Wizard Wars (2014) s01e04 Episode Script

To do great magic, you need to be willing to do more than the audience thinks the trick is worth.
Now, Max Malini, a famous magician from about a hundred years ago, would do an impromptu trick that would end with him producing a big block of ice from a random spectator's hat.
Just boom, boom, ice.
Nice trick.
Pulling a big block of ice out of nowhere.
It seems impossible.
Where could Max get a block of ice when he'd been in plain view at the party for the whole evening? Well, the answer is Max would arrive at the party with a bigger block of ice hidden on his person.
That's right, he'd attend parties lugging around a big block of ice hidden on his body and melting all over him.
Wasn't he really uncomfortable? Well, yes! Now, what kind of stone-cold fool would carry a block of ice around all night for one magic trick? The answer? A real magician.
Now, as judges on Wizard Wars, we're looking for creative, deceptive show people who are willing to throw caution to the wind and do tricks with objects they've never seen before.
And we'll be giving extra bonus points for anyone willing to pull a Max Malini.
Genius.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Wizard Wars.
Let the games begin! Let's hear it for our Wizards, Justin Flom, Shimshi, Angela Funovits, and Gregory Wilson.
Hey, everyone.
Great to see you this week.
I'm Ellen Fox, and welcome to Wizard Wars.
Here's how Wizard Wars works.
Teams of magicians are given everyday objects that they must turn into some truly mind-blowing magic.
Today, two teams of magic creators will compete against each other in the challenger round.
Now, the team that wins the challenger round will advance to take on a team of our Wizards in round two, the Wizard War.
If the challengers beat the Wizards, they're walking away with $10,000.
Our first judges are unparalleled performers.
They've been named Las Vegas Magicians of the Year a total of seven times.
Please welcome Penn and Teller.
Our next judge is a world-renowned magic critic and all around smarty-pants, Christen Gerhart.
And our final judge is one of only four Americans to win magic's most prestigious title.
The Grand Prix World Champion of Magic, Jason Latimer.
All right, who's in the mood for magic? Now our first team of challengers.
He's scored huge praise as a semifinalist on America's Got Talent and has performed across the globe.
Please welcome Leon Etienne.
Some of the most powerful magic in the world is created with everyday, ordinary objects.
So if I can take my illusion background and use these objects and combine them together, I think we'll have a pretty good product.
And teaming up with Leon is an illusionist who has her own TV show in the UK.
A Canadian citizen with comedic chops and the fastest hands in the West of Europe.
It's the very charming Billy Kidd.
I like to do a lot of street performing, I like to add a little humor inside and not be too serious.
Magic is a very male-dominated world.
So I'm here representing the ladies and I'm here to win.
Competing against these budding superstars are a couple of crafty conjurers from New Jersey, including a street performer who consults for some of the world's top illusionists.
Give it up for Mark Calabrese.
I'm best known for doing a lot of close-up magic as well as I'm a big street performer.
I've recently consulted for Criss Angel and I am ready to show the world who Mark Calabrese is.
And teaming up with Mark is a 19-year-old college sophomore who's already creating and selling illusions on the magic market, John Stessel.
I could not be more thrilled for my opportunity on Wizard Wars.
It's really gonna put my creative process to the test.
Now here is how the challenger round is going to work.
Each team will be given three of the same everyday objects.
Each of them must be used at least once in a routine.
You will be judged on your creativity, deception, and showmanship.
Object one, a calculator.
Object two, standard-issue balloons.
And object three, an electric leaf blower with its very own pile of leaves.
Leon and Billy are up first.
They've already built their routine, so let's take a look at how they did it.
Oh, wow.
That's cool.
- Yeah? - Yeah, yeah.
Well, we know this is definitely a prop we have to use.
Yeah, we have to incorporate that into the routine somehow.
How's my hair? It's still pretty.
Calculator? This is the one I'm stuck on most.
Here's what I think we should do with the calculator.
That might not work, Leon, if we have to actually use the calculator, so You know what we could do? We could do something like That's great.
Will their routine add up? - We still have a calculator.
- Yeah, but now we still have the same problem as before.
Let's find out.
Leon and Billy, take it away.
