Penn and Teller's Fool us Season 8: Can Topas fool Penn and Teller on a treadmill?

Topas shows his Treadmill Levitation on Penn & Teller's Fool us Season 8.
Thanks to Jaana Felicitas for collaborating on the illusion development and Nikolai Striebel for his contribution to the introduction clip.
#topas #pennandteller #magic #tv # foolus # levitation #trick #treadmill #newillusion

[@jamesdominguez7685]

It's one of those tricks where the broad strokes of how it was done are fairly obvious, but the more you think about it the more the technical challenges blow your mind. I feel like it would actually be more impressive for people who understand how these tricks are done.

[@arothmanmusic]

Yep. The general method is obvious, but the execution is flawless.

[@PhilBagels]

Yep. Penn is correct when he mentioned the hard work it took to do this trick. Knowing how it's done is only a small part of it. As I remember Penn saying to another act, the equipment is part of it, but the equipment doesn't do the trick for you. You have to really know what you're doing to pull it off.

[@productofapathy]

Yep. I was trying to figure the best way to say it and you said it for me. It's not a huge mystery but infinitely impressive nonetheless.

[@zzpazi]

Absolutely. Slide in and hip are just beginning to describe it.

[@alexdavis9324]

This trick without his showmenship would also be really boring (a lot of levitation acts are just hey look I'm floating)

[@antonnym214]

The reduced-gravity effect of the first trick, tossing the barbell. THAT blows my mind, and it is just the beginning! WOW! I keep coming back and watching this routine over and over because it is so good! And fun! Topas, you are awesome!

[@Sportwagenfreak1998]

So.... I loved this. So artistic, the slow motions were magical and it was just amazing to watch. Yeah people pointing out how it didnt fool them, I DONT CARE, I LOVED IT Even the music was so fitting and good. Then I tried to find the music and guess what... The music is from topas himself... He even created the music. What a guy

[@kma3647]

Sometimes, it's not the trick itself, it's the artistry. The illusion was beautiful, like I was watching a movie with CGI or something. I've got a basic idea of how it was done, but who cares? The performance was beautiful. I know how Cirque du Soleil acts are done too, but I still like to watch beautiful performances =)

[@spaceshido6124]

Yes Some people won the title they didnt even put an effort ....in my opinion even if they know the tricks if penn and teller themself could not do it at that level ..they should give the trophy.

[@timq6224]

that is the problem with levitations, only so many ways it can be done. I worked with a guy that used a similar technique years ago, but Topas' was so much more elegant.

[@Jaydoggy531]

Agreed. It's not the trick, but it's the whole performance. This is a much more interesting, modern, and as Penn pointed out: physically-demanding routine than the formulaic "Handsome magician flies a pretty lady somewhere." This took a lot of work and it is VERY smooth.

[@TinkerTailorSoldier1]

“It was really hip” Gives me a bit but I really don’t care to know more. Best levitating act I’ve seen.

[@ShadowDrakken]

Not sure how you attach and detach from the rig so fluidly and quickly, but it's mighty impressive work!

[@wrmusic8736]

hence why it's a "hard physical work" - he had to practice hard until it was perfect

[@garyp4374]

is there any need in to tell everybody what you worked out does that make you feel superior or something can't you just say the trick was impressive

[@JoshuaWillis89]

@@garyp4374 between you and OP, I would say you have the greater need to feel superior to people.

[@garyp4374]

@@JoshuaWillis89 what the fuck are you talking about mate I'm a magician who loves the art of magic and what it was intended to do, entertain not just be a puzzle now piss off unless you've got something intelligent to say

[@garyp4374]

@@JoshuaWillis89 30 years of Performing magic my ego is certainly satisfied unlike the armchair magicians on this bloody show

[@KidAceMagic]

One of the greatest thinkers and illusionists of our time. I’ve been in awe of Topas since I was a kid and he keeps delivering!

[@Aledharris]

I’d love to see this effect used in a play. Obviously, it’s magical but I think equally dramatic. Can see so many ways this could be used with more in-depth story telling.

[@pepe6666]

yeah thats a really good point. it would be amazing

[@gillianstephenson2838]

This has been one of my favorite P&T performances I've ever seen little frog!

[@AlexanderStraubMagic]

One of the greatest levitations I‘ve ever seen!

