Reality TV producers no doubt understand there is a wealth of quirky stuff they can feed their audiences. Reality TV is, after all, a form of escapism and so, if that escapism comes with barely believable storylines and outrageous characters then, well, we can take it. In fact, a lot of the time, we will love it.
Just don’t feed us unbelievable psychics.
On Wednesday night on I’m a Celebrity, internationally renowned medium John Edward entered the jungle. Prior to appearing on the show, he said he did not know who was in the jungle, which seems a like a fatal psychic flaw, but, well, onwards.
Upon arriving, he gave a reading to just one person: Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell.
“There is somebody coming through who died in a car accident,” he said.
Watch: John Edward gives Paul Burrell a ‘psychic’ reading. Post continues after video.
Oh. Of course.
“Were there two car accidents?” Edward asked. “I’m feeling there were two accidents … One was tragic.”
“Yes, there were!” Burrell replied, endearingly naive to the fact his face is recognisable, his connection to Diana well-known and ignorant to the notion Edward didn’t have to know he was in the jungle to know his connection to a car accident. “You couldn’t possibly know that.”
He went on, getting a little more… cryptic:
“Why did you change the photo?” Edward asked Burrell. “You moved the photo.”
“That’s personal,” Burrell said, before adding that he did it to “protect somebody”.
Then came this:
“Your friend wants to tell you that the dream where she came to you in the royal blue dress was real.”
While hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris sold the segment as “some of the craziest (in every sense) stuff I’ve seen” (Brown’s words), it would appear audiences weren’t convinced.
Better luck next time optimistic producers. We see you.
The Binge, on the problem with I’m A Celebrity.
Top Comments
What a quack, this is awful. I am pretty sure you could say to anyone about anyone who has lost someone that you had a dream about this person and they appeared in....a white shirt..maybe a blue one...or black, black you say? Yes black! This is complete travesty of Princess Diana's memory. Shame on him.
I wish Mamamia could have been so (rightfully) cynical of all the other psychics they've written about! They all work pretty much the same way - cold reading and lucky guessing. But somehow John Edward is the only who is a fraud? There have been several articles here over the years praising psychics and their "amazing" predictions or insights. It always really annoys me, considering Mamamia likes to consider themselves as pro-science when it comes to some things but conveniently ignores science when it comes to others.
I knew you were going to say that.