Raise your hand if you've ever blown up a balloon before.
Okay, quite a lot of you.
Party animals.
I like that.
We like that.
So because you've blown up a balloon before, that means you know that every time you do so you actually take a calculated risk that it'll pop right in front of your face.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, Billy and I have dedicated our life to magic.
Magic isn't all about rabbits, cheese, and top hats.
- No, no.
- It's about mystery.
It's about not knowing what's going to happen next.
Now, there's a certain thrill when you watch magic.
As it's mixed with feelings of apprehension, anxiety, and tension.
Here's a little surprise.
Yes! Check that out.
That is the calculator! Inside the balloon.
There's one thing that Canadians cannot live without.
And that is our maple leaves, and of course, our maple syrup.
Wizards, we don't want to assume anything at all, so don't get us wrong, but just in case - we make it to round two-- - Just in case.
- We've brought you a-- - Little peace offering, you can say.
Yeah, peace offering, so you can take it easy on us.
This was imported illegally, so - declare nothing! - Greg, that is a brand-new, sealed bottle of maple syrup.
- Can you confirm that? - Confirmed.
And, guys, I don't know if you know this, but maple leaves are just like snowflakes.
They're all unique and different.
And, um Penn and Teller? I'm gonna set these maple leaves on the table.
And we're gonna randomize them just a little bit.
This no rhyme or reason to this.
And, Penn, if you would, please, pick out a leaf.
- So pick a leaf, any leaf.
- I have a leaf.
All right, and, Penn, if you could take this pen and sign your name on that leaf.
And, Teller, if you could do the same on the same side, - that would be amazing.
- Same side, Teller, please.
- Great.
- Perfect.
- So you guys have signed the leaf.
- Yes, we have.
Yes, so, ladies and gentlemen, we're now gonna go up onstage, and just watch Billy.
She has Penn and Teller's - signed leaf.
Look at the signature.
- You can see the signature? 'Cause here's where it gets very interesting.
We're gonna take Penn and Teller's signed maple leaf - Yup.
- and randomize it amongst all the other maple leaves.
Billy doesn't know where the signed maple leaf is.
I don't know and you guys certainly don't know.
- Here's where it gets weird.
- So, Leon's gonna stuff these leaves inside the leaf blower, 'cause that's what you do.
- Sure is.
- And what we're gonna do is we're gonna get some power and power up this sucker.
Leon is then gonna shoot these leaves straight at me.
Now here's the idea.
I'm gonna try to catch the signed leaf.
Not with my hands.
- Not with my mouth.
- But with? - But with this.
- A chopstick! Was that-- - Was that an Asian joke? - That is not an Asian joke, Billy.
That is a budget joke.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna say, "Go.
" When I say, "Go," you count, "Three, two, one.
" When you get to one, I'm turning on a leaf blower and I'm blowing the leaves at Billy.
Here we go.
Ready? Set? Go! Three, two, one.
- Yes! - No, Leon.
- No.
- No? - No, uh - What do you mean, "No"? - Leon - Well, ladies and gentlemen, what you've just seen is not an amazing magic trick.
You have witnessed a $10,000 mistake.
- Does anyone see it anywhere? - Umm Um, Billy, what is it that you guys like in Canada again? - Maple syrup.
- Maple syrup? Yeah.
Actually used some in my hair this morning, but, uh, Greg, before they started, before Penn and Teller signed a leaf, we gave you a gift as a peace offering.
You know that maple syrup? It's sealed.
There was nothing in it, can you-- Yeah, pick it up.
- Gift or bribery? - You still have it? - Do you see something inside? - What the-- What's in there? Is that a maple leaf in there? - It looks like a maple leaf.
- A signed maple leaf.
Yeah? Penn and Teller, is that your signature? - Teller, is that your signature? - Please confirm.
Is that your signature? Hey, Teller, we need confirmation.
Yes.
Yes! It is! - I'm Leon Etienne.
- And I'm Billy Kidd.
Thank you! All right, let's find out what the judges have to say.
I don't know if Teller's closed his mouth yet.
- That's awesome.
- We're gonna start with Christen.
I loved the energy, you guys worked really well together.
