.
You can't lose.

So...
[grunts]

One final question.

Would you like to play
with the red marker

or the blue marker?

The red?
I knew you would choose red.

Because when you pull out
of your driveway

in your Tesla,
you always turn right.

Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait.

Pushes--you always turn right.

There you go.

- [laughs]

- Ladies and gentlemen,

the ultimate game
of tic-tac-toe.

- Really?
Oh.

- No, you can't put X if I'm X.

You have to be Os.

Teller, have you ever played
tic-tac-toe before?

Or was it a rough childhood?
Okay, okay, okay.

- Muah.
[smooches]

This is the most fascinating
game to watch on TV, isn't it?

Tic-tac-toe, but at least
I get to hold a puppy.

Oh.
Oh.

Oh, that's so sweet.

This is why tic-tac-toe
has never been

a nighttime show.

- It's a tie!

I knew it!
- Huh.

- Too bad you didn't save
the puppy.

- Oh, no.

Don't listen.
Don't listen.

- Should've gone for the cash!

[laughter and applause]

- Now I knew exactly how
this game

was gonna play out, Teller,

because I have written down
a prediction.

It says, “The game is a tie.”

[light cheers and applause]

That's all right.
That's all right.

You see, I actually knew
in great detail

how this game would play out
because I wrote,

“Penn wins coin toss,
Teller plays.

“He picks red,

and too bad you didn't save
the puppy.”

But, not only--will you
please hold this, Teller?

Not only did I know
every single decision

that would be made, exactly
how the game would play out,

and where you were last week...

- Oh, dear.

- But when I woke up today...

- Don't look, puppy.

- I drew on my boxers...

the game, exactly as it's
played out, move for move.

The ultimate game
of tic-tac-toe!

Thank you so much, Teller.
Thank you.

- Wow.

Robert Ramirez,
ladies and gentleman!

Ohh!

Oh, and I got myself
a new puppy.

- Well, I mean, you can get him

from the pound if you want.
He's gonna be there.

- Well, I'm certainly
not giving him back to you

if you're gonna threaten
his little life.

- I won't. He's too adorable.
- Well, all right, buddy.

Wait, don't eat the microphone.
Okay, I'll give him to you.

- I don't think he can eat that.
I don't think he should--

- All right. All right.
He's very cute.

I think he might have
just farted.

But...

- I think, yeah, he did.

Yeah. You farted.
You farted.

- Oh, that's another trick

you have up your sleeve, huh?
Blame it on the puppy.

- My leg sleeve.
- Right.

All right, well,
before he gnaws your arm off,

let's go to Penn and Teller.

- Okay, great.
- Oh, boy!

You know, that's a good routine.
- Thank you.

- And I may be the only one

in the room that's not
a big fan of puppies.

I would've gone
for the money in a second.

- All right, we're all gonna
pretend we didn't hear that.

- Okay, go ahead.

Pretend you didn't hear it.

You know, sometimes
we are able

to figure these things out
because we are lucky.

Sometimes we're able
to figure them out

because we know stuff.

Sometimes we're able
to figure them out

because we are so stupid.

Teller is so stupid

that when you have him
play tic-tac-toe

and you put an X in place
and hand him the marker,

he also puts in an X...

because he's an idiot!

Now if that mistake had been
on your shorts,

you would've k*lled us
absolutely dead.

If you had the X
that then has the O around it,

it would've k*lled us dead.

One of the wonderful principles
of magic

is that once the trick is done,

you think that's the only way
it could've gone.

And what I love about
what you've done

is you've taken something
where we have many fewer choices

than we think and made
it look like the choices

are almost infinite.

And I love that a lot.

And if we're wrong about that,

you can tell us to just
sit on it and rotate.

[laughter]

- You are right.
- Okay.

So you're confident the boys
know how you did your trick.

- They know
how the game was played,

and they did it well.

- Okay, so you--
- And you're absolutely right

on what coffee I drink.

It's decaffeinated Americano.

Please, America, remember that.

You don't want
to see me jacked up.

- Okay.
So you didn't fool them.

You might have
stalked them a little.

But you're adorable.

So is your puppy.
We love you.

Thank you, Robert Ramirez.

- Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.

- [laughs]

[cheers and applause]

- We're taking
a commercial break

so I can make Penn and Teller
actually explain to me

what they were just
talking about.

See you in a minute.

[jazz music]

♪ ♪

[jazz music]

[cheers and applause]

- Welcome back.

Now let's see
if our next potential fooler

can make foolees
out of Penn and Teller.

[dramatic music]

- My name is Dominik.

The magic that I do is set
in a fantasy world.

It's very visual.

People say it's like
real magic.

They call it wizardry.

I like that.

My father worked
for Jim Henson,

and I was very inspired
by that.

He created fantasy worlds.

The puppeteers are magicians.

They create life out
of inanimate fabric and foam.

Everything I perform
is my own creation,

hand-built from scratch.

There is a tremendous
satisfaction

that comes from imagining
an illusion or a routine

and bringing it to life.

The illusion that I'm gonna do
for Penn and Teller

is brand-new.

Nobody has ever seen anything
like this.

If something goes wrong
with it,

there is nothing I can do.

My hands are literally tied.

[cheers and applause]

- Our next performer
once described himself

as a boy who didn't grow up.

Which means, like me, he still
sleeps in footie pajamas.

Please welcome Dominik.

[cheers and applause]

- Hello, I'm Dominik.

I'm here with Nova and Andrew.

And we're gonna present
something spectacular.

An escape that Houdini
didn't attempt.

Because he's dead.



an old butcher's block.

Imagine the horrors.

All you vegans
and vegetarians,

avert your eyes.

This apple...

is halved.

Anything that gets put there

will meet
with the same consequences.

In a minute, that's where
my hands will go.

I'm gonna be handcuffed
and shackled

to that butcher's block.

That rope, well, we're gonna
set that rope on fire,

and I will be using a hairpin
to pick the locks

and make my escape before
that rope burns through,

and you saw what happened
to that apple.

Imagine what would happen
to these hands.

Now, one thing
that's very important is,

I need to keep track of time.

And I'm noticing you have
a pink band there.

- I do, but no second hand.

- Oh, no second hand.

- Yeah, so you may be
in big trouble.

- Well, you know what?

I'm a professional.
I know what I'm doing.

May I borrow it?

- Sure.
- That'd be great.

- I've got to tell you,
this watch is important to me,

and if you do anything to it...
- Very sentimental?

- You'll be in
a lot more trouble

than that thing dropping, okay?

Now your major problem is me.

- Well, I'm putting my hands
at risk

for your entertainment.

- Good thinking.

- So now you've got some skin
in the game.

- I do.
- Thanks.

Handcuffs.
Houdini could escape--not those.

Matches the watch.

Houdini could escape out
of any handcuffs.

He was the king of handcuffs.

I am not quite the king yet.

These shackles will keep
my arms in place.

This padlock will make
it impossible to get out.

This hairpin
is all I will have...

to pick these locks
in less than two minutes.

Now, Penn, I'm gonna ask you
to help us start the time.

I want you to yell, “Fire,”
and she will light the rope.

And that's when I'll start
counting time.

- So I'm gonna yell, “Fire,”
in a crowded theater?

- If you could,
that'd be fantastic.

- Okay.

[audience oohs and ahhs]

[cheers and applause]

- So we're ready.

- Fire!

- Okay.

Got to get in here.

Sometimes this goes real quick.

Other times not so much.

[grunts]
Got that one.

Okay, ah,
this one's behind there.

It's a little difficult.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Yeah, it would be good
to have seconds.

[chuckles]

This is the first time

we're actually
doing this on television.

♪ ♪

Ah, got it.

Okay.

♪ ♪

Um...sh**t.

Um...

♪ ♪

The pick.

The pick.
I can't find the pick.

No, no.
I don't know where it's at.

Put out the fire.
Put out the fire.

Put out the fire.

♪ ♪

I'm so sorry,
I don't know what happened.

I really don't.

[audience screams]

♪ ♪

- God, what--what do I do--
what?

What do I do with them?
- Put the hands on ice!

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

- Thank you, sir.
- Not a scratch.

- Ladies and gentlemen, Dominik.

