This show has some great entertainment value. It is appropriate for all ages and all ages will enjoy it. As some negative reviews suggest, there may be some cutaways, but I'm sure that it is only so the audience sees things happen as the victim saw them so they can be just as amazed. I believe the reactions are real to the same tricks that we see. There may be some editing to enhance certain acts for the audience or cut out parts where the victim may have been distracted so he can make a switch, but they are still tricked into believing what they saw. If you are turned off by a show that does things that you know are not possible, then you probably shouldn't watch any show featuring a magician or illusionist, but if you enjoy a show in which real people have real reactions to impossible things happening before their eyes, then you'll enjoy this show. You can be sure that it took many attempts to fool someone for each trick, but most saw right through it. It's only the few that didn't catch on that made it on the air.
39 Reviews
Fun.....But....who is that dumb?
keikoasmom2 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The show takes a new Twist on the old Candid Camera format, and I love Magic, except so many of the people are so dumb or ignorant! It's just too ridiculous. If people are really that stupid to believe that stripes will splash off of a zebra figure onto the inside of the box or that a three-foot alligator can come out of a sink drain, I worry about the future of our country. Otherwise a lot of the skits are cute and funny.
Where is everyone?
paul-230-7181339 January 2015
The magic is fantastic, and Carbonaro is a great host...but 2 things jump out. The first is that there's never anybody in the store or area being filmed. These are hardware stores, toy stores, nutrition stores...and they are always 100% empty except for Carbonaro behind the counter. The other thing that jumps out is that the people being "tricked" are disproportionately black. I am not sure why this is...but the show could be titled "Michael Carbonaro does magic for unsuspecting black people in empty stores". The people in the show are definitely not actors, but the producers find a way to keep other people away from the trick. The magic, though, is really good and the reactions seem genuine. Carbonaro is a very talented magician.
Great idea!
kellyhostetter6 July 2014
This show cracks me up. I typically prefer the raunchier shows, but this is hilarious while safe to watch with the whole family. Michael is amazing! "Oh yea, that's just a dealer window." Michael performs magic without telling the participants. Then he comes up with hilarious explanations for what happened, while the participants try to wrap their minds around what they just saw. Michael is charming and not too hard on the eyes either. Most episodes center around some sort of shop or office, and michael pretends to be an employee and confuses and amazes unsuspecting customers or coworkers. Do yourself a favor, and start recording this show. It can be watched out of sequence, so no need to worry about catching up first!
Great Family Entertainment
yusrimurray3 September 2016
This is a wonderfully done show. I can watch it by myself, or with my wife and two young children. The illusions are fun and the explanations Michael gives to confused targets are hilarious. I truly appreciate the thought and effort put into this program. There are so few programs that are good clean humor and entertaining as well. Sometimes after a long day, my daughter and I hang out in my easy chair together and enjoy a good laugh and some amazement while trying to figure out how he does what he does. There are a lot of fresh takes on old classics and plenty of never seen before illusions. He makes being the unsuspecting mark look like fun. He's very respectful and has a great warmth about him. He seems like the kind of person you would want to hang with. This is and will be a top priority on my DVR. Thank you Michael Carbonaro!
I want more!!
marymaltbey23 March 2015
Great magic tricks. The explanations & how he (Michael) says things are so hilarious!!! Love watching the 'victims' facial expressions too. Thanks to all who came up with this. Getting pretty rare finding a good show to watch. Laugh your stress away.....Check this show out. I just watched all the episodes on my cable On Demand. I sure hope I will be able to get/find more. I know I would react the same way as the others which scares me because Michael says some real bizarre things as to what they have just witness. His shoe laces "remembered" how to tie themselves! He lifts his foot up and starts rolling it in a circle. As he is doing this we are seeing his shoe being tied, by itself. Feel so much better after watching programs that cause me to laugh, a lot.
I don't know where all the negative reviews are coming from
okg-1112227 June 2015
When I first saw the show its just looks like any other magic TV show. But the people who have done the negative reviews on this show should research it Before writing a review.