All the funny moments.
Yes, it was a little rehearsed, but I didn't give a crap.
It was awesome.
And you guys look great together, you used the room, and that was ridiculous! Thank you very much.
We're supposed to judge on creativity, showmanship, deceptiveness.
Creativity, through the roof.
Showmanship, right from the very beginning, you owned the room.
And then, at the end, just when I felt like I was gonna be like, "Okay, we're doing a stab.
Okay, all right.
" You threw that thing in there and just completely floored me.
Thank you so much for that.
All right, Teller's face already spoke volumes.
Penn, what do you think? They sucked.
There's a thing that you have to do in comedy which is, if you empathize with the comedian as if they're gonna have some trouble, there's no chance of getting a laugh.
The most important thing is to feel that you're in good hands.
And from the very first balloon pops, which was not an astonishing trick, but was an astonishing timing and idea and just everything about it was perfect.
I just completely relaxed, and I just loved it.
All right, thank you, judges.
Billy and Leon, that was one sweet trick.
Let's see what your opponents have on tap.
Right after this.
Coming up We're gonna show you what we did in our day-to-day in the Garden State.
Team Jersey blows everyone away.
Welcome back to Wizard Wars.
We are midway through the challenger round where two teams of masterful magic creators must transform a calculator, standard-issue party balloons, a leaf blower and its accompanying pile of leaves into extraordinary routines.
The winner will face our Wizards in the Wizard War for a chance at $10,000.
The magical pride of the Garden State, Mark Calabrese and John Stessel are up next, and they've already built their routine, so let's see how they did it.
What are you thinking to do with the leaf blower? I'm thinking maybe we can float somebody with it.
Maybe like a mind reading/mentalism using the leaves.
Maybe we can do something with the balloon and the calculator? Like, put like a-- - Put the calculator into the balloon, magically.
- Maybe.
Team Jersey decides to use the calculator - and the balloons - Check this out.
for a prediction routine that they hope - really pops.
- Dude, that was crazy.
Mark and John, the stage is yours.
Go, John! Guys, clap 'cause he doesn't know what he's doing.
There you go.
- Christen? We have a gift for you.
- Mm-hmm? - Oh, thank you.
- We thought you'd like a balloon.
Guys, I'm sorry, we only brought one balloon.
So, that's a little bit of incentive, you know, get us the next round, maybe some gifts for you.
We're gonna show you what we did in our day-to-day goings on in the Garden State.
- John? - In math class I never actually did math, but I did learn a pretty cool trick with a calculator.
So I'd like to show this to you.
- Would you mind helping me out? - Sure.
Perfect.
So what I want you to do is just name any two-digit number you can think of.
Okay, 23.
Perfect.
And name another two-digit number.
And name another two-digit number? And name another two-digit number.
Perfect, we'll get back to this in a moment, all right? I wanna show you guys what I used to do when I was supposed to be cleaning my yard.
Didn't do it, did magic.
I'm gonna show you a little magic using some air.
John, can you stand behind me for a second? And turn on the leaf blower.
Pop it on.
Yeah? Behind me.
Behind me, there you go.
Blow it at the balloon now.
Blow at the balloon.
Keep blowing, keep blowing, keep blowing.
Keep blowing, keep blowing.
Keep blowing, keep blowing.
Okay, there's only one thing, I think, that can beat the balloon magic.
- What's that? - Math magic.
Okay, nerd.
Let's see what you can do.
But honestly weren't you the one who taught me how to do this? Back when we first started this? - I think I was.
- I think if you take this over, man, - I think you'll kill it.
- Okay.
Did you hit these numbers? Give me those numbers again.
23, okay.
And then one more.
31, okay.
And equals.
And we got one big number.
Can you read that number out loud for me? 8, 3, 1, 2, 9, 4.
8, 3, 1, 9, 2, 4? Okay.
8, 3, 1, 9, 2, 4.
Thank you.
Christen, that's your balloon, right? It's got your name on it, Christen? - Yeah.
- I want you-- can you pop that balloon? - There's something inside that balloon.
- Sure.
Perfect, you see that? There's a piece of paper on the tape-- right there-- perfect.
