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00:00 This is kind of a bar bet, right?
00:11 So here's what I'm going to do.
00:12 I'm going to take this cigarette out of your pack.
00:15 I'm going to throw the cigarette up, and it's going to hit the ceiling.
00:18 It's going to go onto its end, and it's going to stay there forever.
00:20 So basically, I need to roll the cigarette a little bit to get all the tobacco out of
00:42 it.
00:47 So I hope you have a lot of fun with it.
00:48 I've been using it for over 20 years.
00:50 I'm responsible for a lot of people not smoking a lot of cigarettes over the years.
00:55 If you have anywhere remotely as much fun as I've had, then you'll absolutely love it.
01:05 I'm a one-man anti-smoking campaign.
01:07 That's what I am.
01:07 So this is kind of a bar bet, right?
01:21 So here's what I'm going to do.
01:22 I'm going to take this cigarette out of your box, and I'm going to throw it up.
01:29 And when I throw it up, it's going to stick on the ceiling.
01:35 And it's going to stay there forever, unless someone stands on the pool table and pulls
01:39 it off.
01:40 But until they do that, it's going to go on the ceiling.
01:41 So basically, I'm going to get a cigarette, and I'm going to throw it in the air.
01:43 When I do, it's going to hit the ceiling.
01:45 It's going to stay there.
01:48 Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
01:50 It sounds like the kind of thing that if I did it, you'd buy me a drink.
01:54 Does it have gum in your mouth?
01:59 No.
02:00 Okay.
02:01 Doesn't it?
02:02 And best of all, not only will I do it, I'll teach you how to do it.
02:04 So not only will you witness this incredible thing, but tomorrow night, you'll be able
02:08 to do it yourselves.
02:09 Okay.
02:10 If you teach me how to do it, I will buy you a drink.
02:11 Dude, that's the best offer I've got tonight.
02:15 But there are options later.
02:16 I'm just saying.
02:17 Hey, girl.
02:18 How you doing?
02:19 How you doing, girl?
02:20 So here's how it works.
02:21 Here's how it works.
02:22 Okay.
02:23 Cigarette, you're cigarette out of your box.
02:25 So first of all, I need to get rid of the filter, right?
02:26 Filter is gone.
02:35 Yes?
02:36 The filter of the cigarette, yes?
02:37 Okay.
02:38 And I even, I just blow that, even that's gone.
02:40 Anyway, let's not get distracted.
02:42 So now I need to get rid of the tobacco.
02:45 I don't want to do it on the filter.
02:47 I'm just going to do it here.
02:49 So basically I need to roll the cigarette a little bit to get all the tobacco out of
02:52 it.
02:53 Because I want to make like a hollow tube.
02:54 Okay?
02:55 So listen, I'm going to get rid of all the tobacco out of this.
03:00 So it's hollow now.
03:03 So I'm going to make like a small lip.
03:05 I'm going to bite.
03:09 So I'm kind of biting the edge of the...
03:10 Okay.
03:11 Oh!
03:12 There we go.
03:13 Well done.
03:14 Well done.
03:15 Bazinga!
03:31 Is that the most incredible thing you've seen tonight?
03:34 It is the most incredible thing I've seen tonight.
03:40 Is it the 19th most incredible thing you've seen this week?
03:42 I'll give it the 20th most incredible thing I've seen this week.
03:46 Pop it into the top 10.
03:49 Be honest.
03:50 If someone had said to you this afternoon, "You're going to meet a man from Wales.
03:53 He's devilish and sexy.
03:54 And he's going to borrow a cigarette off your friend.
03:59 And he's going to throw it up and make it stick to the ceiling."
04:03 What's your one word answer?
04:05 You would have said?
04:06 Bollocks.
04:07 Nice.
04:08 Oh!
04:09 You would have said bollocks.
04:10 It sounds like bollocks, right?
04:11 It's impossible.
04:12 What's your one word answer?
04:13 Wow.
04:14 Well, we see where.
04:15 So, what is your one word answer?
04:16 Impossible.
04:17 Impossible.
04:18 Absolutely.
04:19 Hi, Mark Elson here.
