Emilie Eustace
Features Editor
On Saturday, Feb. 5, hypnotist Chris Jones came to campus to add a little excitement into students’ lives after the snowy week. Jones famously appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” where he was the first hypnotist to ever compete on the show. Although in the end he did not win, he made Howie Mandel, a judge who is famously germaphobic, shake his hand, accomplishing what seemed impossible to all. Jones’ hypnotist journey began when he was pursuing his master’s degree, and he never thought that it would take him this far. However, he is now performing upwards of 200 shows per year, hypnotizing students and adults around the world.
At the event, Jones hypnotized six students and called all of them onto the stage to perform. Participant Teresa Ascencio ’23 said, “It was actually insane. Nobody got paid to pretend to fall asleep, I can definitely say that. Essentially, it was an hour and a half long event with music playing the entire time. Chris Jones was very energetic! He’s really cool and was very collaborative, interactive and fun to watch. About half of the audience was hypnotized at one point. Jones even brought witnesses up on the stage to confirm that people were truly hypnotized and it was not just an act. He had people dance, wave their fingers, pretend to be superheroes and more.”
Jones’s lively performance kept students on their toes, literally, and allowed many to undergo the complex process of hypnosis. Students were not forced to be hypnotized, but those that were said that they felt like they were intoxicated, with no control over their own bodies or minds. Students fell asleep on stage, walked in silly patterns and even pretended to be interviewed by the cops in the scenario of a party being busted.
Wooster Activities Crew (WAC) president, Ellen McAllister ’24, reflected on Jones and the event, saying, “Chris Jones was friendly and easy to work with. He was enthusiastic and honest about what he did and that it sometimes might not work. He was a little bit of a comedian too and that was just what we needed after two snow days.”
WAC continues to amaze students by bringing different shows and events to campus many times a month. Keep up with future WAC events through email or their Instagram account, @wacwooster.