- Open up that piece of paper for me.
- Okay.
- Tell us what the first number.
- Eight.
Eight.
Bam! What's the next one? - Tres.
Three.
- Bam! - Uno.
- Uno! - Nine.
- Niner! - Two.
- Dos.
- Four.
- 8-3-1-9-2-4.
8-3-1-9-2-4.
Let's hear what your judges thought of your performance.
Penn? You know, prediction tricks, it's really important that the audience understands exactly how you got to the numbers.
And I'm not really, really fast with multiplication in my head.
So I can't do four double-digit multiplication numbers in my head.
I wish we had-- We'd understood and been taken through that number.
A little bit slower, the prediction would've been better.
As far as creativity, I liked using the leaf blower as a magic wand.
And as far as showmanship, there was a comfort in addressing the audience that I kinda liked.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
I like predictions, but I don't think that was as strong as it could've been.
I think there could've been a little more buildup.
You could've had a couple people involved.
Just that next level to make it that much more amazing, but the balloon was awesome.
It was a really creative way to use that.
In terms of showmanship, you guys could've had a little bit more energy.
I wanted to keep my attention with you guys and I really wanted to do that, but it was a little bit tough when there were these dead spaces.
But overall I thought it was very solid and I really enjoyed watching you guys.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Thank you very much.
First of all, I love the creativity behind this type of show because the effects forced you to think outside the box.
The leaf blower, blowing wind, everybody is already familiar with the concept of it.
It takes you back to that moment where I can wonder if that was possible.
As far as showmanship, obviously you guys have been onstage because you've never met before and you still controlled the room.
Now, on the other side of it, right in the very beginning, you gotta come out and just crush 'em.
Just-- this is your show.
That's just a quick structure thing.
So, thank you very much for that.
- It was a great show.
- Thank you.
Find out who's headed to the Wizard War right after this.
Coming up - Okay, you're thinking of a card, right? - Uh-huh.
A world champion of magic has a trick up his sleeve You can actually see I'm drawing it on my skin, is that correct? that you've got to see to believe.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Enjoy the show.
Welcome back to Wizard Wars.
Two teams of challengers just created a mind-blowing magic routine using the same three everyday objects.
Now it's time to find out which team will move on to the matchup against two of our in-house Wizards in the Wizard War for a chance to win $10,000.
Penn, the judges had a chance to weigh both performances.
It's time to make a decision.
Mark and John, you did great.
It was just-- it was a great routine, great tricks, it was all done wonderfully.
Great personality.
Unfortunately, you were against some people that every single thing they tried went perfectly.
And we, as the judges, are very eager to see if they can get lucky again against the Wizards.
All right, congratulations, Leon and Billy, you're moving on to the Wizard War.
In this round, each team will be given four random objects to create a routine.
A janitor's key ring, a mini-fridge, a drivable kids' car, and a horse mask.
Wizards, two of you will take on Leon and Billy.
I'll give you a moment to decide who it's gonna be.
- Let's see who-- - That horse mask sounds terrible.
I can actually do something interesting with the janitor's keys.
- I'm kind of a lock pick, but maybe-- - You two? - All right, we got it.
- Who is gonna compete in tonight's Wizard War? Greg and I.
Wow.
Now, upstairs we have a workshop and everything you need to turn these objects into world-class magic.
Challengers, you're up first, so lead the way.
All right, while the challengers work on their routines, we are in for a treat.
Our resident Grand Prix World Champion of Magic and our very own judge, Jason Latimer, has a trick up his sleeve for us.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, my entire life has been shaped around one question.
"What is possible?" And that passion led to studying all applied sciences because I really wanted to know the rules.
And that ultimately led to magic where the edge is of what is possible and what is not.
And with all the hidden secrets I've collected over the years, I'd like to show you one of them that I came across.
Miss? And your name is? - Austin.
- Austin, pleasure to meet you.
Now, Austin, I need you to be thinking of a card.
- Okay.
- Okay, you're thinking of a card, right? - Uh-huh.
- I'm gonna commit to the card that you're thinking of by drawing it on my skin.
- It won't be a switch.
- Uh-huh.
I'm actually gonna draw it out using this permanent marker.
