Why Did Lauren Kill the Cat? -- Negative Suggestions with Derren Brown

Last Friday's episode of Trick or Treat 2 upset animal lovers, but pleased Derren Brown fans.

Derren offered his victim, Lauren, 500 pounds if she could resist the temptation to push a button that would electrocute a cat. DB gave Lauren numerous negative suggestions ("don't kill the cat... whatever you, do not KILL THE CAT").

The cuddly little pet didn't have a chance. And we were all left wondering -- why did Lauren kill the cat?

Ace99 posted a controversial theory as a comment on my prior blog entry, and claimed that it is based on inside information. Add your own opinion by voting in the survey to the right of this entry. -->

The results will be posted in the next 48 hours or so.

Trick or Treat 2 - Episode 2 -- It's Hard Not to Kill the Kitten

In tonight's episode of Trick or Treat 2:

Social anthropology student Lauren experiences an extreme example of negative suggestion by having to resist killing a kitten in Episode 2.

Sounds like she picked the "trick" card. Enjoy the show!

Next week we will run another survey on this blog to see how you think Derren Brown pulled off his latest trick.

Speed Learning Survey: The Results Are In

Thank you to the 52 people who took the time to respond to the survey I posted two nights ago. In the wake of last week's Trick or Treat 2 episode, the survey asked: How did Derren Brown make Glen Brighton place second at a pub quiz?

The votes broke down like this:

1. Derren has supernatural powers. 1 vote, 1.92%

2. DB taught Glen a super-learning system, as shown in the broadcast. 6 votes, 11.54%

3. DB taught Glen a super-learning system, but the real system was not shown on TV. 37 votes, 71.15%

4. The quiz show was rigged. 4 votes, 7.69%

5. Other. 4 votes, 7.69%

Three of the "Other" votes shared their theories:
a. money, earpiece and a contract of silence
b. None of it happened
c. DB knew answers and "planted" them into Glenn's mind

Also of note, two readers left comments on the prior blog entry, positing their own theories:

The first comment suggested that the pub quiz trick might be like the piano-player trick from season 1 of Trick or Treat. As you'll recall, DB led viewers to believe that he was using hypnosis to teach a woman to play the piano. In fact, she was already a concert pianist and he was merely restoring the state of mind (confidence, concentration, etc.) that she needed to play well.

Comment 1 is suggesting that Glenn already knew a lot of trivia, and Derren was restoring his confidence or helping him develop the right state of mind to perform well at the quiz.

The second comment was a little more cryptic:

"Carfax". Explore that and you find your answers. Well played, Derren.

I can only assume that this was left by one of the magicians who read this blog, and who actually can figure out how the tricks are done.

"Carfax" was the answer to one of the two trivia questions Derren asked Glenn.

I looked up the definition of "carfax." In the UK, it is the "intersection of four roads." or, stated differently, "the intersection of two roads that change their names." Is the fact that the roads change their names a hint that the "speed learning" system is not what Derren says it is? I don't know.

The pub quiz trick reminds me most strongly of Derren's photoreading trick. He went to a university library, scanned a book very quickly, and then appeared to be able to recite a passage chosen randomly by a librarian. Later, in an interview, Derren acknowledged that he was not actually photoreading -- that he was instead using a magic trick.

But if the speed-learning system was not real, how could Derren be certain that Glen would perform well at the quiz? No idea.

In summary, the first episode of Trick or Treat 2 was excellent, but I'm not going to spend a lot of time scanning textbooks.

Correction to the Previous Blog Entry

David Tennant's website is now saying that the episode of Trick or Treat 2 in which he appears will air May 16th, 2008.

Derren Brown's Speed Learning -- How Did He Do It?

Last Friday, Derren Brown opened the second season of Trick or Treat with an excellent episode in which DB (apparently) used a photoreading-like technique to help a "treat" recipient learn trivia and place second in a pub quiz.

[UPDATE: read what participant Glen Brighton said about the trick]

As always, it was quite entertaining. Since the episode aired, this blog has been visited by hundreds of people searching for some variation of the phrase "Derren Brown speed learning system." It's become obvious that we are all wondering how he did it.

A Few Theories

1. In its recap of the episode, the Mirror made the not-too-original suggestion that Derren Brown must be in league with the devil, as did the Guardian.

2. But the Mirror also made the amusing suggestion that DB set up numerous pub quizzes, filmed them all, and only showed the one in which his pupil placed well in the quiz (a la DB's method in the System).

3. Many bloggers seem to have accepted that the super-learning technique works as shown.

4. Others accept that DB really did teach his pupil a super-learning technique, but maintain that the system is different from (or more complicated than) what was shown in the episode.

