Most people have never heard of “Penn & Teller Get Killed,” let alone seen it. Whether or not it ever even had any sort of theatrical run I’m unsure, but it’s managed to amass a minor cult following on home video over the years, which makes it an ideal title for the Warner Brothers Archive series. Playing fictitious versions of themselves, it kicks off with Penn & Teller appearing on a late-night talk show, where Penn announces that he wishes someone were trying to kill him, as it would bring some meaning to his life. Before long, it appears that someone may be taking him up on the request, yet the pair has been playing an escalating series of practical jokes on one another. Is the death threat against Penn one of Teller’s elaborate ruses, or is it the real deal?

There isn’t much more to the plot than what’s written above, and the screenplay, which was penned (ahem…) by the duo, is mostly a showcase for their oddball talents and dark personalities. It elicits at least a handful of genuine chuckles, and in the final reel, delivers an unusual, quirky sense of dread as it lives up to its title. It’s difficult to recommend to anyone who isn’t a fan, as this isn’t going to turn you into one, and yet it’s a noteworthy minor pop culture history lesson: the Penn & Teller of the movie are far removed from the Penn & Teller of today. Yes, there actually was a time when these guys were all about having a good time and entertaining the audience, as opposed to the bloated Libertarian windbags they are today.

Click here to buy “Penn & Teller Get Killed”

On Bravo’s “Top Chef: Las Vegas” last night, Penn and Teller were guests as well as chef Michelle Bernstein. But there was no magic act when it came to elimination time….because there are a few of these contestants that are hanging by a thread with the likes of Jennifer, Kris Kringle (Kevin) and the brothers Voltaggio that are barreling toward a showdown.

For the quick fire challenge with Bernstein as the judge, the chefs had to create a dish that displayed their own personal battle (i.e. something like an artery clogging dish alongside a heart-healthy one). The winner would have immunity for the elimination challenge.

The least favorites were Ash, who made some sort of custard; Brian, who made a chocolate dish that probably tasted better than it looked, or maybe not; and Laurine, who Bernstein said made a dish with no inspiration. Yikes. The favorites were Michael, who made two kinds of salmon; Eli, who made a risotto; and Robin, who made a raw salad that representer her surviving cancer, and a decadent apple crisp. Robin won, and Eli was bitter afterward, saying Robin used her cancer to gain an edge. Dude, easy!

On to the main challenge and replacing Gail Simmons this week would be British wiseass critic Toby Young. Vegas staples Penn & Teller would also be on hand to help eat and judge. The challenge was to de-construct classic dishes so that all of the flavors would blend together at the end to taste like the original dish. Some of the chefs were baffled by this challenge, including Jennifer who was fearing elimination for once.

Here is what they wound up choosing randomly:
Mike Isabella: eggs florentine
Mike V.: Caesar salad
Brian: Reuben sandwich
Laurine: fish & chips
Ash: shepherd’s pie
Jen: meat lasagna
Ron: paella
Eli: sweet & sour pork
Ben Folds (Ashley): pot roast
Kris Kringle: chicken mole
Robin: New England clam chowder

As they were cooking, Eli’s pressure cooker blew its top….and considering that he brought his own pressure cooker and the kitchen had plenty of their own, we had to wonder why he did this. And who travels with a presssure cooker anyway? Oh wait, my mom does, to make her famous mashed potatoes when she visits us.

Anyway, as host Tom Colicchio visited with each chef as they were preparing the dishes, Jennifer was trying to avoid him because she was so busy trying to make her dish a good one. Ron and Mike I. were totally confused by the challenge.

Anyway, at judgment time, Ben Folds, Michael V., Kris Kringle and Jennifer were the favorites. They loved the flavor of Ben’s pot roast, loved the way Michael de-constructed his Caesar salad, the way Jen melted cheese on top of meat and pasta and especially the thought and intricacy that went into Kris Kringle’s mole….and he was declared the winner this week.

The worst dishes this week were by Laurine, Ron and Ash. Laurine’s fish was overcooked and she only served two chips with each dish because many of the ones she cooked were soggy. Ron did a lousy job de-constructing his paella, and he was probably hurt by the fact that every other chef was trying to give him advice (in fairness, he did ask them for the advice). And Ash was pretty clueless about shepherd’s pie, and when his potatoes did not cook properly, he tried to substitute some sort of parsley puree. Think about that for a minute….parsley for potatoes? What was this guy thinking??? Anyway, I really thought Ash should have gotten the boot for that, but they instead chose Ron. All I can say is his paella must have really tasted awful for them to choose him.

So okay…..we’re down to 10 now….Mike, Mike, Brian, Laurine, Ash, Jen, Eli, Ben Folds, Kris Kringle and Robin…and you can bet Ash and Laurine are going to be next to go…with Robin, Ben Folds, Eli and Mike I. the next tier. I’d be really surprised if Jen, Mike V. Brian and Kris Kringle weren’t the final four, but who knows? This is reality TV after all, so anything can happen.

Who do you like? Who don’t you like? Let me know in the space below and see you next week….