[cheers and applause]

Is that, is that sort
of like your nightmare?

- This is completely
out of my comfort zone.

I'd normally do a silent act
where I don't talk,

and it's a very poignant, and--

- Oh, that's nice.

[laughter]

- It's like a silent,
surreal movie,

very visual
and meaningful magic,

and this is a nightmare.

[laughter]

- Okay, well, it's time
to go to the boys.

- This act has everything
we love in it.

- Oh, fantastic.
- Just everything.

I am a fire eater,
I am a juggler,

so I liked your two--
your two coworkers.

I loved most about you

that you didn't do the trick
to her.

So much of magic...
- Yes, I agree.

- Is torturing women

in front of Mylar
to bad Motown music.

- Yes. Yes.

- And you did not t*rture
the women,

you tortured yourself.

And that is not only better,
more artistic,

but also sexier.

- I think so.

- And I also love the way
this prop looks.

There's about three or four
prop builders

in the United States
of America

that build everything,
and it all looks the same.

And this looks like a prop

that doesn't look
like any of theirs.

- Thank you.
- Looks like something

you built yourself.
- Thank you.

- And I also want to say,

what's really smart about this
in terms of magic,

usually dirty business,

the dirty work in magic
is done in an off moment.

And you chose to put
your dirty work

at a moment of panic...
- Yeah.

- And a moment of excitement.
- You're right.

- And that's really,
really bold.

And I think
it fooled everybody,

you know, except us.

- Well, thank you.
I appreciate that.

- All right, well,
you didn't fool them,

but you certainly
impressed them.

- Oh, oh. And most important.
- Oh!

- Most important, you did not
[bleep] up my watch.

It's here and doing fine.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Dominik, everyone.
- Thank you.

[cheers and applause]

- Stick around and see

if anyone can fool
Penn and Teller.

[jazz music]

♪ ♪

[jazz music]

[cheers and applause]

- Welcome back.

Let's see if we can finally
find a magician

who can fool Penn and Teller.

- Hi, my name is Joel Ward.

And I am a comedy magician.

[funk rock music]

I grew up in San Diego.

You know, being a Californian

is kind of an
impromptu lifestyle

when you think about it,
you know?

It's very laid-back.

[calming music]

I love yoga.

Practicing yoga is very similar
to practicing magic.

The technique is very ancient,

and it's just adapting
and changing certain postures

or techniques
to fit a modern time.

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

- Please welcome Joel Ward.

[applause]

- Hey, everybody.

My name's Joel Ward.

Let's get into the magic.

Alyson, do you mind
helping out for this?

Right, let's give her
a big round of applause.

Alyson.
Oh, this will be fun.

Can I get you over here
on this side?

- Ooh, yeah, of course.
- Joel, nice to meet you.

Alyson, I was wondering
if you had a ring

I could borrow for this.

- Sure. Just one?
- Just one ring.

This is great.

- Take me a while.
- Okay, this is great.

All right. Here.
We're gonna try a trick here.

This is gonna be a lot of fun.
Do me a favor.

With your right hand,
I want you to make a fist.

- Okay.
- Okay, hold it out.

- Yes.

- Okay, what we're gonna
try to do is we're gonna

try to make this ring
disappear from this cloth,

and it's gonna end up
inside that hand.

- Okay.
- Okay, here. Do me a favor.

I want you to pinch the ring
through the cloth.

- With this--oh, duh.
- Yeah, with your left hand.

Okay, you got it.
- Yeah, makes sense.

- Okay, here.
It's gonna happen right there.

This is gonna fool
both of you.

All right, here.
On the count of three.

One, two, three.

- Aah!

[scattered laughter]

- Tada!
- Open up your hand.

Open up your hand.
Take a look.

Uh, that would've
been good though, right?

That would've been--
- It would've been.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That was just a quarter.
Don't worry.

See, I'm palming your ring

in my right hand.
- Probably, really--

- See, it's right,
it's--uh-oh, that's--

- Oh, that's--
- Crap, that's the quarter.

- I mean, I'm sure
that's what the ring cost.

- I'm so sorry.

Alyson, I grew up
in the hood, right?

