MovieChat Forums > The Carbonaro Effect (2014) Discussion > Why does magic make some people so angry...

Why does magic make some people so angry?


Mostly internet trolls, but every time there's a magician on TV internet postings like "how fake "he's cheating" "anybody can do that" can be sure to be found.

Relax and enjoy it...

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I used to do magic for about 10 years and when I look at comments on YouTube about how fake his show is or how all his marks are actors, it makes me furious.

Criss Angel's Mindfreak is fake; Andrew Mayne's Don't Trust Andrew Mayne is fake. But Carbonaro Effect is different.

The thing with Mindfreak and Don't Trust Andrew Mayne is that they do use stooges and it's quite obvious. For these shows, the magic is performed strictly for the home audience. For Carbonaro Effect, he performs it for his marks and we're just watching along with them.

Sure there are small cuts here and there, but that just hides the method not the effect. I love that when Michael is about to do something and if the mark is distracted and looks away, he'll wait for them to look back at him before continuing on with the trick.

A lot of cynics, skeptics will call this show fake or shout "camera tricks," but what they don't know is that the majority of his tricks are small and very simple, which makes his explanations a bit plausible. If he were to do something big and flashy, then his marks will assume it's a magic trick. But because of the subtleness of his tricks, his marks are willing to go along with it and believe.

Some people can't be won over. If they see a trick that's easy to figure out, they'll shout fake and point out the secret. If they see a trick that's hard to figure out, they'll again shout fake and use the actors/camera tricks excuse.

Also, the people watching at home already know that "Effect" is a magic show, so they're watching very closely for a slip or a cut. His marks, however, are oblivious and don't know what's about to happen. It's also why it's a great idea that he doesn't tell his marks that he's a magician. If he says, "Let me show you a trick," then a lot of his marks would be "burning his hands" and expecting something to happen. With his marks not expecting a "miracle" to happen, their reactions are much better than it would be if they knew they were watching a magician at work.

While the show does not utilize actors, a few of these marks ARE getting paid. I can tell you that a lot of his marks are people who responded for a temporary job offer or are people who were looking for work and brought in from a temp agency. They believe they're going in for a regular day of work, and they are getting paid for it, but they're just getting a little extra with it when Michael shows up. Of course the temp job is for a fake company made up by the producers of the show. They probably rented out an office and turned it into their fake business for their marks to work for.

The great thing about the show working with a temp agency is that producers can go through the roster and select specific people who they think might give a great reaction.

The women at the dry cleaners whose clothes they're picking up magically appear on Michael? They were running errands for their temp job and were told to pick up those items. The guy who went to the postal store to ship a box that magically had a lit cake in it? His boss for the day had him go down to send it out. Same for the man who went in to ship a glass bird.

When Andrew Mayne's show was first announced, I was very excited for it to start. There's not much quality magic shows/specials on TV right now, so I was hoping this would give me my magic fix. But after just watching the premiere of back-to-back episodes, it was painfully obvious that he was using stooges and that was a major turn off for me. I haven't watched the show since.

Criss Angel and Andrew Mayne also come off as extremely arrogant on their respective shows, and Michael Carbonaro is extremely likeable and approachable.

If people think the show is fake and that he's cheating, they should simply just tune out. And for those who continue to tune in, take the show for what it is -- a charming and often funny little magic show -- and as you said, relax and enjoy.

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The women at the dry cleaners whose clothes they're picking up magically appear on Michael? They were running errands for their temp job and were told to pick up those items. The guy who went to the postal store to ship a box that magically had a lit cake in it? His boss for the day had him go down to send it out. Same for the man who went in to ship a glass bird.

Well that does explain quiet a bit and makes some of these tricks make a lot more sense! Sometimes it's fun to try to guess how he's pulling these tricks off, but that's really not what makes the show interesting. It's all about the trick being performed to an unsuspecting person and their reaction to it. His explanations for what's going on are the icing on the cake and sometimes my favorite parts of the show. He's a great BSer :)

The only people "in" on it are so few and far between, like the guy checking out of the hotel that had the woman's ID in his wallet. That's to be expected and shouldn't detract from the trick or enjoyment of the show.

