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“The Next Uri Geller” 2008 – 7th show (semifinal): opinion, tricks, explanations

by cimddwc · 2008-02-19

This is about a show from the first German season of “The Next Uri Geller” from early 2008. You can also:
» Show all my reports from the first season.
» Show everything about the second season 2009.
» Show really all articles about Uri Geller.

General reading tips (German): GWUP info page; and the blog with explanations and discussion already during the shows: The contestants’ tricks, explained in an easy way. English: CSI (ex-CSICOP).

The seventh show from 19 February

Natalie Geller

From the preview on ProSieben.de – with an interview with Uri’s daughter:

Did Natalie Geller inherit her father’s mystic talents?

verbogen When she appears in this show, she must have inherited some of his “talent” of pretending mystic powers. But she is (even officially) an actress…

What will be the “unique mental experiment” (ProSieben’s word choice, of course)? Together bending a large spoon for which the physical powers of daddy alone are not enough anymore?

From the interview (my translation):

Do the Gellers eat their soup only with chopsticks?
(laughs) It hasn’t come this far yet. But seriously: I experienced it a thousand times when I wanted to get a spoon and opened the cutlery drawer that everything inside was bent – from the dessert spoon to the giant soup ladle. My father can’t always control his enormous mental powers.

That was bound to happen…

But even Uri’s “powers” are limited:

That’s why we’re eating at home always with platinum cutlery especially made for us, which handles two centimeters thick. Nothing will bend there, for sure!

That’s so supid that it’s funny again.

Furthermore, Geller’s spoon bending sometimes affected the spoon’s cup – or are they as thick? I imagine that’s pretty uncomfortable…

What are you going to show us this tuesday?
Together with my father, I want to build up a telepathic connection into the German living rooms. And the nice thing about it: Every viewer can participate – and get in close mental contact with us …

No, I’m not saying anything about other kinds of close contacts with this 25-year-old actress. As long as her father’s envolved, that ain’t gonna be nice, anyway…

Introduction

“The Next Uri Geller” 2008 – 6th show: opinion, tricks, explanations

by cimddwc · 2008-02-12

General reading tips (German): GWUP info page; and the blog with explanations and discussion already during the shows: The contestants’ tricks, explained in an easy way. English: CSI (ex-CSICOP).

Introductory remarks

Please also read my atricle “I believe we have been brought here from other planets” about proof and faith issues and the strange thoughts of Uri Geller, my reply to the Uri Geller interview on ProSieben.de, if you will.

The sixth show from 12 February

From the preview on ProSieben.de:

Germany goes off into the air: Weightlessness at “The next Uri Geller”

I’m going off too during this show sometimes, too, especially due to Geller’s statements – but not the way they mean it. Especially if they continue like this (my translation):

“The technique I will demonstate on Tuesday is called semi-levitation in professional circles: This method was already used in ancient Egypt for building the pyramids to bring umpteen million tons of rocks to Gizeh”, Geller said.

He may look a bit younger than he is (61), but he certainly wasn’t there in ancient Egypt. Well, in the interview (I already mentioned my article) he already made other strange statements (“We were brought here 15000–20000 years ago from other planets”), so this nonsense shouldn’t make one wonder too much. Though one can be angry about it; hopefully he doesn’t repeat this bosh in the show.

Don’t ask me now why my recorder didn’t start to record – at any rate, I missed the start of the show and only joined in during the celebrities’ introduction. But I don’t think I missed anything really noteworthy…

Celebrity guests

“Stromberg” actor Christoph Maria Herbst (German version of “The Office”), actress Andrea Sawatzki and presenter Joey Grit Winkler. Well, at least I knew one of them before…

Konrad Adenauer – grandson of the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany with the same name – also wants to spoil his good name along with C.M.Herbst and play “student of Uri’s flying lessons”. He is also one of the three notaries who are stooping to be the alibi surveillants, the pseudo-“incorruptibles” – the others are Dr. Florian Braunfels and Dr. Daniel Kevekordes.

Contestant 1: Nicolai Friedrich

“The Next Uri Geller” 2008 – 5th show: opinion, tricks, explanations

by cimddwc · 2008-02-05

General reading tips (German): GWUP info page; and the blog with explanations and discussion already during the shows: The contestants’ tricks, explained in an easy way. English: CSI (ex-CSICOP).

(Note: If anyone knows good English sites, please let me know.)

Introductory remarks

Uri Geller was guest in last week’s Schmidt & Pocher – reports (German), among others, at Welt and RP. Oliver Pocher as “Morta Deller” poked quite some fun at the “mystic” magic tricks, and while Geller played along – e.g. with the typical overly enthusiastic summary –, according to his facial expression, he seemed anything but enthused… Well, main thing is to be present and talked about, he knows from years ago that even bad PR is good PR.