I grew up in La Jolla,
California,

which is a beach community
of San Diego.

And, you know, growing up
in the hood was hard, right?

- That's not--
- I was headed

for a life of surfing
and carne asada burritos,

and the only way out
was through sports.

And as a kid, I had
to choose something.

So I chose tennis,

and I thought we would try
a little tennis trick.

This will be a lot of fun.
Do you play tennis at all?

- Not well.
- Not well, okay.

All right, that's all right.
I'll tell you what.

Here, we have a couple
of items here.

This will be great.
Here, do me a favor.

To play a little game
of tennis, how about

a little headband there?
- Oh, sure. Do you want--yeah.

- Here,
I'll take that quarter.

I have another show tomorrow.
This will be great. Okay.

- Okay. All right.
- All right. Here we go.

Here, we'll get
a little headband going.

- Okay.
- And let's see.

Oh, yeah, looking good.

- I think
that's really attractive.

- This is great.

Hey, let's see what else.
To play a game of tennis,

we got a couple of tennis ba*ls.

Here, do me a favor, Alyson.
Just point to one.

Any one you like.
Which one should we use?

- Whew, I thought you were
gonna ask me to juggle.

That one.
- This one here?

- The round one.
- The yellow one.

Nice choice, right?
- Yeah.

- Good call, right?
- Thank you, yeah.

- Yeah? Well, in La Jolla,
tennis ba*ls are very rare.

And as a kid, I would have
to sign my name on them,

otherwise the other th*gs
would steal them.

- Right.
- So here, let's do this.

Here, I'm gonna have you
just autograph

that tennis ball
if you don't mind.

- All right.
- That'd be great.

Okay, cool. That has nothing
to do with the trick.

I just wanted your signature.

- Oops. All right, well...
- Okay, all right.

This is great. How about
a little happy face, too?

- Oh, sweet.
Okay.

- This is a very happy,
San Diego-style trick.

- Yeah. Sweet.
- Okay, cool.

All right, so here we go.
Signed tennis ball.

And let's see, what else do we
need to play a game of tennis?

We need, of course--
- A racket?

- Yeah, that's right.
A tennis net. Perfect.

- Ooh. Oh.
- Okay, here, hold on to that.

Okay, yeah, if you would,
just hold it up a little lower.

Yeah, just up a little lower.
You're doing just great.

Okay, all right.

This is fun. Okay.
- That's good.

- All right, Alyson,
what we're gonna do

is we're gonna take your
signed tennis ball, right?

We're gonna try to ricochet it
off the back of the theater.

It's gonna land right there
inside the net.

- That's a good idea.
- I got this. I got this.

- Really good.
- All right.

Can I get a little
tennis hitting music?

- Oh. Look, you've got
some audience members.

- Perfect.

[rock music plays]

♪ ♪

- All right,
up a little higher.

This is good.

♪ ♪

[applause]

All right, that was a bust.
I think I know what happened.

Sometimes tennis ba*ls deflate,
you know?

Like footballs, in the NFL.

You know how they sometimes
deflate right here?

Why don't you take that off?

- Thank you.
- Here, I'll take that back.

Here, look.
I have a brand-new tube

of tennis ba*ls in here.

Why don't we just
try this trick one more time?

Here, do me a favor.

Can I get you to examine
that can there,

and really check it out, right?

Make sure it's just
a regular can of tennis ba*ls.

- Yeah.
- And you see the top

there where it's sealed?
- Yes.

- Can I get you
to pop that open?

I always hate this part.

I always have
my tennis partner do this.

- Okay.
- And here, I'll take the lid.

Okay, this is great.

And if you would, go ahead,
smell them, right?

Smell my...

- Oh...
- Smell them.

Okay, they're brand-new.
Okay, this is good.

Here, pour them
into the net there.

Oh, look at that.
Three ba*ls in the net.

Let's see.
There's one signed ball.

Is that your signature?
- What?

Yes, it is.
- Check it out.

Let's give her
a big round of applause.

That's pretty cool.
[applause]

- That's amazing.
- What? Magic.

- What?

- All right, that's awesome.
All right, that's for you.

Thank you.
- Oh, thank you.

- Oh, we're forgetting
something.

