In each episode of The Carbonaro Effect, Michael Carbonaro - a magician by trade but a trickster at heart - amazes and amuses ordinary unsuspecting people in various locations and situations. Posing as an ordinary bartender or a seemingly unremarkable salesman, Michael astonishes unknowing citizens by turning a tuft of hair into a puppy or pouring 12 pints of beer from an ordinary bottle. Whether they are alone or with their friends, everyone is left stunned and delighted, even though they have no idea what just hit them.