04:20 I'm in the Penguin Studios here in Columbus.
04:31 I'm about to teach you one of my favorite bar bets.
04:38 Possibly my favorite bar bet of all time, actually.
04:40 It is the fabled C on C, cigarette on ceiling.
04:45 So I present it as a bar bet where I say, I borrow it because I don't smoke and I don't
04:49 like smoking at all.
04:50 I've never smoked.
04:51 And in fact, as you'll see from this bar bet, I'm kind of a one-man anti-smoking campaigner
04:56 because I actually get people to destroy their own cigarettes, which is quite amusing.
05:00 But that withstanding, I borrow a cigarette from someone and I say, "Here is the bet.
05:05 I bet that I can get this cigarette and I can throw it up and it's going to hit the
05:09 ceiling.
05:10 When it hits the ceiling, it's going to stick to the ceiling and it's going to stay there
05:14 forever."
05:15 And that is the bet.
05:17 And as you see from the performances, I try and get them to wager a beer on it or a dollar
05:21 or whatever.
05:23 Whatever seems right in the moment, a bit of fun.
05:25 And even if they don't want to bet, I do it anyway because it's such an amazing thing.
05:29 There is, as Paul Harris calls it, there's a moment of astonishment with this where it
05:32 hits the ceiling and stays there almost as if it's magnetically held.
05:35 It looks really weird when it hits the ceiling.
05:37 And really the whole thing is very, very simple.
05:39 And the other thing that I do is as I perform it, I don't try and do it secretly.
05:42 So there's no secret move.
05:43 I'm not switching in the prepared cigarette for a real one.
05:46 I borrow one cigarette.
05:47 There's only one cigarette in play.
05:49 I borrow the cigarette from them.
05:50 I explain to them exactly the method of how I'm doing it.
05:53 And the method I explain to them is the full method.
05:56 And then I throw it up and it hits the ceiling and it sticks.
05:58 However, when they try it, and they do try it, each time I perform it, someone ends up
06:03 destroying a cigarette.
06:04 And sometimes, depending on what they've had to drink, many cigarettes are destroyed in
06:07 an attempt to duplicate my feat.
06:09 And the reason is because I never tip to them when I'm performing it what I'm going to tip
06:14 to you in this download.
06:15 And that is the correct way to throw the cigarette to make sure it goes up.
06:19 So first of all, let's talk about the preparation of the cigarette.
06:21 This is just a standard cigarette that I've borrowed off one of the guys here in the studio.
06:25 And I think it's a Camel brand, but any brand will work.
06:30 Really it should be one with a filter.
06:32 And you want this size, which I'm guessing is just the standard size cigarette I normally
06:36 smoke.
06:37 I know you can get short ones and longer ones.
06:39 It doesn't really work as well with them, or cigars.
06:41 Just the standard cigarette that everybody is busy killing themselves with, that's the
06:44 one you need.
06:46 So here's the preparation.
06:48 Basically I'm going to make this into a hollow projectile.
06:49 This is just an empty cup so I can catch the debris as it comes out.
06:54 As I say, basically I'm going to make this into a hollow projectile.
06:57 So first of all, I take out the filter.
06:59 I just nip the end of the filter with my teeth.
07:04 And that comes right out.
07:06 And if there's any bits of filter left, I just kind of pull them off gently.
07:11 Now I need to get rid of the tobacco.
07:13 So basically I just roll the cigarette.
07:17 And as you'll see, the tobacco starts to come out the bottom.
07:22 You can see there it's coming out slowly.
07:24 And I just roll it until it comes down.
07:27 And as I say, I do all of this in front of the spectators who are watching me.
07:31 It's not a secret method.
07:32 It's a bar bet after all, not a magic trick.
07:38 So it comes out.
07:39 And you can see a bit sticking out.
07:40 I'll just pull that out.
07:41 That's a bunch of it out there, making a pleasant mess in the process.
07:44 And then, so this bit's all gone I can feel now.
07:47 So I do it, so obviously the tobacco starts here where the filter stopped.
07:52 So this bit is still in there.
07:53 So I start to roll a bit higher up.
07:56 And a little bit more comes down.
