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Piff the Magic Dragon was a magician from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. He finished in the Bottom 5 of the Top 10. Piff returned for America's Got Talent: The Champions, where he was eliminated in the Preliminaries. He returned again for America's Got Talent: Fantasy League, competing on Heidi Klum's team where he was eliminated in the Preliminaries.

Background[]

John van der Put was a star of Penn & Teller: Fool Us (although he did not fool Penn & Teller), imagine Larry David in a dragon suit performing magic tricks and you’re on the right track. With over 12 million YouTube hits to his name, Piff the Magic Dragon has performed to hundreds of thousands of civilians in venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Shakespeare’s Globe, the O2, London and Sydney Opera house.

His solo show has had five record breaking runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, two sell-out seasons at Soho Theatre in London’s West End, a national tour of the UK and Australia. He was the opening act for Mumford & Sons on their 17 date UK tour and has just completed a six month residency at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in their flagship show Vegas Nocturne. [1]

He is also seen in the Mumford & Sons album cover, "Babel", behind the band. [2]

Audition[]

Piff the Magic Dragon's audition in Episode 1001 consisted of inviting Heidi Klum to the stage. He sealed a card in an envelope and had Heidi pick one card randomly from a deck of cards and signed it. He opened the envelope to reveal a different card to the one she picked. Then, through bending the card in different arrangements, Piff created the illusion of Heidi's card transforming into that of his prediction. Notably, Piff ate a banana during the judges' comments because "dragons love snacks." Howard Stern, Heidi, Mel B, and Howie Mandel all voted "Yes," sending Piff to the Judge Cuts round.

Judge Cuts[]

Piff the Magic Dragon's Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1008 consisted of inviting Heidi Klum on the stage so that she could sign a playing card. He then gave a full deck of cards with the random card to his dog Mr. Piffles. Mr. Piffles than tossed the cards into the air; Piff grabbed one of those cards. He revealed the card was not actually Heidi's card; in fact, her card was actually in an unopened can of dog food. Impressed by the performance, guest judge Neil Patrick Harris pressed his Golden Buzzer for Piff, sending him straight to the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals[]

Piff the Magic Dragon's Week 1 Quarterfinals performance in Episode 1012 consisted of having Howie Mandel instruct Piff which of four boxes hanging from the ceiling contained Mr. Piffles. Three boxes were brutally destroyed, while the fourth was revealed to contain Mr. Piffles. Piff received enough votes to be sent to the Semifinals in Episode 1013 instead of Triple Threat.

Semifinals[]

Piff the Magic Dragon's Week 2 Semifinals performance in Episode 1020 consisted of handing two pieces of bread to Howie Mandel, and placing them in a toaster. He then had each of Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Howard Stern pick cards from a deck. He then revealed the card and suit values of one card seared in the bread and a second card inside the bread itself. Piff than ran off the stage, to "Las Vegas," picked the last card, and brought it back to the judges along with Mr. Piffles. Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel gave him standing ovations. Piff received enough votes to be sent to the Finals in Episode 1021 instead of Alondra Santos.

Finals[]

Piff the Magic Dragon's Finals performance in Episode 1022 consisted of having Howie Mandel sign a 20-dollar bill, and then changing it to a voucher for one free magic trick. He then took Heidi's ring and gave it to Mr. Piffles. He then placed him in a cannon and launched him through a hoop. A robotic Mr. Piffles then walked on the stage. When it fell, Piff covered it with a cloth and then revealed a real Mr. Piffles. Inside a walnut released by Mr. Piffles was the original 20-dollar bill.

Finale[]

For the finale in Episode 1023, Piff the Magic Dragon performed a magic trick with Penn & Teller. While Piff was suspended in the air (to simulate flying), Penn & Teller "assisted" him with a magic trick involving Mel B picking a playing card to stop a shuffled deck at. Piff then stuck a knife in the deck and lit it on fire. The knife was then revealed to have only one card on it; the one Mel B had picked. Piff did not receive enough votes to be included in the Top 5, eliminating him from the competition instead of Paul Zerdin.

After the Show[]

In 2017, Piff made a guest appearance on an episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, performing a trick with Penn & Teller during the show's final segment. In 2018, Piff returned to the Season 5 premiere of Fool Us, guest performing again with Penn & Teller in the show's final segment.

He made another guest appearance on the show in the Season 8 premiere in 2021 and another guest appearance in the season finale of Season 9 in 2023 in which he finally received a Fool Us trophy for not being fooled by the duo's trick. [3][4]

He returned to AGT in Episode 1420 as a guest performer, doing a magic trick with his dog Mr. Piffles, host Terry Crews and Piff's assistant Miss Jade Simone, and again in Episode 1518 joining forces with legendary illusionist David Copperfield. He also returned in Episode 1717.

The Champions Preliminary[]

Piff returned for The Champions. Piff's performance in Episode TC02 consisted of performing a magic trick where he appeared to make his dog Mr. Piffles eat Heidi Klum 's ring, only for it to appear inside an egg. Howie MandelMel BHeidi Klum, and Simon Cowell all gave him standing ovations. Piff did not receive enough votes to advance to the night's Top 3, eliminating him from the competition.

Fantasy League Nominations[]

Piff the Magic Dragon was nominated as one of the top 40 acts, sending him through to the Draft Pool.

Fantasy League Draft Pool[]

Piff was drafted onto Heidi Klum's team.

Fantasy League Preliminary[]

Piff's Preliminary performance in Episode FL02 consisted of performing a magic act involving the judges creating the ultimate sandwich. Neil Patrick Harris then appeared in a video announcing a sandwich in a small safe, inside was the sandwich containing the very ingredients everyone chose with a label containing Heidi's hair in it. Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell gave him standing ovations. He did not receive enough votes to advance to the Semifinals, eliminating him from the competition instead of Grace Good.

Trivia[]

  • Piff was the first act in the show's history to receive the Golden Buzzer in the Judge Cuts.
  • Piff's audition was featured in a "Best of Auditions" episode the same Season.
  • He officially became an American citizen prior to Fantasy League.

External Links[]


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