[@HigherPlanes]

Then you haven't seen anything yet. I've seen a lot. Topas was obviously hiding something under his clothes. The best I've ever seen was in India, no cameras and the magician let no more than a handful of people in the room. No gimmicks, just a guy levitating over a rug. I know levitation isn't real, but with this guy, I wouldn't know the difference.

[@asianconnection7701]

this guy should go into magic dancing

[@garyp4374]

absolutely and all these armchair magicians just dismiss it and say we know how it's done but obviously they don't . any magician would know what I'm saying when I say the release was the most impressive part

[@garyp4374]

@@HigherPlanes you just mentioned the clothes that was about 1% of the method he used

[@HigherPlanes]

@@garyp4374 just 1%?

[@koustubh132]

Superb, mind-blowing !! The best, smoothest and most convincing levitation I've ever seen. thank you so much for a delightful 7 minutes !!

[@enochthewitness-2023]

you had some great style and dance moves there, not enough people are pointing that out! that was one of the best and smoothest ive seen, and i hate dancing - but it was captivating to watch

[@drewstern8295]

I usually binge thru these vids without comment, but this was really good. The "how" is pretty obvious, but the presentation as a whole was a great work of art.

[@cn4340]

This is part magic trick, part engineering accomplishment, part dance performance, and completely beautiful.

[@maksphoto78]

Germans are literally born engineers.

[@KHChatlani]

One of the best showmanship ever !

[@zion653]

We all know _how_ to play basketball, but it's still fascinating to _watch_ top-tier, professional players. Same with many other sports. This was simply a great performance, and I found myself enthralled in the routine. Yes, we know how it was done, but it was still fascinating to see your take on it. Great job with the magic trick, and I wish you all the best with your continued career.

[@tillfroemmel]

Great work, dear Topas! 😊 It’s a real performance, the music, the story, your play - awesome and so entertaining!

[@pepe6666]

running in slow motion - man that was absolutely incredible to see.

[@blueckaym]

That was great illusion! And performed by great mechanical and rhythmic skills - a pleasure to watch. Indeed the "how" of the main effect - levitating on the treadmill isn't really mysterious. I'm not going to say it, for the benefit of the people that like the mystery (I'm sure that most curious people whose brain is always asking "how" already have some grasp at least). But still in the very start of the show the trick with the dumbbell was a mystery to me :) First thing that came to mind is that the dumbbell is extremely light (I mean it was obvious that it's much lighter than real dumbbell), but I doubt that it would be light enough even if made mostly by painted aerogel. Also, the very first drop of the dumbbell showed that it would fall faster due to its own weight, but later it floated very gently and "naturally" (I mean in the sense that it seemed gliding in the air and couldn't notice any connection to anything. Also followed the motions of Topas perfectly) Great illusion!

[@mroutcast8515]

wow, this is absolutely stellar, such an amazing routine. I haven't had so much fun watching magic routine in years. Everything was just perfect about it, the theme, the music (afaik original), the moves and it felt very current.

[@stephenhosking7384]

Long time David Copperfield and P&T fan here, and I can say that is the most beautiful and convincing levitation I've ever seen. It's just one of the most beautiful and entertaining tricks I've ever seen. I especially liked the way you built up to the trickery by trying our patience with some lame stuff on the treadmill! Your humor was delightful!

[@xman822]

Didn't david copperfield do this like 30 years ago?

[@KiryiMONZTA]

I think it's easy to know how it was done and I even understood the hints Penn has given, but it was simply awesome how smooth it was acted and how crazy it looked! Great performance!

[@timmack2415]

What a beautiful, entertaining and flawless performance. On the first one, I saw more than P & T, this time they one upped me because you fooled me, but more importantly, you entertained me!

[@sjab5987]

What a beautiful performance. Fresh new take on levitation. Loved it 👏👏

[@CapnMcRummy]

I don't care if they figured it out. I had a big grin on my face the whole time like a little kid. And that's what magic is all about. Great act!

[@loofa4775]

Agreed. This makes you long for the days of a earlier time when magic seemed very real.

[@anchalthemagicgirl]

The performance as well as the magic Fabulous 👏👏👏 Loved it thoroughly

[@t3hjnz]

Absolutely brilliant performance, and what an effect. Great work!

[@spinningtrue]

What an incredible performance! Loved it!

