All good points & great thread; for future reference, as PTFU seems to be a growing niche (more and more people from my live shows are telling me they watch that show). How can the upcoming PTFU participants capitalize on their potential 15 mins of fame when it arrives?

Again it is not possible to overstate the importance of preparing before it arrives.

Is it just me, or is anyone else upset about some of the acts that “fool”Penn & Teller? There are two right off the bat I can think of that did not fool me, and I’m just an amatuer/hobbyist. Yet P&T awarded them FU awards. Was the fix in to supprt them? We’re P&T short on opening acts and so needed some winners? Did the magician agree to appear only if they “won?”

I doubt anything so nefarious has happened. I do think that they can get caught up in presentation and simply not be able to back track.

Don't forget they are watching live as well and the show is edited in some ways. So there are other factors.

I'm not upset at all. The show isn't called "Fool Everybody Everywhere". It's called "Fool Us".

Like Danny said, even if someone knows a technique, if it's wrapped up in a good presentation it's easy to overlook things that are obvious to someone else sometimes. We are literally seeing this through a barrier - the TV Screen. P&T are watching it live, and generally head on.

They are also stage illusionists. While no one would question the concept that Teller is an encyclopedia of magic, their primary focus is the work they do in their show. I think the close up work has evolved enough since they had to worry about it consistently that there are plenty of methods that are available they've never heard of.

But aside from all that - Fooling P&T isn't really the point, I think. An associate who's been on the show talked to me about the behind-the-scenes stuff and it made me realize that this show is basically intended as a way for P&T to use their success to help up and coming performers and friends. I think some people fool them for sure, I think some people fool them on minor technicalities, and I think some people they just say they were fooled - and I'm OK with all of those scenarios.

I agree that is why there are also many of P&Ts Las Vegas friends on the show, not to fool them but to make for "good tv." One must remember first and foremost, it is a tv show that must be interesting and entertaining to the viewing audience. It is also meant as a vehicle for P&T to make greater benefits on the back-end keeping them in the media, contemporary, and to position themselves in both the tv world as well as the magic world.

They help many including those who don't fool them just by the national exposure (what most of these performers do with that is another topic altogether), but it is more in the positioning that P&T gain the most.

It would be a boring show if they exerted their knowledge and knew how everything was done. For the drama, suspense and little guy triumph, they have to be fooled regularly. So then it becomes a matter of who they feel is worthy in a greater picture.

It is tv and there is much more to it than meets the eye. Not to mention a great way to find a steady stream of new opening acts getting their Vegas credit on the resume.

A good presentation can mask the simplest of moves. The premise is can you "fool" P&T, not can you do something they've never seen. If you can get them so wrapped up in the presentation of the routine that they miss something, which has happened more than once, then they miss the move altogether and you "fool" them. It's not about pulling off the knuckle busting move that no one can explain, though that also has happened, but about pulling the wool over their eyes in whatever way you can. The Frog Prince is my favorite example of this. They KNOW how the trick is done and know it cold. The very routine is in print and the creator of that routine is one of the technical advisers, and yet they were indeed fooled, not because they can't explain the trick but because they never saw the real frog coming.

I was on the show this past September (episode 11, the Fool Us Zone). I didn't do it for money or bookings, I did it because a lot of my friends who had been on the show had a great time, and I felt it not only would be fun, but an honor to perform on national TV. The producers selected the routine they wanted me to do, after seeing several that I had sent them. It was clear that they valued the presentation over the effect. I had changed the ending to a technique I thought might fool them, but I already knew they would know the basic structure of the routine even if the moves were unknown to them. Mike Close emphasised that it was more about putting on a good show rather than fooling them. Everyone on the show from the producers on down were friendly and helpful, and I had a great time. After the spot the handlers stuck me in a room for a while, then placed me in the middle of a hallway and left me. I had no idea what was going on, until Penn and Teller walked though some doors and I got to say a few words to them before they dissapeared into their dressing rooms while on a small break. It was a nice surprise, but honestly I was so surprised I forgot to take a selfie or ask them how they figured out my new technique. After that, the handlers took me out of the theatre area to meet my wife. The experience was class all the way. All of the magicians I know told me they enjoyed the spot, but when you look at the YouTube comments, a lot of trolls are on there bashing every little thing. Oh well, can't make everyone happy I guess. But I did get over 55,000 views on my spit alone, and close to 100,00 views on the entire show, so you do get exposure. Best thing was when one of my clients came into my office and gushed that he saw me on the show, he never knew I was also a magician.