That means, no matter what I write, this will still be a marker.
That's a really stupid joke, I'm not gonna use that anymore.
You can actually see I'm drawing it on my skin.
Is that correct? All right, and I believe I think I got it.
- The ace of clubs.
- No.
I'm not finished.
I'm gonna draw a deck of cards on my arm.
That is now a deck of cards, and your card is in there.
Now, this show is about creativity.
Seeing outside the box.
And in this case I want to try to change it up a little bit.
So in a normal magic trick we can pick a card and find it.
So in this card trick I'm actually gonna say what is the card you're thinking of? Four of diamonds.
- The four of diamonds.
- Yeah.
Well, if I shake a deck of cards, I can cause the card to rise, but we wanna see something new, so if I shake the drawing on my arm, I'm gonna cause your card to rise out of my arm.
See if we can get a shot on my arm if you would.
Here, you got it? Here we go.
Four of diamonds.
Ah! - Is that your card? - Yes! Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Enjoy the show.
The amazing Jason Latimer.
The challengers have their work cut out for them if they're gonna turn their hodgepodge of objects into magic anywhere near as good as our world champions.
So let's try not to judge as we take a peek at what they've come up with.
Can you fit in there? Okay, does it make my butt look big? - Where's the brake? - Gas pedal is what you need.
To the right.
Whoa.
This is not safe.
Hey! Easy, girl.
I'm going to the shop, what do you need? After a test drive, Leon and Billy try to wrap their heads around the horse mask.
Well, I was playing with putting it on.
Almost like a blindfold.
Like, you think in a mentalist kind of thing? - Maybe.
Yeah.
- Okay.
That's kinda creepy.
Next stop, the refrigerator.
So what if we had something like where we placed items in the fridge and we closed it up? - And, boom, open it - Open it.
and the object is gone.
Something like that.
- That might be something.
- That could be a possibility.
That could be.
Are we thinking combining keys with the car? - Car? - It seems logical.
- But is the idea magic? - But what's the magic trick? Can they jump-start their routine? - This is not-- - How does the car drive? - I'm really freaking out.
- Coming up - We won the first round, that's pretty awesome.
- Yeah! Billy and Leon are ready to celebrate.
Let's pop some bubbly.
Yes.
But will their plans go up in flames? Welcome back, everyone.
Time for the main event, the Wizard War.
The challengers are up first.
There's $10,000 on the line.
All they have to do is outperform the Wizards.
The judges are looking for the best routine using the same four everyday objects.
A horse mask, a janitor's key chain, a mini-fridge, and a drivable kids' car.
Ready? Leon and Billy, take it away.
- We won the first round! That's pretty awesome.
- Yeah! - So - So we thought maybe we would just take a little time and have a little celebration with you guys.
- Drinks? - Celebrate all together? Yeah? What have we got to drink, Billy? - We have - We have - a balloon.
- A balloon? - Typical.
- Uh, so it looks like a leftover balloon from round one.
Which is, again, a budget show.
But let's pop some bubbly.
Yes.
- Cheers to round two! - Yeah! You know what? Maybe, Leon, before we get into that, we should probably do round two sober.
Yeah, and get drunk after? - Yeah.
Yeah, okay.
- Okay, good.
That works for me.
Guys, can we just borrow a couple of items from you guys? - Yeah, if I could maybe use this.
- a little hot onstage.
- That'll be good.
- And, uh - Billy, do you have-- - Yeah, here you go.
You guys can hear that.
That is a set of janitor's keys.
And, Penn and Teller, these keys are gonna become important - in just a little bit.
- I'll bet.
So, we're just gonna leave 'em here on your table.
If that's okay? Just keep an eye on 'em, make sure no one messes with 'em.
Okay? All right, so what we're gonna do next is we're actually gonna need the help from somebody in the audience.
But we wanna make this pretty random, okay? So we're gonna take one of these magnets.
Let's just use the letter "U.
" And I'm gonna toss the magnet behind my back.
Here we go.
All right.
- One - Give it a rip.
- two, three.
- Three.
Please somebody catch that.
- Don't be-- don't-- - Who's got it? Who's got the "U"? - You got the "U"? - Yes.
