Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a two-part article. The first installment appeared in the January/February 2026 issue. Banachek originally wrote this tribute to James “The Amazing” Randi for The International Brotherhood of Magicians. We are thankful he let us publish it here as well.
The Publicity Genius
I was always amazed by how Randi generated publicity. He would do multiple phone interviews in the morning, TV and radio shows in the afternoon, and newspaper interviews in between.
Once, Mike Edwards and I were staying at Randi’s house. We were sleeping in the living room attached to his office. In the morning, Mike and I were making a racket while Randi was on the phone in the office. A pen came flying out of the office at full force. Next came a stapler. These were followed by a book and cup. Randi was on the phone in the middle of a major newspaper interview and could not stop to tell us to be quiet. Of course, this was before cell phones.
Randi continued to focus on fakes and frauds and lectured all around the world. In fall 1985, Randi came to my home in Houston, Texas. He was in town lecturing at Rice University. I picked him up, but I got lost. We were late for that lecture. On the way, he told me he was writing an article on evangelists for a nudie magazine. He was going to see a demonstration of an “evangelist” con man the next evening and wanted to know if I would like to join him. Of course, I would!
The Evangelist Debacle
We showed up at the huge arena with about 10,000 other people. The man in question was Peter Popoff, who was giving out all sorts of information about people, claiming to be getting the word of God. Randi thought Popoff was using mnemonics, but I realized through some close observations that Popoff had a device in his ear. Over the next few months, Randi had friends tap into the frequency and found that God sounded a lot like Popoff’s wife who was broadcasting on 39.17 megahertz. Our people faked illnesses and created emotional stories so they would be chosen to be on Popoff’s weekly TV show. One man dressed up as a woman and was “miraculously” healed of uterine cancer. Stooges filled out prayer cards with false information. Popoff himself documented the evidence for us on his own weekly TV broadcast.
Finally, when all the evidence was in, Randi took the footage to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This was one of the few times that Johnny was not told what to expect, and as a result, one of the few times the show was edited to remove the curse words that came out of Johnny’s mouth.
The evidence was damning and disgusting as people heard Popoff’s wife making fun of people’s maladies, race, and looks. If that was not enough, at the end, Popoff was telling people to rely on their faith and discard their important medications on the stage. Years later, Johnny donated up to six figures a year to Randi’s foundation.
At first, Popoff said we hired an actress to do a voice over as his wife. When that was proven to be false, he said he thought everyone knew he used the earpiece to help him with the “Word of God.” However, there was too much evidence to show how he received information prior to his appearances on stage. He switched prayer cards or used information that he gathered in advance. He even had his cronies ask questions of the members of the audience as they seated them. His wife came out, asked them questions, and recorded the information on a large recorder in her purse.
It took a few years to destroy his operation that was making over $4 million a year, and that was in the eighties. Sadly, Popoff is back. It was reported that in 2005 he made over $23 million, and shortly after, he changed his ministry from for-profit to a religious non-profit, so he now runs a tax-exempt organization. As a result, we have no knowledge of what his ministry makes today, but you can be assured that it is a lot. To read this whole story, search for “Randi Popoff Hoax” online.
Randi’s Crusade Against Woo-Woo
Randi continued his crusade against nonsense. In his lectures, he proceeded to fight against homeopathic remedies by taking a whole bottle of homeopathic painkillers at the start of his lecture. Please do not try this at home, as some brands have real ingredients that can harm you.
He fought against the bomb sniffers, such as the ADE 651 that was used in Iraq, Iran, and India and endorsed by nations to sniff out bombs, drugs, and other harmful substances. It was nothing more than a piece of plastic with a circuit board that did nothing. This was responsible for the loss of countless military and civilian lives and millions of dollars being wasted.
Randi exposed psychic James Hydrick on the TV show, That’s My Line. Hydrick moved a pencil and the pages of a book telekinetically (supposedly), and Randi suspected he was secretly blowing the objects. As usual, Randi came up with a simple solution and placed Styrofoam peanuts around the object so that Hydrick could not secretly blow them.
The Million Dollar Challenge
Randi still took on challengers for the $100,000 prize, and I believe it was finally suggested by Penn Jillette that Randi increase it to a million-dollar prize. He suggested that Randi take pledges totaling that amount, and if someone passed the test, the pledgers would pay. This became problematic as claimants questioned how they could be sure they would receive their million if they won the challenge.
In 1996, Rick Adams solved that issue. He deposited a million dollars into a bank account. Rick also helped Randi solidify the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Along the way, Randi tested many claimants.
In Plain Sight
Randi always liked to hide things in plain sight. And if you look at his posters, you will find hidden messages. Now, it could be Morse code on the rivets of the milk can or another language hidden in the curtains. Dowser books or psychic books that he wrote would often include breadcrumbs, which he would drop in plain sight to illusively show he was involved. In fact, Randi might break his name up as in the words “… I ran divisively …” or in some other manner. In fact, if you look at the first five sentences in this paragraph, the first letter of each sentence spells “Randi.” He would be pleased.