Why people respond so negatively to magic is beyond me. They don't like to think they can be had I suppose, but this kind of magic isn't done to embarrass or belittle people; it's just to get their reactions to various gags. I find this to be one of the more entertaining shows on TV now.

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The only problem I have with Carbanaro Effect are the camera angles and the editing. They way they do it now makes it seem like there's camera tricks involved. There's no shot that lets us see the angle that the person being tricked sees. It cuts from one to another without rhyme or reason.

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Most of the edits are are covering switches. These subtle switches are unnoticed by the targets but to those watching at home, if these were shown, they'd easily be caught.

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I completely agree. I like that the tricks he does are small and subtle so that the marks are shocked but not to the point that they would think it was fake. I also agree about his personality. He seems very likable and friendly. I saw Criss Angel's show live in Vegas because I got free tickets when I booked my hotel. The tricks and illusions were great but you could tell that everyone was trying to figure out how he did it and they were looking for clues. With The Carbonaro Effect, they don't know they're marks so they're not looking for clues on how he did it. I also agree that Criss Angel seems like he is so full of himself.

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Well most people that are cynical of this show know theres no such thing as magic. Maybe not 4yr olds at a birthday party, but everyone else know magic isnt real. Its a sloppy magic show compared to blaine and to a lesser extent cris angel. I really think your understating the camera edits and payed actors. He never does a trick or a reveal without 100 different camera switches. This is not to get another angle, but take eyes off the magician, which lets be honest.. Carbanaro is a actor, not a magician. Atleast blaine and cris angel will do some cool stuff with next to no cuts, or camera swap and their in front of the camera the whole time. Some of these camera shots look like theres even a person holding a camera in the room. Conceptually, some of his tricks are a good idea, but he really isnt pulling them off. Its editing and actors, period. The real trick is on the viewers to think any of this show is authentic. Its Trutv ffs. Even their wildest police chases are probably fake.

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Esoul, I have to say that your comment was very well written and very in depth! In a good way. I agree with every single thing that you have to say about it. I'm literally over here saying, "Yup-me too!" I'm a big fan of this show as well, and I also think one of the most appealing aspects of the show is that I think that Mike would be a really nice guy in person if you just bumped into him on the street. I like the fact that he doesn't come across as condescending. We laugh with the marks-not at them.
I dig it.

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How do you explain people returning items to stores that Michael is obviously prepared for? Sure, you could say that they are temp employees and their bosses sent them to do it on their behalf, but that doesn't really jive when the people make no mention of doing it on someone else's behalf and act as if it's their own purchase. For example, a girl returns a sleeping bag and makes specific comments that she had never used it but that it was just too small. And what do you know, there's a snake inside it! In another episode, a girl returns a shirt that has a hole in it and Michael just happens to be ready to "repair" it with a spray can. Sure, maybe they called ahead of time and he had a chance to prepare, but I find that unlikely.

Then there are the episodes where he's just conveniently ready to perform magic tricks with items that customers have independently decided to purchase. There's no indication that these customers are shopping on someone else's behalf, and they often make comments that would indicate that they are buying the items for themselves.

I'm not saying he isn't performing legitimate tricks but instead that many of the situations seem to be set up and not as random as they portray them.

I have had it with these monkey-fightin' snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane!

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"If people think the show is fake and that he's cheating, they should simply just tune out. And for those who continue to tune in, take the show for what it is -- a charming and often funny little magic show -- and as you said, relax and enjoy."

I think another reason for continuing to tune is that viewers would keep looking for an overlooked blooper in which the method of a trick is revealed or hinted at. When Michael levitated in the gym, for instance, there appeared to be something visible, very briefly, under the blue box he stood in - so briefly, I couldn't tell what the thing was. I find the variety of the tricks and the expertise with which they're performed, amazing, with virtually no clue as to how they're done - even if they're performed for a TV audience and not in person for TV viewers.

