Actually, this was a crazy circumstance as Teller was out and they have the acts flown in ready to perform, so they had to get it all filmed. They have to edit for the purposes of time, so when the host asks you questions, it seems like 30 seconds on the show but it is really a long time, until the guys are ready to respond. Although they may cut out a little here and there and switch to what they feel is a better camera angle (or show the guys, the host, or when they have them, the audience), they don't really manipulate the acts outside of trying to make it look as good as possible (they may cut out a dropped coin or prop, for example). They consider the trophy thing a gimmick, so they give it out when they feel it should be given - they have offered different reasons over the years as to when or why they give it out (you can even see that on the coin tricks - they may like the performance even though they know how it is done, or they were fooled by just one sequence in the act, or completely fooled, etc), but you are told by everyone beforehand not to worry about the trophy - you are there really to showcase your magic, and put on a good show. If you give a bad performance or there is a bad interaction between the performer and the guys, they may not use you on the show as they film more acts than they air. This way they will have enough spots filled that they can weed out the bad performances.
All in all it was a wonderful experience and if they ever cast for another season, I will once again throw my hat into the ring and see if I can get on the show again.

Wow. Congratulations. Some of us had suspected some of the things you mentioned, but you gave us a very nuanced education on the
workings of Penn and Teller. Fascinating, and mostly, we are proud of you!!!

Thanks so much. It was a thrill and an honor to be on the show. They have new episodes starting in October (they broke up the last filming into two smaller seasons), but no word yet from the CW if they plan on continuing after that. Fingers crossed!

I think it's great that they went from the gimmick that "everyone in magic hates them" to the greatest magic television show of all time that exposes the streaming public to living legends.
I only met them once but they struck me as absolute professionals and I walked away from that encounter with even more respect for them than I already had.