Penn & Teller: Bull! - Season 2

First aired: 4/1/2004 13 episodes

Episodes

1. P.E.T.A.

Aired: 4/1/2004

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is against all forms of medical testing involving animals - regardless of the potential benefits to human beings. PETA supports banning the ownership of pets and advocates releasing them into the wild. It's enough to make a vegetarian eat meat!

2. Safety Hysteria

Aired: 4/8/2004

We're being told that, in order to keep us safe, we need everything from anti-terrorism gas masks to paper toilet seat covers. Crime rates are going down, not up. You're four times more likely to get struck by lightning than to be violently killed at school. And, once and for all, cell phones don't give you cancer!

3. The Business of Love

Aired: 4/15/2004

Romantic love - it's a fantasy akin to believing in Santa Claus. Here's the truth - the first blush of love is a chemical reaction. And, like all drugs, it wears off after a while! We'll look into the myth of monogamy, and the industry mining for people looking for love and relationships. That comprises just about all of us, folks!

4. War on Drugs

Aired: 4/22/2004

America is waging a massive war on its home soil, a war it is losing. Our country spends $20 billion a year in drug enforcement, but the illegal drug industry is thriving. Should we even be waging this war, when alcohol is legal and pushed every night on network TV? By criminalizing drugs, we just turn non-violent citizens into criminals. And medicinal uses of marijuana are being blocked by crusading moralists yelling "family values."

5. Recycling

Aired: 4/29/2004

Here's the truth: recycling is garbage. The recycling industry creates pollution, has to be subsidized by the government because it's cost ineffective, and is completely unnecessary. Contrary to popular belief, our landfills are not running out of space - we have enough room to last for thousands of years! So how did the bullshit of recycling get started?

6. The Bible: Fact or Fiction?

Aired: 5/6/2004

We take on the most sacred of sacred cows: The Bible! We'll reveal the many discrepancies and contradictions in THE GOOD BOOK. Why all the confusion? Shouldn't anything that is "divinely inspired" be crystal clear? Did Noah build an ark big enough to hold all those animals? Did Moses part the Red Sea? Did Jesus even exist? Tune in to find out!

7. Yoga, Tantric Sex, Etc.

Aired: 5/13/2004

The New Age is a marketeers dream. From aromatherapy dishwashing liquid to yoga to crystals, herbs and tarot, we're swallowing it all! Join us as we travel to the Mecca of New Age, Sedona, Arizona, where we'll chant, sing, and seek a higher consciousness from hill to dale to parking lot. And stay for our big climax! They say Maui's the place to achieve a cosmic orgasm while holding a tantric pretzel pose. Watch out! It's a flying vortex!

8. Fountain of Youth

Aired: 5/20/2004

The good news: we're living longer. The bad news: the older we get, the more we're made to feel that there's something wrong with that, and so we make futile efforts to turn back the clock. Wacky diets, worthless creams, Botox, Collagen, lipo, plastic surgery... none of it will stop the advancing years, except in your own mind! Aging is inevitable. Get used to it.

9. Death, Inc.

Aired: 8/5/2004

We're afraid of death. But all of us have to face it at least once, and maybe more if someone we care about happens to die on us. But what are we so freaked out about? We'll show you that, yes, even with death, there's much to laugh about. As we know, the only thing to fear is fear itself... and having to sit across the desk from funeral director intent upon selling us an airtight, waterproof vault!

10. Profanity

Aired: 8/12/2004

A whole show on words and the power we give them, focusing on the latest actions of the FCC and other anti-profanity groups. The First Amendment is under attack. Hey, what country do we live in?

11. 12-Stepping

Aired: 8/19/2004

There's no proof that AA or any other 12-Step program is any more effective than going cold turkey, doing things in moderation or getting medical help. And there's a debate raging whether alcoholism is even a disease! The quasi-religious 12-step groups have America brainwashed into believing that a higher power will take care of everything. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?!

12. Exercise vs. Genetics

Aired: 8/26/2004

Exercise Schmexerise. Here's the shocker: the power of genetics determines your body type. Throw away all those fitness machines, gym memberships and exercise manuals, the size and shape of your body was decided the moment you were conceived. A look at the huge amount of bullshit behind the exercise industry. Gym memberships, fat-burning, muscle-building supplements, exercise tapes and equipment - we're fair game... and so are they!

13. Hypnosis

Aired: 9/2/2004

There are some topics that are complete nonsense, and there are others, like Hypnosis, that combine an element of truth with a generous helping of bullshit. We'll go under the "spell" and show you just where the bullshit lies. The bottom line: you never give up control when under an hypnotic spell. But you will give up your money to smooth-talking hypnotists who claim they can enlarge your penis or achieve the ultimate orgasm. When they count to ten, hold onto your wallet and run for the door!