[@krissmagic1]

Genius and perfection! Such a great illusion. Also, the “mars gravity” barbell - such convincing effect! Thank you, Topas, for so many wonders you've brought to the world through the years!

[@musicfreak21]

Yoooo. This is insanely refreshing and something I will never forget. Great great music too !

[@lorenz_mv]

They might know how you did this, but I just admire this piece of art. Great work!

[@gernotg8480]

Herr Vögel. Können Sie mir helfen?

[@markchinguz4401]

@@gernotg8480 is very dark behind him. That can hide stuff

[@Bullwinkel]

Great performance. I never see levitating tricks fool them, but it's still an amazing performance regardless. He's incredible

[@timq6224]

that is the problem with levitations, only so many ways it can be done. I worked with a guy that used a similar technique years ago, but Topas' was so much more elegant.

[@MealOnLegs]

This is really impressive to me, not because of the mechanics of it (I don't know what's hard and what's not for this, so no real comment) but for the artistry of it. A lot of floating magic tricks are done on a vegas stage or other mythical or 'otherworldly' fashion, but this is showing something that is more felt by many people, rather then something they can't comprehend. The feeling of flow, of being entirely in sync and being in the zone while exercising or doing something very mundane, many many people can relate and understand that, and it doesn't really feel like magic or an illusion, but rather a mirror into a particular feeling, and that makes it great art, recalling a specific emotion and feeling. Some magic does this but rarely this sort of emotion where everything just clicks and feels natural. Really glad I saw this.

[@topasmagic]

Thank you so much for this.

[@dicetosser9807]

Such a brilliant work! Absolutely love the trick and wish you even more inspiration for future projects!

[@cicciobau]

so incredibly beautiful! congratulations Topas, i loved it!

[@joshuaadammagic54]

The first time I saw you perform was on Worlds greatest Magic, when you made that electric guitar 🎸 appear and then the shades on your face… I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Definitely sparked something in me! Awesome performance 🔥. Josh

[@thaJeztah]

Beautiful performance, thank you!!

[@nunyabiznez666]

Very entertaining! Great levitation! ❤

[@lyghtkruz]

Amazing routine! The slow motion effect was great, and then the added levitation on top of that just blew me away. Great job!

[@clockworkpotato]

Very beautiful performance. Thank you sir!

[@jjlife0]

Oh hey, that was fantastic!!, hope to see you on Fool us again, keep trying it until you Fool them. Best of lucks!

[@kenpearce3269]

That was a lot of fun! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@jimmckay2337]

Usually, I am not a fan of these illusions, but this one was beautiful.

[@worshiphismajesty4235]

This was Brilliant 😊 Just Loved It

[@borderm3]

Support frame on body. Electromagnetic coupler, and lighting to hide the machine. The fixed axis of rotation on his body is what gives it away imho

[@nightcoder5k]

Amazing magic. Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed it.

[@Dark_eVader]

Simple trick but very elegant. Loved it.

[@Erockthemdrums]

Wonderful job!!! Unique and so well done!!

[@jakehate]

This was amazing, I really loved this one

[@mlb3135]

Brilliant!! With something like this, its all about the performance - who cares what the "trick" is - extremely well thought out and done. Very entertaining!

[@BrianSu]

awww wiping his face at 2:10 gave it all away. What a beautiful performance indeed.

[@onedaya_martian1238]

It would be great to magically gift 1000 likes each for style, presentation, imagination and 10x more for the effort !! Bravo BIG Frog !!

[@johannborchersfriends]

It's very hip! One of the best levitations I've seen.

[@stevenospam4216]

Beautiful! Bravo, Topas and team! And thank you for the entertainment!

[@b4ph0m3tdk9]

That looked really good, very pleasing all the why through. Little Frog did a splendid job.

[@gaspode8]

Great idea to theme the levitation with a treadmill. Great performance.

[@wiadp1]

Maybe they and many of us know how it is done, but the whole performance is so amazing and great to watch that understanding these tricks don't ruin the whole effect.

[@wheeler9180]

Love it, some clever stuff going on here.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

i know how its done but i still had to watch again cause it was such an amazing act!

[@DjRea75]

2:09 that part of the music is AWESOME.

[@mediamannaman]

What a beautiful performance! I agree with Penn - this was top tier stuff.

[@JoshuaWillis89]

The levitation I get. I’m still bewildered by the floating dumbbell.

