Seth Raphael leaves Penn incredulous and Teller flabbergasted on Penn and Teller: Fool Us S07E27

[@MagicPeaceLove]

Holy crap! I've never seen Alyson rush to the defense of a performer so quickly! She definitely knew P&T were dead WRONG with their guess!

[@magicseth]

She was genuinely getting defensive of me!

[@dallaswoiken7533]

@@magicseth that was awsome wtg

[@saurabhmangal6322]

@@magicseth Damn.... one of the most impressive mind-reads I have ever seen. Hats-off!

[@DarkDesertMovies]

@@magicseth Dude, I watched this like 5 times and the only conclusion I can come to is that you are either a wizard or a time traveler. Maybe both lol.

[@michaelreynolds3592]

You're right. I think she was truly impressed, as should the rest of magic fans everywhere. And so gentlemanly as you walked away flabbergasted. My question, tho, is why no one questioned you, as you magically disregarded the first word. Hmmmm.

[@grotgrusson5124]

Actually this is pretty easy: Just read every book in the entire world, learn them word by word, estimate what page she's on, estimate what line she's on and go to your mental libary and quick read the book in your head til you get to the same page and paragraf. Simple, busted, mic drop 😉

[@athanasioslianoudakis9119]

i totally agree.!!!..its so simple and easy anyway to read all the books in the world and keep it in memory

[@xmarksthespot1372]

I never knew it was this EZ! 😎

[@ddd1hhh]

Amazing that you figured that out... I NEVER would have thought to do it this way... brilliant mind you must have!! The magician too!! CONGRATS to both of you!!! Splendid!!

[@grotgrusson5124]

@@ddd1hhh Thanks. I took me a while, but then it just came to me 😁

[@bla5tmya554]

Damn eidetic people, being so awesome and kewl

[@nexus4923]

I've never seen Alison worry so badly by screwing up part of the act when she accidentally slipped the word plague.

[@Conradd23]

From what I've heard about how the show works, if it actually affected the trick, the producers would just have them refilm that part without her messing up, haha.

[@beanscornbread3774]

I thought she was nervous cause the pandemic

[@themoonsevilsister1561]

I like how you didn't give away in the title that you fooled them, thank you

[@GianlucaDiFrancisca]

This is probably the best trick I ever seen, absolutely no clue on how the hell was done

[@jeremiahlewis700]

This (for me) may be the most baffling trick I've seen on Full Us!!! I have no idea how to even conceive this trick. Well done!

[@itcamefromtheradio]

How Awesome was that? To me, the best part was when Alison reinforced that no one knew which books she brought to the show.

[@magicseth]

I've never seen her defend a contestant before! I felt honored :-)

[@mont9150]

@@magicseth you are honored, harry

[@poja82]

So calm. Love when Alyson says that she really took books from home, it makes it so real, and so mysterious

[@CCandD]

I think that may be the ONLY time Alyson truly defended a performer or assisted with debunking Penn and Teller! Totally astounding and original performance Seth, don't stop the rockin'!

[@pyrobreather1]

Never seen this much controlled intensity, loved this warm, concise where it needed to be approach. Honestly I'm most puzzled and impressed how you figured out the first word began with a consonant and specifically the letter "P".

[@FilmscoreMetaler]

Ok my bet on how he did it: Three of his kids in an Allison suit.

[@watchyourtimeco1]

Ok, that made me lol

[@lsur5487]

Without a doubt.

[@mikeazdaar4842]

LOL

[@dinero1169]

Like muppet man!

[@settogvoid9407]

Allisons "what are you talking about"-look from 8:02 onward is just great. The way Penn was completely fishing in the dark is beautifuly reflected in her face :D

[@andreosbr]

I have started with P & T not long ago, but had already 40+ hours of it, and I´m completely astonished with this… congratulations for the FOOLER!!!

[@kattheshrink]

This brings back memories of the Shepherdstown Elementary playground in the morning before school started. Amazing as always Seth; still mystifying us all with magic 30 years later!

