Even though we already know that magic is nothing but a bunch of clever illusion and
subtle misdirection, we still can’t help but be mesmerized by seemingly impossible magic tricks.
You can even argue that some of the best illusionists get by with their ridiculous
antics and over-the-top acting skills! But guess what? You too can channel your inner showman
just like the best of ‘em! Because today, we’re revealing more of their trade secrets
as we unravel these 10 Popular Tricks and Illusions, Exposed!
What’s up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Our top pick might be a bit disgusting for some,
but if you can overcome your gag reflex, you can surely be the life of your next party!
“Yeah, find a baby to entertain, okay? Coz I think that’s what will enjoy what you do.
What the F Evan’s a baby!”
#10: Magic Coins
Now this is one illusion we’ve seen one too many times. If I had a nickel!
To pull off this one, you’ll need an elastic thread with a magnet attached on one end,
and a fishing wire attached to the magnet. Attach the fishing wire to
the end of your finger and pin the other end of the elastic thread to your trouser or jacket.
And of course, make sure your coin’s actually magnetic.
And just like that, you’re a dime richer!
Now let’s up the ante and make the coin penetrate through stuff, like, say,
this rubber-covered glass!
Whoa! You could literally see that coin go through the surface! But here’s where the
rubber meets the road, so to speak.
You need a special type of rubber sheet like a dental dam. You’ll soon see
why. Put the coin in the middle, and use your thumb to push it through the sheet.
Pull back the rubber sheet hard enough to make the rubber on the coin transparent.
Now all you need to do is secure that rubber sheet on top of the glass with some elastic bands.
Invite one of your spectators to push the coin down, and let them
be spellbound by the magic of good ol’ gravity!
Watch until the end for a fantastic trick that doesn’t use cheats or secret props… but requires
extreme endurance and extensive training! #9: From Coffee to Money
Fancy a cup of joe that turns into a cup of dough? Well, I’ll have a venti, please.
I bet that magic trick perked you up. Sadly, these magicians aren’t
modern-day messiahs who can turn water into wine, figuratively speaking. What they are,
however, are light-fingered baristas with a special cup and a sponge.
Time to spill the beans! First off, the bigger outer cup has a hole in the bottom small enough
for a finger to go through. The magician places the sponge at the bottom of the outer cup,
then puts the smaller cup filled with coins inside. Then coffee is poured into the cup,
hiding the coins. During the act, his finger goes through the hole and pushes the sponge up.
The coins slowly appear, and the coffee is drained through the sides and absorbed by the sponge.
Now isn’t that a cool way to give to the less fortunate!
#8: Premeditated Prediction
One of the more fascinating magic acts to come out of America’s Got
Talent is this Asian import who calls herself “The Sacred Riana.”
Combining magic with Asian horror-style scare tactics,
The Sacred Riana gained quite a following during her AGT stint. And one of her most
impressive tricks was this one, where she enlists the help of Mel B. In this trick,
she asks Mel B. to pick out who she thinks is the suspect based on an ominous newspaper headline.
Mel B goes on to pick Bob. And just to mess with the judges, Simon Cowell does this.
Anywho, after Mel B takes her pick, the Sacred Riana pulls out her trusty Instax camera,
not to take her selfie, but of Mel B’s. And for the grand reveal,
the illusionist takes out the newspaper clip, and reveals the suspect.
And remember that polaroid she took? Guess who photobombs our favorite Spice girl?
Obviously, there’s a lot of elements going on here. Except for real black magic, that is.
It turns out that Mel. B’s choice was really her decision. So it was up to Riana to make the
other parts of her trick match Mel B.’s choice. The secret was having multiple
versions of the newspaper. As seen in this back shot, Riana held more folded pieces of paper.
All she had to do was choose the one that had Bob printed on it!
As for the photo, of course the camera and the films were rigged. Each film inside was already
exposed and contained individual shots of the 12 people. During the act, Riana took several
shots until she knew she got to the film with Bob’s photo. That’s when she took Mel B’s shot,
and double exposed it with Bob’s. Any photographer worth his salt could
easily pull this off. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Sacred Riana’s actually a photographer by day.
#7: Freezing Point
British magician Dynamo once stunned audiences when he pulled an Elsa
and made an entire fountain turn into ice! All by touching the surface! Heck,
he even froze the running water right before people’s eyes! Iceman is shaking!
In fairness, there are no CGI involved here, but rather, a pre-frozen layer of ice lying underneath
the pool of water. When Dynamo touched the water, an assistant either drained the water to reveal
the ice, or a movable platform on which the ice sat was raised. The frozen up running water also
doesn’t look quite impressive when you consider how the icy version looked thinner than when it
was flowing. It could be that the ice was already there, and they just made water flow over it.
Now, all it takes is a quick flick of the switch to turn the water off, and it’s ice, ice baby!
#6: Frozen Alive
One of David Blaine’s famous tricks is his Frozen in Time act, where he endured being
encased inside a massive block of ice for a total of 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds!
At the point where David started to experience
delusions, he was finally removed from the block of ice with the help of chainsaws.
