Ep 1. Stab a Card, Any Card...

In the debut episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us Season 1, titled "Stab a Card, Any Card…", we are introduced to the concept of the show: accomplished magicians Penn and Teller invite other magicians to perform a trick in front of them, with the goal of figuring out how it's done. If Penn and Teller can't figure it out, the magician has "fooled" them and can perform with them in their Las Vegas show.

The first magician to take the stage is Nathan Burton, who begins his act by showing off his impressive card-throwing skills. He then brings a woman from the audience on stage to help him with his trick. Burton selects a card from a deck and throws it into the air, asking the woman to stab it with a knife. Remarkably, she does exactly that, piercing the card with the knife as it flies through the air.

The trick is repeated several times with different cards and different audience members, all of whom successfully stab the card out of the air with a knife.

Penn and Teller, as usual, are skeptical and begin to dissect the trick. They bring Burton back on stage and ask him to perform the trick without the knife, to see if he can truly throw the card in such a way that it will remain suspended in mid-air. Burton obliges, and throws the card with impressive velocity, but Penn and Teller notice a small piece of thread attached to the card, giving away the secret.

Next up is a magician named Michael Close, whose trick involves a deck of cards and an incredible sense of intuition. Close shuffles the deck and asks Penn and Teller each to choose a card. He then shuffles once more and reveals that he has memorized the entire deck, including the position of both Penn and Teller's cards.

Close then proceeds to trick the duo by revealing a card that they had not chosen at all, and leaving them completely puzzled as to how he did it.

Finally, Cameo Rascale performs a trick involving two borrowed rings and a roll of duct tape. She causes the rings to switch places multiple times despite being tightly secured and taped together.

The episode concludes with Penn and Teller unable to figure out how Close and Cameo performed their tricks, thus earning them a spot in the duo's Las Vegas show.

All in all, "Stab a Card, Any Card…" is an entertaining introduction to the show's format and features some truly impressive magic tricks. Even for those who are well-versed in magic, this episode is guaranteed to provide plenty of surprises and amazement.