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OK, this is an old comment, but still: well said. I don't get the folks who critique this show like we should be expecting the real Samantha to show up and zap Louise Tate across state lines.

And as to it being fake? Ridiculous. Secrets like that can't be kept. Period.

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There are people who hate magic, because they think they know everything. When Carbonaro does his tricks, you are NOT supposed to know how he does it. The entertainment is in the reactions of the people and his explanations of the situations.

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Exactly. This show is as much about, probably more so, watching and laughing at the reactions of the people try to make sense out of something they know can't possibly be true than it is the trick he's performing.

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It's not that people hate magic, what intelligent people hate is being lied to. The show claims Carbonaro performs his "magic" right in front of his "marks". Completely false statement. I won't even go into the obvious widespread cutting and editing and the absolute necessity of most of his "unsuspecting victims" to be on in the gigs. Just consider this: these kind of show is called a hidden CAMERA show, camera in singular not CAMERAS. Most of these shows use the ONE hidden camera or two at the most. In some of Michael's stunts you see FIVE, SIX or even more different angles and, if you pay close attention to opposing angles, you'll see it's impossible to hide cameras in locations where other angles are taken from. This means cameras are NOT hidden and the whole show is scripted and edited.

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"This means cameras are NOT hidden and the whole show is scripted and edited."

It is possible that small cameras could be secreted in the sets, not necessarily larger cameras with the cameramen visible. This is one of the factors that has to be accepted at face value if the show is considered "non-scripted" or extemporaneous. Since the people, almost uniformly, appear to display legitimate surprise, wonder, and sometimes express doubts that the stunts could even have taken place, cannot simply be dismissed, and would seem to support a view that these people are not actors or in cahoots with Michael.

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First off, I'm well-aware that I'm replying to a comment that's 18-months old. However, I am a producer on "The Carbonaro Effect" and can't help but try to set the record straight about a show (and genre) that I work on. Before I start, let me say that NONE of the people I've ever shot in my career are "in" on the prank/trick. This flies in the face of shooting hidden-camera, and I wouldn't work on a show that decided to fake even some reactions.

As for the hidden cameras, in most cases we shoot with seven hidden cameras. These consist of:
- 3 professional cameras on tripods (each manned).
- 3 POV cameras that are static angles.
- 1 "robo-cam" that can pan/tilt/zoom

Our three "manned" cameras are hidden in camera hides. These angles shoot out of one-way glass and look to the people outside to simply be a mirror hanging on a wall. We've even had people approach these "hides" and fix their hair without realizing that they're inches away from a camera lens.

The four other angles either look like security cameras, or are hidden by our tech crew with items that are typically found in stores. If we're in a toy store, they'll surround a lens on a shelf with stuffed animals. If we're in a hardware store, we'll buy a product and cut a slit in the packaging to hide the camera.

Candid Camera perfected the one-way glass hide, and used it 50+ years ago. I was trained by people who worked with some of these originators of the genre.

In the end, the reactions that we get are 100% legit. That having been said, we do have to edit these pieces down. They last anywhere from 7-10 minutes in real time, and we have to fit six segments into a 21-minute program.

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Russ-43978
I appreciate your taking the time to explain how you guys shoot the Carbonaro effect show.
If you read my original post my main qualm was about calling this program a "magic" show.
While I believe you do get some authentic reactions by some of the "marks" I still don't think
this is true across the board. The episode where Michael goes to claim the car he won in a raffle
that's parked under a tent with a security guard sitting in a chair guarding it is...simply ludicrous!
Remember that one Russ? The car "disappears" and the guard is shocked...lol. C'mon!

I'm disappointed about your last paragraph though. Your admission of editing cuz of time constraints
is not what I and others were talking about. Every program that's not shot live requires some editing.
The editing I always talked about here is the one that "creates the magic..."
And you weren't honest enough to admit that.

