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The new cast for the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars was announced this week and one of our favorite local magicians made the list. No—not Carrot Top (but that would be funny). Penn Jillette of the famous magic duo Penn and Teller will be appearing on the show with dance partner (and season four runner-up), Kym Johnson. In season four she danced with Joey Fatone.
It doesn’t seem possible that Penn would have time to appear on the show. His world-famous magic show, Penn & Teller at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino runs every night and the comedy team also still hosts the Showtime series Bullsh*t, which has received 11 total Emmy nominations. However, the Rio has agreed to work with Penn and cancel Monday and Tuesday performances and add a performance on Friday nights. However, missing nights that could be used rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars could hurt his performance considerably. Many contestants will be living in Los Angeles during the taping and rehearsing almost everyday. Other contestants for this season will include: Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi, tennis star Monica Seles, Priscilla Presley, NFL star Jason Taylor, and actress Shannon Elizabeth.
Jillette is the much more outgoing half of the comedy team, Penn & Teller. He was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts. As a child, Jillette loved magic but he disagreed with the approach that many magicians took to it. He found it odd the way many magicians tried to pass their craft off as “real” or “supernatural”. He thought this approach was offensive to the audience and he wanted to create a type of magic that was aware of itself and the fact that it’s purely for entertainment purposes. Today, Penn & Teller perform several tricks throughout their show that let the audience in on the secrets behind the trick. Penn & Teller take a no-nonsense approach to magic without losing any of the entertainment value. Jillette lives in Las Vegas with wife Emily Zolten and two children, he often makes jokes about the fact that he lives in Las Vegas but doesn’t gamble, drink, or use drugs and then tells the audience that he is also a chronic liar.
During their act, Teller often doesn’t talk at all. This provides distraction as the audience almost always looks at Penn because he is the one talking, allowing Teller to sneak around while the audience isn’t looking. This also provides comic relief; audiences find it much funnier when a silent character does something mischievous. Penn & Teller are much more than musicians. They often comment on social and political issues. Penn Jillette is an outright atheist and libertarian.
There has been much speculation over the reason why Jillette always has one fingernail painted red. When asked this question he often tells a story about his mother telling him to keep his nails well groomed because magicians are constantly showing their hands. In response to this, he painted one nail red and has kept it this way ever since. He explains that he does this both because of habit and because the fingernail often provides a distraction for the audience. People are more likely to focus on the hand with the red fingernail than the other hand.
Will the judges of Dancing with the Stars be distracted by his red fingernail? Hopefully, not. Look for Penn Jillette when this season airs Monday March 17th at 8 p.m. Good Luck, Penn!
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