[@TheFreakOnee]

Hands down the cleanest book test on this planet., that was fucking great.

[@twatmunro9563]

Yeah, I've read a shed load of mentalist stuff and it generally leaves me somewhat cold (because the 'tricks' are so damned transparent) but this one fooled the hell out of me.

[@soundbreaker2485]

I love book tests & I love the concept of picking any book off the shelf and figuring it out and this is the cleanest book test I’ve seen.

[@AndrewThibeault]

I'm a huge fan of this show and, gotta be completely honest, I just loved your stage presence so much. And your trick was just so wonderful! 💜

[@AwesomeMetalBands]

This is one of the best performances I have seen.

[@jamesbevan9939]

Absolutely astounding. You have created the ultimate book test.

[@kimflores6359]

Best book test I've ever seen

[@john_kalen_mcclain]

This was a solid fool. I’ve seen almost all the acts on this show. You did something for sure!

[@adamd9798]

I love at the end how Penn asks one last time, even after you won, even after he already asked. "you didn't know the book?" Lol

[@jwvandegronden]

@@sethraphael2437 9:30; What a great compliment and genuine admiration from such a master in his craft! Well done mate! (uhm, kids I mean! ;-)

[@definesigint2823]

This was really well done. I like to think I've got the hang of these tricks and I completely missed this one. Too, P&T are fun to watch when they know they're bested 😁

[@willstuart4504]

Gotta admit there are not too many tricks on this show that I can't figure out, sometimes with a decent amount of time pondering, but I have to admit, I have no idea how you knew the words Allison chose?? Very well done sir...👍👍

[@xfatalxflawx]

Only magicians know just how good this piece is. One of the best mentalism bits I've ever seen!

[@Noblewar]

The real magic is having 5 young wizards and staying sane to not turn into Lord Voldemort.

[@teeemm9456]

Actually, your sanity levels get better after 3 wizards.

[@AJourneyOfYourSoul]

Using technology, but with a presentation that completely hides it is fantastic. It is like the new modern day sleight of hand. You made the impossible possible, without a clue to how you did it, and took me back to when I was a kid and in total awe of what I just saw. Thank you, amazing trick. Seriously, I am so impressed.

[@patogonzalez9057]

Hands down, the best mentalist trick I've seen! awesome!

[@Shahriar019]

You have something calm and peaceful about your presentation Seth! Well done!!

[@sidewinder2057]

Yeah, watched countless fool us acts, started to notice some patterns but this one is really puzzling. Amazing!

[@sosti]

I know some about magic shows and research a lot. This one started as an old well known trick and BLEW my mind. I would not want to know how he did it to enjoy the sensation longer.

[@hasge2124]

This is just unbelievable. Such a nice and calm act too, wonderful personality.

[@oxide9679]

The trophy is still my favorite part of the show. Penn and Teller playfully insulting with a huge F U in the Fool Us on the trophy

[@marinopoerio239]

If you like mentalism, and book Reading, you can understand how incredible this act is. Bravissimo.

[@traviswinkler3994]

As good as it gets. Love Seth’s forward-thinking magic. You’re a modern-day Robert Houdin, Seth!

[@chialor1945]

His performance was so soothing I forgot he even tricked me lmao

[@n.w.2579]

This is the best trick I've seen on this show. All the other tricks, even the best ones, are explainable because the musicians manually handle some prop to where some excellent slight of hand and preparation could make even the most impressively tricky trick possible. This one I have no clue unless the guy has a Google chip implanted in his head that can locate the approximate page of any book and search to narrow down to a few possibilities based on the clues she revealed. Even then I'd have no idea how he got the "kid's handwriting" with the word on the card in advance. The only explanation I can even guess is this was staged or there were secret cameras somewhere on the set.

[@oggaming7362]

Nice trick! And super smooth of you to just go with the flow when Alyson accidentally said the full word at the end. You didn't skip a beat. Under that kind of pressure (even without a crowed) that took some composure. I'm late to the party, but great job!