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As I stated before, I've never faked a reaction to anything I've shot over my 15+ year career. In my initial meetings with Michael about producing this show, he assured me that he shared that goal. With that said, why would we ever shoot some things "real" and others "fake"?! It doesn't make sense. Truth be told, we've had entire tricks that simply don't work, or don't get a reaction worthy of showing on TV.

With that said, you seem to be focused on the "Car Disappearing" segment, so why not hear from the security guard himself? We posted that segment online two years ago, and the guy himself decided to comment. Here's what he said:

"What's up guys? I'm "The Black Guy" that got duped! Haha, I'm no actor at all, just a regular dude who got set up from a Craig's List ad for a daytime security gig. You're all very entitled to your own interpretations, but I assure you nothing about this was fake. I felt like I was on the verge of having a near panic attack, haha. I honestly am not sure how the hell he made the car disappear, but I was too baffled to question it afterwards. And of course I was mic'ed up. There was a microphone on that goofy security jacket they gave me. And it was edited because there was a whoooole lot more conversation that went on amidst me trying to put the pieces together. Hell, I wish I was an actor, I'd be doing a lot better than I am now, lol. I hope you all at least got a good laugh out of it. Enjoy your day."


He responded to other questions in the comment section as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q60rBrYQAvQ

And yes, we're not going to edit these segments where we expose the magic to the TV audience. In the cases where the magic can be preserved for the live person AND the TV audience, we do this. Here's an example that turned into a fight with the Network:https://youtu.be/5FO92qh0o-c?t=1m6s

In this trick, Michael hangs a full box in front an unsuspecting woman, steps in front of it, and reveals an opossum inside. This required a 30+ second shot with no edits, and avoided cutting to the woman's face when she spoke. Does it make it a better "magic shot"? Sure. But it doesn't make it a better hidden-camera show.

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Russ-43978
I appreciate your taking the time to explain how you guys shoot the Carbonaro effect show.
If you read my original post my main qualm was about calling this program a "magic" show.
While I believe you do get some authentic reactions by some of the "marks" I still don't think
this is true across the board. The episode where Michael goes to claim the car he won in a raffle
that's parked under a tent with a security guard sitting in a chair guarding it is...simply ludicrous!
Remember that one Russ? The car "disappears" and the guard is shocked...lol. C'mon!

I'm disappointed about your last paragraph though. Your admission of editing cuz of time constraints
is not what I and others were talking about. Every program that's not shot live requires some editing.
The editing I always talked about here is the one that "creates the magic..."
And you weren't honest enough to admit that.

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Again, ALL of these reactions are real. In the "Car Disappearance" segment, you saw exactly how this guy reacted when a car disappeared while he sat directly in front of it. Of course, why take my word for it? Two years ago, when we put the video up online, people asked the same questions you did, and the guy HIMSELF actually replied in the comments on YouTube. Here's his words:

What's up guys? I'm "The Black Guy" that got duped! Haha, I'm no actor at all, just a regular dude who got set up from a Craig's List ad for a daytime security gig. You're all very entitled to your own interpretations, but I assure you nothing about this was fake. I felt like I was on the verge of having a near panic attack, haha. I honestly am not sure how the hell he made the car disappear, but I was too baffled to question it afterwards. And of course I was mic'ed up. There was a microphone on that goofy security jacket they gave me. And it was edited because there was a whoooole lot more conversation that went on amidst me trying to put the pieces together. Hell, I wish I was an actor, I'd be doing a lot better than I am now, lol. I hope you all at least got a good laugh out of it. Enjoy your day.


When people continued to question him, he replied again:

when I got there, there was a ribbon on the car. I was sitting in front of it for about 7m before this took place. There's also a lot they didn't show obviously, they had a guy come past who chatted it up with me about the car & other bs for about 5m, which is when the car was removed. You gotta go ahead & ask him about all the 1000 questions you have. I wasn't in on it, all I'm telling you, is that my reaction was genuine. I have no clue how he did it, after it was all said & done, he didn't tell me how he did it, wtf? You're entitled you to think what you want ma'am. I don't know what else you want me to tell you, Ms. Also, they rushed me out and ran the prank on 2 other people after I left, not sure what happened with them.