I found out that he finds people who need work and then He does magic tricks on them. They are people who see the trick fail, but they have to pay them money any, then there are people who got fooled by the trick but don't want to be on TV but still get paid, the last people get the biggest sums of money are the people who get tricked and say it's okay to be put on TV.
Some of his tricks are really clever which makes you wonder how he did it, others you notice at once and wonder how people fall for it. I just love seeing how the react to the trick. What people are most skeptical about are the zoom in on the victim. They usually do that so you can't see them make a switch while the person is distracted to keep it a mistake. The only reason I don't give it a 10/10 is because they sometimes but this is rare, they do tricks so obvious that it makes you wonder how people could fall for it. Give it a try you might just like it.
I found out that he finds people who need work and then He does magic tricks on them. They are people who see the trick fail, but they have to pay them money any, then there are people who got fooled by the trick but don't want to be on TV but still get paid, the last people get the biggest sums of money are the people who get tricked and say it's okay to be put on TV.
Some of his tricks are really clever which makes you wonder how he did it, others you notice at once and wonder how people fall for it. I just love seeing how the react to the trick. What people are most skeptical about are the zoom in on the victim. They usually do that so you can't see them make a switch while the person is distracted to keep it a mistake. The only reason I don't give it a 10/10 is because they sometimes but this is rare, they do tricks so obvious that it makes you wonder how people could fall for it. Give it a try you might just like it.
Wallpaper
bentalk31 May 2019
Sometimes it's quite amusing - but it's more of a themed story than a real magic show. Obviously it also depends heavily upon the reaction of the subject, so you're being exposed to mostly to people who give good TV reactions - this gets a little boring (you know nobody will challenge him when he's coming up with completely ridiculous and implausible explanations and his favourite reaction has to be people who go along with his explanations and find them realistic...).
It's one I reserve for TV dinner wallpaper.
It's one I reserve for TV dinner wallpaper.
Good Family Fun
briane0187615 March 2017
Me and my grandmother watch it all the time it is one of our favorite shows. No swearing (just beeps), nothing sexual, no blood and gore, just nothing but good laughs, surprises and things that make you wonder.
Yes the camera doesn't show u the part where he swaps what he's holding for the identical object but one with modifications from under the counter he's standing in front of. But why the @#$% would they? That would ruin the trick? What don't you people understand.
And the reason u don't see the inner workings of the tricks... is because the people he's fooling don't see it either. So it helps immerse you in the experience.
And no they marks not paid actors, they are real people thinking they are signing up for a job or class, or etc., etc. The type of person who thinks the marks are paid actors are the types of people who whine and complain that the Superbowl is fixed. You can't have that many people keep that big a secret u conspiracy theory dumbies.
So do like me and my grandma do and enjoy the darn show :D
Yes the camera doesn't show u the part where he swaps what he's holding for the identical object but one with modifications from under the counter he's standing in front of. But why the @#$% would they? That would ruin the trick? What don't you people understand.
And the reason u don't see the inner workings of the tricks... is because the people he's fooling don't see it either. So it helps immerse you in the experience.
And no they marks not paid actors, they are real people thinking they are signing up for a job or class, or etc., etc. The type of person who thinks the marks are paid actors are the types of people who whine and complain that the Superbowl is fixed. You can't have that many people keep that big a secret u conspiracy theory dumbies.
So do like me and my grandma do and enjoy the darn show :D
You really need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this show
lilmul12326 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
If you accept this show for what it is at face value, you'll probably be very entertained by it finding yourself exclaiming, "How did he do that?! That's amazing!" Carbonaro's tricks are pretty funny, and the people's reactions are also amusing.
However, if you look past that, you'll find a hollow shell of a show made up of simple camera tricks and cut-aways along with poor actors in order to make you think that all of the tricks are legitimate. The tricks are too elaborate to be sleight-of-hand as in most magic. For example, there is an episode where Carbonaro is working at a sporting goods store, and a "random woman" comes into the store to return a sleeping bag that's too small. She places the bag on the counter, he inspects it by opening it up, and after a few cut-aways later, there's a giant snake coming out of the bag, and of course, the woman is shocked. In the same episode, a "pizza delivery woman" brings a pizza to the counter, he says that he ordered the wrong kind of pizza, he places the pizza on a spinning chair, spins it a few times, and then after a couple cut-aways, he opens the pizza box, and suddenly, it's a different pizza. Even if these people were not actors, the props would still need to be set up in advance so that the trick could be effective. Carbonaro has to know about the pizza box and the sleeping bag in order to make a trick out of them. These types of circumstances are common across all the episodes.
