# "Phenomenon": The search for the next great mentalist **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869 "2007-10-24T21:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/1 "2007-10-24T21:18:27Z")
[Oh good lord.](http://www.nbc.com/Phenomenon/) I predict Uri Geller and Donald Trump will be in a death cage match before it’s all over. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/2 "2007-10-24T21:24:19Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I predict Uri Geller and Donald Trump will be in a death cage match before it’s all over. [/QUOTE] That’s what we’ll tell Geller and Trump, anyway, just to get them _into_ the cage. But as soon as the cage is locked, we’ll just let James Randi and Michael Shermer drag it down to the docks and push it over the side. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/3 "2007-10-24T21:26:52Z")
Who’s this Goth-looking Chriss Angel jackass? Don’t know anything about him, but I wouldn’t think any reputable illusionist would work with Uri Geller. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/4 "2007-10-24T21:37:07Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Who’s this Goth-looking Chriss Angel jackass? Don’t know anything about him, but I wouldn’t think any reputable illusionist would work with Uri Geller. [/QUOTE] Criss Angel, MindFreak! He’s been on A&E with his show, and was supposed to be involved in Britney’s grand comback. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/5 "2007-10-24T21:46:51Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Who’s this Goth-looking Chriss Angel jackass? Don’t know anything about him, but I wouldn’t think any reputable illusionist would work with Uri Geller. [/QUOTE] 😛 At first, I read this as “Who’s this Criss Angel-looking Goth jackass?” I was thinking, “Um…I think that really is Criss Angel, man.” Criss Angel is one of those guys who comes across (to me, at least) as a total douche. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/6 "2007-10-24T21:52:28Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Criss Angel is one of those guys who comes across (to me, at least) as a total douche. [/QUOTE] No intent on seeing Phenomenon, but I came across a transcript of a press conference with him touting the show. He seemed reasonably down to earth to me, and was very clear that he had no regard for so-called psychics and other people who claim supernatural abilities. He prefers to make it clear that he’s only doing illusions and mental tricks as entertainment and doesn’t try to claim any actual powers. I poked around online and found some videos of him performing (and explaining) some tricks. The guy’s look is ridiculous IMO, but he seems to be sensible enough. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/7 "2007-10-24T21:56:30Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] The guy’s look is ridiculous IMO, but he seems to be sensible enough. [/QUOTE] This is cool to hear. I’ve never heard or seen him outside the context of _Criss Angel Mindfreak_ - to know he isn’t drinking his own Flavor-Aid IRL is heartening. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/8 "2007-10-24T22:05:59Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] This is cool to hear. I’ve never heard or seen him outside the context of _Criss Angel Mindfreak_ - to know he isn’t drinking his own Flavor-Aid IRL is heartening. 🙂 [/QUOTE] While I actually enjoy watching the show for the magic tricks, I must say, his whole image and stage persona grate heavily on my nerves, as well. While he does seem to have a belief in a higher power, and sometimes gets all spiritually fruity on us during the show, the tricks and illusions have never been claimed to be anything other than what they are. Like any street magician, they are often fun to watch. But the Uri Gellar thing made me raise an eyebrow, too. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/9 "2007-10-24T22:08:54Z")
My daughter is a fan of the _Mindfreak_ show. Angel is generally pretty up front about his stuff all being illusions. He does do some “psychic” type tricks but he presents it as stage magic, not as genuine powers. I’m kind of surprised that he’d involve himself with a fraud like Gellar. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/10 "2007-10-24T22:47:58Z")
I plan on watching it just to see Geller do his spoon bending live. I’ve never actually seen it done before and I want to check out how bad it really is. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/11 "2007-10-24T23:31:07Z")
Did Gellar ever recant? Last I had heard he was still claiming it was actual “psychic ability”. I imagine this show pretty much puts the stake in the heart of those claims. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/12 "2007-10-24T23:38:58Z")
I really love stage magic. But I really hate Uri Geller and everything he stands for. And I basically hate the extra trappings that come with reality TV. So grrrrr, a great chance for some good magic-y entertainment wasted. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/13 "2007-10-25T00:47:32Z")
[QUOTE=Just Some Guy] I plan on watching it just to see Geller do his spoon bending live. I’ve never actually seen it done before and I want to check out how bad it really is. [/QUOTE] The time I saw it, it was really bad. He sat there and rubbed the spoon and bent it with his thumb. Not much telekinesis there. He did have pretty strong thumbs though, or perhaps a pretty weak spoon. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/14 "2007-10-25T00:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] Did Gellar ever recant? Last I had heard he was still claiming it was actual “psychic ability”. I imagine this show pretty much puts the stake in the heart of those claims. [/QUOTE] I don’t think we needed this show to put a stake in the heart of his claims. James Randi helped Johnny Carson expose him years ago. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/15 "2007-10-25T01:04:56Z")
