Original subtitles

DEAN CAIN: Illusion.

The art of tricking the brain.

Distorting the senses.

Challenging perception.

You can't trust what you see, even with your own eyes.

Because your brain can be misled.

Meet the masters of illusion.

♪ MUSIC ♪

I'm Dean Cain and I want to challenge what you

think is real and what you think is illusion.

Does the brain always see what the eye sees?

Or does it play games with you?

Case in point, look at this.

Is one tabletop a different shape than the other?

Well, don't believe what you see.

They are both the same.

It is your brain that created the difference.

We invite you to watch these masters of illusion.

There are no camera tricks.

These performances take place in real time before a live

audience.

You see what they see.

Nothing has been edited out.

Are your eyes and brain fast enough for them?

Our first performer is known for his lightning speed.

Watch closely and see if you can catch him in the act.

Here is Jan Rouven.

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN CAIN: What happens when you bring together a master

illusionist and a piano genius?

Well, our next performers are just that.

Take a look as Jarrett and Raja transform fantasy into

reality.

♪ MUSIC ♪

JARRETT: You are perfect.

Really.

Come with me.

I have something really special to show you.

It's right over here.

RAJA: No, no, no.

JARRETT: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You'll be fine.

RAJA: I don't do this.

JARRETT: Off with the jacket.

RAJA: I need my jacket.

This is crazy.

JARRETT: We need you.

RAJA: This is insane.

Can we talk about this?

JARRETT: You'll be fine.

Trust me.

RAJA: No, no, no.

I want to go back.

JARRETT It's fine. (LAUGHS)

RAJA: Can we talk about this?

JARRETT (LAUGHS)

RAJA: I really want to get off...

(SAW NOISE) JARRETT: Oh, no you don't.

Oh, no you don't. No, you don t.

RAJA:No, no, no, no, no.

No!

JARRETT: Here we go.

Ha!

RAJA: Whoa! (APPLAUSE)

JARRETT: Yes!

RAJA: Hey.

JARRETT: Huh?

RAJA: What about me?

JARRETT: What about you?

RAJA: What am I supposed to do now?

JARRETT: Well, what you always do.

Play the piano. (LAUGHS)

RAJA: Like this?

JARRETT: Why not?

RAJA: I'm cut in half.

That's why not.

JARRETT: Oh, you'll be fine.

Trust me.

RAJA: Oh.

(PIANO MUSIC)

JARRETT: Whoa.

RAJA: I did it!

JARRETT: How did you do that?

That was crazy.

How did you do that?

RAJA: Whoa!

JARRETT: See, I told you, you'd be all right.

There you go. (APPLAUSE)

DEAN CAIN: Up next, big laughs with Michael Finney.

DEAN CAIN: Michael Finney's magic is up

close and in your face.

But can you stop laughing long enough to see how he does is?

MICHAEL FINNEY: This gentleman sitting on the third row,

right on the aisle.

You'd be easily accessible.

What is your name, sir?

You could have done it from your chair but as long as

you re coming up here, here.

Take, take my hand.

Take my hand.

How you doing?

JAY: Hey. I'm fine.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Well, I think you've been waiting all your

life for this one moment, haven't you?

Your first name again is...

JAY: Jay.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Jay.

Pick a deck.

JAY: This one.

MICHAEL FINNEY: If you had a choice,

which one would you take?

JAY: The larger.

MICHAEL FINNEY: There you go.

Take our thumb, flip the top of the box,

turn the box open and let the cards fall out.

That's your deck.

You do it with your deck.

And take your time, we're in no hurry.

Yeah.

Yeah, thanks for ripping my box,

Jay. (LAUGHS)

I probably didn't need it tomorrow.

(LAUGHS)

Now I want you to randomly select any card in the deck or

you may search through and find out your favorite card.

It makes no difference to me.

Just find that as quick as you can.

Have you got the card?

Let me have the rest of the deck.

Keep the card you have chosen.

I will turn my back, show that card to the audience,

don't let me see it.

Now stick it into this deck anywhere at random.

All right.

Now I realize a lot of you are saying that's ridiculous.

I only do it for the cheap laughs and you folks have been

very gracious.

So now that I have you just ripped up into a frenzy,

what do you say we continue on this carnival-like atmosphere?

All right, select any card out of the deck.

Once again, look at it, memorize it,

show it to the audience, don't let me see it.

All right, place it on top.

All you have to do is recognize your card when you

see it again.

JAY: Okay.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Think you can do that?

JAY: Yes, I can.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Tell me when you see it again.

Just holler out when you think you see it there,

Jay. (LAUGHS)

JAY: Yeah, that's close.

Right there.

MICHAEL FINNEY :All right.

Jay's only been doing card tricks a few moments.

Now I'm sure we're all hoping for the best.

