Penn and Teller watch unknown magicians from the audience, then interrogate the method without ever exposing the secret. If they can’t explain how the trick worked, the performer wins a five-star Vegas week and the opening slot in the duo’s Rio show. The format has remained identical since the 2011 pilot: a brisk stage set, a post-trick chat heavy on coded language, and the verdict delivered onstage. The only variables are the host—Jonathan Ross in London, Alyson Hannigan from season two, Brooke Burke from season ten—and the increasing ingenuity required to fool two men who have seen everything twice.
Production moved to Las Vegas in 2015 after ITV cancelled the British run, averaging four million viewers yet losing its slot to cheaper reality fare. The CW picked it up for a summer filler and discovered a reliable utility player, now renewed through an eleventh season. COVID protocols once forced 660 crew tests and a virtual audience, but the show never missed a cycle. Over 170 episodes, only a few dozen acts have genuinely fooled the pair; the real prize is the quiet handshake Teller offers backstage when the camera cuts away.
Production Details
ITV1 / 11 Seasons / 170 Episodes / 2011 - Present
Writer(s): Matt Donnelly, Matt Donelly, Penn Jillette
Producer(s): Alyson Hannigan, Danny Harris
Main Cast
Penn Jillette as Self - Judge
Teller as Self - Judge
Alyson Hannigan as Self - Host
Jonathan Ross as Self - Presenter
Brooke Burke as Self - Host
Jandro López as Self - Magician
Jesse Eisenberg as Self
Kyle Eschen as Self
Dan Harlan as Self
Brett Loudermilk as Self
Ryan Joyce as Self
Louie Anderson as Himself
