Dan Garrett – Epic Marked Down

A classic of mental magic that is expertly routined and scripted as well as redesigned to use minimal props. Three participants are asked to think of different things. You write down what each is thinking of on cards, using marking pens in the color of their choosing! The results are uncanny! All your predictions match perfectly, and your spectators keep their predictions as souvenirs.

Detailed routine:
You attempt a mind-reading experiment involving three volunteers from the audience. The volunteers can remain seated, but with larger groups, they are asked to stand. You show four permanent ink markers of the retractable variety. One of the pens is black and the other three are different colors.

The first participant is asked to choose one of the colors and then to merely think of a letter of the alphabet. You write a secret prediction on an index card with the chosen color marker. You fold it up, mark it ‘Test 1’ on the outside and fold it again, dropping it into an opaque cup on the table.

Another color pen is chosen, and the second participant thinks of a number between 1 and 100. The prediction is made for ‘Test 2.’

The third person then thinks of a design with multiple shapes as you make a final prediction. The participants reveal their thoughts and one of them is asked to come up and dump out the predictions on the table. Each prediction is amazingly accurate, and the colors they are written in, match the colors chosen by each spectator. The predictions are given out as souvenirs!