7. The Lift
class: opener | impressiveness: 5/5 (for the victim) | factors: needs accomplice, right kind of victim | requires: secret accomplice, a sturdy chair | watch full episode
The Effect: Defying all laws of leverage, you summon a ridiculous amount of strength, lifting your friend at an impossible angle. This one is a win-win… the mark gets to experience an absolutely amazing effect while everyone else gets to laugh at the mark.
The Work: Start by facing each other. Have the mark hold two arms straight out in front of him. No bend at the elbows, arms parallel to each other and the ground. Step forward and place his arms under your armpits, and ask him to try, as hard as he can, to lift you up off the ground without bending his elbows.
He won’t even get close. The leverage is against him, and nobody has enough strength to overcome it. Make sure to give him ample opportunity to make it work… The more he realizes how impossible the task is, the more amazed he’ll be when you pull it off.
Once he’s convinced there’s no way to lift you, switch positions: place your wrists under his armpits keeping your arms straight and parallel. Take deep breaths, put on a show of summoning all your strength and begin to push upwards. What he won’t see is one of your friends sneaking up behind him, grabbing your fists, and pushing up on your arms to lift him several inches off the ground. To the mark it is simply as though you got freakishly strong, instantly.
The reactions this effect gets are priceless. Some people will immediately want to try to lift you again, some people will believe you’re that strong, and others won’t know how to cope. If you really want to throw them for a loop, stand up on a chair to get maximum height. Then you’re not just lifting them a few inches, but over a foot up into the air.