08:01 Now it's impossible I've found, not that I've tried thousands of times, but several times
08:06 I've tried to roll all the tobacco out, there's always some that wants to stay inside.
08:09 So you'll feel when it gets very loose, and you'll feel it clumping a little bit inside.
08:14 You just roll it until it comes out.
08:16 And then the last bit, I literally just kind of blow it out.
08:19 So I can feel there's some loose tobacco still in there.
08:23 I can feel now, if I keep rolling, I'm going to damage the paper and I don't want that.
08:27 So I literally just, I just blow it.
08:31 And that's it, that's all the tobacco and filter in there.
08:34 This is now a completely hollow tube.
08:36 So can we get a close up on that?
08:39 You getting that there?
08:40 So it's completely hollow.
08:42 So there's no filter.
08:46 Now that is the cigarette which will hit the ceiling.
08:48 From here it looks like a cigarette.
08:50 They are well aware of course that there is nothing inside of it.
08:53 And when I throw it up, the end, instead of looking brown, will look white.
08:57 And that's fine.
08:58 The people who are there when I throw it know it's hollow.
09:01 But I've never had anyone who's seen one after the effect is over, after the bed is over,
09:05 ever say, "Oh look at that cigarette, it's hollow, there's nothing in it."
09:09 I've never had anyone say that.
09:11 So even though when you look up, you can see it's got a white end, the fact that a cigarette
09:14 is stuck to the ceiling is so unbelievable and so odd, a little bit surreal, that people
09:20 seem to switch off and not notice there's no tobacco in.
09:23 So now I have a hollow tube.
09:24 I'm now going to use my teeth to bite over a lip all the way around to the edge of the
09:31 filter end.
09:32 So I literally just nip a piece and kind of tear it over.
09:37 Now I'm going to do this and then we're going to get a real close up on the top of the cigarette
09:42 so you can see exactly how it looks.
09:48 So I'm just kind of nipping it.
09:51 So that'll do, that's fine.
09:53 So that's a real close up, you can see that, let me show you from the side.
09:58 It's kind of torn a little bit where my teeth have nipped it and torn it.
10:02 And it's this bit that's splayed out here, these pieces, which will actually be the bits
10:07 that stick to the ceiling.
10:08 So the next thing I need to do is wet it with my tongue.
10:13 Now I'm going to get quite a lot of spit on the top of this cigarette where the bit that's
10:15 splayed out, but I don't actually spit out onto it, which would be a bit gross and which
10:22 if it was necessary I would do, but it's going to make it too wet.
10:25 You don't want to start, basically I'm trying to get the lip part that I've made wet without
10:29 getting the rest of the filter soaking.
10:32 So I get plenty of spit on and if it forms like a little layer across, like a spit bubble
10:40 inside, you can just blow and that will go.
10:45 Now what I'm doing here by wetting this is A, providing the glue that will stick it to
10:52 the ceiling, because that's what will happen.
10:55 This paper will stick to the ceiling and when it does, after a few minutes it will dry and
11:01 the paper will be dried onto the ceiling so that even if you knock the cigarette with
11:04 a brush or a broom or something, or a long handled thing of any kind, you won't be able
11:09 to knock it off.
11:10 You would have to go up on some steps and physically tear it off.
11:13 And also I've made it top heavy so when I throw this it doesn't start moving around
11:16 in the air.
11:17 Because the top is heavy with spit, it becomes a perfect projectile, even more so because
11:22 it's hollow and hugely aerodynamic.
11:26 So that's wet enough now, I'm going to throw it and the correct technique is this, I hold
11:31 it this way, it's loosely cupped in my hand and my fingers are just kind of holding it
11:35 enough so it doesn't drop out, but not strongly enough that I can crush it, it's still a tube
11:39 in my fingertips.
11:40 I'm just going to put this down for one second because I want to show you the action.
11:43 So basically I'm going to throw, but I'm not going to throw it from here, it's not kind
11:48 of a lower arm throw, I'm going to really throw it from my shoulder.
11:51 So the action is I'm holding it loosely here and I come and I really kind of throw it,
11:56 it's a real bang.
