Is Fool Us Ruining Magic?
Can You Fool Us?
The FU Trophy—Fool Us Trophy
A spot in the Penn And Teller Fool Us Vegas show
The twosome’s approval
“The best virtual magic show I've seen!”
—Rachel Mitchener, Nickelodeon
But is it good for magic?
Some magicians feel it’s good for magic, but a few disagree.
The magicians I know who have been on the show fall into two camps—the “Ottos” and the “Victors.”
Both Otto and Victor started as unknowns in the public eye. Both were inspired by Penn & Teller. Both began learning magic tricks at an early age. At age 5, both received the same Penn & Teller Fool Everyone magic kit.
Now, both Otto and Victor share a firm belief or knowledge that he is a great magician with the best magic tricks. Feedback from friends, family, and many courteous strangers fuel this self-image.
Otto gets on Fool Us and feels overjoyed when he fools Penn & Teller; but, to Otto’s dismay, that doesn’t do diddly twat for Otto’s career in show business.
On the other side of the coin, Victor gets on Fool Us and does not fool Penn & Teller (for the camera, Victor merely pretended to care about fooling magicians). However, Victor’s “humiliating” appearance on Fool Us catapults Victor’s career.
How is this possible?
Exposure can be useful for the Victors but not for the Ottos. There are many reasons why it didn’t work out for Otto, some of them having nothing to do with his magic, some having to do with chance or luck.
Indeed, Otto’s magic needn’t be earth-shattering. Penn Jillette once said that, on stage, it’s better to be “just okay” 100 out of 100 performances than to be outstanding on stage 9 out of 10 times (and muck it up occasionally). Because a professional magician will perform hundreds of times for all sorts, including C suite executives and well-connected VIPs.
Fame is beneficial only when people can’t get enough of you. But if Otto hasn’t ironed out all the wrinkles in his act and his manner, then fame can be disastrous.
Visibility without credibility is a liability.
Penn and Teller Controversy
The CW Magic Truth
In this way, Fool Us is similar to American Idol. It draws performers with confidence in their abilities, regardless of their ability.
Unfortunately, our feelings, like our thoughts, are often inaccurate. After all, a drunk driver has a feeling of self-confidence, but nobody wants that person behind the wheel.
So appearing on Fool Us can be good—for a good magician.
But is “Fool Us” good for magic?
I think it is.
It gives a platform for good and bad magicians to exhibit their magic. More people see more good (and bad) magic, and so refine their taste for it.
Here’s what other magicians have to say:
Osterlind
“My basic problem with the show is that I always considered magic to be the creation of mystery—not the attempt to ‘fool’ someone.
I think it demeans magic as an art form.” -Richard Osterlind (not well-known to the public as a performer, but every magician knows of him…a prolific creator of mentalism)
“I don’t think the show is necessarily good for magic, but I do think that it could be good for some of the magicians who are on it. Many magicians who have appeared on the show have benefited from doing so. Is the magic always good? No.” -Mike Pisciotta
“It exhibits excellent magic, as well as bad magic. It includes but also excludes good performance. Fooling is easy, but can you do it with class, great execution, great performance, and confidence?” -Cody Nottingham
“Magic on television will always take a backseat to the experience of seeing it live. Having said that, as long as magic on TV is presented in a positive light, giving talented practitioners the respect they deserve, Americas Got Talent and Fool US are a win for magic in general. We all win in the long run because the public is exposed to great magic (for the most part) right in their living rooms.” -Scott Alexander
“Having worked behind the scenes for the latest four seasons, the thing that I think makes ‘Fool Us’ so good is that the team cares about making great magic, and what the acts want often takes precedence over what the producers want.
I think we can all agree that magic isn’t about getting trophies, but if that’s what it takes to get 300 unique magic acts on TV over five seasons, then personally, I’m a fan.” -Brent Braun
“For me, a magic performance is an ephemeral thing. The only way to truly experience it is by being there while it’s being performed.
‘Fool Us’ was created by two guys who are well aware of this. They try to show magic and the magicians who appear on their show in the best light under the restrictions of the television medium.” Rob Zabrecky
“When I hear non-magicians speak of watching the show, they don’t remember who won or not. They remember the acts that made them feel something.
Yes, the audience needs to weed through acts that magicians would be embarrassed by, but that’s any industry and any show.
Most people see only one or two magicians in their lifetime. More people are choosing to see live magic now because they’ve seen the Penn and Teller Fool Us controversy and want to see more. It’s our job as live performers to make audiences understand what great magic is.” -Kayla Drescher
“I do enjoy watching ‘Fool Us’ as I believe it’s a show that celebrates magic. I don’t think the fooling aspect of the show plays any part besides a concept to sell for television purposes and a gimmick to hook the viewing audience.
