Mark, I found your channel and had to watch you because i met your daughter in our freshman year of college and because who doesn't love magic? Excellent performance, very impressive!! So happy that you got the trophy! Willing to bet that you and your family are proud! Well deserved! ❤😊
I don’t even know where begin with this. As a performer myself I can only say with all that is going on here with the simplicity and storytelling I’m totally amazed to my core. Having the pleasure of knowing Mark for only a short time and sharing techniques with him and magic theories I’m totally inspired when I see such a beautiful presentation. Hats off to you Mark. Keep up the original thinking.
As some of the comments already said, it's really great to see someone pick up magic later in life and be so passionate about it, you can really tell you are having as much fun (if not more) as anyone else, and a great trick to boot, passing the x to alysson got me fooled real early
Non-magician taking a wild-a*se guess: is this like faith healing? Power of placebo and all that? Because heat is SO subjective… …but if that were it, it would be unethical to hold her hand down over the flame. So there’s got to be something else. (I was guzumped by the jumping X though, so take my opinions for what they’re worth!) Great trick, mate 😄
I’m dumbfounded, this was incredible. Iv seen nearly every penn and teller fool us and feel that Iv gotten fairly hard to fool as a result. I don’t even have a guess on this one 😂 Well done 😁
I don't know how it works but my guess is that he can "turn on" or off the real flame, and he does it with his left hand, maybe using a valve or any other kind of switch behind the stand of the candle, that's why he didn't move or lift the candle at any time, but that's just a guess (watch the video again focusing on his left hand). Anyway, right or wrong (most probably wrong) I still don't know how this system works. I loved the trick!
I was thinking, he was holding her wrist in some way to block of some sort of pain receptor or something but then he let her hand go and she still didn't feel anything. Brilliant
Penn always has something nice to say about each magician, but he doesn’t give the yes (or no) til the end. as we know he’s very intelligent, and Teller is an incredible magician with a very intelligent pal. So they’re both very astute. to fool them is quite a triumph! 😋✨💫
Strange sound. Thought my tv was on the blink, but I didn’t blink through the trick and it was the most amazing magic I’ve ever seen. The decision to involve Alyson was scary and Teller looked very concerned. The decision to bring down her unprotected hand so Alyson could confirm the heat was a master stroke. Of all the tricks I’ve seen in the series which appeared impossible, THIS appears to be the most impossible of them all.
To describe this I can only think on the old phrase "there is beauty in simplicity". Don't get me wrong I don't think the trick is simple, but the way it is presented, so simple, straight forward and smooth is just beautiful. I felt like a kid in awe watching this. Thank you Sr!
You are awesome sir, God bless you in Jesus name for your performance and kindness! This is one of the best tricks I ever watched and I've seen alot. Love from Ireland
Ha ha, Teller put his hand over the flame and jerked it away. So much for the fake flame theory. And Allison is just so darned likeable. The perfect patsy for tricks.
So many tricks _have_ to include a plot because the actual trick is so trivial/commonplace, like a force or using a thumb writer. If you were to just do such a trick with no performance, it'd be pretty boring. That's how you know this one is special: it needs no fancy presentation because it stands on its own as intriguing and mind blowing as it is unique.
I think he uses the power of suggestion to convince her that the hand with the x marking on it is somehow special such that no flame can be felt (even thought there is nothing special about an x marking as it is just ash as Penn discloses). He primes her suggestibility by ‘demonstrating’ “the power of the X” (acting), making light of putting a hand over a flame when it has an X on it, and suggestive questioning. The suggestive questioning comes when he says: “hey Allison, under normal circumstances, you would not be able to hold your hand over the flame.” (3:28). What are normal circumstances? Does this candle follow with normal circumstances? If it does, then the magician has successfully implanted the suggestion that the X is magically produces resistant to heat. If it is not a normal candle (i.e. cold flame or doesn’t burn hot), then he has successfully implanted the suggestion that without the X ‘protecting,’ the subject must feel heat as is typical for a candle. Additionally, preconceived beliefs/ conditioning (hovering hand over flame produces an unpleasant heat sensation in hand) plays a major roll in the suggestibility of the trick. In short, I believe the trick is only one produced by the human mind on itself, and the audience (including Penn and Teller) are fooled as a result of observational conditioning (learning by watching someone else’s conditioning).
As a fellow Mark I am so glad you did this. You've shown me that not only do I have time to work on my magic while doing other things, that it's never too late, but that with passion and drive you can even fool two magicians who have been doing it for years. You are amazing, thank you.
