Thread: Anyone watch proof positive(on scifi)?

ya i saw that did you see the last one where they had this people who chould draw the faces of peoples dead relatives or fiends? they said that was +

In my opinion, you shouldn't take Sci-Fi too seriously when they do stuff like this. Perhaps you guys remember the documentary they did on M. Night Shyamalan?

Defintely don't take the television to be too serious. In this day and age, Directors will cut out bits that could otherwise educate people, if it makes the ratings go up. I suppose SCIFI is an American channel, so I'm stumbling a bit here (for some really weird reason, I don't watch American TV in the UK). But I understand that there is a show about cold reading, with John Edward. Well, a quick search on randi.org shows that alot of dodgy stuff goes on.

I was on the John Edward show. He even had a multiple guess \"hit\" on me that was featured on the show. However, it was edited so that my answer to another question was edited in after one of his questions. In other words, his question and my answer were deliberately mismatched. Only a fraction of what went on in the studio was actually seen in the final 30 minute show. He was wrong about a lot and was very aggressive when somebody failed to acknowledge something he said.

Also, his \"production assistants\" were always around while we waited to get into the studio. They told us to keep very quiet, and they overheard a lot. I think that the whole place is bugged somehow. Also, once in the studio we had to wait around for almost two hours before the show began. Throughout that time everybody was talking about what dead relative of theirs might pop up.

Remember that all this occurred under microphones and with cameras already set up. My guess is that he was backstage listening and looking at us all and noting certain readings. When he finally appeared, he looked at the audience as if he were trying to spot people he recognized.

He also had ringers in the audience. I can tell because about fifteen people arrived in a chartered van, and once inside they did not sit together.

(Another, rather strongly worded opinion, follows, but is omitted here.)[/b]

(from Commentary, 2nd section)

It gets better. (Go Randi).

Another reader forwarded this to me....

On Wednesday, 7 March, 2001, I wrote to the SciFi channel via e-mail:

Hey there... I enjoy the general fare the SciFi channel offers. . . . but where did you get the idea that John Edward is either science fiction, or entertainment? He's a huckster, like the Psychic Friends Network. I wouldn't pay to see them either. Most of us interested in science fiction are also interested in hard science, to some degree. Edward is heavily edited (you can see the jumps sometimes!), and doing the same old scam that's been used by every cheap fortuneteller in history. It has no place alongside the other well-produced, imaginative shows you offer. Lose him, before he gets discredited publicly (he's on the edge), and you along with him. If you're interested, I've got some material showing him for the charlatan he is. And I hate those guys in particular, because they're playing with people's memories of their dead family members, etc. All for ratings. Otherwise, fine work. But I've tuned out Edward, after seeing the first episode.
— 42-year-old professional in Chicago

This chap says he received an unsigned response from someone at the network saying:

Interesting email. I wish there was something that could be done, but while J E pulls in the $$ he undoubtedly does, the higherups here will be loath to do anything like — [cough] — take him off the air.

You mean it's a matter of money? Astonishing! [/b]

(from Commentary, 3/4 way down)

And that second e-mail was sent from some guy at the network.

Armed with this evidence, I think that that's enough information for me to say Proof Positive is fake. After all:

while Proof Positive pulls in the $$ it undoubtedly does, the higherups here will be loath to do anything like — [cough] — take it off the air. [/b]

Oh, and I'm going to bang upon an old chestnut again, James Randi. Proof positive has a website, and upon that site they have a video that is evidence of the paranormal. James Randi Million Dollar Challenge, Proof Positive. Neither side seems to of made any advance, and I know Proof Positive knows of this challenge, because - with a little more research - the Proof Positive BBoards have their own resident skeptics too, just like we have here - they made a topic about the million dollar challenge. And it seems to be the same sort of reaction that we got here.

...

That's alot of stuff.

I watched it once and loved it. When does it come on?