If these tricks were done with one long continuous shot, then yes, they would be very convincing. Unfortunately, his "magic" essentially consists of showing you one thing, telling you to close your eyes for five seconds, and then suddenly showing you something else and asking you to act amazed. If you try really hard to suspend your disbelief, you will find entertainment in the show. If you look past that and analyze Carbonaro's "tricks," you'll easily see that it's just actors pretending to be impressed regular people trying to convince you to be entertained.
However, if you look past that, you'll find a hollow shell of a show made up of simple camera tricks and cut-aways along with poor actors in order to make you think that all of the tricks are legitimate. The tricks are too elaborate to be sleight-of-hand as in most magic. For example, there is an episode where Carbonaro is working at a sporting goods store, and a "random woman" comes into the store to return a sleeping bag that's too small. She places the bag on the counter, he inspects it by opening it up, and after a few cut-aways later, there's a giant snake coming out of the bag, and of course, the woman is shocked. In the same episode, a "pizza delivery woman" brings a pizza to the counter, he says that he ordered the wrong kind of pizza, he places the pizza on a spinning chair, spins it a few times, and then after a couple cut-aways, he opens the pizza box, and suddenly, it's a different pizza. Even if these people were not actors, the props would still need to be set up in advance so that the trick could be effective. Carbonaro has to know about the pizza box and the sleeping bag in order to make a trick out of them. These types of circumstances are common across all the episodes.
If these tricks were done with one long continuous shot, then yes, they would be very convincing. Unfortunately, his "magic" essentially consists of showing you one thing, telling you to close your eyes for five seconds, and then suddenly showing you something else and asking you to act amazed. If you try really hard to suspend your disbelief, you will find entertainment in the show. If you look past that and analyze Carbonaro's "tricks," you'll easily see that it's just actors pretending to be impressed regular people trying to convince you to be entertained.
Very fun family show!
kakuraffe17 August 2016
Camera tricks and editing? Wrong. Michael is not only skilled at some really interesting and fun slight-of-hand that are just hilarious to watch. I never liked magician shows, Chris Angel and others like him just came off as monotone and really boring. But this show is not only incredibly funny but you can tell he put such though into all his work. The negative reviews seem to miss that point completely. I'm really glad I found this show and love watching it with my family. As I need more space, I guess I'll go into the fun fact that I got to meet him once and he's a very sweet guy and that's what I think we need more of instead of disgusting humor that isn't really funny anymore. You can only do so much. This show breaks to clean humor and trickery that has the audience and his "victims" laughing at the end.
It's TV People...Get A Life
clintstevens10 October 2018
The purpose of this show is to entertain and if you go in with that in mind, you WILL be entertained. To those who complain that it is fake, well DUH, it is. It is fun watching people being flabbergasted in these little vignettes, if you actually are expecting 'real' magic, then just remove the series and move on to something more to your taste.
I DO have one complaint. Some of the shows are duplicates with different titles, but the descriptions are the same, as is the content. Hmm, perhaps it's magic!
I DO have one complaint. Some of the shows are duplicates with different titles, but the descriptions are the same, as is the content. Hmm, perhaps it's magic!
Carbonaro Works
myronlearn20 July 2018
Michael is very creative, a great magician, a wonderful entertainer, a bulls**** artist Extraordinaire ( in a good way) and his unsuspecting victims always add to the festivities. As a diehard animal lover, I particularly enjoy the way he often integrates them into his magic. He's smooth, smart also not bad to look at.
