Okay, I am not a "America's Got Talent" fan. I have watched a few episodes and enjoyed them, but never got into it.
So last night, I am driving around and the radio station I am listening to has the DJ's just going on and on and on about this magician, Kevin James. Not the "King of Queens" Kevin James. One of the DJ's is an amateur magician, who thinks he knows how the trick is done and won't share because it would be compromising his magician's oath. The other DJ is going on and on about how he doesn't really know how the trick is done, he should share his opinion, and understand his opinion is speculation. All DJ's were in agreement, it's a phenomenal illusion. I think I agree with her opinion--part of the fun of illusions is talking about it and trying to figure out how they are done. Since he isn't in "the know", sharing his thoughts is not breaking his little oath. Whatever--the two DJ's were ready to duke it out, it got pretty heated.
After listening to this while watching the sun set on the freeway gridlock, I was intrigued. I came home, found the video, which is swooshing through youtube right now. I have to say I am intrigued. It's an amazing illusion. I also did some youtube searching and watched other versions of the same trick he has done. So I got several angles and versions of the same illusion.
One hint I'll give to you, the guy on the table is his usual assistant, but he has had another assistant as well. In other versions the guy on the table has walked on his hands all over the stage and walked right up to audience members and shaken their hands. One of the discussions on the radio last night was the person on his hands was an animatronic thing. He isn't. Same for the legs, they all agreed the legs are a real person.
So let's do this. Watch this, and let's see what we all think. I'll also let you know what the DJ's decided in terms of how it is done. After watching it, I do agree with them how it is done.
Here is a version that has a lot more detail and not shortened for "America's Got Talent" time constraints. Notice, when the upper body is moving off stage, the original wheeled cart he came out on is gone. I think this will give you some good hints.
And yet another version where you see there is no editing. It's an amateur video from an audience member so there are no cuts. You can also see the torso person gets wheeled off the stage and then brought back to be stapled back together.
14 comments:
Oh, my goodness! No, I had not seen that...both my husband and I watched it and can not for the life of us figure out what in the world is going on here. We are intrigued...please, do tell what the DJs came up with. This is very intriguing and now I will want to catch the show!
I have no idea! If you do, then you are smarter than I am... :o)
I'll give another hint, because I am hoping a couple more people comment. One hint, the editing is BAD toward the end of this. One thing you don't see, the "torso" person actually gets wheeled off the stage and the "torso" with the "legs" comes back on the wheeled tabled, then he gets stapled back together. In other words, there is a bit of a switcheroo when the torso goes back off stage to get the legs. If you notice, when he gets stapled back together, the table with the legs next to it isn't there anymore. The editing isn't great, which is why I went and found other versions of this. I think I'll also post those as well.
I also like watching David Hasselhoff getting the creeps.
hmmmm...I have an idea,but I gotta think about it some more and watch the video again!
get back to ya...
angela
Well, I can tell now that the torso moving around is definitely a contortionist squeezed into some kind of box thing. The original legs are a second person. When they wheeled him back in, he was taller - not squeezed in any more. But I don't know how they make him look like he's pulled apart and then staple him back together.
I think Tracy got it as best as we can see! Keep in mind, this is all speculation.
The torso part is a person who is an amputee. Or a person who really has no lower body. There are people like this, according to the radio DJ's. I have seen a woman on the Discovery channel like this. She is an inspiration. But Tracy hit it, you can see that the lower part of their body is encased in something under the white shirt. Plus, the one clip where the guy has a wig and runs off the stage, he is obviously very adept at using his hands to run with.
The lower half of the body is a contortionist who has their upper body in the wheeled tray. You can see that the legs never leave the wheeled tray. Especially in the beginning when the production is all about whether we are going to cut off the guy's finger, you can see the person standing at that table looks odd and that their hips are joined like glue to the table. That table is not focused on at all. It is all about the torso. In all of these clips that table is downplayed and removed eventually, and I haven't seen one where you can see how stumbling that must to walk bent forward with your torso in a desk drawer, basically.
Then later when the shorter table with the legs and torso are separated comes back, you can tell it is a different face on the torso, this is a contortionist as well who can contort himself to look like that.
