The Standards Penn & Teller Set (And Why They Matter)
Picture this: You just fooled two of the most famous magicians in the world on national television. You walk off stage buzzing with adrenaline. And then they send you to the basement laundry room for four and a half hours.
That's exactly what happened to me on Season 4 of Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
They needed to reshoot one camera angle for continuity. I was the first performer filmed that day out of eleven. So while everyone else performed upstairs, I sat in the laundry room of the Penn & Teller Theater in Las Vegas, bursting with excitement but unable to tell a single person I'd just fooled them. I did sneak one phone call to a friend, but mostly I just sat there next to industrial washers, replaying every second in my head.
That experience—from preparation to performance to sitting in a basement full of lint—taught me more about what makes entertainment truly work than any magic book ever could. And those lessons directly impact how I approach every corporate event and wedding I perform at across Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut.
What It Actually Takes to Get on Fool Us (Let Alone Fool Them)
Here's what most people get wrong about Penn & Teller: Fool Us: they think it's all about the method, about having some never-before-seen trick that will blow their minds.
The producers told me something different. They don't care that much about whether you fool Penn & Teller. What they care about is whether you provide solid entertainment. They'd rather book a routine that's well-thought-out and engaging than something that's merely fooling but lacks real presentation.
Sound familiar? It's the same thing I tell corporate event planners in Boston all the time. The goal isn't to "trick" your guests—it's to create an experience they'll actually remember and talk about.
My routine on Fool Us was built from an accumulation of very basic tricks—stuff Penn & Teller literally sell in their own magic sets. But the very last part is what fooled them: I took a dollar bill that a gentleman from the audience had signed, and I changed it to a hundred-dollar bill with his signature still on it. The magic community had never seen this particular method before.
But here's the thing: I knew going in that if Penn guessed even one small part of what made this work, I'd lose. So I planted a red herring. I forced the gentleman to sign his name inside a small square I drew on the dollar bill. My goal was to make them think the method involved what magicians call a "window"—a specific technique they'd recognize.
Sure enough, Penn took the bait. In their secret code, he said: "We think somebody left a window open in here."
The second I heard that, I knew I had them fooled.
The Standard That Matters Most: Preparation Over Everything
Preparing for that performance taught me something that's changed how I approach every gig: with the right amount of preparation and practice, even the largest stages in the world can shrink down to feel like a living room with family and friends.
The key is turning your nerves into excited energy instead of letting them overtake you. And that only happens through preparation.
I rehearsed that routine hundreds of times. I practiced the red herring. I anticipated every way Penn might code his guess. By the time I walked on stage, I wasn't worried about the mechanics—I was free to focus on the entertainment, on reading the room, on making it an experience.
This is exactly what I bring to corporate events across New Hampshire and Maine. When you hire a professional magician, you're not just getting tricks—you're getting someone who's put in the hours so they can adapt in real-time, read your specific audience, and deliver reliably under pressure.
I've performed at 500-person galas in Boston and intimate wedding receptions in Connecticut. The venue size changes. The audience changes. But the standard stays the same: walk in so prepared that you can focus entirely on making it memorable for that specific group of people.
Entertainment Beats Fooling Every Single Time
Here's an irony that would surprise most people: my Fool Us performance is the second most-viewed fooler in the show's history, with over 14 million views on YouTube. You'd think that would lead to people finding the video and hiring me left and right.
It hasn't led to a single booking that way.
What it has done is solidify gigs when clients are already considering me. If someone's reached out about entertainment for their Boston corporate event and just wants to be confident in their decision, I can show them that video. Nine times out of ten, it lands the gig.
But here's what's more telling: clients often ask if I can perform "that trick from the show" at their event. Honestly? The effect I did on Fool Us is phenomenal for camera but not great for in-person performances. Unless it's really demanded, I steer clients toward more entertaining and reliable material for their specific audience.
Why? Because the actual standard isn't about doing the most impressive trick I've ever done. It's about delivering what works best for that moment, that crowd, that event.
Penn & Teller themselves reinforced this after I walked off stage. They both stopped me and said, "That was really cool. Seriously, how did you do that?" It felt incredible to hear. But what stuck with me more was the lesson their show teaches by design: entertainment value trumps pure deception every time.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Fooling" Anyone
People think you need some cutting-edge technology or completely novel method to fool two of the smartest minds in magic. The reality? A lot of people who fool them are taking old premises, old methods, old ideas—and putting them in new packaging.
The packaging disguises the method so well that even though Penn & Teller might know the technique, they can't see it in this new context.
This translates directly to corporate entertainment. Your guests at a New Hampshire company event don't need to see something that's never been done before. They need to see something presented in a way that feels fresh, personal, and specific to them. That's what creates the "how did he do that?" moment that people are still talking about on Monday morning.
Why This Standard Matters for Your Event
The standards Penn & Teller set—preparation, entertainment over tricks, strategic thinking, reliable delivery—these aren't just principles for television. They're exactly what separates a forgettable event from one your team talks about for years.
When I perform at corporate events across Massachusetts or wedding receptions in Maine, I'm applying the same discipline I brought to that Fool Us stage: rehearse relentlessly, read the room, adapt in real-time, and deliver something that prioritizes your guests' experience over showing off.
The laundry room taught me patience. The performance taught me that strategy matters as much as skill. And the aftermath taught me that credibility is built on consistency, not one viral moment.
Fooling Penn & Teller opened doors nationally and worldwide. But what keeps those doors open—and what keeps New England clients coming back or referring me—is the standard behind that one performance. Show up prepared. Entertain first, impress second. And always deliver reliability over novelty.
That's the standard that actually matters.
Planning a corporate event or wedding in Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, or Connecticut? Let's talk about creating an experience your guests will actually remember. I bring the same preparation and audience-focused approach to every performance—whether it's for 50 people or 500. Contact me to check availability and let's make your event unforgettable.
