Penn and Teller: Fool us - Rubik's Cube Magic

DeeDubb said:
That trick was set up by the previous tricks. If he had done it first, it would be more obvious that the hidden 3 sides weren't solved, but he shows all six sides on the previous 3 tricks. The audience has no reason to suspect the hidden 3 sides were still in checkerboard pattern because he had established that he's solving all six quickly.

It's the magician side of things that might be hard for us to appreciate because we are viewing the trick through a totally different lens than the public. Just because you don't get something doesn't make it lame. Look at how the audience reacts.
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haha.. I was just going to comment the same exact thing (It is set up by the previously effects). While to most cubers it may be obviously I have done it for multiple magicians and laypeople and it usually gets great reactions!
 
I'll be honest, a while ago, when I saw effects like throwing a cube behind your back and having it be solved, I thought you were just a normal magician who happened to like using a cube as a prop. And what I really mean by that is, someone who didn't understand the cube but was using the cubing community to promote himself.

After seeing your act here, though, it's pretty clear to me that you really do have an understanding of how the cube works and what it can do. (And of course your WCA profile shows you didn't just pick up the cube for a magic act!) The moves you do remind me of some analogous moves in card magic, where the audience thinks the cards are getting shuffled randomly but they are being precisely controlled. Lots of respect for that. And congrats for fooling Penn and Teller, especially so quickly!


Chree said:
I googled "Is Penn sick". Turns out he had high blood pressure and his doctor told him to lose weight. So he went on some crazy diet. 4 months and 105 pounds later, he looks like a raisin. That's a real magic trick.
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Jeez, that's crazy. And he was 330 before - definitely didn't look it, but I guess that happens when you're six and a half feet tall.
 
Sjbrundage said:
If you notice I said it has had over 15 million views total
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Yes, I had noticed, and the Igtfmivfebtsisfabm in my post means "I guess the fifteen million include views from elsewhere, but that screenshot is still fake and bugs me". That screenshot makes it look like 15 million views on one website, and that's just a lie. Maybe the girlfriend you mentioned also isn't the girl we see while you're saying it? :D Oh well...

qqwref said:
I'll be honest, a while ago, when I saw effects like throwing a cube behind your back and having it be solved, I thought you were just a normal magician who happened to like using a cube as a prop. And what I really mean by that is, someone who didn't understand the cube but was using the cubing community to promote himself.
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Did you not look up his WCA profile back then, or did it not convince you back then that he's a good cuber?
 
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Stefan said:
Yes, I had noticed, and the Igtfmivfebtsisfabm in my post means "I guess the fifteen million include views from elsewhere, but that screenshot is still fake and bugs me". That screenshot makes it look like 15 million views on one website, and that's just a lie. Maybe the girlfriend you mentioned also isn't the girl we see while you're saying it? :D Oh well...



Did you not look up his WCA profile back then, or did it not convince you back then that he's a good cuber?
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I am much faster than my WCA profile says.. but I still suck... haha.. I haven't done a competition in a LONG time. I need to go to one asap. So much fun and I love all the cubers I get to meet.
 
Figured out the entire solution to the last part (solved cube -> "millisecond scramble" -> matching Teller's cube), based on the exact way it's done in the video, not some Cube Explorer solution. Haven't seen anyone post it yet.


  • At 4:24 the cube is solved.
  • From 4:25 to 4:29 you can't see what he's doing but it's U2 D B' L B2 D2 (he does all his scrambles in the entire routine with yellow top/green front).
  • From 4:30 to 4:34 he does U' F' D2 U' L D L2 in plain sight.
  • From 4:40 to 4:43 we get a close-up view of D2 U' R U2. Then he just drops it.
  • From 4:45 to 4:50 he holds the cube with white top/blue front and does U D' R' F R U' D' R B R' U R' U' L F' B L F L' F' L. Now it matches Teller's cube. (Yeah, spent an entire hour figuring this last part out...)
 
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blah said:
Figured out the entire solution to the last part (solved cube -> "millisecond scramble" -> matching Teller's cube), based on the exact way it's done in the video, not some Cube Explorer solution. Haven't seen anyone post it yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFynN59T-Vo

  • At 4:24 the cube is solved.
  • From 4:25 to 4:29 you can't see what he's doing but it's U2 D B' L B2 D2 (he does all his scrambles in the entire routine with yellow top/green front).
  • From 4:30 to 4:34 he does U' F' D2 U' L D L2 in plain sight.
  • From 4:40 to 4:43 we get a close-up view of D2 U' R U2. Then he just drops it.
  • From 4:45 to 4:50 he holds the cube with white top/blue front and does U D' R' F R U' D' R B R' U R' U' L F' B L F L' F' L. Now it matches Teller's cube. (Yeah, spent an entire hour figuring this last part out...)
Click to expand...


WOW, you put in some serious work to figure out all those algorithms... You could have just asked me : )

Thank you for the Spoiler Tags!
 
In addition to the excellent and very fun cube illusions, your performance itself was superb (pacing, presentation, speaking rate & clarity, personality, etc.). Well done!
 
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Parity Case said:
In addition to the excellent and very fun cube illusions, your performance itself was superb (pacing, presentation, speaking rate & clarity, personality, etc.). Well done!
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WOW, Thank you for other super nice comments. I have been working on this routine for well over 3 years and it has changed so much. It helps that I have done this routine literally thousands of times!
 
Sjbrundage said:
WOW, Thank you for other super nice comments. I have been working on this routine for well over 3 years and it has changed so much. It helps that I have done this routine literally thousands of times!
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It's cool you are on here! I had seen the Penn and Teller clip, but a guy at work that knows I cube was telling me about you on America's Got Talent. I'll tell him I "messaged" you on here. :)

My next to oldest brother is a close up magician. I tried to interest him in cubing. He used to say how he had to spend hours and hours in front of a mirror working on tricks, so it reminded me if cubing practice. Plus I assume his finger practice in magic would help. :) He wasn't interested really though.
 
Oh yeah, this is the video I was thinking of. My advisor showed this to us, and I figured out how you did one of the tricks.

I also have a friend who's a magician, so both of us watched this video, and I showed him what was really going on... Kind of weird when you think about it... A cuber teaching a magician new tricks. Then again...
 
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