The Successor
Encyclopedia
The Successor also known as "The Next Uri Geller" is a Live TV show starring Uri Geller
, in which contestants perform acts of mentalism, illusion, escapism and other feats / displays - in an attempt to win over the panel of judges, Uri Geller himself, the studio audience and telephone voters at home.
The show, which was created by Uri Geller, premiered in Israel in early 2007 and was subsequently taken in the US (under the title Phenomenon, co-hosted by Criss Angel)and in Germany, Holland, Hungary, Greece, Turkey & Russia, and has had repeat series in many countries. The show has been televised in multiple countries world wide including Canada, Latin America, Australia and Finland.
The most recent version of the show was the third season in Holland, which completed in May 2010 with an English born winner, Andrew Melia who now resides in the Netherlands.
, co-starring Criss Angel
, and hosted by British TV presenter Tim Vincent.
The show was notable for the October 31, 2007 controversy when Criss Angel
challenged Geller and contestant Jim Callahan to prove they had supernatural abilities. Angel pulled two envelopes from his pocket and said, "I will give you a million dollars of my personal money right now if either one of you can tell me specific details of what’s in here right now." On November 21, 2007, Criss Angel again offered Uri Geller $1,000,000 on the finale of NBC's nationally televised Phenomenon, to which Geller began to discuss seemingly random events which included the numbers 1, 20, 19, 40 and 1. Angel appeared to cut Geller off mid-sentence to reveal the contents of the envelope, which were the numbers 9 1 1.
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
, in which contestants perform acts of mentalism, illusion, escapism and other feats / displays - in an attempt to win over the panel of judges, Uri Geller himself, the studio audience and telephone voters at home.
The show, which was created by Uri Geller, premiered in Israel in early 2007 and was subsequently taken in the US (under the title Phenomenon, co-hosted by Criss Angel)and in Germany, Holland, Hungary, Greece, Turkey & Russia, and has had repeat series in many countries. The show has been televised in multiple countries world wide including Canada, Latin America, Australia and Finland.
The most recent version of the show was the third season in Holland, which completed in May 2010 with an English born winner, Andrew Melia who now resides in the Netherlands.
International versions
Later in 2007, the show was introduced to the United States, under the name of PhenomenonPhenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
, co-starring Criss Angel
Criss Angel
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos , better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor...
, and hosted by British TV presenter Tim Vincent.
The show was notable for the October 31, 2007 controversy when Criss Angel
Criss Angel
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos , better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor...
challenged Geller and contestant Jim Callahan to prove they had supernatural abilities. Angel pulled two envelopes from his pocket and said, "I will give you a million dollars of my personal money right now if either one of you can tell me specific details of what’s in here right now." On November 21, 2007, Criss Angel again offered Uri Geller $1,000,000 on the finale of NBC's nationally televised Phenomenon, to which Geller began to discuss seemingly random events which included the numbers 1, 20, 19, 40 and 1. Angel appeared to cut Geller off mid-sentence to reveal the contents of the envelope, which were the numbers 9 1 1.
- On January 8, 2008, The Next Uri Geller (The next Uri Geller – Unglaubliche Phänomene Live), the German version of the program, began on German TV network Prosieben, followed by a second season in January 2009.
- The Dutch version of the program entitled De Nieuwe Uri Geller (The New Uri Geller) was launched on SBS 6 in 2008, followed by two more seasons, in 2009 and 2010. TV personality and Luv'Luv'Luv is a Dutch pop girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe as well as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979, Luv' was "Holland's best export act" and thus received the "Conamus Export Prize"...
singer Patty BrardPatty BrardPatty Brard is a famous Indo entertainer. She is a TV personality and a singer notable as a member of the girl group Luv'...
appeared as a regular guest star in the first season and as a co-host with Tooske Ragas in the second and third seasons. Brard was also part of a jury that preselected candidates for the 2010 edition. - In September 2008, the live show was launched in Russia, filming live in Moscow.
- The Hungarian version of the live show called A kiválasztott - Ki lesz Uri Geller utódja? (The Chosen One - Who will be the successor of Uri Geller?) began on March 29, 2008. During the show Geller speaks both in Hungarian and in English.
- In 2009, Geller started a Greek version, called Uri Geller's Successor (Ο Διάδοχος του Uri Geller - O Diadoxos tou Uri Geller), on the GreekGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
television network Antenna (or ANT1ANT1Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by...
), co-hosted by Christos Ferentinos. - The Turkish version of the show ran on Turkish TV network "Star", starting April 2008. Ratings were helped by a lengthly article in The Turkish Daily News, under the headline "Famed psychic transfixes Turkish television". The host, movie producer Sinan Çetin, stated in an interview that prior to meeting Geller he did not believe feats such as telekenesis and telepathy were real, but that since the show his belief had been changed, stating "Now, yes, I believe him."
- In 2011 Geller stade a Swedish version, called Fenonomen, (Phenomenon), on the SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Kanal 5Kanal 5 (Sweden)Kanal 5 is a Swedish commercial television channel established in 1989. It is owned by the media corporation ProSiebenSat.1 Media.After a troublesome 1990s, Kanal 5 launched new strategies in the early 2000s that established it as a popular entertainment channel targeting young people...
.