Bay Area Web show coaches bar pranksters
By Jessica Luthi
The Guardsman
You can never go wrong with a free drink. A free drink is even sweeter when you pull it off with a touch of charisma, a dash of comedy and a little magic.
Brian Brushwood, the host of Scam School, believes you’ll never pay for another drink again as long as you have a few of his tricks up your sleeves.
“Scam School” is an Internet television show that airs Thursdays on Revision3.com, a San Francisco-based Internet television company started by Kevin Rose, Jay Adelson and David Prager. Rose and Adelson are also the founders of the popular bookmarking social networking site, Digg. Revision3 also hosts shows like “Diggnation,” “AnimeTV” and “Tekzilla.”
“Scam School” consists of weekly 10 to 15 minute long segments featuring Brushwood performing tricks on people in bars or on the street. His gags and cons can be used for getting free drinks or cash from friends and other bar-goers, picking up the ladies or getting rid of someone who’s had too much to drink.
Many of his tricks play off the psychology of the mind and the way humans think. It may not seem like such a sly move to perform tricks on people who have had a few too many drinks, but the gags can produce the same result when performed on completely sober people.
“Scam School” is mildly entertaining. The idea of the show is interesting and Brushwood has a likability about him. Some of his tricks are clever while others seem cheesy. Although I didn’t like all of his tricks, I do have a few favorites that made me laugh which I want to run out and try.
Some of my favorite episodes include “How to Stick Your Friends to the Bar,” “Blow Hard” and “Circumference vs. Height.” Thumb cuffs from “How to Stick Your Friends to the Bar” was the most entertaining trick to watch.
Thumb cuffs is just as its name implies — being cuffed to something by your thumbs. The simplicity of the trick makes it that much better.
This trick should only be used to get rid of an annoying bar-goer, and while swindlers may be down the cost of a drink, they will at least be able to enjoy the rest of their evening. First, the mark is asked what they like to drink and the trickster buys it. Then the drink is set aside and the unwitting drunk is asked to put their thumbs against the edge of a pool table or the bar. The drink is then gently placed on their thumbs. While it’s probably not a polite thing to do to someone, it was funny to watch Brushwood do it.
Thumb cuffs may be my favorite, but “Scam School” offers such a variety of tricks that everyone will find something they like.
Check out those “Scam School” videos and more at www.youtube.com/revision3 or at www.revision3.com/scamschool.