I never noticed just how odd Geller looks before. Sadly, I didn’t hear what Carson said duing the clip shown. Wow. He just claimed 28% of phone votes for the star as a victory. I’m genuinely disappointed that the nail gun guy got it right. If it’s live television I want to see accidents and death. Re Psychic Powers Yeah the show keeps hinting that some of the performers are psychic and that Uri is as well. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/16 "2007-10-25T01:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] I never noticed just how odd Geller looks before. Sadly, I didn’t hear what Carson said duing the clip shown. Wow. He just claimed 28% of phone votes for the star as a victory. I’m genuinely disappointed that the nail gun guy got it right. If it’s live television I want to see accidents and death. Re Psychic Powers Yeah the show keeps hinting that some of the performers are psychic and that Uri is as well. [/QUOTE] I think Carson said, “Don’t worry, some nights the monologue doesn’t work either.” As for Geller’s “psychic” demonstration in my house we were debating if he’d pick the star or the circle. From psychology 101 we knew that those two symbols were the most likely to be picked. The edges were out and the plus was smaller which made the circle and star the most likely (and you’ll note they were 27% and 28% respectively). The playing up of the “abilities” of the contestants was really awful. For the guy who claimed he picked the lotto numbers I noticed they used the Weekly World News as the reporting paper in the background. Also he claims he predicted “222” as the winning number but the text on screen claimed he predicted a $12 million jackpot which would never be attached to a 1 in 1000 chance lotto. We figured that the woman in the sequin nightie was acting as a plant for the magicians. She was in position to act as one for most of the acts. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/17 "2007-10-25T01:22:03Z")
I thought the thing with the phone number was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Smith8762](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Smith8762](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smith8762)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/18 "2007-10-25T02:03:43Z")
I was also glad that we had Carmen Electra there to assure us in the begining that it was all true and no camera trickery was going to take place. In Carmen I trust. The greatest trick of the night was tricking me into thinking it was going to be a good show. And I really wanted it to be a good show. Gah, what a piece of crap. Sure did have flashy intros though. Should have just done 1 hour of the flashy intro showing Uri and Chris walking around the desert lookin’ all dark and mysterious. I could have at least given them credit for some artistic imagery, etc. I will admit that the phone book and the nail gun trick were not utterly awful but the lack of stage presence in both performs really made me yawn. I will probably give it one more try. Oh and I did guess the star. But I had already guessed it before Uri told me to stare in his eyes and receive his mental emails. I wasn’t sure where the trick was going so I picked the star as soon as he set it on the stand. ---
**Author:** ![WomanofScorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@WomanofScorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WomanofScorn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/19 "2007-10-25T02:15:49Z")
[QUOTE=snowblindfrog] I was also glad that we had Carmen Electra there to assure us in the begining that it was all true and no camera trickery was going to take place. In Carmen I trust. The greatest trick of the night was tricking me into thinking it was going to be a good show. And I really wanted it to be a good show. Gah, what a piece of crap. Sure did have flashy intros though. Should have just done 1 hour of the flashy intro showing Uri and Chris walking around the desert lookin’ all dark and mysterious. I could have at least given them credit for some artistic imagery, etc. I will admit that the phone book and the nail gun trick were not utterly awful but the lack of stage presence in both performs really made me yawn. I will probably give it one more try. Oh and I did guess the star. But I had already guessed it before Uri told me to stare in his eyes and receive his mental emails. I wasn’t sure where the trick was going so I picked the star as soon as he set it on the stand. [/QUOTE] My theory on the star trick is that it was the only solid shape. All the other shapes were basically just outlines, so if you’re looking up at Uri but see the shapes below in your peripheral vision, it stands out. To me anyway. The show was really meh, except that I thought the host was a bit of a hottie and so is Criss Angel, though he’s not well liked. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869/20 "2007-10-25T02:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] My daughter is a fan of the _Mindfreak_ show. Angel is generally pretty up front about his stuff all being illusions. He does do some “psychic” type tricks but he presents it as stage magic, not as genuine powers. I’m kind of surprised that he’d involve himself with a fraud like Gellar. [/QUOTE] Never underestimate the persuasive power of a dumptruck full of money. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phenomenon-the-search-for-the-next-great-mentalist/423869.md?page=2)