Big Trick Energy

I have a lot to say about this show, none of it good. The premise of the show is this: 4 friends who do magic prank other people and each other. This show definitely had potential to do well if they had not botched the execution.

Mistake #1: The Reactions. TruTV themselves said that the magicians prank "unsuspecting spectators". That's blatantly untrue. There are no hidden cameras whatsoever. If someone just pulls up with a Canon EOS C200B and shows you a magic trick, you don't get any interesting reactions. Because they're aware that they are being filmed, the reactions just seem fake, and the purpose of the show is defeated. Michael Carbonaro fools others by making things up to act as explanations for mind-blowing magic tricks which have no logical explanation, while these guys whip out the Canon, find a person on the street, and perform magic tricks in a way that doesn't let the people actually be amazed by it.

Mistake #2: The Jokes. The jokes are just plain painful. This is why I can't bear to watch this show. They try to be "magic Impractical Jokers", and it doesn't work. Prince Herb, Q, Murr, and Joe have actual chemistry while whenever these four are on camera it looks forced. They hype up everything in what I believe is an attempt to excite the viewers, and it comes off as annoying. Example: Chris: "i'mma turn oxygen into carbon dioxide, u ready?" Wes, Eric, Alex: *nod heads, anticipating the trick* Chris: *exhales* Wes, Eric, Alex: "SHEEEEEESH HOMIE HOW DID YOU DO IT MY GUY"

However, I do have to commend the magic, it's well done, but nothing that's worthy of the title Big Trick Energy.

Overall: If Impractical Jokers and the Carbonaro Effect are crispy, cheesy Doritos, Big Trick Energy is like regurgitated 35% less fat, gluten-free, celery-salted, dehydrated red bell pepper chips that have been created in the same factory as Haribo sugar-free gummy bears, shoved in your couch and left there for your entire childhood, run over by a car, dropped in a garlic-flavored liquid with a pH of 0, dunked in year-old milk, seasoned with crumbs from your car floor, left in the neck folds of OFFICER BENJAMIN CLAWHAUSER FROM DISNEY'S ZOOTOPIA, sprinkled with rust, marinated in rabid saliva from a raccoon, dipped in the ashes of a tire, soaked in gasoline, fried in a bodily fluid, sent to each continent to absorb decomposing mosquitoes carrying diseases powerful enough to eradicate all plant life on this earth, and topped with Burger King Foot Lettuce.

I think most people's criticism is fair, but a little extreme. Yes, they are trying to be the Jokers of magic, and yes, unfortunately they will never even sniff the amount of likeability that the Jokers have. But two of the four are likeable. And although the reactions from the public aren't the best, I definitely don't think the reactions are scripted.

As an avid fan of magic, I know how many/most of the tricks are done, so that is a negative. And Alex is the biggest magic hack of all time. His "tricks" are the worst. It's like he just read Magic for Dummies, and didn't even get that far into it.

So all in all, being a funny magic show (which, as others as said, comes off as a Jokers/Carbonaro mashup), isn't a bad idea. What they are doing is okay, they just need to do it better. Still light years better than Criss Angel or anyone else who pretends to have real powers though.

Network found success in carbonaro effect so they tried again and it's fine, usually revolves around a main "plot" with mini magic trick segments sprinkled throughout. Its meh at best.

I read a bunch of reviews of people talking about Impractical Jokers, I will have to give that a try to see what all the fuss is about. I love Chris, Eric and Wes' stuff on youtube that's why I tried this show and magic wise I wasn't disappointed. But guys... stop it with the forced gags and scripted jokes that are supposed to look like unscripted. Not sure who forced this on you, I cannot imagine you guys rewatching your episodes and going: "wow, awesome, that's exactly what we went for" - because your youtube stuff is much better and natural. It's a shame that many people will be exposed to your stuff through this show when you're actually much better than this. I had higher hopes for the show, I would've like to see just a bunch of magic and a couple of gags maybe instead of 50/50.

Love this show. It's funny and the magic is good. I really love that they show you how the opening trick works!! You just have to watch to the very end of the episode!