Maybe they explain it on the show and I've just not been paying enough attention. But when Penn and Teller take a guess about a trick and ask the magician if they were correct, couldn't the magician just say "no", even if Penn and Teller actually were right? Are the magicians required to tell them the secret after the judging or is it just an honor system sort of thing?
Just curious.
S.C.W.
www.TheGutterMonkey.com
There are off stage judges who know how the trick is done and they determine whether or not P&T guessed correctly. Sometimes you will even see P&T make a guess and the magician is unsure if they got it exactly so the host will say "Let's see what the judges think."
shareI saw something where one magician did lie to preserve the nature of the trick, but it was revealed later. I think they just withdew his opportunity to perform in Vegas. and in the event the magician is foreign, they are generally deported.
^ some of that not true.
Before they appear on the show magicians go through an interview with a producer and are required to explain to him all the secrets of their act. The producer is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Thompson - a magician himself - and as such he is bound by honor so to speak to not reveal their secrets - he only learns them because he will be the judge of whether Penn & Teller have been indeed fooled or not.
Later, during the live show, if Penn & Teller guess how a trick was done but the magician says "That's not how I did it" and he is lying, the producer communicates with the host and tells him/her "Don't listen to him, that's exactly how he did it, Penn & Teller are right" and the host informs the magician that unfortunately he didn't fool them.
I've seen the opposite happen as well: Penn & Teller make a guess, the magician says "That's not how I did it" but Penn & Teller don't quite believe him and ask him again "Seriously?? Are you certain that's not how you did it?!". Then the producer communicates with the host and tells him/her "He is telling the truth, he fooled them, announce him as a fooler to the audience."
Thanks everyone. That helped clear a lot up. I appreciate it.
S.C.W.
www.TheGutterMonkey.com
Because of Johnny Thompson.
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