| Step | Assumptions | Shatter |
| 1) The previous act leaves the stage. | 1a) The previous act is really done. | 1a) The previous act is still going when the MC enters. |
| 1b) The previous act isn’t also the next act. | 1b) The previous is also the next act. | |
| 1c) MC has waited for them to finish. | 1c) MC interrupts their big trick. | |
| 2) The band plays them off. | 2a) The playoff isn’t part of the act. | 2a) The playoff is actually the act. |
| 2b) The band is not the next act. | 2b) The band is next act. | |
| 2c) The band can play their instruments. | 2c) The band gave their instruments to audience members. | |
| 2d) The band is ready to play them off. | 2d) The band is busy playing poker. | |
| 3) The MC enters. | 3a) The person entering is really the MC. | 3a) The person entering to MC is the next act. |
| 3b) The MC has a microphone. | 3b) The microphone is a just a person repeating/yelling whatever the MC is saying. | |
| 3c) The MC is a person. | 3c) The MC is a dog. | |
| 4) MC asks for round of applause. | 4a) The applause is for the previous act. | 4a1) The MC asks for a round of applause for himself. |
| 4a2) The MC focuses all the applause on a volunteer or an audience member who was picked on by the previous act. | ||
| 4b) The applause is because the previous act was good. | 4b) The MC asks for a round of applause for the audience for sitting through the previous act. | |
| 4c) The audience will applaud for the previous act. | 4c1) The audience doesn’t want to applaud because the previous act is deaf and can’t hear them. | |
| 4c2) The audience can’t applaud because they’re tied up. | ||
| 4c3) The audience won’t applaud because they hated the previous act. | ||
| 4d) The audience saw the previous act. | 4d1) The MC opens the show with a call for applause for a non-existent previous act. | |
| 4d2) The MC calls for applause for an act that didn’t show up. | ||
| 4e) The MC wants the audience to applaud for the previous act. | 4e) The MC tries to stop the audience from applauding for the previous act. | |
| 5) The MC introduces the next act. | 5a) The MC intends to introduce the next act. | 5a1) The MC is bringing the next act onstage because they owe the MC money. |
| 5a2) The MC wants to make the next act wait as long as possible because it’s a dove act and he wants the doves to suffocate. | ||
| 5a3) The MC shows the next act’s act instead of introducing them. | ||
| 5b) The MC will give a complimentary introduction for the next act. | 5b) The MC gives an insulting intro for the next act. | |
| 5c) The MC’s introduction is for the next act. | 5c) The MC gives a great intro but for a different act. | |
| 5d) The MC’s reason for talking about the next act is to introduce them. | 5d) The MC give is giving a description of the next act to the police. | |
| 5e) The MC knows who the next act is. | 5e1) The MC makes up a name and an intro b/c he’s lost his intro cards. | |
| 5e2) The MC gives a generic intro that would work for any act. | ||
| 5e3) The MC admits he doesn’t know who the next act is but gives an over the top, super-specific intro anyway. | ||
| 5f) The MC cares who the next act is. | 5f1) The MC randomly chooses who the next act will be. | |
| 5f2) The MC gives the exact same intro for the next act as he gave for the previous act. | ||
| 6) The act comes onstage. | 6a) We’re the next act. | 6a1) We’re the stage hands for the next act. |
| 6a2) We’re the ushers. | ||
| 6a3) We’re the MCs and we’re introducing ourselves. | ||
| 6b) We’re ready. | 6b) We’re not ready. | |
| 6c) We’re in costume. | 6c1) We’re naked. | |
| 6c2) We’re almost naked (as naked as the specific venue will allow.) | ||
| 6d) We’re in our costumes. | 6d) We’re in the goofy full body cartoon character suits of a previous act. | |
| 6e) We’re coming onstage to do our act. | 6e1) We’re coming onstage just to clean up from the previous act. | |
| 6e2) We’re coming onstage to close the curtain for intermission | ||
| 6e3) We’re coming onstage to arrest the MC. | ||
| 6e4) We’re coming onstage to apologize for not being prepared to do our act. | ||
| 6e5) We’re coming onstage to apply for a job. | ||
| 6e6) We’re coming onstage to sell our props. | ||
| 6e7) We’re coming onstage to find a place to crash that night. | ||
| 6f) We’re entering from where the MC is pointing. | 6f1) We enter from the opposite side of the stage. | |
| 6f2) We enter sliding down on ropes from high above the stage. | ||
| 6f3) We’ve been playing in the band since the beginning of the show. | ||
| 6f3) We enter from the magician’s prop that was used and left onstage by from the previous act. | ||
| 7) The act starts. | 7a) The first things we do are the start of our act. | 7a1) The first thing we do is bow and leave the stage. |
| 7a2) The first thing we do is try to borrow props from the audience to do our act. | ||
| 7b) The music that starts is the music for our act. | 7b) The music that starts is the music for the last act and they come on and do their act again. | |
| 7c) The props/set/case onstage is for our act. | 7c1) We are the prop stands. | |
| 7c2) Penn & Teller are our prop stands. | ||
| 7c3) Olga & Vova are our prop stands. |
And on and on and on …