Wisdumb: Smart and Not-So-Smart

“The Real Hustle” is a good show, and this is one of the best bar scams on it.

Well, my predictions were pretty good. I called Mike Super as the winner, and I was right. I said I thought Eran would be the one to go, and he was, but he went out in third place, not fourth… so I was close, but not correct.

Well, I called the three that were safe and the two that weren’t in my last post… except for the twist were Guy got saved. After tonight’s performances, I hope Angela gets the boot (she made a mistake, it took way too long, the climax used a fairly well known gimmick [actually explained in a Penn&Teller book] and I agreed with Chris Angel’s assessment that she didn’t connect to the audience), but I bet she squeaks by again. I also thought Eran’s performance was pretty weak (especially compared to a much better version of the same concept done by Derren Brown). So, I predict he is the one to go, and if not him, then Angela. Mike’s performance should make him a lock for moving on, and I think Guy’s performance, unfortunately, will amaze the type of person who actually votes on these type of shows. I say unfortunate because, come on already, enough with the bending of cutlery.

Anyway, I predict, and hope, the Mike Super becomes the next phenom.

BTW, I thought Gerry’s performance was his best one… though I don’t think he described the ending part with the audience very accurately and the show shouldn’t let these guys get away with that type of thing.

I am a few days late on this, but I just got to watch it yesterday. Anyway, I was glad to see Jim Callahan get the boot. Nothing too special on this episode to comment on other than the bad acting of two of the contestants. The snake guy, Eran Raven, was especially over-the-top with his bad acting during the “I want to continue” speech. Also, Angela Funovits, upped her bad acting with her limping from the supposed burns on her leg.

Anyway, despite the bad acting on those two performances, my guess is that both of them our safe. The chic will get a pass for being attractive and working a routine where she shows off her legs, and the dude will get some sympathy votes for being bitten and the supposed risk of death. I also think Mike Super will make the next level with his Voodoo doll routine. I think he is the best entertainer of the bunch and his routines so far have been very clever.

If I am right, that means things are looking bad for Guy Bavli (hydrochloric acid guy) and Gerry McCambridge (paint ball dude).

Ok, it’s a few seconds after the BS performance featuring a guy named Jim Callahan who claims to talk to the dead. He does this ridiculous over-the-top routine where he ends up spirit writing information given to him from a connection he has to some dead guy — which reveals what random item was picked by a celebrity. Apparently, dead people know random crap like that.

Anyway, the routine wasn’t interesting. What was interesting was Chris Angel’s review after the performance. He basically called the performance a joke and then called Jim Callahan out and offered him a million dollars if he could use his spirit connection to identify what was in an envelope he held up. Jim then immediately gets pissed off and acts like he wants to throw down and calls Chris a religious bigot.

I begrudgingly gives Chris some props for this, even though I just recently called him the biggest douche bag in the world. However, I also suggest Chris was waiting for this opportunity and is greatly anticipating all the publicity he will get from this stunt. Of course, I now have to nominate myself for a douche bag title for knowingly supporting his goal by giving him the publicity he desires. All I can hope is that he reads his Google Alerts on his name in the order they happen and mine appears first and he has to read that he is the biggest douche bag in the world.

BTW, if you are reading this Chris Angel, my guess for what was int he envelope is: Chris Angel Has Herpes.

Do I win a million dollars?

For those who do not get the reference to the title of this post, here is the history of it. But why has Chris Angel earned this title? Is it for all of his alleged girlfriend/wife stealing or other high-profile short-term romances. No, that just makes him a dick. Is it for his fairly ridiculous TV show Mindfreak. No, as lame as much of that show is, I actually found it fairly entertaining. And before anyone complains, I know he is ripping off a bunch of magicians and basically updating old tricks and taking credit for them, and using audience plants, fake “live” set-ups and the power of editing* to make tricks work on TV that he couldn’t pull off live — that is still not the reason for his new title.

This is the reason for it: Phenomenon.

Teaming up with Uri Geller and lending him any credibility at all is about the worst freakin’ thing he can do. Shame on him, shame on NBC and shame on anybody that gives Uri Geller money.

* Not using camera tricks exactly, but editing out set-ups and taking away the need to have a way to end a trick clean.