They really did. I'm usually not a big fan of mixing mentalism and illusions, but this stack of climaxes is just beautifully scripted, built and performed IMO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImTStSYnh-o

Nothing that would be earth-shattering on its own, but this is a shining example of how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. And because the illusion confirms the prediction it doesn't give the act a magicky vibe to me, it still feels like mentalism. Superb routining and due to all the climaxes that build beautifully on one another the most spectacular act I've seen in quite a while. (And that's coming from a guy that doesn't like Marc Spelmann as a performer at all.) Bravo, Marc & Shin.

Very cool performance. And they fooled me at the end. I was expecting a real mentalist with a mullet and a spangly waistcoat, not a fake magician mentalist.

So did you miss the start of the video where Marc say’s he is a magician? Likewise the title of the video describes him as Magician X. Unfortunately the title also gives away the ending. As magicians go I thought it was a beautiful performance.

Mark

I've heard more about this performance from audience members after my shows in the past week, than about any other magic performance in AGT history.

Wow. That speaks for itself.

Yeah I completely missed that. To me it fees like mentalism with a piece of magic (the portrait) and an illusion to spice up the reveals. Wouldn’t you agree?

Man this was awesome!! Thanks for sharing!!

It's Marc who does the mentalism and Shin who does the magic trick.
I think these are 5 insanely tight scripted minutes of entertainment.
Whatever you call it.

I think this goes to show that our audiences want to be entertained above all else. All of the thought we put into "is this magic?" "is this mentalism?", while important from a character and consistency point of view – it really doesn't matter to an audience. They just want to be moved and entertained.

I agree. And for my taste this act is consistent enough. As long as there is no illogical moment in the story or twist in the feel and atmosphere of the routine for the spectators you're good, apparently. In Derren's shows there also isn't a sharply defined set of skills or a consistent character he displays. Works more than fine.

I just found it a beautiful piece of theatre and whether it was magic or Mentalism never entered my head. Gave me goosebumps especially as Marc is one of the nicest most genuine guys on the planet and I’ve only met Shin a couple of times but he also came across as a really nice guy.

Mark