I suppose because there was nothing better on TV...I'm not the least bit interested in watching the Democratic National Convention...So I tuned in to see what Angel was butchering..er...I mean doing tonight. He did a decent version of McDonald's Aces, but the card in the glass was just lame. The worst thing they could've done was show it over and over...When they slowed the video down, it revealed the method. I also like how he said, "Keep the cards in the shot." Then when he told the women to go to the other side of the glass, his back turned and you lost sight of the cards. And not 10 seconds later, he said, "The cards will never leave your sight." Duh!! They already did! It's extremely hard for me to watch with laymen's eyes.

Is it just me or is he on a "Continuous Shot" kick lately? Seems everything is now labeled with a "Continuous Shot"

He IS on a 'continuous shot' kick this season. And he's also been pretending that nothing had been pre-arranged to the point where just the frequency of his insistence, (not to mention his lack of acting skills), draw attention to the suspicious nature of it all.

The whole oil drum transposition thing was actually pretty cool. I know when and how he did it; but that doesn't make it less cool. My only problem was that they acted like the group that was there was just normal folks who were at the chop shop for a routine tour of the chop shop and that Criss hadn't scheduled a drop-in or planned to perform.
Yeah...so why is it that there are a few in the crowd wearing Criss Angel shirts and necklaces and headbands and various other insignia items? They just HAPPENED to be decked out in their Criss gear and went for a chop shop tour and - WOW - Criss showed up unannounced! Yeah...right. I buy that. <-- For the gullible 'Loyal' crowd: That was sarcasm. Look it up.

I actually enjoyed quite a bit of the second show last night, (the "close up" one). He wasn't nearly as obvious and amateur-looking as he usually is during close-up stuff. And I thought the whole card IN the glass at the Luxor was a brilliant promotional stunt. That's what its purpose was; but it was a very unique way of getting people to visit the Luxor and, subsequently, Criss' store to buy merchandise after viewing the card in the glass.

I really enjoyed the shows last night. I want him to do more close up work, as it is much more personal and works better on television in my opinion.

I think it gives him more credibility as a magician, (when done properly).
And he IS a magician, despite what some of the Loyal claim. He used that term in describing what he does and who he is many times last night.

I'm pretty sure next week is a close-up episode also.

I really liked the two new episodes this week. I loved the escape out of the oil drum, but the close-up episode was the best episode of the two. The only trick I couldn't figure out is when he got the cards to "dissolve" in the water but only leaving the spectators card.

I actually broke down and watched two episodes last night because it has been years and I wanted to see if his format changed.

The oil drum trick was a good effect, but PUL-LEEZE, do not suggest to the audience that this was unrehearsed and impromptu. The mounted camera on the ceiling and Criss pointing it out was evidence enough that this was planned. If it was planned, so be it, perform the trick, but don’t suggest it was impromptu.

(Did you get a load of the Loyal Fan-Boy with the headband and necklace?!? I almost spit-up my drink when I saw him!)

The slicing of the stomach with the butterflies and "once again" suggesting he just happened to be walking through the park and found some people gathering around was a joke. (Like Criss Angel would not be "mobbed" in this situation).

Clearly he has not changed his format and STILL uses stooges or actors to pretend to be innocent bystanders. (Will someone tell him to quit showing his mouth to the camera after each trick – it’s really getting old and annoying!)

I think the one thing that upset me was the Luxor Pit Boss saying he could not catch Criss Angel doing anything tricky when he was performing at the Blackjack table. We all know that is a load of poop. Las Vegas takes cheating very seriously and they can spot funny business a mile away. The Pit Boss saying Criss is the Best of the Best at Close-up card magic really needs to get out more…

I noticed the same things you all mentioned. I thought the angel look-alike in the cycle shop was funny....since he just happened to "stop by" and the people were on a "shop tour". Gimme a freaking break. This just SHOWS you how stupid Angel thinks his viewers are. Then saying it's all impromptu and pointing out the ceiling cam. DUH!!

I missed the stomach and butterflies thing. I must've been in the bathroom vomiting from the lack of acting skills on TV. And I agree with George....Is it REALLY necessary that he show us his open mouth after each trick?

I love how every time one of you guys watch Mindfreak it's "the first time in years."

And yes, there ARE a ton of better card magicians then Angel, and that guy was probably paid to say that on camera - trust me, he knows better.

Angel is known for setting up a situation, and then making it come off as impromptu on camera. But, this does not mean that Angel is using stooges or camera tricks. Say if I'm doing healed and sealed, coin in bottle, etc, I'll plant the object first so it looks completely impromptu, and this makes the performance a lot more believable and magical for the audience. Of course, Angel planned to have those butterflies come out of his stomach. But, there was no reason for those people to be stooges. Angel probably just walked up to them before the camera was on and asked them if they wanted to see a trick, or they could of walked up to Angel and asked to see something.

You all have to admit, Angel did show some skill last night, and there was absolutely nothing wrong or any scenes that were proof that he used stooges, cuts, or trick photography. I think it's time to give him some credit. He does have sleight of hand skill, and he demonstrated it last night.

As for the oil drum escape - of course it was planned out. But, I bet if I went out and talked to one of my friends who watched the show last night the first thing they'd say to me is "Did you see when Criss Angel like got put in that barrel and then instead they put the manhole cover on top? I can't believe he got out of that not even knowing he was going to do it!"

You have to remember - we are not layman. Were are magicians, which means we can spot when he's not the best at a certain trick, or what he can't do with coins or a deck of cards, but a layman can't. They think that Angel is the best because hes the only thing they see that has anything to do with magic. Why don't someone go out and ask a layman if they've ever heard of Michael Ammar, Jason Latimer, etc. The answer, or course, will be no. And why is it a no? Because they are never on TV and Angel is the only magician they really get to see on a consistent basis. Well, unless they go to Vegas, which a lot of people don't.

And for the card IN window. When I saw the glass I'm thinking "Alright, he's just going to stick the card to the other side of the glass AGAIN." But no, Angel actually put the card in the glass, which is something I've never seen performed before in my entire life. I'm going to guess this one involved a load of stooges, cuts, edits, trick photography, racial slurs, fat people, sports, music, Madonna, Copperfield, and a whole lot of other stupid things to make it happen. Right?

Of course and you forgot the Leprechauns...haha. That was Hilarious Maloney! I agree it was a good illusion. It was also an EXCELLENT marketing strategy. I enjoyed both shows last night. The close up one was my favorite.

I know I noticed that right away and started laughing. He is a horrible actor and the people he hires are also horrible actors.

Yeah the close-up one was my favorite too. I found I could just relate to it more. And yes, I did forget the leprechauns.

The god of Evil Leprechaun's will smite where you stand because you stuck up for and complimented Criss Angel.

I always liked watching. Until, he ripped off Blaine, that was just so uncalled for.

What did he do?

Maloney- Why don't you actually start trying to look up some answers instead of asking hundreds of questions that you could easily find? And just so you know, Criss acted like Blaine in one of the episodes.

As for laymen not being able to catch Criss; I know quite a few people who know that Criss is a hack. Many people don't even know who he is. You ask the older generations about a magician, they will say Copperfield, or Houdini. Criss's fan base is actually quite small, especially now, since he's becoming so much more of a hack.