[@victor3582]

It's so obvious. He memorised all the books in existence word by word.

[@BrooksSeveer]

Seth, I have been astounded by your magic since undergrad. I am not surprised at all that you were able to fool Penn and let's face it especially Teller. This ranks as your second greatest achievement outside of "fooling" The Amazing Randi, which, let's face it, has to be the greatest living achievement of all mankind. Congrats my friend. And also congrats on your prestigious family. How you cope with all that: that's the real magic. :)

[@magicseth]

Hi Brooks!!!! Thank you :-)

[@pacegillette3523]

Wow, Seth! This is so cool

[@magicseth]

Thanks Pace!!

[@shmookins]

I wish I had that skill when preparing for exams.

[@billyeveryteen7328]

I'm not a magician, but I do work in television and film, so when you were doing the trick, I was totally on Penn's train of thought that you did a book force, even though doing a book force would still require you to have the book memorized because Alyson still had a mostly free selection of pages and words. When you revealed that it wasn't a book force, actually in fact, when ALYSON revealed there was no book force, I was left completely baffled. Now, in magic, there's an adage that nothing on stage is innocent. Alyson's table has what looks like either a small alarm or bell and a notepad that is never used or acknowledged, but even trying to scrutinize those props, I still have no idea what you could possibly have done. All those "not innocent" props just leave me with more questions. I'm guessing your technical skills and skills with mechanical engineering and coding must have something to do with it, but as to what that "something" is, I cannot even begin to guess.

[@anthonyvinson5081]

Best. Book test. Ever. Ever. Fooled me, too!

[@benjohnson3083]

His kids are under the tables writing the info, that's my best guess

[@SibrenFetter]

I really have no idea how you did that trick, amazing stuff!

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

My guess he had a camera above the stage, and an assistant feeding him information via an earpiece or hand signals off stage. The assistant read the page and looked for word pairs that met his criteria (long and interesting) and that matched the length she specified. The question about starting with “p” was to confirm which pair Alison chose. If she had said no, they would have gone through more letters to settle on the right word. Once he (and his team) knew the right words, the technical trickery could start.

[@hoopyfrood4391]

That’s the only way I could imagine that this trick could even possibly be done. It was what came to me, too. But, for some reason, I doubt that it’s how it was really done. Baffling. It was a great way to show that there was no force in the word selection. With a lot of acts, there is an obvious force. With your method, it CANNOT be a force.

[@rupaulver8578]

you're on the right track, but he didn't need a secret camera. my guess is that'd be against the rules of the show anyway.

[@Joshualbm]

What a gentle wizard he is. I feel better about the future.

[@ChrisS-nj3ye]

Don't bother scrolling the comments, nobody knows. YOU included.

[@chilidog73]

That was one of the most straightforward mind-reading performances I've ever seen!

[@upd0g1]

The idea of scientifically studying the emotion of wonder sounds so fun and great. Getting to be around amazed humans for extended periods of time sounds…well…wonderful!

[@hfcriske]

This was a fantastic trick. Usually I have some guesses as to how tricks can be done, but this one I have no idea. A+ :)

[@venkateshpolaris5569]

Amazing Mr.Seth

[@magicseth]

Thank you!

[@KoonceLyfe]

Wow. This one was quite different, very impressive sir!

[@stivaro]

I don't think I've ever seen anyone more deadpan at receiving the award. lol But, at the same time, I feel like, since he's a father of so many kids, I kinda get it. :p

[@sniff4643]

probably best one ive seen so far. nice magic seth. hes smart too, MIT!

[@jessejordan8116]

Excellent humble style especially for such an impressive trick. Bravo!!!!

[@MagicJoshua]

BRAVO times a bazillion. There won't be a magician as brilliant as Seth for at least another 300 years.

[@magicseth]

It's only a matter of time ;-)

[@shawnr771]

@@magicseth Your children will be amazing.