Let's try this.

Uh...

[tennis ball rattles]

No way.
Could it be?

Maybe, probably.
That's my job, right?

There's--do you hear
that loose?

- I do hear something.
- There is something in there.

- That's--yeah.
- Yeah, that would be good.

Here, let's try this.
Here, hold on to this.

Okay, I was online
the other day,

and I picked up this.

They said it was
O.J. Simpson's, right?

This is just
a cut-resistant glove, actually.

- Okay.
- It's for cooking,

so you don't cut your hand.

Is there any hidden compartments

in there?
- No.

- Any spots
to place rings or anything?

It's just a chainmail glove?

- Yeah.
- Okay, great.

We also have this.
Now, here.

Are you left-handed
or right-handed, Alyson?

- Uh...right.

- Right-handed?
- Yeah.

- Just place
your right hand right there.

- Okay.
- Okay, yeah.

Just the fingerprints are great.

Thank you so much.
All right.

[laughter]

No, I'm kidding.
Okay, no.

No, here.
Let's go inside that ball there.

There is something inside.
Here, let's do this.

Here, we'll just slice
right inside.

Hold out your hand.
- Ah, that's my ring.

- Is that your ring?
- Yes.

- Check it out. Let's give her
a big round of applause.

[cheers and applause]
- Yes!

Wow.
- And that is for you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
Joel Ward!

Wow.
It still fits.

- All right.
- That's incredible.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

Do you do any more tricks
with your ba*ls?

- All right.

- I meant sports. Sports.
- Yeah, sports.

- That's what I meant.
- Right, yeah, sports.

- And some people say you look
like somebody I know.

- Oh, yeah. That's right.
This is like an episode

of “How I Met Your Mother,”
right?

This is Lily,
Barney, Barney, Lily.

Okay. Yeah, no,
I get that a lot, right?

- Oh, all right.

Penn, Teller,

what do you think
of our trickster?

- He absolutely wins
best costume ever on “Fool Us”"

- Yeah, definitely.

- Thank you.
Thank you so much.

- Very few,
very few other magicians

would show their legs, sir.

And you're there,
you're full La Jolla.

You know, it's always nice

when you have a big bag
onstage you can reach into.

That covers a multitude of sins.

- Sure does.

[laughter]

- What you have here
is a couple of wonderful things.

You have a
wonderful presentation--

the bill in the lemon
is essentially what that is.

- Yes.

- But a ring is better,

because a ring, you don't have
to have signed or anything.

We all know the way to vanish
a ring in a handkerchief,

and having the thing,

when we were all ready
for something else,

for that thing to just
skitter across the stage

where we could see it,

really funny, really good.

- Thank you very much.
- Works kind of the same way.

It's just smarter, and better,

and more deceptive
to everybody but us.

[laughter]

And so I think
we've covered it.

We can give you more,

but we'd like
to just praise you

and say that you didn't fool us.

- Thank you very much.
I appreciate that, right.

- Wonderful.
- Thank you guys, right.

- So you didn't fool them,
but you won best costume.

- Yes.

- So that's pretty awesome,
right?

- That'll work. Great.
- Ladies and gentlemen,

Joel Ward!
- Thank you, Penn and Teller.

All right, thank you, Alyson.
All right, thank you guys.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, Penn and Teller have
been totally unstumpable so far.

Let's see if they can keep it up
when we return.

[jazz music]

♪ ♪

[jazz music]

[cheers and applause]

- Welcome back to Las Vegas,

where the heat
is on our magicians

who are trying to fool
Penn and Teller.

Let's see who's next.

- I'm Mahdi Gilbert,
and magic is my life.

I was born without
any hands or feet.

But when I was a kid,

I absolutely believed
that if I became a magician,

that I would be able
to do anything.

But every single book
that's ever been written

is for magicians
who have two hands.

All the techniques that I do
are of my own invention.

I've created every single
technique that I can use.

There's nothing
that's been given to me.

I was able to transform
my own life.

I think learning
how to do this stuff

that everybody in the world
thought was impossible,

that to me is real magic.

I don't feel like I was born
missing anything.

I feel I am the way
that I am supposed to be,

and my magic is real.