Once, when disguised as a parapsychologist with a wig, fake teeth, and platform heels during a convention that I, Mike Edwards, and Uri Geller were attending, he used the pseudonym of Adam Jersin. If you move the letters around, you will see that his pseudonym was an anagram of “James Randi.”
One such book that was full of breadcrumbs was The Teaching of Carlos, which Randi used to promote a scam in which his partner, known at the time as Jose Luis Alverez and later as Deyvi Peña, posed as a guru.
Death Predicted
Randi enjoyed that type of humor. In fact, when he was young and playing the part of a mentalist, he used to carry a prediction signed by him with that day’s date on it, predicting it to be the date of his death. Thank goodness it never happened, but he knew it would have made great news if a psychic predicted his own death.
Banachek’s Tenure
In 2010, I took over applications and testing at JREF. In March 2011, we announced that we were opening the challenge to more applicants. Previously, applicants had to submit press clippings and a letter from an academic institution to qualify. The new rules would require applicants to present press clippings, a letter from an academic institution, or a public video demonstrating their ability. These new rules would give people without media or academic documentation a way to be considered for testing, and it would allow the JREF to use online video and social media to consider more applicants.
These new rules made it less likely that a supposed psychic would say it was too hard to come up with the required protocol to apply. However, frivolous claims slowed the process. At times, claimants would tell me their stories and demand to be paid. People sued for ridiculous things. Lego pieces would be sent in an envelope, and the person would say that was his proof. A woman called each week to leave the “winning” numbers for the Australian lottery. They never hit, but she had an excuse each time. I informed her she had to fill out an application, and that a phone call leaving numbers each week was not a real test.
We had to be sensitive to the people with mental health issues who applied. It was sad to see people who were self-deceived. The occasional magician used the challenge to gain publicity. They never intended to be tested; they were just looking for attention. Some of these tried to challenge us. We were not in the game of taking challenges. We had our own to offer. Those magicians loved to play semantics, and it was better to ignore them.
Some tests were fun, like the psychic who said they could make people pee on demand. For that one, we dressed a man in a diaper and waited. It never happened.
I even had a psychic tell me he could stop earthquakes before they happened. His idea for testing was that I should find a “real” psychic who could predict the timing of an earthquake. Our real psychic would validate his prediction, and then he would stop it. He disappeared in 2010 when the horrible earthquake in Haiti occurred. Another told me his mustache curled in the presence of ghosts, and I was to find a real ghost to test his claim.
I can’t imagine the amount of nonsense that Randi had to deal with over the years, including death threats, which I have also experienced.
The Amaz!ng Meeting
In 2003, Randi started an annual convention for critical thinkers called The Amaz!ng Meeting. Due to his charisma, it became the largest gathering in the world of skeptics and included scientists, authors, and other critical thinkers. It continued until 2015.
Each year, Jamy Ian Swiss and I would test a psychic, and each year, they failed. I tried my best to be impartial, and each year, I truly hoped a real psychic would be found. I hoped that we would be proved wrong because, if so, it would be the greatest discovery for mankind. If people claimed to have paranormal ability, it was their responsibility to prove it. I never found one. You can see some of the tests that Jamy and I conducted online.
Envelope
We always asked the psychics how well they thought they would do in a challenge. Almost always, they said they would be 100 percent successful. We asked what they would conclude if they failed, and they always said they couldn’t answer because they would not fail. We asked, “Let’s say, in an alternate universe, you were taking this test and you failed. Would it mean you were not psychic?” They always answered, “It would probably mean that I do not have powers, but that is not going to happen.”
We would also ask if they felt that the upcoming test was fair, and they always answered, “Yes.” When asked if they would have any excuses if they failed, they always answered, “No.” Yet after each experiment, the excuses came.
Elvis Is Not Dead
On the TV show Nightline, Jamy and I tested numerous psychics for the challenge. Nobody came close. Each one had an excuse. We tested numerous psychics for the Million Dollar Challenge on this show in 2011. One such test was finding a picture of a deceased person that had been placed in one of twelve envelopes. The “psychic” said that the picture of Elvis was elusive because Elvis did not want people to think that he was dead.
Jamy was brilliant on this show, coming up with visual entertaining ways to conduct the tests, something Randi always emphasized. He insisted on making the test visual, entertaining, and if possible, even slightly humorous. He said, “If a dowser tells you he can locate an object, use a banana instead of a rock. It is more interesting to the final story.”
Early on, Randi would give the claimant an envelope to hold onto until the end of the experiment. When it was over, the participant could open it. The contents would state (I am paraphrasing), “Although you agreed not to make excuses for failing, I prophesy that you will. For predicting this, I should win the million dollars. In fact, I think I will, and I will keep it for myself for now.” He was that sure that every psychic he tested would make an excuse when he failed—even though they all agreed ahead of time that the experiment was fair and they would not make excuses.
