invert_nexus:
"The first is when he walks on water.
It's in a pool.
Lot's of people swimming around in the pool oohing and ahhing.
It's fairly obvious that what is going on is that there is clear plexiglass just under the surface of the water. With occasional breaks for the 'demonstration' that bubbles come up the surface and whatnot.
The swimmers have to know this. They're swimming all around it in a carefully cued manner.
This is magic that could never be performed in person. It's immediately subject to debunking because it's so lame."
Plexiglass suspended without support for over 20 feet, without bending or warping, and without the surface of the water appearing to react as shallow? Similarly, in an audience that was claimed to be live, and which had a spectator use his camera to record it as he liked, and for a woman to even swim under him whilst he was doing so, and for people to move across the path he was then taking? And, ontop of that, for him to take off his shoes, and for them to fall through the area immediatly before him, which he would then touch upon?
NOt to say that there isn't some sort of trick involved - he isn't Jesus II - but your assertion does not stand.
"Next.
He's in a park.
Asks for a 'volunteer'. Picks a woman. Lays her down on the picnic table. Then decides she's too short so he has to pick another one.
She lays down on the picnic table and he gets a couple of people to start pulling on her.
He pulls her in two and her top half runs off across the park.
Again. Immediatelly subject to debunking by anyone present."
This is the only trick I can think of, off hand, that may have been set up beforehand. In the absence of testimony from the participants, and from the show declaring it was fake, I cannot claim this was so - there is no evidence to demonstrate that is the case. That being said, the majority of his tricks are also not of this type that allow for such suspicions. Similarly, a question as to how the bottom legs were moving is worth asking, just as in most of "split people in half" tricks that magicians do.
I am also not sure if he claims this one was not set up. With other people he usually does.
Moreover, one reason to suspect that it was not faked was that none of the responses from the people implied fakeness, nor were their reactions obviously fake. The woman also looked genuinely scared when she was split in half.
"I've not watched much more of his shows than that.
There was the levitation trick. That was fairly obviously a setup too. It was way too extravagant. Anyone in his immediate presence would be able to see that it is fake. Thus, he relies on the magic of television to make him a magic man."
You will have to provide more evidence then "I cannot believe it was a legitimate trick". Considering that he was going over an entire street of sorts in that area, and no one responded negatively...
In essence, what do you besides incredulity bring to this suspicion?
"That other guy... I forget his name.. Blaine. That's it. He had a levitation trick too. And he also used wires and basically camera tricks. He did a simple trick at first, by angling himself in a specific manner away from the onlookers, he pushed himself up slightly on one foot, while maintaining the appearance that both feet were off the ground. This is a legitimate trick. But, then, supposedly, he recreated the trick after this. Saying that he wanted to get a better reaction shot or something. I forget exactly. This second take involved him in a harness and the levitation was more extravagant. But still not so extravagant as this Angel guy."
One magician's fakeness does not imply another's.