[@jasonwargo5244]

I was waiting for the theme song “Believe it or not, I’m walking on air.” Awesome performance man!! 👍😎👍

[@cxvxcbcxn]

Even I knew right away how he did it but it still looked awesome!

[@khullaasaand]

Wow.... I loved it. So flawlessly slow motion

[@enfortro]

I don’t know how you did it, but you made a believer out of me 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@dudeomondo]

That was beautiful!

[@jfd4755]

Always great Topaz, since your little bells act, fantastic :)

[@d.logdensimaginairium9497]

TOPAS. I remember seeing you as a child on tv some time in the mid nineties for some kind of magic showcase and loving your act. I only assume it’s you because how many German magicians named topas can there be

[@topasmagic]

Yeeees, that's me. Nice of you to remember... :)

[@danieldoherty420]

Woke up with this song in my head. Took me over an hour to place it.

[@Raptorfilmz]

Loved this!

[@chialor1945]

This would be a great thing for shows. It would be very entertaining

[@VexMage]

Holy cow, this is probably my favourite magic act I've seen so far on Penn and Teller!

[@G3lonis]

that was so smooth ...!

[@rakeshraushan222]

Love you- you are always level up ⬆️

[@kali_slytherin8939]

Awesome. When u toss that weight, I was like wowwwwwwwww!!!!

[@marcohendriks1451]

love it! what a great performance! einfach grossartig!

[@joshcryer]

Such an incredible performance. No idea if you plan to perform it regularly yourself but if a younger man or woman chooses to they will completely astound audiences! It is definitely, as Penn said, taxing/difficult. Beautiful.

[@scocassovegetus]

Really smooth. David Copperfield approved!

[@meaganfree833]

Awesome show.

[@currentlypooping]

That was incredible!!!! And hands down, the BEST dancing I have ever seen in a magic routine :D

[@daggercatz7297]

That was just cool. I usually prefer just card/coin magic but this is just.. It's just cool idk what else to say

[@nikolaistriebel7265]

What a fantastic act 😍

[@jk7192]

Slo-Motion moments are the best 👏 2:34 Amazing Topas

[@valybreak913]

Congratulations man....very nice act ...respect 👏👏👏

[@mdderrek9280]

Man! You are an artist.. it is obvious how it is done, but the artistic taste is very good!

[@pablomariafernandez]

Magic's world Champion with a manipulation act 30 years ago and a fantastic great ilussions inventor since then (for me the most original along with Peter Marvey). Wonderful routine!

[@sparketech]

Super cool act. The slow motion and the cool, confident and collected look worked great. You could go on the road doing tricks like this... Some people do card tricks but something that is large like this is great for a stage floor. Stuff like this seems rare to see in Canada.

[@meherbabaisgodinhumanform3090]

Amazing! 👍👍🙌🙌👌👌

[@KidFury27]

Great act! Unfortunately, some of those camera angles gave away how it was done and flashed some irregular moves in you jacket that wouldn't have been seen from most other angles. That said, so much better than any of us could do.

[@nikvierfuenf]

Richtig richtig feine Sache !!

[@stephaniewaters1777]

Wowow. Unique. That is the only trick I think "this would be a music filmclip!"

[@loofa4775]

Usually I want to know how a trick is done. This is first time I where I rather enjoy the experience and appreciate the artistry. Well done, sir. Bravo!

[@chadwallace9713]

That’s was awesome

[@shaidyn8278]

So I loved the beat of the song, and I went looking to find it. Turns out Topas made it himself! It's called "Less of Me" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH_ao4WGiM6Bf7s

[@neil5280]

You just helped me so much. I was 30 minutes into google searching.

[@jannishutzelmann4364]

Just WOW😮

[@Byrvurra]

Really beautiful illusion.

[@ejej6934]

When Penn says, "And, uh..." or "Because, uh..." more than one time, you can be sure they're about to break the "You didn't fool us" news. I think for most magicians, though, all that matters is the other stuff: The praise from Penn and the look on Teller's face, both of which say, "Great job." So: Great job!

[@kingcosworth2643]

I find when P&T know, P starts with many compliments, beautiful act. His tone is different. When they are fooled P tends to sound 'angry' and criticizes, all sarcasm though.

[@denizdinli]

Brilliant!

[@RobertBallMagician]

Brilliant performance 👍😊👍