11:58 Now you must make sure that when it leaves your hand, when it's at the top of the arc
12:02 here, that the hand is still holding the cigarette completely vertically.
12:07 If it doesn't leave your hand at a 90 degree angle to the ceiling, it won't stick.
12:12 It'll hit it slightly on the side or this way, or generally it won't make it at all
12:15 because you're throwing it at an angle.
12:16 And whilst it's a perfect projectile going straight up, throwing it in a different direction,
12:21 coming out with your hand in a different direction, obviously it's not going to get there.
12:24 So I'm going to hold it in my loosely cupped fingers, I'm going to hold it, I sight the
12:28 spot where I want it and then I come here and bang, and I throw it and it just goes
12:33 up.
12:34 Now this is a high ceiling, I'm going to do it in here.
12:36 This is probably higher than any ceiling you'll find in many buildings, certainly in a bar
12:40 and the bars that you saw in the performance aren't this high.
12:44 A bunch of places I was doing it over the weekend, none of them were as high as this.
12:48 And this is probably, ideally I wouldn't want to do it this high, but we're here in the
12:52 studio, I'm going to do it anyway.
12:54 But this is riskier, it's possible to hit it, as you'll see because I'm going to hit
12:57 it for you.
12:58 But when you're practising I wouldn't start with a ceiling this high.
13:02 Work your way up to that after you've done it a bunch of times, you want to start with
13:04 a lower ceiling.
13:05 It must be high enough that no one can just reach up and tear it off.
13:10 Putting it on a ceiling that's eight foot high, or seven foot high would be ridiculous.
13:15 You know a good nine, ten foot is fine, but this is probably thirteen or fourteen feet
13:19 which is a reach for me and my shoulder is used to doing this.
13:23 The other thing you'll find is if you miss and have to repeat it, your shoulder will
13:25 get sore and sore, like when you're throwing a ball or a javelin or a knife, depending
13:30 on who you are.
13:31 So I'm going to wet it a little bit more and here we go, we're going to go for the throw.
13:34 [Music]
13:37 [Music]
13:39 [Music]
13:41 [Music]
13:51 [Music]
14:03 [Music]
14:05 So now you know everything you need to know to be able to throw a cigarette successfully
14:16 onto the ceiling and have it stay there forever.
14:19 Two little things before I say goodbye.
14:23 Firstly a couple of things to bear in mind when you're throwing the cigarette up, that
14:26 ceiling fans and air conditioning are your enemy.
14:29 Because very often air, cold air or even hot air sometimes is pumped into the room at a
14:32 high level, ceiling fans are making circles of air current around the ceiling and as your
14:38 hollow projectile cigarette goes up in the air, because it's very light it can easily
14:42 get blown off course.
14:43 So stay away from ceiling fans and be aware of air conditioning vents and so on up in
14:47 the sky around you.
14:49 Secondly when you're first learning this and you're putting the spit on, put more on than
14:52 you think is necessary.
14:56 If I've found people having a problem and not being able to get the cigarette to stick,
15:01 it's generally because they're not putting enough spit on.
15:03 So you want quite a lot on there, not enough that it makes the whole thing sodden, but
15:07 you want probably more on than you would initially think.
15:10 So again refer back to the close up on the video earlier and you should be able to see
15:14 exactly what I'm doing and do it about that amount.
15:17 So I hope you have a lot of fun with this, I've used it, well I first came up with it
15:20 when I was living in Dubai in 1991 so I've been using it for over 20 years.
15:24 I'm responsible for a lot of people not smoking a lot of cigarettes over the years and I hope
15:30 you have, if you have anywhere remotely as much fun as I've had then you'll absolutely
15:36 love it.
15:37 Cheers.
15:37 Cheers.
15:37 Cheers.
15:38 Cheers.
15:41 Cheers.
15:43 Cheers.
15:46 Cheers.
15:48 Cheers.
15:51 Cheers.
15:53 Cheers.
15:56 Cheers.
15:58 Cheers.
16:01 Cheers.
16:03 Cheers.
16:06 Cheers.
16:08 Cheers.
16:10 (upbeat music)
16:13 (upbeat music)