Hypnotism - The Real Deal??

Have you seen a hypnotic demonstration and wondered is this for real? Are these "volunteers" hypnotically eating wasabi like its ice cream really actors in on the joke?

Last week while cruising to beautiful Halifax, a lost "Las Vegas Hypnotist" found her way into the traditional mix of "cruiship" comedians and musicals. Three performances were listed, 7, 8:30 and 10pm. Resolved to expose any shills, I planned to attend multiple performances. Yet, family obligations to eat a ton prevented me from attending the earlier shows.

More aggressive tatics were called for, I volunteered myself onstage and my sister and two cousins also volunteered (independent of my skepticism), along with about ten others. Once we were sitting on stage, she asked the audience to be silent so she could commence the "hypnotic induction" booh-ha. She told everyone to close their eyes relax their neck. She came by and pressed our shoulders while soothingly incanting "double your relaxation." This went on with us progressively relaxing our upper-body and eventually leaning our head on our neighboring hypnotic patient. Finally with a countdown from 5, we were supposed to be in a hypnotic state. I felt relaxed at this point. We were told to pick-up an imagninary instrument and join the imaginary orchestra playing on-stage. My eyes were closed, and I didn't feel like picking up an instrument and air-guitaring it on stage, and so decided to remain still. I was tapped on the shoulder and told to sit-back with the audience. At this point a few others were also "tapped". Then the antics continued, with one guy being instructed to be an officer who has to stop the audience from laughing, but can't curse. Then everyone pretended to dance like this rag-doll the hypnotist flapped around.
Anyway, all this was very entertaining to the audience, as the people on stage were doing ridiculous things. But was it real?? Or were these hypno-zombies just expressing their "need-attention" chromosome? Consider when the hypnotist was recruiting volunteers from the audience, she said she wanted "fun loving, outgoing people". I'm just a skeptic, but the rest of the volunteers presumbly fit this profile. I recognized one guy on stage from the ship's American Idol. To give you a sense of his personality, he chose Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" for the karaoke competition. Needless to say, he went along with the rouse and even convinced some of his more gullible relatives. When I talked with him after the show, he admitted that he was just going along with it for kicks. Most of the approximately 10 people who remained on stage and appeared "hypnotized" said they were either not hypnotized or that it "wore off quickly". The 2 remaining people who insisted that they were hypnotized, may really have been hypnotized. However, I think these folks are probably fibbing, either to brag about the experience or for the same reason an adult does not inform a child who Santa Claus is. I even heard one volunteer change their story depending on whether they were talking to a skeptic or amazed audience member. Telling the skeptic it wore off quickly and the believer that they were truly hypnotized.
I'm still skeptical.