Have you ever seen one of The Clairvoyants’ performances?
Jaw-dropping, right?
Well, that might have led you to want to know more about the duo.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to do here.
In this post, we’ll explore The Clairvoyants — their mentalism story and tricks.
So let’s dive right into it!
Meet the Austrian Mind-Reading Duo: The Clairvoyants
Although they hit the headlines after almost winning America’s Got Talent’s 11th season,
there’s more to discover about this Austrian pair.
Let’s begin with a bit of background.
Who exactly are The Clairvoyants?
Half of this mind-reading duo is Thommy Ten.
He was born Thomas Höschele on June 19, 1987, in St. Pölten, Austria.
Ten’s exposure to magic began early — he got his first magic book and box at age ten.
Two years later, he joined several Magic Associations, such as the Magic Ten/Lower Austria and the Magic Ring Austria.
He was the youngest member.
He also joined the Magic Circle of Germany — the fact that they made an exception for him despite having a minimum age requirement of 16 speaks volumes about his talent.
Thommy Ten earned the title of Austrian Master of Junior Magic at 13 after winning the Austrian State Championship in Magic.
And that was only the beginning.
Fast forward to 2010, Thommy established himself as a professional magician. He worked with two directors (Georg Büttel and Gaston) and began working internationally.
His act, Romantic, used creative and innovative techniques, earning him the Austrian Champion in the Inventions Category title.
In 2011, he became the German Master of Mental Magic because of the same performance.
That same year, he met the other half of what would eventually become The Clairvoyants.
Amélie Van Tass graduated from the MoveOn Dance Center and was a professional dancer.
She and Ten met when they were performing on the same show.
Since then, they have been appearing as a mentalist duo.
The Clairvoyants’ Life Before America’s Got Talent
They say that magic happens when you meet the right person — and it certainly happened that way for Thommy Ten and Amélie Van Tass.
After meeting each other in 2011, they developed Second Sight, which eventually became their signature act.
It didn’t take them long to present it to an audience — they brought it to the stage within a couple of months.
Before the year was out, it had become a full-length show and had taken Europe by storm.
Their then-newfound popularity drew the attention of renowned shows in the magic and mentalist world. It led to a contract in 2014 to be part of Jeff Hobson’s The Illusionarium.
Their next opportunity was a spot in Simon Painter’s The Illusionist, the world’s largest touring magic show.
The following year, The Claivoyants received an award that no mentalist or magic act had received in three decades.
In 2015, The Clairvoyants became the World Champions of Mentalism.
The Clairvoyants on American’s Got Talent
In 2016, The Clairvoyants got their claim to fame in the US.
They participated in America’s Got Talent and placed second only to Grace Vanderwaal.
Here’s a rundown of their performances and tricks from their audition to the finals.
Auditions
The Clairvoyants started strong with their AGT audition, asking judge Heidi Klum to join them onstage with her handbag.
Ten asks her to test out a blindfold to ensure the audience it was thick enough to prevent whoever was wearing it from seeing.
Van Tass dons the blindfold while her partner asks Klum to pick an item from her bag.
The female mentalist correctly guessed that it was lipstick (shade 602).
Ten then repeats the trick involving an iPhone from an audience member and Howie’s eyedrops (and its expiration date).
Judge Cuts
For this round, the mind-reading pair upped the ante by introducing items that increased their act’s complexity.
One was a die, which Howie rolled. He got a six on his first and covered the second (as Ten requested). Van Tass proceeded to guess the right number — a one.
Next, Ten handed Mel B a deck of cards, asking her to shuffle it. He then requested Louis Tomlinson to pick one.
After looking at it, the One Direction member put it facedown on Ten’s palm. Van Tass said it was the five of hearts — which it was, of course.
Lastly, Van Tass guessed the serial number of a bill Simon Cowell had put on the table early in the trick.
Quarter Finals
Thinking that the audience would enjoy another performance involving what seemed to be mind-reading, Ten asked Simon and Heidi to take one jellybean each from a bowl and eat it.
Van Tass guessed right that the former chose grape and the latter bubblegum.