See his comments for yourself: https://youtu.be/Q60rBrYQAvQ

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Russ-43978
I appreciate your taking the time to explain how you guys shoot the Carbonaro effect show.
If you read my original post my main qualm was about calling this program a "magic" show.
While I believe you do get some authentic reactions by some of the "marks" I still don't think
this is true across the board. The episode where Michael goes to claim the car he won in a raffle
that's parked under a tent with a security guard sitting in a chair guarding it is...simply ludicrous!
Remember that one Russ? The car "disappears" and the guard is shocked...lol. C'mon!

I'm disappointed about your last paragraph though. Your admission of editing cuz of time constraints
is not what I and others were talking about. Every program that's not shot live requires some editing.
The editing I always talked about here is the one that "creates the magic..."
And you weren't honest enough to admit that.

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No romarub, the cameras used to tape this show are NOT of the "small hidden" variety as you propose. And you can tell because of the quality and definition of the picture and because of the zooming in and out and the camera movements, both up and down and sideways. These are full sized cameras with a cameraman behind each of them, trust me!

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So, xxxloroxxxx, what you're saying is that all of the subjects are aware that they are being recorded, that all of their surprise is a put on, that they may be in cahoots with Michael, and that they and Michael are conning the viewers - right?

All the subjects seem to be right-off-the-street people, even though many of them seem to be visiting the stores at the behest of others or, maybe, directed by temp agencies to be there. In virtually all cases, the surprise and puzzlement they express seems to be genuine, and it's hard to imagine that everyday people, including kids, in a number of cases, could be such good actors to express surprise to such a high degree of believability. Also, the range of responses seems to lend credibility to their genuineness - with reactions ranging from the very gullible who seem willing to accept Michael's twisted explanations and diversions, outright, even to the point of suspending their disbelief, to those who question, and keep questioning how such occurrences could take place and be so inconsistent with the laws of science or reality.

I don't know what evidence you have for concluding that cameramen are visible to the subjects - all I know is that I've never spotted one, although some other people in the stores (alleged workers?), in some cases, seem to be assistants to Michael and know what's going on. In those segments where Michael explains that the people are on a magic show, their expressions of surprise, also, seem quite genuine - something they would not be if they saw themselves being videoed, with cameramen all around them.

The editing and cutting would help to explain how some of the illusions are created, indirectly, but these refer to Michael's technique. The subjects are another thing, though. Their responses simply seem too genuine to be "acted", which why, for me, it's the people who confirm the effectiveness of the tricks and how well they are planned out and performed. They're the key to why I "buy" this show, even knowing that the tricks are tricks, and impossible in the real world other than through "sleight of hand". In fact, I find that I enjoy the responses of the subjects as much as watching the illusions, themselves.

Perhaps you can provide some examples to illustrate and support your conclusion that real cameramen are right there, visible to the subjects on the sets. That would pull the rug out from under MC and make me reconsider the nature and validity of the subjects and their innocence.

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Romarub, I am not on a mission to convince anyone that what I believe is, indeed, true. Neither am I interested in "pulling the rug from under Michael Carbonaro" as you suggested I try. I, as an intelligent individual, simply felt insulted by the show's pretenses.

You ask me to provide "evidence" that would prove my points of view. I have never attended a shoot of the show nor do I know anyone who has. All I can offer you is keen observations and common sense.

You say people's reactions look genuine to you. Those reactions are just two for the most part: gullible acceptance or surprise. Neither of those are very hard to display even for non actors. Try this: go to the closest mirror (your bathroom is probably best) and put on a serious face. Then proceed to suddenly open your eyes wide and drop your jaw. After trying varying degrees of this
you will find you do look surprised.
Besides there's no telling how many takes they did until they got it right.