The producers of 'Fool Us' have announced the show has been renewed for a 10th season. They've been asked to produce 20 episodes for the season. Taping is planned for the first two weeks in August 2023.



Mark

As Mark provided, the show has been renewed. I really cannot wait. I love the entire premise of the show.

I just read an article that said Alyson Hannigan is being replaced as host. It looks like Brooke Burke will be picking up the reigns.

Personally I think this show has been the biggest swerve in magic in a long time! Man I think it is amazing!

Here is my point. The point of the show is not to fool them or not fool them. It is a celebration of magic! It is a way to get magic by a LOT of people in front of a LOT of people and show just how much great magic there is out there. Yea it is wrapped up in the 21st century "pseudo reality" craze. But it and always has been about a love of magic.

And who brings this to the world? The BAD BOYS of magic! HA! The ones that the public thinks all the magic community hates. Best carny move in a long time if you ask me and I like, respect and admire it. (And it gets them looking magnanimous and helps to sell tickets.) Again just shear brilliance all round if you ask me.

I found this article:

https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/penn-......ew-host/

I'm happy to give Brooke a chance but I sure will miss Alyson.

Mark

Alyson was so much fun! Gonna miss her.

As a very happy coincidence to my May 7 post above, I have tickets to be in the studio audience for a couple of the tapings of Fool Us season 10 next month. I am very much looking forward to watching the show live.

Mark

Yeah! My wife and I have tickets to see the taping on Aug 5th -- if that's your night and you see a big guy with a mohawk in the audience, it might be me, so say hi! (Only "might" because you never know how many mohawk'd guys are gonna show to something like that...)

I'll be in the audience for both tapings on August 10.

Mark

The Fool Us tapings were interesting (and great fun). First off, I was surprised by how many people were dressed very casually (some downright sloppy) when the conditions on the ticket state no shorts, no t-shirts, no logos, no tennis shoes, etc. What the hell, don't people read?

The production staff seemed to solve at least some of the issue by assigning seats. Some of the more casually dressed people that were ahead of us in line got put on the left side of the aisle. Myself and two of my friends were separated from those in front of us and we were directed to sit on the other side of the aisle. I immediately noticed that those people with end seats on that side of the aisle were all dressed nicely (I was wearing slacks, a dress shirt, and blue blazer). Directly across the aisle were people in shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops.

Sure enough, when P&T made their entrance (on camera) down that same aisle (walking right past me), the cameras were positioned in a way where those on my side of the aisle would be more visible. I am reasonably certain I am going to see myself on camera when that entrance segment airs (if they use the footage).

We were not told when season 10 will start airing. I'm going to watch every episode regardless, I'll just have to be patient.

If there's a season 11, I will definitely attend a taping or two next year. It was a pretty awesome experience.

Mark

Mark that's awesome! May I ask, how did you come to acquire tickets for the taping?

Tickets for the tapings are acquired via the On Camera Audience website:

https://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Penn__Teller_Fool_Us

If you look at that link before noon (Pacific) today, you will see that there are still tickets available for today's noon taping (which is the last taping of season 10 for Fool Us). You can also sign up there to be notified when tickets are available for the season 11 taping (*if* there is a season 11). That wouldn't happen until sometime next year, of course.

This year's tapings took place over about a 2 week period (August 3 to August 17). I have no idea if the tapings coincidentally happened at the same time as Magic Live, or if the producers planned it that way. I suspect they increased their audience a bit by holding the tapings during Magic Live.

The noon taping I attended last Thursday (August 10) was NOT completely full. Somebody could have shown up at 11:55am and gotten into the noon taping (not so great seats, but still gotten in). The 6pm taping that same day was very full. There were quite a few VIPs for the 6pm taping. These are, apparently, friends of Penn & Teller and/or friends of production staff. They all had colored wristbands and they were seated first (getting the seats that are most likely to appear on camera during audience shots).

I've been watching back episodes of Fool Us for the last couple of weeks. Now that I've been in the theater for a taping, I have a better sense of which camera is being used for which shot. There is a boom camera on the left side of the theater that sweeps out over the audience on the left side. That boom/camera passed over my head MANY times during both tapings. Whether or not my bald spot will be visible on TV remains to be seen!

Mark

It looks like season 10 of Fool Us will premiere on Friday, October 20, 2023. No word yet on which performers will be in the first episode.

The bigger question: Will my bald spot be visible in some of the overhead camera shots?

Mark