Give a round of applause.
Would you mind coming up onstage? Thank you very much.
You can stand this way.
So as you can see we got these magnets on the fridge.
And your job is quite simple.
You're just gonna mix those magnets up in any order that you like.
It doesn't matter which order.
But your job is to make sure the audience does not see what you're doing.
Okay? We're gonna turn the fridge around.
And, ma'am, whenever you would like, please step behind there and just randomize those magnets, so you're gonna create a new order.
All right, you ready? On the count of three you're gonna mix.
Here we go.
One, two, three, and mix those, mix those, mix those really, really good, all right? - Don't let them see you.
You gotta do more mixing.
- Billy, Billy, Billy! Billy! Calm down.
They get the point.
Okay? - Give her-- back off.
- I was just excited.
- Are you happy with your order? - Yes.
- All right.
- Please come forward and give her a huge round of applause.
Give her a round of applause.
Now, young lady, you have never met us before.
- That is the truth, correct? - Correct.
- Okay, so let's see what she's come up with.
- What you've created.
- You ready? Here we go.
- Yup.
And that is what you've come up with.
But this order is actually gonna be very important - and we are gonna show you why.
- Yes.
- Okay, ready? - All right.
All right, now we need a little bit of your help right here.
Audience, if you could kind of like - like a running sound.
- Keep it going.
Come on, keep it going.
Louder! - Here we go.
- Louder.
- Louder, the tarp is up! - Tarp is up! Ladies and gentlemen-- We'll now present to you the appearing horse of mystery! Horsey, come here, give me a kiss.
Mwah.
Thank you.
See you later, horsey.
Ladies and gentlemen, the hard part of all this was taking the horse and changing it into horsepower.
Now you might be wondering, "What does this all have to do with anything?" And it's not just 'cause we were forced to use these objects.
These all have a secret connection.
You, miss.
You mixed up the magnets, and you may have noticed that the first magnet you put there is indeed a purple one, - yes? - Yes.
And this entire time, Penn and Teller, in front of you there has been a key ring sitting on your table, yes? - And no one has come near that? - That's correct.
That first key on the key ring, is that a purple key ring? - Purple key? - Uh, yes, it is.
Yes, it is.
And please flip up the next one, Teller.
Is the next key a red key? - Yes? - Yes, it is.
And the third one, Teller? - Green? - It's green? Is the next one yellow? And following that, is the last key blue? So, Teller, is it an exact match in color to what is on that refrigerator randomized by this young lady? It is! If you guys actually read the magnets, we got M, 4, 5, R, and 8.
All right? "M" 4-5 R-8.
It's the exact numbers in the exact colors! Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Leon Etienne.
I'm Billy Kidd.
All right, judges, let's find out your reactions.
Jason.
The effects were great and I applaud you for being creative with such random objects.
But I would've liked to see the fridge used for more than just magnets, but it's really a fridge.
It's hard to use.
I did see one effect that actually stood out to me 'cause it was so strong, but it wasn't part of the props that we gave you.
And it was the balloon and the wine bottle.
So it's hard for me to give you credit for a prop that wasn't provided.
Other than that, I think it was a great show.
Thank you.
The keys thing I love how delicate and fragile it is.
I love the fact that the order is just there and it could be disrupted anytime at all.
I thought that the zombie horse head floating along-- I liked the level of playful on that.
It was really, really good.
All right, and, Christen, what'd you think? In terms of creativity, I think you guys did an amazing job with what you were given.
In terms of deceptiveness, I think that it-- you guys killed it in the first round and you can't really beat that.
We were expecting planets to collide.
That being said, this was killer.
Showmanship, you guys nail it every time.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
All right, thank you, judges.
We'll see if our Wizards, Gregory and Shimshi, have the right magical combination to top them right after this.
Coming up I'm an honest con man, I'm honest about my dishonesty.
The Wizards go for broke - Do you have your wallet? - No, I don't have-- Thank you very much.
but will the risk pay off? Welcome back to Wizard Wars.
The Wizards already built their routine, so let's see how well they handled the pressure.
Okay, let's see what we got.
Oh, look.
We got a lock.