While there’s no doubt that the legendary street magician utilized incredible will power,
concentration and intense training for this seemingly impossible act, he might have also
got some help from his incredible production design team, just like the Masked Magician!
To begin with, the ice chamber is not as cold as it’s made out to be, but rather,
a balmy 53 degrees. And then there’s the trapdoor that opens on the floor of the chamber.
The illusionist and his double use this to take shifts inside the block
of ice. And they do the whole switcheroo whenever the dry ice is being sprayed.
Beneath the trapdoor is another chamber, complete with all the comforts of an
average home – a mattress, food, and even a TV set where they can watch the live
coverage of their act! That certainly beats binge-watching Netflix any time!
#5: D-I-Y Levitation
From David Copperfield to Criss Angel,
we’ve seen this trick performed a million times and in various styles, settings and scenarios.
If you’ve ever dreamt of learning to fly, or at least trick your family and friends into
thinking you can, here are 2 practical ways you can do it at the comfort of your own home
if you’re still in quarantine. One is by using a blanket!
For this version, attach your pair of shoes together using some elastic bands. Once they are
clamped together, the pair moves as one. Then while your legs are concealed by the blanket,
remove one foot from the shoe and lift the blanket up as you’re lifting your other foot up.
In the second version of this trick,
you’ll be needing a stool or a chair to pull off the illusion.
As you may have figured out by now, it’s all about perspective. To pull off this trick,
make a long slit on one of the legs of your pants. Then, attach the bottom of the pants to the shoe,
and like the first trick, stick the shoes together using Velcro or rubber bands.
It does look a little silly watching it from the sides, but from the back,
you’ll be looking like the next Lance Burton!
#4: Crushed It!
Criss Angel’s TV show isn’t called Mindfreak for nothing. Just watch all the freaky things he does
to amaze his viewers! Just like the time when he climbed inside a wooden casket with
his hands cuffed. The wooden coffin was then sent straight into a wood chipping machine,
which crushed it into smithereens!
But before you scream, “timber!” Spoiler alert. He comes out the other end in one piece!
You might be thinking, there’s no way he could have survived going through the chipper. Well,
you’re right! Because he never went through it!
Once again, the Masked Magician and his lovely assistants show us how it’s done.
The first element of this trick is the handcuffs, which are fake and can easily be
uncuffed. The second is the trapdoor built into the coffin’s side that’s not
visible to the audience. Right before the casket enters the chipper, the magician
slides out of the trapdoor. But why didn’t anyone see him escaping from the coffin?!
The third important part of this trick is a mirror that reflects the ground and gives
the illusion that you can see through under the conveyor belt! A little bit of wham, bam,
alakazam and out on the other end he emerges, without as much as a wood chip on his shoulder.
#3: Phone in a Bottle
It’s one of the oldest tricks in a street magician’s playbook—trapping
someone’s mobile phone inside a bottle! It’s a nightmare, I know!
It’s also one of the easiest tricks to pull off which could come in handy for
reducing your kids’ screen time. All you need is a plastic bottle,
and a box cutter to slit on one of its sides. When you’re ready for your hocus pocus,
make sure that the sliced side of the bottle doesn’t face your audience, and of course,
the slit has to be right across the phone because you’re going to push the phone through it!
Now your audience will probably want to check the bottle, so before they get the chance to do that,
immediately say that you want to get the phone out, so you’re going to slit the
bottle open – but of course, you’re just going to trace off of the one you’ve already made.
#2: The Flying Commuter
What’s the best way to tour around London? Ride one of those double-decker bus, of course! But
you know what’s even better? Levitate on the side of the London bus and chill like Dynamo!
In 2013, the British illusionist pulled off this in partnership with a soda brand.
Watch as he floats beside a London bus while it passes through some of the most iconic landmarks!
But while he’s busy taking selfies with his left arm,
did you notice how his right arm never moves or bends? That’s because it’s a fake arm,
attached to a metal rod and harness! Dynamo’s real right arm is hidden under
all that layer of clothing, along with the metal support and rods holding him up!
It’s pretty similar to how other street performers quote-unquote “levitate.” Behind all the smoke
and mirrors is just a bunch of carefully engineered rigs, metal rods and harnesses!
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#1: Spitting Frogs
The most fascinating part about this David Blaine trick is that there are no illusions involved in
this one! The endurance master really swallows frogs and spits them back out! English illusionist
Kieran Johnson is another performer who has mastered the art of regurgitation.
“It’s just like a relaxed thing, so I’m aware the coin is there
traveling down, and I’m aware it’s there but when I bring it back, it’s kinda tense.”
This mastery of regurgitation also allows David Blaine to swallow and
sprout large volumes of water, with some goldfish in there too!
Aside from learning from a professional water sprouter from Liberia, David also
studied how to control his stomach with the help of bronchoscopies,
and turned this scientific process into a stunning endurance act.
So, which of these tricks would you try out soon? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Now here’s something that will equally astonish you!
Check out our list of the 10 Best Architectural Wonders from Around the World!
‘Til then, stay mystical, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!