Headscratchers / Penn & Teller: Fool Us

• Why do participants bother to do tricks that involve trap doors? I just think it's weird because they're performing on a theater stage that Penn & Teller essentially own, they know where the trap doors are, so they can tell how certain disappearing/re-appearing tricks can be pulled, or any other magic trick that might require a trap door. If the goal is to fool Penn & Teller, doing those kinds of tricks seems counter-intuitive.
  • Actually fooling P&T is just a bonus, the entire show is basically one long audition/advertising opportunity to get themselves hired or booked into more high profile venues. It is all about gaining visibility and selling themselves to the public.
  • Penn himself has said that the whole "Fool Us" thing is just a hook or gimmick for the show. The real purpose of the show is so that they can see magicians from all over the world doing what they do best.
• What's the purpose of Penn & Teller doing the Spy Speak to ask the contestant about the trick they used when they already have judges who already know the trick and could immediately confirm whether or not they managed to figure it out?
  • To prevent the audience from catching on too much.
    • My point was, why don't they just announce whether or not the act has fooled them based on the panel decision rather than speak in code that might (and had) lead to misunderstanding and incorrect decisions?
      • Penn has said a few times that it is to give decipherable clues to audience members who are actually interested in learning magic, allowing the show to be a good teaching tool for up and coming Magicians without taking the wonder away from those who just want to see some cool magic tricks.
• The show always makes a big deal when a magician manages to fool Teller, but what's even the point of drawing attention to all this? Doesn't the magician have to fool both of them to get the trophy anyway?
  • Because, by Penn’s own admission, Teller is the superior magician of the two of them; it’s not that Penn’s a bad magician, either, it’s that Teller is one of the best magicians alive. Penn’s stated, in the past, that a lot of acts fool him but don’t fool Teller. So if you can get by Teller, you’re REALLY good.