As for the cameras being hidden let me ask you something: how many true hidden camera shows have you watched? First, you'll notice the definition: hidden camera in singular, not cameras. If you pay attention you'll see that in certain pranks there's a minimum of four or five cameras rolling at the same time. They all zoom in and out and display lateral and up and down movement. Do you really believe they could hide five remotely controlled cameras that are also moving in all directions without the "unsuspecting marks" noticing them? How about the immaculate image definition they provide? Small single true hidden cameras never come close. Besides, in certain situations where opposing angles are used you will see there's really nowhere a camera could have been hidden for a previous shot.

If these facts are not convincing enough let me remind you of the prank when MC pretended to have won a new car in a raffle, did you see that one? The car was under a plastic tent closed on all sides but the front where an "unsuspecting security guy" stood guard. After MC pretended to go home to retrieve his winning ticket the guard sat down in front of the tent and the next shot shows MC driving back to the guard's table in the car that had been under the tent which, of course, was now empty. And we're made to believe the guard never left his spot! Are you kidding me???

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[deleted]

You bring up some compelling challenges to the show's premise. Your arguments remind me of the moon-landing deniers and the 9/11 conspiracy theorists. They sound reasonable, but can be easily debunked.

If you understand magic at all, you will know how these pranks can easily be pulled off. Carbonaro and the producers have tons of time and huge resources to create these effects. He's not just walking into a store and doing magic.

Watch the super-simple trick he did for the Buick commercial and that will show you how much work is put into hiding the cameras and setting things up.

http://www.buick.com/michael-carbonaro-expectation-shattering-service.html

Not one of his marks is an actor. They are often setups, as explained in another comment, but their reaction is real. All of them.

There is editing done to obscure certain moves that might make the trick obvious to people (like the TV viewers) who know it's a trick, but that just makes our perception match the mark's, which is perfectly acceptable.

On the car/tent trick, my guess is that someone else came up to the mark briefly to distract his attention while they were rolling the car silently out the velcroed back wall of the tent. Then MC pulls in with a duplicate car and freaks the guy out. Their failure to show us the distraction event isn't a cheat, it's good production.

It seems that some people will only be satisfied when real magic is performed. They forget that these are ILLUSIONS and that it's the effect that matters, not the process.

When David Blaine does the Balducci levitation, which is a real trick that can be performed in front of real people (I know because I've done it), the reactions of the marks is real. But then the camera shows (supposedly) the marks' perspective with Blaine rising several feet in the air (NOT a real levitation trick, but just a device lifting him in the air). THAT to me is going too far. It's creating something in post-production that did not happen during the trick. Carbonaro does not do this. There is a LOT of setup, but no post-production add-ons, just normal editing.

This is the most realistic and entertaining magic show that's ever aired. Blaine and Angel are good, but this is funny and completely realistic.

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I agree completely with your post. Just wanted to let you know this, too:


On the car/tent trick, my guess is that someone else came up to the mark briefly to distract his attention while they were rolling the car silently out the velcroed back wall of the tent. Then MC pulls in with a duplicate car and freaks the guy out. Their failure to show us the distraction event isn't a cheat, it's good production.


On his recent "reveal" show, Michael said the only thing edited out of that clip was the length of time it took for the security guard to finally turn around and notice the car missing. They then proceeded to play the clip in its entirety to show that's what was edited out.

This show is absolutely my favorite of all the new shows and I really hope TruTV continues to renew it.

