If John Edward isn't for real, how does he do it?

Question

You know, the guy who talks to everyone's dead friends and family. He seems to get more specific, than some of the others who do it or claim to do it. He also doesn't ask too many questions. He just starts rattling things off. Weird.

Answer 1

He uses a lot of tricks. Check out this description of his tricks:
http://www.valleyskeptic.com/crossing_over.html

He will rattle off a lot of facts. People ignore all the misses, they are amazed by the few hits (he'll say he's seeing the color green or a dog named spot or a roller skate or a bronze key, etc. etc. and the person will pipe up when he eventually hits something vaguely relevant.) They volunteer information to change his misses to hits (he might say "was your loved one a Mason?" and they'll say "he sometimes ate fruit out of Mason jars.") He'll speak to a whole room, so someone is bound to find it relevant to them. He reads clues from people (wearing a necklace with the letter K but their name is edith- so he'll start guessing K names.) He makes guesses based on probability (such as most people's deaths involve the head or heart) and, particularly damning, he has microphones in the audience for over an hour before the show starts. They'll also cut his shows to make it look like answers went to different questions.
He's a plain and simple fraud.

Answer 2

Look into the works of people like the "Amazing Randi," who work to expose the trickery involved in the clairvoyant scam.

First off, on his televised show, they edit out the wrong guesses. Also, they don't show the questionnaire which the audience members fill out as they enter. Like any fake, Edwards probably wears an earwig, so his producer can report to him information gleaned from those questionnaires.

Second, he tosses out generalizations, and people who want to believe latch onto these scraps of hope. That's why people like him say things like "I'm getting the letter A," rather than the name. That's why he says things like "I see a male above you," instead of saying "Uncle Bob."

Finally, he is very perceptive. He picks up on subtle body language. When he gets close enough to elicit some subconscious reaction, he focuses on that element of his guessing, until he coaxes some tidbit of real information from his audience members.

Answer 3

What he does is take advantage of people who don't know that the spirits of dead people can communicate better than by a guessing game involving sides of the room and individual letters.

It is a VERY practiced form of hoax. People have been practicing this hoax for hundreds of years. Some are better at it than others. Where magicians practice slight of hand, John Edwards practices slight of mind. He tricks people into thinking he is giving them information when he is actually getting them to reveal the information and then telling them that is what he was "getting" from the spirits. It is a very well documented, ancient hoax.

In my opinion it is abominable to take advantage of people's grief and loss of loved ones... even if, for a short time, it makes them feel good.

Answer 4

I think he "rattles" until he gets an audience response, and then throws out lure after lure til he gets something right.
Someone on this side just lost a loved one to cancer.-Duh?

Answer 5

I have easily heard on the guidelines that the McCanns case has been handed over to the prosecutor in Portugal, the wheels of justice,to that end, are turning slowly yet easily !Barrymore on the diverse hand is a mason and has associates in the police, judiciary and diverse corrupt places !

Answer 6

Has it ever occured to anyone that they are real, not necessary GOD sent but real. Demon can do things to, this is how the Devil deceives. to divert your attention to other things because if you are Christian you know that your loved one is in Heaven and would not be talking to you through a man.

Answer 7

Creative editing on the part of the show's producers, according to someone who has seen him "live".

Plants in the audience.

Leading questions.

Answer 8

I believe his 'gifts' are real, so I guess I can't really answer your question.. I doubt anyone could.

Answer 9

he does it by generalities