Hilarious
putahw-4099728 August 2022
Great concept for a reality Television program. The reaction from some of the unsuspecting.participants is Hilarious. I can't understand why anyone couldn't just accept the program for what it is. It's simply a magic show with unsuspecting participants. Ok maybe not all the participants are as astonished as you would want them to be. But overall in my opinion it makes for Great Television. In my opinion it is by far much better then most of the scripted Situation Comedy programs that just rehash the same old schtick over and over again. Give it a chance and I believe you will agree that there is nothing else like it.
All fake
matthewvernon-747118 August 2018
The cameras are turned away so you can't see the "trick". It's all sloppily made camera edits and the people are obviously told to act surprised because no-one's this gullible. TruTV needs to compensate for the amount of time I've spent watching this "magician". Take this off this channel. There are already plently of stupid shows on there.
One the best shows on Tru TV
tylerscottts23 June 2019
This show leaves you in wow how did he do that. From my understanding he has a magical team that could make alot of things you see on the show happen. It's magical fun mixed with humor, his disguises are weird and unbelievable, I think it's why he gets away with them. If you come across this show on your TV please sit back in watch.
It's all editing.
xxxloroxxxx21 July 2014
While this show may have some entertainment value as far as the comedic nature of most pranks do not, repeat do not, believe for a moment anything you see in it actually happened in real time. It's all editing. Give me a camera and I can make appear or disappear anything from a thimble to an elephant. I could also make a 10 storey building disappear digitally. All it takes is professional seamless editing. This is why the vast majority of the marks have to be in on the gig and only rarely are they unsuspecting walk-ins. This show is the perfect example of why "magic" should always be performed live and never on camera and I kind of resent the fact that there's no disclaimer explaining their editing. They try to portray Michael Carbonaro as a magician performing live when that's clearly not the case. There are some funny and well-thought pranks so some people will enjoy the show, just don't believe it's real!!!
Best magic show
bamx-6423317 June 2021
Stupid
camoeagle1 April 2017
Cameras cut off on spots so you do not see the whole trick. Certain angles are only allowed to be seen so that you do not get the whole view of the room. And please, I do not believe that all the people on the show are that gullible. You can see how he does a lot of it. Do not waste your time watching this.
Very seldom do I give a 10 star rating.
mstottsy30 December 2018
It is hard to believe there are so many haters with this man. Maybe you are just jealous because you don't same of the same talents.
I sat in the front row during a Criss Angel magic act and still missed most of the tricks. I am usually very observant. Michael Carbonaro is just a young man that is sharing his talents with people (which is no different than a singer)
and is earning a living by having fun. He is clean cut, sober & doesn't smoke. He just happens to be gay ( and who really cares he doesn't intrupt your life )
Yes people are that gutible
Michael mentioned his husband. Thank you.
mark-0961122 January 2019
On a recent episode I watched, Michael mentioned something about an optician's brochure they made up, and on the cover, he said, was his husband. He said it like it was a normal, everyday thing for a man to have a husband. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. That's how it should be. And this coming from a heterosexual male, whose 2 sons have been raised the same way. It just doesn't matter. Bravo.
Mark
Omg obviously It's engineered tricks. And done well!!
wyattmr-279004 September 2020
This isn't blane or Street magic pretending magic is real. I am assuming he goes through many people who recognize him until the trick works.
On that note I have noticed one or two people that look like they were pretending, but that is towards the later seasons when he's recognized.
Have fun with it!
Everyone is in on it!
wareagleusn26 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This show is not good. The camera is obviously changing when he does his tricks... This show may be good for children, but it's not entertaining for me. Just my opinion, but TRU TV could do better. Sorry for the bad review, but I'm waiting on Impractical Jokers to come back on
SO STUPID
livingitupak24 June 2018
This show is the worst. There have been so many camera flaws where you can obviously see the "trick". EXAMPLE. The valet with "non entry parking".. when he pushes the car you can see the driver and his arms with a mild blur edit over the windshield. So youd think the person working valet would also notice a person get into the car and drive away.... its all paid actors lol and if t heyre not they are known to roll with the punches. Anything else is all camera edits . I cannot believe michael calls himself a magician even though its all camera edits. He hasnt done 1 trick himself that couldnt be dont without the camera. Horrible show and the producer is knwon for buying actors and stand ins for his show.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