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Wayne, I didn't see that "reveal" show cuz I lost all interest in watching MC after the first few episodes.
Let me ask you something though:
" Imagine you're the mark sent to that parking lot to watch over that car and you're instructed to sit
on a chair in front of the tent (this most people would already find extremely strange)...is there any way
you would place the chair in the only position where you can't see the only object you're supposed to guard?
WITH YOUR BACK TO IT???? "
Anyone asked to stand guard would obviously place that chair at an angle where you can see the car at all
times, either sideways or, most likely, facing it.
Only if they told you to sit facing in the opposite direction would someone do this (I still wouldn't), And wouldn't
that be the strangest request ever? But note that any other position wouldn't allow for the trick to work as even if succesfully distracted to remove the car without him noticing it, he would have seen it missing before MC returned drriving iit,

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Sorry to resurrect this old post, but the guy is there to watch the car and wait for the prize winner to collect it. I don't see any reason why the chair would be facing the car. To the mark, the car is off and secured in the tent, so he knows it's not going anywhere.

If they were to hand the chair and table to the mark to set up himself, sure, he might place it in a way where he can see the car, but if the chair and table are already set up prior to him arriving, he's not going to rearrange it so he can keep his eye on the car.

Plus it's a car. If anyone were to steal it under normal circumstances, the mark would be able to stop that from happening no problem.

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Wayne, I didn't see that "reveal" show cuz I lost all interest in watching MC after the first few episodes.
Let me ask you something though:
" Imagine you're the mark sent to that parking lot to watch over that car and you're instructed to sit
on a chair in front of the tent (this most people would already find extremely strange)...is there any way
you would place the chair in the only position where you can't see the only object you're supposed to guard?
WITH YOUR BACK TO IT???? "
Anyone asked to stand guard would obviously place that chair at an angle where you can see the car at all
times, either sideways or, most likely, facing it.
Only if they told you to sit facing in the opposite direction would someone do this (I still wouldn't), And wouldn't
that be the strangest request ever? But note that any other position wouldn't allow for the trick to work as even if succesfully distracted to remove the car without him noticing it, he would have seen it missing before MC returned drriving iit,

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Wayne, I didn't see that "reveal" show cuz I lost all interest in watching MC after the first few episodes.
Let me ask you something though:
" Imagine you're the mark sent to that parking lot to watch over that car and you're instructed to sit
on a chair in front of the tent (this most people would already find extremely strange)...is there any way
you would place the chair in the only position where you can't see the only object you're supposed to guard?
WITH YOUR BACK TO IT???? "
Anyone asked to stand guard would obviously place that chair at an angle where you can see the car at all
times, either sideways or, most likely, facing it.
Only if they told you to sit facing in the opposite direction would someone do this (I still wouldn't), And wouldn't
that be the strangest request ever? But note that any other position wouldn't allow for the trick to work as even if succesfully distracted to remove the car without him noticing it, he would have seen it missing before MC returned driving iit.

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100% agree on everything you said!

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You are going way overboard with your analysis, with the emphasis on the "anal."

Are you aware of a show called Candid Camera? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053489/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

It first came on the air in 1960. It was wildly popular. It was the first major "hidden camera" show. People are photographed sometimes at one angle, sometimes at several different angles.

That was 56 years ago. Technology has advanced. This would apply to cameras as well. What you find so mysterious is actually old news.

The show is not "fake." It involves too many people, and word would get out.

The same charges are made against the Montreal-based show Just for Laughs. It's all based on a hidden camera techniques too. They're on YouTube. You'd never know from watching that the cameras were hidden, but they were - and the reactions are priceless. Just like on this show.

Your adamant cynicism is unattractive.

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Ah, I miss Candid Camera so much. And I love Just For Laughs! It's a riot!

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Look GoUSN,

It's a free country and I have the right to hold whatever opinion makes sense to me and to publicize it. Conversely, you have the right to completely disagree with it and express why. But there's no need to get personal, is there?

You think my "adamant cynicism" is unattractive and that's fine. You have the right to believe whatever you choose.

In turn, I think you are a naive, gullible and quite rude individual who, obviously, has too much time on his hands and has nothing better to do than criticize opinions of others that are ancient history by now. I would recommend you get a life pal. Otherwise you will be the extra anal moron here...

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Yeah, you have to laugh at someone getting mad about magic being fake. Magic isn't real morons everyone knows this so getting mad about it is insanely stupid.

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