5. Finally, the extreme skeptics are saying that the quiz was rigged.

Cast your vote (or propose a new theory) in the survey to the right of this entry -->>

I will post the results later this week.

Future Episodes

If you are wondering what the remaining Trick or Treat 2 episodes hold in store, see Zootoday.com, which reports that one episode will examine the skills mediums use to escape from ropes very quickly in the dark.

Another episode will feature David Tennant and will air on May 23, 2008, according to the actor's official website.

Inside Info from a Participant in Trick or Treat 2, Episode 1

Davorg left a comment on my prior post (REVEALED: Episode 1 of Derren Brown's Trick or Treat 2).

He participated in the "Night of Champions" pub quiz that is featured in episode 1 of the new series. Be sure to read his full account at davblog, which includes the following:

For a number of years now we've taken part in a weekly quiz in a local pub.... So we weren't too surprised to be invited to one a couple of months ago. The difference with this one was that it was being filmed by Channel 4. According to the quizmaster, they had been in touch with him as they wanted to make a documentary about the rise in pub quizzes in London. They had asked him to put on a night that they could film. He got together about thirty of his best teams and Channel 4 added in another couple of teams - one of which was one man one his own.

The one-man team was, obviously, Glen Brighton, the Trick or Treat contestant who had been coached by Derren Brown.

Davorg declined to give any spoilers about the competition because he signed a release form with Channel 4, promising not to disclose details of the event.

After the episode airs this Friday, I am hoping Davorg will post a complete account of how the episode was filmed.

REVEALED: Episode 1 of Derren Brown's Trick or Treat 2

Today's Telegraph revealed the contents of Episode 1 of Derren Brown's Trick or Treat 2 series, which airs this Friday on Channel 4:

[Glen] Brighton, 40,... took on more than 100 of the finest general knowledge brains in Britain in a "champion of champions" contest - surprising everyone with an astonishing performance....

[To prepare], he speed-read mountains of text by mentally "photographing" it in his mind, taking only a few seconds per page. Then he associated the words on the page with visual images which enabled him to recall them easily....

His objective was to enter the Night of Champions quiz.... The event is one of the biggest in the pub quiz calendar, drawing champions from pubs across the South East to compete....

Mr Brighton was taught the techniques by Derren Brown, the magician, for a Channel 4 television series.

His performance, and the final result of the quiz, will be revealed in the first episode of Derren Brown: Trick Or Treat, which will be broadcast on Friday.

I'm guessing Mr. Brighton will do quite well.

BONUS: check out this YouTube video -- it's a clip from an old NLP/hypnotism training course, and you can see a very young Derren Brown in the audience.

Derren's "News" -- Tacky or Calculated?

As you are likely aware, this past week, on April 21, 2008, the Sun published an article announcing that Derren Brown is a homosexual.

As iTricks quickly pointed out, Derren had announced his sexual orientation a year ago in an article in the Independent. Unlike the prior announcement, though, this week's announcement was repeated in other mainstream newspapers (see, e.g., the Daily Mail), as well as numerous small-circulation periodicals and, of course, the web.

Why would Derren make this announcement a second time?

1. The Official Story

Derren answers the question himself on his official website, under the heading "second coming":

For anyone confused as to why Derren would seem to be 'coming out' again, and this time to the tabloids: the article in the Sun yesterday was something of a suprise. Derren had answered a couple of questions from a Sun journalist within a half-hour interview about the TV series, that were concerned with why he discreetly mentioned all that man-on-man business in the Independent a few months ago. Derren politely answered that it was a necessary evil: not really anyone's business, but if you don't do it then it becomes perceived as a secret. The Sun then printed this as if Derren had chosen to come out there and then to them, complete with 'Exclusive' across the top of the article. As if. Other papers then picked up on this, and suddenly it was new news.
So, yes, for those who thought it was a bit odd and tacky, it was.

Derren says the tabloid newspaper misrepresented his comments. That could be true. But --

2. The Psychological Illusionist Conspiracy Theory

The story did create a lot of buzz in the British media, and the timing is convenient (less than two weeks prior to the premier of Trick or Treat 2, Derren's new TV series).

Isn't it at least possible that Derren orchestrated the whole thing?

We here at AboutDerrenBrown are seldom critical of DB. But we have to point out that someone who can perform a magic trick and call it psychology could also execute a media campaign and call it a misunderstanding.

There, we've said it. Make up your own mind.

While we're being slightly critical of DB, though, check out the announcement under the heading "Are you a talented web designer?" on his official website. He is looking for a web designer who will work pro bono.

Hmm... If you are a web designer looking for a charity project, you might be able to find someone more needy than DB.