All of the torsos always have a mask on. They are using different people. On the third clip after watching it a dozen times, I can tell that the torso that leaves with the legs at his side is not the same as the torso that comes back in with his legs at his side.
I am thinking they use three men to do this. One legs in the taller table, one man who has no lower extremities, and one who is the whole person who is stapled at the end.
What do you think??
Could the torso person be a "little person"???
Just a thought...
angela
Angela, I think that is definitely an option. Both men have normally proportioned arms. For sure I think the guy with the bad wig and not the surgical cap could be because his torso is long, such that he has to swing his torso backwards to move. When he is pretending to sleep his elbows slightly bend. His arms are almost the full length of his torso. The other guy who was on the AGT clip, his torso is incredibly short. When he is just sitting on the table, his arms are fully bent in a resting position. When he fully extends his arms to prop himself up there is like 5-6 inches of space between his lowest point and the table. I think he has a condition that basically makes him have no lower extremities.
Again, I have seen a woman like him on a Discovery channel show, and she is amazing. She has kids and moves around on a skateboard. JM would think that would be the coolest thing!
PS I am hoping someone with some medical knowledge could help us out here. I know contortionists can do a lot, and I am sure there are contortionists used here, especially during the stapling scene. What I am unsure of is the person with the lower extremity issue. I don't want all my knowledge of that condition to be what I saw on TV.
I am obsessed! In the third clip, you can see the bottom legs pushing the cart off stage right when he frightens the audience member. Distracting. And I am sure that is a fully bodied person inside the big tray on that wheeled cart. Also, notice that after the guy gets stapled, he always leaves the stage with his full front to the audience--he backs out. I think the back of his costume is not a regular coat so that he can contortion himself. I also think that right when his legs are reassembled, the nurse and the doctor are basically fixing his outfit. I am sure that final fixed person is a contortionist who needs to have his wardrobe fixed so he can twist so well.
FOUND IT! Here is the malady, and I hate to use the word defect, malformation, etc. It is the medical diagnosis. It is how God made us, and from what I can see, these people thrive! No deformities, just adventure.
It is called Sacral Agenesis. The person on the Discovery Channel is Rose Siggins, and she has actually done some similar illusions for Criss Angel, who truly is freaky.
Anyway, here is a meaningful article about a man who has this, and is doing great! I think the mystery is solved (= You can see a picture of him on this link as well. This is his photography website. He has traveled extensively and is quite accomplished.
http://therollingexhibition.com/
No, I don't think that it is a legless person at all. Do you notice how big the torso is? they are both very big from front to back - like they're fat. I think that they are sitting in there with their kness to their chest. Granted, that would make it difficult to do the hand walking that they do, but I think that a man who had done gymnastics would have the upper body strength to do it. I now think that the "legs" person is actually bent over at the waist and hidden under the cart - there's a cloth draped down. That would allow them to walk out pushing the cart. I think you're right about the stapling part. He's just laying sideways and the outfit gives the appearance that he's disjointed.
I could totally see that on the guy with the bad wig, because his torso is huge and long. The the African American guy, his torso is SO short. I do agree that both have some sort of casing under the costume. I am wondering if that is to give the appearance of a straighter posture and maybe to sit on the back of the guy who's head AND torso is in the table. It's the guy with the super short torso that just has me vexed! (There's my Pride and Prejudice coming through!)
If you see a picture of Rose Siggins, her elbows rest in the same position as his do.
Hhhhmmmm.....it's so interesting! I think you do have a case. Certainly a contortionist can fold up their legs in such a way almost around their hips to have that kind of look. I have seen contortionists puts themselves into gym bags, so that would not at all be unheard of.
But that guy with the super short torso.....what do you think?
That does have me puzzled as well. It's hard to picture a full person in there. But just the fact that the same man (magician) has two different people do this trick says to me that it can't be that the guy has no legs. We may just have to accept the fact that we won't ever know for sure...
I agree, we won't ever truly know. It's been a fun discussion though, and it will be interesting if we ever hear of this guy down the road.
It's the fun of illusion (=
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