Inside Magic’s Challenge to Blaine and AngelInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

We Love a Good Fair Fight

What happened to the Criss Angel – David Blaine Smack Down? There are few things we love more than a good old grudge match; and from the bulletin boards, the news clippings and sound bites it sounded like we were going to have good one.

David Blaine allegedly called out Criss Angel or Criss Angel allegedly punked David Blaine but either way we were supposed to see some sort of contest between the two. The vaguely worded challenge issued by one of the magicians to the other was to involve the performance of Magic or a test of endurance.

We've looked and looked but have not yet found any further information about the challenge. It could be that you have and if you’d send it along to me, I’d be your best friend and stuff and publish it here at Inside Magic.

But the real point seems to be that here are two of our best when it comes to publicity and yet this challenge idea is still-born.

Surely neither of the two would make nor accept the challenge unless they had a plan to follow through on it or, in the event the challenge was not accepted, use their publicity engines to play up their claim of victory by default.

Shortly after Mr. Blaine emerged from the plastic box of fame, Mr. Angel told the press, "He said [on the radio] that he wanted to do something side by side. Then when my camp contacted his camp on three or four different occasions, they wanted nothing to do with it.”

Mr. Angel correctly pointed out that unlike Mr. Blaine, he has performed an on-going live show. Mr. Angel told reporters:

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We Love a Good Fair Fight

But the real point seems to be that here are two of our best when it comes to publicity and yet this challenge idea is still-born.

Mr. Angel correctly pointed out that unlike Mr. Blaine, he has performed an on-going live show. Mr. Angel told reporters:

"I'm about, say what you do, do what you say. If you don't really feel that way, then don't go shooting off your mouth. To me, it's about the principle. I don't care about the money.

I would do it just to prove a point, so people can see who the best magician is today, and who's the most provocative. I would donate all my money to charity. I would love the opportunity to show the world that what he does is stuff that's not really pushing any envelopes."

So what happened? Where’s the challenge? What’s the game plan?

Mr. Angel’s website is dead on the challenge. Mr. Blaine’s website is still promoting the “upcoming” 44 days in a plastic box.

The idea of a challenge is great but it is frustrating that it progressed no further. Here’s Inside Magic’s Challenge to Mr. Blaine and Mr. Angel:

Each Magician will be given sixty minutes to perform before a live audience. A panel of nine judges will decide who provided the better show. The winner will receive a free Inside Magic Polo Shirt and the incredible hype that this webpage can deliver.

The loser will still receive a free Inside Magic Polo Shirt (but not a new one) and access to the readers of this webpage to issue any follow-up challenges to the winner. We hope to increase the value of the prizes if this challenge gets any traction.

Both men have said their interest is not in the money or prizes they would hope to win from a challenge and so we seem to be on the same page by offering prestige rather than cash.

The judging panel will consist of five magicians – agreed to by the two participants – and four non-magicians selected by Inside Magic. The two would be judged on originality, skill and audience reaction.

Finally, here are few rules: the presentation must be entirely live (no pre-taped or filmed segments); the audience will be selected in a manner to ensure that they are fair and unbiased towards either magician; and finally, the magicians may perform any genre of magic but at least 20 percent of their performance must include close-up magic.

But wait, one of the two magicians can win without performing at all. Assuming that Mr. Blaine accepts the challenge but Mr. Angel does not (or vice-a-versa), Mr. Blaine will win. Once the challenge has been accepted by one of the competitors, the other will have thirty days to accept or reject the challenge.

Failure to accept or reject the challenge in thirty days will be deemed a rejection of the challenge and an admission that the other magician is superior in originality, skill and audience reaction.

The challenge has been sent to both performers and as soon as we hear back, you’ll hear about it here.

This Challenge was originally offered on December 16, 2003. We are still waiting.