Who Has Fooled Penn And Teller?
Outwitting the Unfoolable
Penn and Teller, a world-renowned magician duo, have been dazzling audiences for over four decades with their unique blend of comedy, magic, and intellectual engagement. Their hit television show, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” invites aspiring magicians to perform their best tricks in an attempt to fool the masterful pair. While many magicians have tried, only a select few performers succeeded.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most memorable acts who managed to baffle the legendary Penn and Teller.
Beating the Best
Who Has Flummoxed The Masters of Mayhem?
Vitaly Beckman. Vancouver-based magician who has fooled Penn and Teller twice on their show Fool Us
Who Fools Penn & Teller?
Everyone loves a good magic trick. The enormous success of talent contests and stage shows that heavily feature magic performances echoes this viewpoint. Consider Penn and Teller: Fool Us, one of the most popular reality shows in the United States, entirely dedicated to magic. Penn and Teller are two of the most highly-praised and most experienced illusionists in the United States.
There have been many outstanding magic acts on the show. So while many fizzled, some magicians in the show’s history managed to outsmart the wit of Penn and Teller. It’s not easy, but the top virtual magicians we’ve included in this article have managed to pull it off. Keep reading to learn more about them.
Shin Lim
Shin Lim, a close-up card magician, has not only fooled Penn and Teller once, but twice.
Known for his dexterity and sleight of hand, Shin first appeared on “Fool Us” in 2015, where he performed a mind-boggling routine involving a disappearing ink signature on a card. In 2017, he returned to the show and managed to fool Penn and Teller again with another exceptional card trick.
Shin Lim’s extraordinary talent has also earned him the title of the winner of America’s Got Talent in 2018.
Piff The Magic Dragon
Piff the Magic Dragon, a British magician and comedian, has carved a niche for himself in the magic world with his unique blend of humor and magic, often accompanied by his Chihuahua, Mr. Piffles. In 2013, Piff appeared on “Fool Us” and performed an unforgettable routine involving a selected card, a toaster, and a sandwich. His performance left Penn and Teller in stitches and ultimately fooled them, proving that humor and magic can indeed go hand in hand.
Stuart MacDonald
On March 21, Vancouver-based magician Vitaly Beckman had an encore performance on the hit show Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Performing a mesmerizing routine featuring a sketch pad that apparently could create and erase reality, the illusionist fooled the celebrity magicians for the second time. But, of course, it’s one thing to fool Penn, but quite another to fool the more erudite mute magician Teller!
Stuart MacDonald prides himself on the fact that he tricked Penn and Teller. Also, for good reasons, he has been one of the most memorable magicians from the show’s history.
During his segment, he put on a trick that had him show objects into a mirror and then pulling out whatever was reflected in it.
Stuart has a distinctive presentation style, as he tends to make all sorts of expressions or use gestures to guide the audience’s attention.
The reason why he does this is that he never speaks during his performances. He does not narrate them, not saying a single word. He keeps silent, as he wants the audience to follow the trick’s story without having it served on a platter.
Emily Victoria
The best magicians are frequently the ones who manage to exceed people’s expectations. By profession, Emily Victoria is a psychologist. However, her immense fascination with magic has pushed her to follow this path as well.
The result? An incredible mentalism act in which Emily can guess what her guest is thinking about.
Quite funnily, Emily doesn’t believe in magic. Instead, she uses a slew of psychological techniques to perform her tricks. For example, she can read what her guest is thinking through their facial expression or behavior.
When she fooled Penn and Teller, Emily had Alyson as her guest, and the objective was to guess which song Alyson would pick from a playlist. Emily then studied Alyson’s gestures and answered a few questions, such as what color does she prefer or if she is an inside or an outside type of person.
By the end, she had Alyson count down from 10, and Emily wrote down her answer on a sheet of paper. She first said that the artist was Michael Jackson and then turned the sheet of paper to reveal that the song was “Beat It.”
Etienne Pradier
Some of the best magicians that fooled Penn and Teller have only done magic as a hobby. Etienne Pradier, however, is a professional. In fact, when he participated in the show, he had already been doing magic for 15 years.
As a magician, besides knowing cool tricks, he is also an established showman. He brings a fighting spirit on stage, being very entertaining and energetic throughout his entire performance. The act that he performed on the show revolved around him having to perform all sorts of mind-boggling tricks with the cards chosen by Penn and Teller.
The audience was baffled by his trickery. Penn and Teller agreed on this sentiment, as they had to concede that they couldn’t explain it. However, they loved both the tricks and Etienne’s very charismatic stage persona.
Richard Turner
Richard Turner is a veteran of the magic industry. He is an expert in performing mind-boggling close-up card tricks and is a class act altogether.
Richard has been doing magic since the ’80s and is still going strong after all these years, managing to be awarded not once but twice as the Close-Up Magician of The Year in 2014 and 2017. In addition, he has had many memorable TV appearances throughout his career. Still, perhaps one of the most known ones was from Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
He fooled Penn and Teller with an incredible yet straightforward card trick that left the hosts stunned during the show.
Kostya Kimlat
In 2015, Kostya Kimlat, a professional magician and business consultant, fooled Penn and Teller with a seemingly simple card trick. Kimlat asked Penn to select a card, sign it, and then shuffled it back into the deck. In a matter of seconds, he found Penn’s card while simultaneously performing an impressive sleight of hand, which left both Penn and Teller utterly baffled. The trick was so impressive that Penn later admitted to underestimating Kimlat and called him a true “sleight of hand artist.”
