Brittany Poeppe | Assistant Arts + Life Editor

“You cannot air condition your eyeballs,” hypnotist Chris Jones said, mimicking the way women fan their eyes when they laugh. The statement drew more laughter from the audience at the show.

The Student Activities Board (SAB) invited Jones to perform for Buena Vista University (BVU) students on Wednesday, October 9th. The event drew a large crowd. He had been a contestant on America’s Got Talent, and many people recognized him for hypnotizing judge Howie Mandel. He began the show by introducing himself, and then asked how many people had seen his act before. Over half the students in the audience raised their hands.

After his brief introduction, he offered an “in-seat” version of his show, instructing students to sit back in their seats, place their hands on their knees, and relax. He asked the students to close their eyes and hold their hands out in front of them. Many students followed his instructions, and several became hypnotized. Jones told the hypnotized students that when they woke up, they wouldn’t remember how to pronounce their names. Those students were invited on stage to participate in the show.

The participants danced and sang; Jones even made them dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” He taught the audience how men and women dance, with help from participating students. Jones also hypnotized the participants and asked them to become new, unlikely superheroes. He asked the participants to tell him their names and their superpowers.

“Sus-spence… We’re still waiting,” was the response from Spencer Bottorff.

“Raptor Girl… I raptor,” Megan Lister said.

“Sassy Fierce… I make people fabulous,” Hanna Zinn said.

When the show was almost over, Jones hypnotized the participants again, telling them that they would not remember anything they did on stage until they left the auditorium. Friends showed the participants pictures and videos of the show, but the participants adamantly denied they were in the show. Nashid Barrow took a few steps out of the auditorium, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

Many of the students who participated in the show said it was fun and that they’d do it again. This was Spencer Bottorff’s second time being hypnotized.

“It was something. I’m a little embarrassed, but I had fun,” Bottorff said.

Photos courtesy of SAB