[cheers and applause]

- Ladies and gentlemen,
the amazing Mahdi Gilbert.

[cheers and applause]

- Thank you.

It's an honor to be here.

And my name is Mahdi,

and tonight, I'm gonna try
to make your world

a little bit more magical.

But I need a little help
from my new friends.

So, Alyson, would you
please join me?

And, Penn and Teller, you guys
can come and take a seat too.

Have a closer look
at all this stuff.

Now, before we begin,
I want to tell you

a little something about myself.

It's very special for me
to be here tonight

because I'm onstage

with two of the greatest
magicians of all time.

And the only reason
that I'm here

is because I absolutely
believe in magic.

And I'm not afraid
to believe in the impossible.

I've been interested
in doing magic

for a very long time,

but it's always been
out of reach.

I don't mean
that figuratively.

I mean, can you pass
that deck over?

I can't reach it.

And what I'd like
to show you guys tonight

is my favorite piece,
and it's a piece

that I've been doing
for a very long time.

It uses six cards
and two hands.

Three red and three black.

Nothing else.
Okay?

I'll do it like this
for you guys.

Here.
I'll put a red card over here,

followed by a black.

A red...

followed by a black.

Red and black.

And I said this trick
needs two hands.

I need a little bit
of help to do this.

Can I borrow
your hands, Alyson?

- Sure.

- Can you interlace
your fingers?

Just like this, and this is
the position of the cards.

This is a red and a black,

a red and a black,
a red and a black.

That's the position
of the cards.

And if you could
separate your hands,

separating the red cards
from the black,

putting one on top of the other.

And because you do that
over there,

something happens over here.

It's hard to believe.

I don't do anything,

but all the black cards
have come together,

and all the red cards
have come together.

[cheers and applause]

Now, I know
what you're thinking.

You didn't get to see
all the cards,

because there's cards face up,

and there's cards face down.

So I'll do it so that
you can see very clearly.

Like this, here and here.

Everybody can see
that they're mixed,

red, black, red, black,
red, black.

Black, red, black over here.

Red, black, red over here.

Two piles...

here and over here.

And I'll show this
to the camera again,

so there's absolutely no doubt
as to where the cards are.

Black, red, black here.

Red, black, red over here.

Now, everybody,
for this to work,

I need everybody to help me.

So, Alyson, can you
interlace your fingers?

And, Penn and Teller, can you
interlace your fingers?

And everybody in the audience,

basically if you have hands,
interlace your fingers.

[laughter]

Interlace them.

Everybody has them interlaced?

Pull them apart,
the reds from the blacks.

Separate them.

Put one on top of the other.

Now, I don't know
if you guys believe in magic,

but I do.

And because I do...

this should be
all the black cards together.

All the black cards together.

And over here,
all of the red cards.

[cheers and applause]

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

[applause]

- Mahdi, that was incredible.
Magic is real.

And I knew it.
Ha!

- So did I.
- Yeah.

And I love that you didn't
let anything stop you.

- No.
- And I'm sure

people told you
you couldn't do it.

- Oh, yeah.
My whole life.

- And you were like,
“Pshh! I'll show you”"

- When I started
to tackle card magic,

I couldn't do anything.

I couldn't pick up
a deck of cards.

I couldn't shuffle.
I couldn't do anything.

So I would stay up all night

reading all the books,
trying to figure out techniques.

And all the stuff
that I do is based

on classical techniques
that already exist,

but my versions of it
are completely new

and original with me.

So nobody knows how they work.

I'm the one
who's created them.

- Yeah.
And where's, like,

the weirdest place
you sort of get an idea?

Like, are you ever
on a date and you're like,

“I've got to go”?

- I never leave dates
for magic.

- Okay, really?

Okay.
All right.

That's probably smart.

[applause]

Well, you are
such an inspiration.

Let's go to the guys.
Gentlemen?

- Wow.
- Uh-huh, yeah.

- We believe...

[cheers and applause]

I don't say this lightly...

but I believe you're cheating.

[laughter]

Because one of the things

we're doing on this show

is we read a lot of magic books,

and study a lot of magicians,

and watch a lot of videos.

