Effect: You ask the audience to think of a color, an animal and a country – seemingly all free choices. Amazingly, you are able to predict with precision, all three selections by the audience members.
Secret: The object is for you to “force” the spectator to end up with the number 4. Here are the instructions you give to the spectator:
– Pick any number between 1 and 10
– Take that number and multiply by 9
– If there are two digits in that number, add them together
– Take that number and subtract 5
– Apply that number to a letter in the alphabet, starting with A, B and so on
– Take that letter and think of a country that begins with it
– Take that country and think of an animal that begins with the last letter of that country
– Take that animal and think of a color that begins with the last letter of that animal
As an example, say the spectator picks number 7. He multiplies 7 X 9 = 63. He adds those two digits together to get 9. He then subtracts 5 from 9 to get 4. No matter which number is selected, it will end up as “4.” The number 4 is then matched with its appropriate letter of the alphabet – in this case letter D.
“Denmark” will be the most commonly thought of country starting with the letter D; “Kangaroo” is the most commonly thought of animal starting with the last letter of Denmark.
“Orange” is the most commonly thought of letter starting with the last letter of Kangaroo. When they have their selections, say, “I know what you are all thinking and that’s ridiculous. THERE ARE NO ORANGE KANGAROOS IN DENMARK!”