The entire performance can be seen here on YouTube. And here’s the end credits which some see as Geller going ballistic.
gedingst.de interviewed Nicolai Friedrich (German).
The Dodo of the Month January 2008, award for brainwashing of the people, went to ProSieben for “The Next Uri Geller”.
And again, I’d like to mention my article titled “Magic?” with some arguments and thoughs on magic, paranormal abilities, rational explanations and dangers of too uncritical thinkung…

verbogen As always, in general: These are all tricks, no supernatural powers! And we’ll see how good and entertaining today’s tricks are… today, all six who are left in this mentalist race perform, and thus the show is planned to last two and a half hour (including commercials).

The show starts with a warning board:

Uri-Geller-Warntafel

Translated: WARNING! Several live experiments of the following show are LIFE THREATENING! Only professional mentalists can execute these experiments.
NEVER TRY THIS AT HOME!

Life threat or no – calling the magic tricks “experiments” is ridiculous, though unfortunately fits in the scheme ProSieben and Geller are using in this show.

Loki and Helmut Schmidt had been reported smoking this week (no wonder) – and they have reserved two seats for them, with Geller promising that if they come, he’d guarantee to make them stop smoking. Uri raves about the many “normal” people that thanked him for their smokelessness.

The most frequently asked question is passed along: “Uri Geller, do you have supernatural powers?” – Answer: “Stephan, of course I have no supernatural powers”, plus an extreme wink in his eye. Meh. “Solved once and for all”? As if! Better had done without that rubbish.

Celebrity guests: Actress Michaela May, presenter Mareile Höppner – voted “most erotic news woman in Germany” in a poll – and dancer and Popstars juror Detlef D! Soost.

And I hope I never need the help of the three chief physicians who attend the show to pretend credibility – called “the incorruptibles” by ProSieben. Ha! If the invitation to appear on TV and sit almost in the front is no bribe, then what is?

New: After each performance, the viewers can vote (for 2 minutes).

Contestant 1: David Goldrake

“The Next Uri Geller” 2008 – 4th show: opinion, tricks, explanations

by cimddwc · 2008-01-29

General reading tips (German): GWUP info page, GWUP special site.

Introductory remarks

A few days ago, I wrote in this post titled “Magic?” about some thoughts and issues about magic, tricks, mentalists, paranormal abilities, rational explanations as well as dangers of too uncritical thinking, based on the report of a mentalist show attendant.
A green smilie will be Uri Geller’s successor!
T-shirts with “Achad Shtaim Shalosh” are available in the ProSieben collection. And if you look at the large capital letters above each other – well, according to the new German orthography, “ASS” is indeed how to write the German word for “ace”, but…

The fourth show from 29 Jan 2008

bent As always, in general: These are all tricks, no supernatural powers! And we’ll see how good and entertaining today’s tricks are… today, the four “survivors” of the 2nd show performed again.

The smokers’ willpower is to be incited – Geller’s energy and the energy of all viewers is supposed to help. Especially children and adolescents shall help – “more later”. And Verena Wriedt in the telephone central is again happy about ~~her big~~ the big feedback with a few questionable cellphone videos of which Uri thinks they’re real.

Celebrities today: “The most successful female boxer of all times”, Regina Halmich, “Monrose” singer Senna Guemmour and ProSieben presenter Oli Unknown. Erm, unknown to me, I neither understood what he said nor do I want to rewind again. Ah, “Stars on Ice” host. So *google* Oliver Petszokat = Oli P. And three state attorneys from Cologne are lowering theit respectability on the second couch.

Contestant 1: Alexander Hartmann

Magic?

by cimddwc · 2008-01-26

In the comments to my post about the last Uri Geller show, Aaron wrote a report from a mentalist show (thanks again!) that would be a pity to see being relatively unnoticed, so I reply in this separate post.

My translation of what Aaron wrote:

So…. how should I start….
basically I’d start by saying that I somehow pity all those who have been so blocked that they don’t allow anything anymore.

I could tell an extensive story now, but don’t feel like using so much time for that.

who believes, ok
who doesn’t, also ok

Basically, I agree. And I’d like to add: Some want to believe, others want to understand rationally. (And others still might just want to be entertained.)

For my burthday, my girlfriend gave me an evening entertainment (mental show, hypnosis). The performance took place in a small hall intended for 100 people. Luckily for me, we were an audience of exactly 6. Luckily for me because we automatically were integrated quite often.

We really experienced considerable things… but the absolutely most exciting moment for me was this.
The experiment went like that. The hypnotized woman sitting blindfolded (personally checked the blindfold) on a chair about 5 m ahead on stage recognized personal objects which we put out (at that moment). I put my business card from the chest pocket directly under my leg, since HE had started two chairs next to me! He said to her only few sentences: – what am I holding in the hand
– no, wrong …. (name)
– what do you see here …. (name)
– (name)

maybe two, three more short sentences.

the sentence: – no, wrong was said only very rarely.

I can’t imagine that there’s a hypnotic programming behind that! there are too many variables with personal objects.

I don’t believe in a “hypnotic programming”, either…

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