And every single thing
we watch and study

is for people with hands.

- Yeah.

- You don't have hands.

It's all different methods.
You're cheating.

That's all I'm saying.

That having been said,
so, so beautiful.

It's just so beautiful.

The kind of trick
you're doing just--

this doesn't--
this doesn't give it away.

But it's called
an oil and water trick.

- Yes.
- And there are many,

many ways to do it.

And we're just going
to take a shot.

We're aware
we could be wrong, okay?

'Cause we didn't see anything
that looked bad.

Everything looked clean
and neat.

But I think
that if we're right,

we would say that
for guys with hands,

things that are really smooth
for us

might be kind of rough for you,

as you were learning
to put this together.

As you're putting it together,
was that any sort of--

does that mean anything to you?
- No. No.

- But what's that mean?
That means something good.

- If that doesn't mean--
if the word “rough”

and the word “smooth”
mean nothing to you,

then maybe this sentence
will mean something to you.

You fooled us.

Does that mean something to you?
- Whoo!

That's so awesome!

Oh, that is awesome!

- Thank you.

[cheers and applause]

- And there it is!

[cheers and applause]

- How exciting!
Oh, my gosh!

Ladies and gentlemen,
Mahdi Gilbert!

Thank you!
- Thank you very much.

- All right.

Wow.

Don't go away,
because, when we come back,

the great Penn and Teller
will perform.

[jazz music]

♪ ♪

[jazz music]

[cheers and applause]

- Now, let's finish
with a bang.

Here's a trick
from the most magical pairing

since peanut butter and Jell-O.

That's right.
Don't knock it till you try it.

Here's Penn and Teller.

- Go!

[upbeat music]

Here's your chance
to be in our position.

Try to figure this out.
Watch carefully.

Don't be confused
by the dancing.

Don't be confused by the music.

Don't be confused by the props.

Just watch it, and see if you
can figure out how it's done,

or see if we fool you.

Watch carefully now.
Look at the props.

♪ ♪

- ♪ Blast off ♪

- ♪ First stage ♪

♪ You really blew my mind ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Next stage ♪

♪ I reached
but could not find ♪

♪ ♪

- Ha!

♪ ♪

- ♪ Blast off ♪

- ♪ Blast off exploding love ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Cast off ♪
- ♪ Blast off ♪

- ♪ To the stars above ♪

♪ ♪

What are you--
what are you pointing at?

What are you pointing at, man?

What did I do?

-♪ In my galaxy ♪

-♪ Blast off ♪

-♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Baby, hold on to me ♪

♪ Escape velocity ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Hey, yeah ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

♪ Lift off for love ♪

-♪ Blast off ♪

- Yeah!

[cheers and applause]

“Lift Off for Love”!

That's what
we're talking about.

[cheers and applause]

You got it figured out?

They want a few more hints.

♪ ♪

We'll give you
some more hints.

See, that's the way
everybody else does it.

This is the way we do it.

[cheers and applause]

We had to get
these built special.

Ready for a big hint?

Here we go.

[laughter]

Ready to learn some magic.

[bluesy melody]

-♪ Trap door ♪

♪ First scam
you slipped away from me ♪

♪ Next scam, you're not
where you should be ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Mm-mm ♪

♪ Now, now, now ♪

-♪ Trap door ♪
- ♪ Trap door ♪

♪ Hopped in for a while ♪

♪ Back door ♪
- ♪ Trap door ♪

-♪ Missed you by a mile ♪

♪ ♪

- What are you--what are you
pointing at, man?

What are you pointing?

-♪ I ought to saw you in half ♪

-♪ Trap door ♪

-♪ Rip-off of love ♪

♪ Rip-off of love ♪

♪ Rip-off of love ♪

♪ Ain't no mystery ♪

♪ It's just trickery ♪

♪ Rip-off of love ♪

♪ Rip-off of love ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Rip-off of love ♪
-♪ Trap door! ♪

- Yeah!

[cheers and applause]

Lift off!
- Yeah!

That is so amazing.

Whoo! Come on.

All right.

Well, good night
from America's playgrounro

for grownups, Las Vegas.
Recess until next week.

See ya!

Whoo!

That was so cool.