'AGT' judges thought it was just another card trick — until one move from this magician floored them
Magic has long been a staple of 'America's Got Talent,' with various magicians leaving their mark on the show. However, every now and then a magician comes on the show that makes you blur the line between 'tricks' and 'real magic' and makes you question what magic is. Shin Lim is one such magician who won season 13 of AGT and went on to claim the grand prize of $1 million while headlining the show in Las Vegas. Lim was so good, in fact, that after winning the main show, he went on to win 'America's Got Talent: Champions' and claim the title of 'Best in the World.' Just one year after Lim's performance came Eric Chien, who took to the stage of 'AGT,' competing for the grand title of season 14.
Chien was aware of Lim and even looked up to him. As the Taiwanese magician stepped on stage, he was visibly nervous. Howie Mandel told Chien to take a deep breath and introduce himself. As Chien was introducing himself as a magician, Mandel stated, "Here on AGT, magic is king," to which Chien replied, "Yes, I saw Shin Lim's act, but I think we're two very different people, and..." and just as Chien was about to finish, Simon Cowell cut in and asked, "Who's better?" Chien hesitated, momentarily speechless. Cowell wished Chien good luck and told him to start the performance.
Looking at Chien's demeanor, no one would've pegged Chien as a skilled magician. But they were all wrong; no one was ready to witness what was about to unfold. As Chien's performance began, he sat down on a black table as he took a deep breath. He opened a mystical-looking box containing cards, ribbon, and a rectangular frame. It felt as if Chien was setting up for a trick as he picked up the frame. However, in the blink of an eye, the frame in his hand teleported to two different ends of the table. Chien, committing to the bit, pretended to be baffled and confused.
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As the performance progressed, things just got crazier. Chien laid out a ribbon in the middle of the table, and as he shifted cards to the right side of the ribbon, their color automatically changed to blue, while the right side changed to red. However, that wasn't even the best part. As Chien threw a card, it fell on the ground, and as he reached out to grab it, his black vest changed colors to red and blue, cutting at the exact same line where the ribbon was.
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Chien gave a masterful performance, and just when you would think it couldn't get better, he would kick it up a notch. As the performance ended, everyone rose to their feet with loud applause. As the judges started giving their remarks, Mandel started "Most magicians do that suave, like, 'I got you.' You look more confused than any of us, and I love that." Mandel, a stickler for detail, chose the best words to describe Chien. The Vietnamese magician's bit to look confused himself while performing the tricks added a layer of humor to his amusing tricks. However, despite all this, Chien could only reach the semifinals of 'AGT,' as reported by Fandom. However, the shy magician still nabbed the title of 'World Champion of Magic,' as revealed in a report by Golf Digest.