We got latches.
What if we put one of these keys in that key chain? - Okay.
- They make a small discovery.
- Hold on to that-- - You know what the thing is, though? Everybody's gonna be expecting us to do something with the big car.
What if we set it up and do something with the little car? Ah.
We can kinda turn it into a poncho or something.
Greg gets to work on the car while Shimshi alters the Mexican blanket to use with the horse mask.
Doesn't it look good? - You know why I love this? - I don't like it.
'Cause you're gonna be wearing that.
Why don't we flip for it? Unfortunately for Shimshi I got a coin.
All right.
letting Greg provide the coin was a big mistake.
- Heads or tails? - Tails.
Damn it! All right, Wizards, time to live up to your name.
- I'm Gregory Wilson.
- And I'm Shimshi.
And Greg, before we start, I saw you.
- You have to give it back.
- I'm confused.
- Go ahead.
- What? - This time-- - Come on, come on, come on.
- Oh, do I have to? - Yes, yes.
Yup.
Is there a Michael Ali in the room here? A Michael.
Oh, did you-- I'm so-- That can't be him.
Okay, all right.
I'm an honest con man.
I'm honest about my dishonesty.
I want you to-- Our first volunteer, ladies and gentlemen.
Right this way.
Michael Ali.
Michael Ali.
I'm gonna give it back, okay.
Put this over here and you're gonna do the key thing for him.
Yeah, so here's what we're gonna do.
Here's what we're gonna do.
- We have here a refrigerator.
- Okay.
- Right? It's locked.
- Right.
You can check it from all the way around that it's-- Oh, don't check that close.
I'm kidding.
- Well, I'm not coming over there.
- The reason that it's locked like this is because we have a very valuable prize inside, okay? - Okay.
- We have here a bunch of keys.
- One of them opens the lock.
- One key and one key only.
- So give that one a shot.
- Okay.
- Just a random key, give it a shot.
- Right.
- Is it open? - No, it doesn't open.
No? All right, that doesn't count, all right? Come over here.
I'm gonna spread 'em out.
We're gonna make sure everybody gets a good look at them.
They're all different.
Now, listen to me very carefully.
I'm gonna try to influence your choice to choose the right key.
- Okay.
- You can choose any one of those keys, - whichever one you want.
- Okay.
Go ahead.
Ahh! You scared me for a second.
All right.
Remember, they're all different, you chose one key.
- Okay.
- Give it a shot.
Go ahead, open that up.
- Oh, no.
- It opens.
Let's see what you're going to win.
You win - a loaf of bread! - Oh, congratulations! Wow, that's amazing.
- That's right.
- Speak up, how do you feel? - You don't feel anything apparently.
- He's not very excited.
But, look, this loaf of bread is more valuable than you think.
- Did you check your wallet? - Check it for-- - Yeah.
Do you have your wallet? - No, I don't have-- - You don't have your wallet? - Thank you very much.
- Remember, this was locked the whole time.
- Right.
And this is sealed.
Come closer and take a look.
- You see where we're going with this? - Yeah.
Yeah? That's not me, it's him.
- Look.
Is that sealed? - Yeah, it's sealed.
Reach in and take that.
Take up a top slice.
We're good.
- You were good? - Yeah! - Oh.
- It's just-- No, okay.
Reach in and grab the next one.
Right, all right.
You don't eat nutritious? Come on, get in there.
What is it? - It's my wallet.
- Is that your wallet? - That's my wallet.
- That your wallet? Give him a nice hand.
Go back to the safety of your seat.
Okay, before you sit, I'm gonna give you a choice - and a chance.
- Uh-huh.
- You still got it? - I still have it.
But now look.
The box or the wallet? But look how big the box is.
It's nice.
I'll take the wallet.
- You get a little wallet, it's a big box.
- It's so big.
Come on.
All right, let's show you what's inside the box.
- Wanna see what you could've had? - Sure, let me see it.
Oh, my God.
It's a brand-new It is, indeed A brand-new car! A brand-new car! - Get inside.
- May I? This is gonna freak you out.
Take a good look at the car.
Take a good look at Shimshi.
Look at them both.
Look at them both.