With Mel B, Ten asked her to scoop as many jellybeans as she wanted into a cup. While she was doing this, he smoothly included Howie in the act, asking him what his dream jellybean flavor was.
Van Tass guessed that Mel B had 22 jellybeans in the cup, which was correct.
However, this was when the pair revealed that tonight was not about mind-reading.
Their act was about mind control.
Van Tass brought out a covered blackboard (which she had briefly shown earlier) and, together with Ten, showed what was on it:
- Simon would choose a grape jellybean
- Heidi would eat a bubblegum-flavored one
- Mel B would get 22 jellybeans
It also included a post-script, saying they hope there would be spicy chocolate jellybean flavor soon — Howie’s dream flavor.
Semi-Finals
For the semis, The Clairvoyants bring the audience nostalgia — setting up their act to mimic a time when people went to Clairvoyants and fortune tellers to get some much-needed answers.
Ten handed three judges (Howie, Mel B, and Heidi) some writing materials and asked each of them to write down the following:
- Howie: A question he always wanted to ask Simon but never did
- Mel B: A initials of a person she hasn’t seen for a long time (which is unknown to the AGT crowd)
- Heidi: To think of a kiss and write down where it happened
Van Tass asks Simon to join her on stage.
She tells him to close his eyes as she holds both his hands.
She tells him to imagine he’s in London and has just achieved one of his life goals.
She tells him to look up at Big Ben, and what time does he see?
7:04, he says.
Ten then gives him a clock, which they had set before the show began — it was at 7:04.
The three judges join them onstage and sit around a round table. Van Tass then begins to guess what they wrote on their sheets earlier.
When Van Tass got to Mel B, she correctly deduced that the former Spice Girl was thinking of her grandmother, whose initials were I. B.
Ten unhooks the necklace Van Tass was wearing and hands it to Mel B. He requests that she open the locket and read what’s written on the folded paper in its interior chamber.
She follows his instructions and sees Iris, the name of her grandmother.
Finals
The Clairvoyants began the final show by saying they hopefully saved the best for last.
They began with a mind-reading trick, similar to what happened with Klum during the auditions.
Ten asked Mel B what she would like to call Howie in response to him calling her spicy chocolate in a previous performance.
She answered, “Wanna bean”.
He then asked Simon to pass his wallet down to Howie, who joined them on stage.
On stage, the duo revealed a water tank, which Van Tass entered.
Ten asks Howie to choose any credit card in Simon’s wallet and focus on the expiration date and the card’s last four digits.
While submerged in the water, Van Tass writes the correct numbers on the tank’s front panel.
After emerging, she hands her pendant to Ten, who gives it to Mel B.
When he opens it, he points to an engraving on the inside.
What does it say?
WANNA BEAN!
The Clairvoyants certainly did go out with a blow…
And even though they didn’t win the whole thing, they did bring amazement and wonder to everyone watching.
The Clairvoyants’ Life After America’s Got Talent
The Clairvoyants’ career skyrocketed after their appearance in America’s Got Talent.
They went on to do live performances in the Sydney Opera House and on Broadway in New York City.
They also entered mainstream media, such as Access Hollywood. They even became regular guests on The Ellen Show.
In 2017, they received another award — Stage Magicians of the Year.
Although Ten and Van Tass never denied that they enjoyed the awards and recognition, they said their audience remains their inspiration.
They do what they do because it makes people smile and forget their everyday challenges.
The duo builds their acts around everyday life, whether a song or a movie.
When they find something interesting, discussions revolve around how they can include it in their show and the techniques they could use for maximum impact.
Ten and Van Tass also highlight that they are partners.
Ten is not the magician and Van Tass his assistant.
They are equal on stage — each a mentalist in their own right.
The Clairvoyants Today
In 2023, The Clairvoyants split their time between Austria and their Las Vegas home.
Years of performing together strengthened and deepened their relationship.
Finally, on October 30, 2022, the pair tied the knot in A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They kept the ceremony intimate, attended only by Mr. Koni Hundini (their dog) and a close friend.
And still, The Clairvoyants keep putting on awe-inspiring shows…
Never failing to leave their audience amazed.
They’re a great role model for aspiring mentalists of the new generation.