Yikes, why am I watching this? [SK: Because you love bad TV.] The first episode was a disaster, but it is Halloween, so I suppose I’d better give it another chance. The celebrity helpers this week are Ross Matthews, Miss USA Shandi Finnessy, and Cheetah Girl Raven Simone.

Since this is a two hour event, all of the “mentalists” from last week and this week do short tricks. Jim Karol, the self-proclaimed “psychic madman”, does a trick involving a card being transported into a women’s bra–it seemed totally set up to me. Next, Eran Raven is doing a static electricity trick with Shandi–it must be working, because I’m feeling a strong attraction to Shandi at the moment.

But back to the true intent of the trick, she makes some sunglasses move with psychic energy–unfortunately for Eran, the lighting clearly shows a glimmer of the string he is using to move them. Next, Gerry McCambridge–he puts some marks on a card with a picture of a body then psychically touches a volunteer on that part–it’s not clear why he didn’t let an audience member make the x on the card if he wanted his trick to have real impact. Next up Ehud, who takes Ross’s credit card and makes it fly–another string trick, but well done. Next, Jim Callahan does some mind reading with Shandi–boring. Next Angela Funovits (get it, “fun of it”), does a lame trick with an earring. Next, Jan Bard does a trick with flowers–it was a little too “street performer” for me. Next Guy Bavli, doing some mind reading–boring. Next Mike Super working with Raven–he moved some cards and picked the one she was thinking of. Next, Wayne Hoffman, working with some change from Ross’s pocket–he bends a quarter–big deal. [SK: Can YOU bend a quarter? And isn’t that illegal? I’d call bending a quarter defacing money.]

After the break, Uri is doing another trick with America. Basically, it is just a math trick where you pick a number, do some calculations, then the number can be predicted. Except in this version it involves the names of planets. Nothing special at all. I would think Uri would have pulled something a little more amazing out of his bag of tricks, especially on Halloween.

Next, the first eliminations from last week. Ehud and Jim are knocked out. Somehow they didn’t use “mentalism” to predict who would be going forward and who would be axed.

Now this week’s competition. First, Wayne Hoffman does a trick with Shandi. She has to draw an image, and he supposedly got that image tattooed on his arm last month. She drew a yin/yang symbol. He explained how he used mental suggestion to get her to do what he wanted. It was a great Darren Brown type act. Criss really liked it, as did Uri. I give it an A-. I like acts where the person explains how it is done afterwards.

Next up is the sole female competitor, Angela Funovits. She has the looks to be a magician’s assistant but is in the driver’s seat doing her own thing. She is going to do a “death defying” stunt. She volunteers Ross to help her, and it involves a sharp knife. She puts it blade-up under some paper cylinders. Ross mixes them up, and then puts his hand on her shoulder. She somehow reads his cues and punches down–man I hope she pulls a Penn and Teller and does some fake blood. Alas, she does not, but it is extremely suspenseful and entertaining. I give it an A–very well done trick. Interestingly, they pan to the audience, and Mr. Belder from Saved by the Bell is there. Uri is very impressed, as is Criss.

Next up is Guy Balvi, who claims he is going to stop his heart. They have a “doctor” in the audience–with a lab coat and a stethoscope, so he must be a doctor–who strangely speaks with the same eastern European accent that Guy does! Raven is assisting him, and the set up is taking forever–my heart may stop from boredom. And . . . his heart stops . . . L A M E. Somebody better defibrillate this guy’s act. Uri really liked it, and Criss liked it but didn’t seem to think it was the right trick for this venue due to time constraints–I agree, the timing was way off. I give this act a D.

Next is Belgian Jan Bardi. He gives the whole audience numbered boxes of matches, and tells them to take some matches out. He then has the audience throw them at him, and Shandi cuts the numbered decks and takes the top card. He then uses a pendulum thing to lead him to the box that matches the card she has chosen. He finds the correct box–obviously he dropped it there earlier, so he has no trouble knowing how many matches are in the box. The real question is how did he get her to pick the correct card. Another very good trick–I give it an A. Uri and Criss both loved it.

Next up is Jim Callahan, a guy who communicates while in a trance with a dead professor. He does “automatic writing” which is one of the oldest con games in the book. He plays a pre-recorded video while he spazzes out in a chair on stage while in his trance. Raven puts an object in a box, and he writes out, backwards, what she has put in there. This is so over the top it is incredibly LAME. I give this one a D–finally a clunker. Uri loved his display of “supernatural powers”. Criss unloads on the guy with both barrels–he pulls out an envelope and offers him (or Uri) a million dollars to tell him what’s in there. There is some pushing and shoving, and swearing–sweet! They go to commercial break, and when we come back Jim STILL hasn’t claimed his million dollars. I guess the dead spirit that was moving him is out for coffee with Clara Bow. It was very reminiscent of when Uri was made a fool of on Johnny Carson 30 years ago. Clearly Criss has no patience with people who pretend that their tricks are real magic–of course, Criss routinely courts that line on his show Mind Freak.

Next, Criss does a ode to Houdini, which naturally arcs back to his own feats which are “improved” versions of Houdini’s act. In fact, Houdini is hardly mentioned.

Next is Mike Super. The guy has a stand-up’s wit, and I hope his “mentalism” is as good as his presentation. He is going to solve a mental murder mystery. Some random “witnesses” are picked in the audience, and play a game of mad libs–they determine that a murder was done with a dresser, in Hawaii (Ross can’t remember how to spell it!), by Tom Hanks. Ross then has to pick a time of death. Now, a box that was suspended in the air is brought down. Of course, the scroll shows what the three guys said, but then he shows that the time is stamped on the whole audience’s hand which can only be seen under blacklight. Uri thought it was lame, and Criss thought it was entertaining. There is clear tension between Criss and Uri. I wonder if the previous act has some kind of connection to Uri. I give the act a B+.

Overall, the acts tonight were FAR superior to those of last week. The only lame ones were the heart stopping one and the automatic writing one. Even then, the automatic writing was hilarious because of Criss’s call-out of both the “mentalist” and Uri. I wonder if Uri will forgive Criss? I love to see frauds like Uri called out, so I definitely will tune in next week!

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