This is the incredible shrinking Shimshi illusion.
The incredible shrinking Shimshi illusion.
This is gonna freak you out.
One last look at him.
Are you ready for this? On the count of one, two, boom, it's done.
Ladies and gentlemen, look at that! It's right there, look at the size! It's a shrinking Shimshi! Is it a big car or a little Shimshi? It's amazing.
Congratulations.
- Wow.
Oh! The thing.
- What thing? - Ah, nice try.
- There's no thing.
Tut, tut.
Speaking of horsepower - Okay.
- who's gotta wear the horse's mask? Okay.
- Put it on.
- All right.
I think he'd look better with the horse's mask on.
What do you think? Huh? Why the long face? Come on, make it happen.
- Do your thing.
- No, get out of here! Let me do this.
Okay, do the dance.
Do the dance.
- I'll do the dance.
- The trot.
The fox-trot.
- Do your thing.
- All right.
I should explain.
You guys probably-- none of us really wanted to wear the horse mask, so Greg suggested to flip a coin and whoever loses has to wear the horse mask.
And he flipped it, and I unfortunately lost.
We'll put it on and see what happens.
How do I look? Greg suggested to do one more thing.
You guys think this is good? He said it would add some color to this.
- Does it add any color? - Yeah.
I don't think it does.
Well, let's try to put it on and see what happens to-- All right.
Are you guys ready? I can't hear you.
Come on.
What you guys don't realize with a con man that sometimes nothing is what it appears to be.
Wait a minute.
Where's Shimshi? I saw the whole thing.
- I saw-- Did you see it? - Yes.
Did you see it? Isn't it amazing? - What? - I saw the whole thing with my own eyes.
You weren't good.
That wasn't good at all.
- I saw it - Are you kid-- - with my own-- Ladies and gentlemen, the "Mission Impossible" big finish right there.
It's Shimshi! Dance your way up.
That's how it's done.
Thank you, guys.
All right, we're gonna hear what the judges have to say.
Christen Gerhart, what did you think of this two-faced performance? Ah.
I adore watching you guys.
You guys are hysterical.
I loved that you played to Greg's skills.
Really embracing that con man aspect of it was awesome.
It was a great way to start out.
You immediately grabbed our attention for sure.
That was awesome.
You guys work incredibly well together.
I loved the shrinking Shimshi.
I thought it was great.
The production at the end was great.
I loved that you ended up over here.
I thought that was really great.
Overall, I really enjoyed it.
I laughed a lot.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Each of the effects were absolutely strong in their own right.
The connection was a little weak, for me, but you're talking about a toy car and a horse head.
You know? Deception, I love transpositions.
And I think using the horse mask as a mask for the transposition was a great idea.
So, thank you very much.
That was great.
That was great.
That kind of two-person switch thing and ponchos moving to other places is really hard.
It's the kind of thing that when we do in our show, that's months and months and months of work.
So I saw those-- the problem with the connections being tenuous, but I also saw was really big balls.
Doing really hard stuff just because it was really hard stuff.
So I will say all the flaws that they mentioned are there and I don't care.
I liked the fact that you tried to do stuff that's harder than anyone else tried.
All right, thank you, judges.
Will the challengers take the $10,000 prize, or will the Wizards cruise to victory? Find out right after this.
Welcome back to Wizard Wars.
This is the moment of truth.
Which team is the winner of tonight's Wizard War? - Penn.
- Well, it was a tough call.
You know you're talking about showmanship, creativity, and deception.
All of those were wonderful across both teams.
You chose to use a refrigerator as essentially a blackboard, a magnetic board.
You chose to use it as a safe.
Two very different ways of looking at it.
You kind of both did the appearance of the car, and the horse head, you chose to give us an invisible horse behind the cloth and threw the tail in.
You get a lot of points for the tail.
You chose to switch one into the other and do one of the hardest magic things we've seen here.
Astonishing from all four of you.
But the switching one for the other onstage in a horse mask is really, really gutsy.
So I will say in a very, very close call it goes to our Wizards.
Wonderful job.
All right.
I'm sorry Leo and Billy.
This one goes to our Wizards.
Good night from Wizard Wars!