In the end, Fool Us is a show about magic that gets to showcase some fantastic performers that most of the world has never seen before.” -Billy Kidd
“‘Fool Us’ is an excellent showcase for acts that have a solid piece of magic to entertain any audience—whether they win or lose is beside the point. Whether the act foils Penn & Teller relates little to how successful the act might be afterward. Piff proved that. Mac King proves that.
Some tricks that fool Penn & Teller are shoddy tricks, and some tricks that don’t fool them are fantastic for the audience at home and in the theater. I’d prefer if fooling Penn & Teller were not the goal, but that’s still an excellent hook to attract viewers.” -Paul Wilson
When I was in high school, Ricky Jay had a big show on Broadway and a version on HBO. He was the only card magician anyone had seen.
When a person has a band, you get to think, ‘Oh! I know what a band is! I’ve seen bands I like and ones I don’t like. I wonder if I will like this one.’
It’s good for magic when the public has seen enough to have some taste for magic. Some will have a taste for what we like; others will have crappy tastes.
And for magicians who like being the only magic they’ve ever seen, it can sometimes make things a bit more challenging. But if you’ve been working hard at your craft, there’s only the benefit from an informed audience.” -Aaron Fisher
“The show’s not about winners and losers, but that’s coming from a loser (on the show).
Why did I do Multiplying Bottles?
I had pitched an original routine to them, and they liked it.
But the producers went on my YouTube channel and wouldn’t stop talking about how great the bottles would look on the show. They wanted the energy that this trick creates.
So, I decided to do it, knowing that 99% of their audience are not magicians.
Most of the best Fool Us magic—the magic that gets Penn & Teller (well, Penn) to shout You fooled us!—ends up being sort of procedural. Lots of steps, instructions, exposition—and can appear less energetic and flashy.
The trick that I first pitched, I believe it may have fooled them. It’s an original handling, method, and a unique plot.
But a bonus for me was that the bottles are something I have performed more than anything else. So I knew I would rock it without shaky hands.
It was ultimately my choice to do the routine I did. I chose it because I thought it would make better television than my original choice.” -Michael Kent
“Every assumption I've made about ‘Fool Us’ over the years has been wrong. I instinctively assumed being fooled or not with a flawed premise for a program. It took a couple years for me to realize it wasn't about that. It was about having a professional venue to showcase your talents to a national audience.
“…I also assumed Penn and Teller would find it difficult, if not impossible, to negotiate the fine line discussing methods in a way only magicians would understand, and that, perhaps, they wouldn't mind crossing that line on occasion. In contrast, they've become outstanding goodwill ambassadors of magic, while making the public aware of the broader palette of talent magic has to offer.
“…Two things, in particular, worked against my assumptions. First, Penn and Teller managed to maintain authentic reactions while giving coded signs that never reveal secrets.
“…But beyond Penn and Teller’s authentic reaction was their enthusiasm tech, egoless support for anyone who walked out and delivered the goods. Secondly, YouTube has given appearances on ‘Fool Us’ an afterlife that is unprecedented in television history.
“…So, while it's flattering to be asked about Penn and Teller and the future of ‘Fool Us,’ my track record on these topics has been terrible.” -Michael Ammar (every mentalist knows the name Osterlind, and every magician knows Ammar, just as laypeople know David Copperfield; he’s the “magician’s magician”; the most excellent teacher of magic ever; I have never seen sleight of hand better than Ammar’s).
“If you can find more than a handful of people who had a bad experience, I’ll eat my Menotti card clip. Usually, when it’s a bad experience, it’s a self-inflicted wound that is a result of ego or not being prepared for some part of the entire process.
The secret is, this show is the best thing to happen to magic in the public eye in more than a decade. Yeah, it’s annoying when someone asks me if I can do that trick like Shin Lim, but it’s heartening that a layperson knows Shin’s name at all.” -Erik Tait
In the effort to fool the trained eyes of American ninja warrior Penn and Teller, magicians can be innovative for the sake of being innovative. For magic in the real world, though the method is essential, the method is of little importance.
The magic that gets Penn and Teller Fooled tends to be more constrained, methodical, and convoluted. And that’s not a recipe for showmanship or entertainment.
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Jon Finch is a professional entertainer in the Midwest, a mentalist and magician who performs at corporate and social events. Having performed in over 50 countries (well...counties), he offers entertainment sharing his comedy, creative brand of strong magic, extraordinary mentalism.