Caught in the Act
I had many adventures with Randi throughout the years, one of which was exposing Japanese healer and metal bender Masuaki Kiyota on a Korean TV show. The TV camera was left recording during a break, and we caught him bending a spoon with his bare hands. Kiyota, by the way, was the kid who caused the BBC producer to have a breakdown during Project Alpha days. Another adventure was figuring out how Chinese children were cheating while wearing blindfolds. Each adventure was unique, and each one was a learning experience.
The Million Dollar Challenge Today
Due to the JREF Million Dollar Challenge, many other monetary challenges have popped up through the years. Some are still with us, and others have disappeared. Right now, I can count more than twenty such organizations.
In 2015, we stopped the open application process because, over its nineteen-year history, the considerable time and effort in reviewing applications had not yielded anybody who could even pass a preliminary test. Most applicants could not even clearly state a testable claim. Instead, we now challenge top psychics one by one in the news. We will accept claimants if they pass any of the other major JREF previously approved monetary challenges that exist.
Vision
Randi and his foundation’s cores and guiding principles have always been to value science and the scientific process, rationality, reason, and critical thinking. Randi and the JREF believe that reality is amazing.
The mission of the JREF is to promote the use of science-based evidence and critical thinking to evaluate questionable and supernatural claims. We provide information and educational tools to enable better evaluation of claims, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. We aim to inspire the investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers.
JREF’s Statement
“We are inspired by science, fueled by curiosity, and held in check by evidence-based skepticism. We will try to be comfortable saying, ‘I don’t know’ while we wait for better evidence.
We will challenge extraordinary claims but with courtesy and respect to those making the claims.
Criticism is not about gaining an upper hand or ‘being right’ but about understanding and getting at the best conclusion.
We may be wrong, but we are open to new evidence.
Science-based reasoning is for much more than extraordinary claims—it is an essential life skill for a complex world.
The Million Dollar Challenge is not on hiatus. We reserve the Challenge for cases that we feel may have significant public impact (e.g., a celebrity ‘psychic’) or for those who have shown interesting results in a prior test of reasonable rigor. In that vein, we will be providing guidance to those who wish to design and conduct serious tests.”
JREF Award
In addition to the Million Dollar Challenge, since 2015, we have awarded grants of approximately $100,000 annually to non-profit groups that best represent the spirit of the foundation by encouraging critical questions and seeking unbiased, fact-based answers.
An Honest Liar
Fortunately, prior to his death, Randi had a documentary made about his life. Despite his life being so fulfilled, an ending for the film was not completed during the taping process. The two producers, Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein, and I were racking our brains to decide if they should do an ending such as in the movie, F for Fake by Orson Welles. Then, just as the documentary was supposed to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014, the answer would be handed to everyone on a platter.
Randi had been keeping a huge secret for many years. It came to light when the FBI surrounded his home in Florida. This secret converted the movie into an incredible love story and a story of protection. It was revealed that Randi’s partner, Deyvi, had acquired someone else’s identity and used it for many years. It was a scary and emotional time for him and Randi. The movie’s editor, Greg O’Toole, was editing up to the minute of the preview. The movie received a standing ovation, and there was not a dry eye in the house.
I don’t want to give away the ending if you have not seen An Honest Liar. The documentary has won awards at almost every film festival where it has been shown. Mike and I accepted an award at the Key West Film Festival the same day Randi was receiving one in Colorado at the Telluride Festival. Due to that movie, producer Barry Sonnenfeld bought the life rights from Mike Edwards and me to make a movie about Project Alpha. That time has passed, and we still get offers.
A Teacher and a Storyteller
Many of Randi’s exploits can be found on YouTube, and you should search them out. There is much to learn about life, critical thinking, and magic. No one can tell a story quite like Randi could. I remember making many visits to him at the JREF headquarters in Fort Lauderdale while he held court with a room full of people in the amazing library, talking about the simplest item, such as an optical illusion, or discussing something much more complicated, such as the mathematics of the geometric puzzle “the seventh triangle.” You could hear a pin drop, and all in attendance listened to this mesmerizing man with the white beard.
Randi, as a skeptic, did not perform much magic. When he did, it would be a simple trick, such as the disappearing saltshaker or the vanishing knife at the dinner table during casual conversation. You might see him perform the same trick 100 times in your lifetime—if you were lucky. Each time, it was the twinkle in his eye, the interaction he had with his company, and the story he told that entranced you. He was a rascal. If you want to envision how Randi looked, imagine Darwin wearing handcuffs.
A Full Life
Whenever Randi made a trip overseas, he took his partner Deyvi with him. He always made sure they had a side trip to make to see a building, museum, park, or historical site. When Randi was a performer in his younger years, people were not open about their homosexuality, but it became acceptable to talk about in the twenty-first century. In the early days, Randi tried to hide his sexual orientation from Mike and me. He was always pretending to be a ladies’ man, and due to his charm, he was quite good at it. However, it must have been very difficult.
We lost Randi physically on October 20, 2020, but his influence in all things paranormal and in the art of critical thinking will be with us forever. His influence on the entertainment community is far and wide. He left his mark on this world, and we are all better for it. He will always define the word “Amazing!”
