This is the show that Penn and Teller were born to make. They have always billed themselves as skeptics — performing magic tricks for the sake of debunking illusionists who take themselves far too seriously.
Now they’ve turned their skeptical eyes away from the narrow community of magic and out to the world-at-large. The first season, now out on DVD, covers topics ranging from holistic medicine to creationism to bottled water. It can be a bit one-way at times, but what it lacks in objectivity it makes up for in comedic chutzpah. For instance, a particularly quacky chiropractor itching to get his hands on an ususpecting infant is referred to as a “baby twisting motherfucker.” (Ah, the luxury of airing one’s show on pay cable.)
And then there’s the water experiment. Patrons of a fancy restaurant are given water straight out of a garden hose in fancy bottles, served up with ridiculous explanations regarding its origins. As you might expect, they completely buy into the scam. The best part, though, is when we cut away to the waiter filling the bottles. The shots are in stark black and white, and the waiter (probably just an actor) is cackling madly as he does his dirty work.
If nothing else, Penn and Teller aren’t so much pushing an agenda as they are trying to convey to us how important it is to retain an open mind and a sense of humor about everything. I didn’t need to be taught that necessarily, but Bullshit! is a pleasant reminder.