Was that it?

JAY: No.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Too bad.

Not my trick. (LAUGHS)

This effect now has a part it never had before.

Step over here.

Put your feet together and your hands down to your sides.

Take the cards into your right hand fingertips.

Hold them firmly and press them to the top of your

forehead.

Let, let's be realistic here, Jay.

(LAUGHS)

Now what I'm going to do is wave my hand across the front

of your eyes and snap my fingers.

Your eyes will shut and you will go into a deep trance.

Here we go.

Now ladies and gentlemen, this requires complete silence.

For what I'm about to do is read Jay's mind.

Jay, are you concentrating on the card?

JAY: Yes, I am.

MICHAEL FINNEY: And your eyes are shut?

JAY: Yeah.

MICHAEL FINNEY: I'm starting to get an impression.

I'm having a hard time reading your mind,

Jay.

Please keep your eyes shut.

We're going to bring the cards down like this.

We're going to bring this hand here on the deck.

When I snap my fingers, your eyes will open.

You will awaken from your trance,

concentrating on this deck of cards.

Thumbing through them one at a time until you find your card.

Open your eyes.

Thumb through there. Show me the card.

This was the big one, right, Jay?

JAY: That was the big one.

MICHAEL FINNEY All right. Just show me what

the little one was. Do you remember?

You went by that first batch kind of fast,

Jay. That's not it right there, huh?

JAY: Nope.

MICHAEL FINNEY: I ll be darned.

Is that is right there, Jay?

Jay, was that it?

JAY: No.

MICHAEL FINNEY: No? Keep looking.

(LAUGHS)

It's got to, it's got to be in there somewhere.

I thought this was the big one, right?

JAY: That was the big one.

MICHAEL: Keep looking. Look.

JAY: It's not here.

MICHAEL FINNEY Wait a minute, wait a minute,

wait a minute, I dropped one, Jay.

Is that is?

JAY Nope.

MICHAEL FINNEY Oh, keep looking.

Keep looking.

JAY: It's not here.

MICHAEL FINNEY: How about this one right here?

JAY: Not it. That's great.

MICHAEL FINNEY: Is this it?

JAY: Yes, that's it.

MICHAEL: Everybody, give Jay a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much.

DEAN CAIN: Up next, Nathan Burton has a big

surprise for you.

And later, Spencer Horsman versus the jaws of death.

DEAN CAIN: Our next illusionist brings with

him an empty box.

Simple enough, right?

Well, think again.

Pay close attention and don't blink because we won't cut

away.

Here is Nathan Burton.

NATHAN BURTON: Thank you very much.

Wow.

Now "Masters of Illusion" asked me to bring my favorite

illusion.

And it's a big empty box.

(LAUGHS) Yes, it is.

And let's take a look.

Here we go.

Oh, yes.

But there's one thing missing from this trick.

The showgirls. (APPLAUSE)

Give it up for the lovely ladies.

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN: Michael Grandinetti is a master of

'now you see it, now you don't.' His performance

challenges you to figure out not where but how.

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN: Well known in over 50 countries,

he has performed for presidents and won multiple

World Magic Awards.

This is Jonathan Pendragon.

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN: Get ready to get wild with Rob Lake.

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN CAIN: Up next, the danger is real and time is running

out.

Spencer Horsman faces off with the jaws of death.

DEAN CAIN: This is a length of

three-quarter inch rope.

It takes exactly two minutes to burn through.

Spencer Horsman must free himself from a straitjacket

before the rope burns away and a thousand pounds of flaming

metal come crashing down on him.

The danger is real.

Injuries and deaths have happened before.

Can Spencer escape before time runs out?

SPENCER HORSMAN: Good evening.

Harry Houdini is considered to be one of the greatest escape

artists that ever lived.

So a hundred years ago, Houdini created a number of

escapes that are still known and famous to this day.

First and foremost being the straitjacket escape.

I'm going to attempt to do the same thing for you here this

evening with a little bit of a twist.

A straitjacket is essentially a canvas bag that's been

reinforced.

There are five buckles that go down the back,

a sixth on the sleeve.

The last strap here is a cruel and unusual part.

The arms crisscross in front of the body.

One elbow locks underneath the other elbow and these go

around the back.

My modern twist to this classic escape is the device

hanging behind me.

My own creation called the jaws of death,

which are held open with just a piece of rope,

in a moment, will be lit on fire.

Once it is, I'll have less than two minutes to free

myself and to jump to safety.

If I don't, I'm crushed.

Wish me luck.

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

♪ MUSIC ♪

(APPLAUSE)

DEAN CAIN: So there you have it.

The impossible made real.

Can you figure out how they did it?

I can't.

Remember, these are the best in the world.

These are the masters of illusion.

Until next time, I'm Dean Cain.