[@Ikantspell4]

Pretty sure there's some crazy science/engineering stuff going on and that this man could make any word appear. Lot stalling happened and I'm pretty sure that tirck needed time to be "worked" . There is help but I'm still perplexed about exactly how. I think even if I saw the gadgets/concepts involved I'd still be wondering and want to know how they were made. Not sure if it was a mad flex that they show up in the intro or if I'm full out conspiracy nut now.

[@mahoneys64]

You know, whenever I go out for ice cream with the Littles they always end up under the table, one time my daughter found a $20 and a non-staining marker.

[@IAM_Reedy]

You know something caught my eye with that deck of cards, completely random choices, such a great use of the cards. The little wizards are quite busy to come up with such a trick. If I were you I would monitor their progress as they grow up to see if they have what it takes to fool Penn and Teller when they get older. Don’t forget to tell the to turn off the lights before they go to bed so they get plenty of rest.

[@chlee4256]

Omg that was really, really good. Penn was totally stumped. He didn't even bother trying to give a second "full guess".

[@Ssssssnakeisone]

If you put the video on 0.25 playback speed, you will notice at 4:12 that you have no idea how he does the trick

[@MagicPeaceLove]

That's the best comment I've seen

[@Ssssssnakeisone]

@@MagicPeaceLove Low-hanging fruit- although I didn't pinch it from anyone, others have used the set-up and punchline. Still funny, though!

[@gabrielvalerianomanalang]

This is incredible man!

[@desironna]

Reallllly great job ! LOVED IT !

[@anoopbadoreea653]

Congratulations on fool us that was amazing 👏 👏🎩🎩

[@TheHardstyleSaint]

This magician is an absolute gentlemen. Class lad

[@Jankuso19]

MAGIC!!!! that was so awesome 🤯

[@bortsimpsonx]

Wow! congratulations Fooler! that was awesome!

[@DrWho2008t101]

Great video!

[@antonlvdm]

How in the actual f... do you get the words if she could pick it at random in a book and never even say or write it down anywhere... The force is strong with this guy!

[@celestus87]

Apparently, the force is weak.

[@JojoJojo-hg8ql]

@@celestus87 Punny xD

[@NegaSyrus5000]

Thank you for not spoiling the result like so many others do.

[@hoopyfrood4391]

Mostly, I think, because there is no easy explanation to how it was done.

[@CornerEagle]

I'd call that the platonic ideal of a book test, but only because there could be kids reading. Wow.

[@Wiley_Coyote]

Clearly some kind of force happened around a title that's actually part of the magician's intro piece. That's the reason P&T's minds went in the direction it did. They just weren't able to guess the specifics of how it could have happened. He simplified things by just outright telling her on stage to use that book, but had a built in excuse to do so. Since she's not a stooge (something the show doesn't allow anyway), the mystery of how those dots were connected is of course the mind blowing part. Since there was no preexisting conversation over which books she would bring, there's clearly some more elaborate set up causing it to happen. The actual derivation of the specific words is certainly not the part that fooled P&T.

[@daz1169]

@@Wiley_Coyote There was no force involved. Let me put it this way, he selected that book out of the 4 she brought because it required less 'work' than the other 3. If she'd brought 4 different books that all required 'work' then he still could have done it, but it would have taken a few seconds longer to perform. He selected the book 'Wonder' for convenience as much as anything, which saved somebody a little less work. The way he figured out the words didn't use the 'usual method' for a book test. P & T were indeed fooled by the method used to get those words. Like myself they actually were aware of the method he used (or should be), but will have almost certainly not seen it used in a book test before. That's the genius of Seth, taking a trick that he knew they knew several versions of, but adapting a method used elsewhere in mentalism to achieve the outcome. A big clue to how it's done is what he talks about enjoying doing during his introduction and I don't mean the part about his lovely children

[@DeeperWithDiego]

A platonic ideal is impossible. He presented an Aristotelian perfection.

[@rogercornelio995]

NOW, THAT’s TRULY AMAZINGLY MAGICAL!!!