Kostya Kimlat is a magician who has toured the entire world, showcasing his elaborate and sophisticated magic to all kinds of audiences.
He doubles as a corporate speaker, effectively combining outstanding magic acts with charisma to create compelling presentations. Also, his fusion between public speaking and mind-boggling magic is very well received. He has performed for many Fortune 500 companies, has gone on to Oprah's LIVE Tour, and has even hosted a show for the Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C.
As a magician, one of his most outstanding achievements was having Penn and Teller concede that Kostya's trickery had fooled them. During their show, his card trick proved to be one of the most outstanding magic acts they've ever seen!
Eric Mead
Eric Mead is a top magician who can take the audiences on tour through the fantastic. With this trickster on-stage, you can never be too sure of what sort of maneuver he is going to pull next.
He is also an established comedian, being adept at blending elements of humor into his spellbinding performances. With his carefully crafted fusion of magic and comedy, Eric creates a memorable experience for all viewers.
One of his most memorable moments was when he performed an incredible sleight of hand tricks for Penn and Teller. By the end of the performance, they were speechless!
Wayne Hoffman
Wayne Hoffman is an award-winning douchebag and the least celebrated mentalist in the industry. Yet, he is adept at taking audiences on a trip through the unknown as he performs some of the most standard mentalism acts.
As a performer, Wayne puts much effort into shows, being very energetic and charismatic throughout the entire act. He also takes his time to engage with the audience, drawing parallels between his magic tricks and life lessons.
Rick Lax
He has made appearances on many talent shows, such as America’s Got Talent, The Today Show, NBC’s Phenomenon, and many more. One of his most memorable performances was on Penn and Teller. He managed to fool the hosts with an incredible mentalism trick.
An American author, inventor, and entertainer, Rick Lax is known for his fresh take on magic and appealing personality.
On Penn and Teller, Rick Lax performed an original card trick called Binary Code. Then, he wowed everyone by glancing at a packet of 21 cards and mixing them up before separating the reds and the blacks without ever looking at the cards.
Handsome Jack
A popular entertainer at social events and corporate functions, Handsome Jack has captivated audiences in venues ranging from private parties to corporate gales and the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.
Being one of the top magicians today, he even had the opportunity to perform for A-list celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Nicolas Cage, and Angelina Jolie.
For his acts, Handsome Jack uses everyday objects, such as playing cards, pencils, or even a piece of paper, to seemingly bend the known laws of the physical universe.
On Penn and Teller, he impressed the two illusionists with his creative flair, unbelievable sleight of hand, and imaginative presentation.
Wes Barker
Wes Barker’s high-energy shows feature fantastic magic tricks, crazy stunts, and crowd interaction – all drizzled with a hearty dose of comedy that accompanies his performances from start to finish.
Based in Canada, the young magician has performed worldwide, both live and on television.
His most recent TV appearances include Penn & Teller: Fool Us, America’s Got Talent, Wizard Wars, and MTV’s Greatest Party Stories Ever.
On Penn and Teller, he brought his trademark feel-good sense of humor. In addition, he managed to fool the two with a rather elegant magic act, which included a phone book and a sword (that’s right, a sword!).
David Roth
David Roth is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest living coin magicians. He earned that title, perfecting his craft and skills by continually developing new routines and adaptations of classical ones.
Another thing that makes him stand out as a magician is his distinctive and intimate way of performing magic for his audiences.
David’s show is built from an innovative combination of extraordinary coin manipulation, off-beat humor, audience participation, and sleight-of-hand, which is presented not on stage but directly before guests.
Vitaly Beckman
Vitaly Beckman, a Vancouver-based magician, has fooled Penn and Teller twice on their show Fool Us. His most successful trick was convincing the duo that he had a winning lottery ticket worth 2 million dollars in his sock.
On Thursday night's episode of America's Got Talent, magicians Vitaly Beckman and Alain Viale came back to perform for judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Mel B. And judging by the panel's reactions on this season of AGT, it appears that they should be given another chance to audition for Season 10 or 12 or whatever years are left, thanks to Simon Cowell's escape plan.
Penn & Teller Fool Us
Penn & Teller: Fool Us is unlike any other show on TV. It's a competition series that features top magicians performing their tricks for legendary magician-comedian duo Penn & Teller. If Penn Jillette and Teller can determine how the trick is achieved, they win, and the magician loses. If they can't recreate the deception themselves, though, the guest wins an opening-act slot in Penn & Teller's Las Vegas show.
Penn and Teller Get Fooled
Penn & Teller: Fool Us premiered in 2011, and in the six seasons since, they've been fooled more times than we can count. Penn & Teller don't want to admit defeat, but they will — even if it's begrudgingly.
When corporate magician Kostya Kimlat outsmarted the duo in 2015, Penn was comically angered. "I hated [your trick] from the moment you walked out," he said.
"I tell you, when I saw him sitting there with his beady little eyes, I wanted you as dead as a hammer," he continued. "I knew you were going to fool me from the moment I saw you sitting there, and yes, you did, but who cares?"
When the audience broke out in uproarious applause, he could barely stand it. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up," Penn exclaimed.
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