[@torio9007]

What you just did... It's on another level! Congrats

[@garyz777]

Amazing, and such a likable guy!

[@heleilMorningstar5802]

Very well done and convincing.

[@darienravenwolf1968]

i say congrats on the win for you and your kids, you all really fooled Penn and Teller! That was so awesome.

[@chudaran]

This was incredible. Truly mind boggling.

[@Strife773]

2:54 he almost says that there are 10 letters before alison did

[@kingsamoanOG]

As a Father my 8 and 5 yr old boys have really been picking up magic. Apparently I need to start working on my magic to incorporate it into my parenting like yourself!!! Genius trick you performed 1Luv!!!

[@cullenraphael5514]

"This is 'F' speaking. He's a really good dad and you don't need to be a magician, but still try."

[@george1654]

Great Performance!

[@wbjorkman]

Awesome trick but i think as Seth says in the beginning, he doesn't think he will fool P&T but maybe his kids will. One of his kids is hiding under the table and somehow writes the word on the pad, or types it somehow and it prints there. I don't know how the technology for that works though. Also when Seth starts writing the word he writes low down on the page, however when the word is revealed it is along the top. The only thing I cannot figure out is how he got the letter P, that was amazing

[@SanDzFit]

Even IF he knew what books she would bring, there’s no way he could’ve known the words she chose. Crazy good trick.

[@BeanyBop]

I've seen some mentalist tricks before but this is hands down one of the best. What an act. No effing clue how the hell any human can do that.

[@MichaelPateras]

Agreed. I normally don't like mentalist tricks, but this one was great!

[@bobocheeks7505]

i know the code of the magician and all but this is one i really want to know how it's done, but at the same time i love the illusions so its better for me to stay ignorant and enjoy than seek the truth. great segment!

[@krisrhodes5180]

It is not better for you to stay ignorant, it is better for you to enjoy learning what caused your experience, after having the experience.

[@bzqp2]

At 8:48 you can see Penn's dark thoughts engraved into the notebook.

[@oldschoolwarrior]

Wow! Just fantastic! If your goal was to instill wonder, you succeeded with me.

[@mickaelmalove2553]

Ok, I guess no one's going to talk about the random orange button mind control device on Allison's table.

[@vanmonroe4346]

Yeah, really --- what the heck??? Must be relevant to how the trick is performed.

[@Cloakfiend]

Good call i didnt even notice the button! He said play a lot and emphasized the p on the book title. But thats all i got on the p guess.

[@Violaetor]

She had a Pad, Pen, Paper, button to Press, Plenty of P words to Ponder over and Play with.

[@PipCritten]

Stunning!

[@KillerMZE]

Amazing! Though I was sure from the title that the words Alyson chose would be "incredulous" and "flabbergasted" :)

[@Cloakfiend]

How did he guess the first letter of the first word? The rest is some form of heat transfer 'type of thing' to the special paper from the top of the table. Kind of like when you heat up fax paper. It goes black. Thats why he lays the 'paper flat on thr table and you dont see him write anything down. The marker is obviously fake. 'P'enchant for wonder maybe 'forcing' the p? But thats a guess.

[@jb2656]

i watch a lot of magic shows, I often think "ah this is the point where the magician does something" but the mentalism magic was incredibly good no idea how, where, when. unbelievably good❤ just one question .. its have something to do with peripheral vision?

[@twobitcommie82]

I love these kind of tricks. Baffled by then far more than others.

[@dc3561]

Wow! Great trick and performance!

[@MadManUSMC]

Great trick, very well done.

[@fluxpistol3608]

Why are you looking at the back of the cards? ;) well played sir

[@cloudglider]

I'm going to try to make time to skim through your thesis. I totally thought MIT was just another name for the Magic Institute of Toledo or something.

[@PhilZeGerman]

This was so wholesome! :)

[@sebastianrodriguezlemoine8013]

Absolutely awesome!!!!

[@michaels3860]

WOW! just....WOW! Such a great trick!