Overview
The Center for Inquiry’s Investigations Group (CFIIG) continued its long‑standing $500,000 Paranormal Challenge with a controlled telepathy test conducted at its Amherst, New York headquarters. The challenge, administered by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, offers a half‑million‑dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate a supernatural ability under scientifically rigorous conditions. In this instance, the applicant—known only as Deviner—claimed he could transmit specific numbers telepathically, essentially “sending” a frequency of music or his own voice directly to a receiver’s mind. The test was filmed for the Ghosts in the Machine series of the Skeptical Inquirer, providing a transparent record of the procedures and outcomes.
Participants
The trial brought together several key figures. Kenny Biddle, chief investigator for CFIIG and a veteran of numerous skeptical inquiries, oversaw the experiment. His wife, Donna Biddle, acted as the designated “Receiver,” the person tasked with interpreting any purported telepathic signal. Stan West, a CFI investigator, coordinated logistics, while Professor Rodney Schmaltz of MacEwan University contributed critical‑thinking expertise and helped design the test protocol; he observed the proceedings via Zoom. The applicant, Deviner, served as the “Sender,” responsible for attempting the mental transmission.
Test Protocol
To eliminate any possibility of sensory leakage, the experiment employed a double‑blind, isolated setup. The Sender and Receiver were seated on opposite sides of an opaque cubicle divider, ensuring no visual cues could be exchanged. For each of ten trials, Biddle rolled a ten‑sided die, recorded the resulting number on a card, and showed it only to Deviner. The applicant then had thirty seconds to “send” that number mentally to Donna. After the interval, both participants revealed their cards simultaneously to a camera and to the remote observers. The predefined passing criterion required at least six correct matches out of ten, a standard that reflects a statistically significant deviation from chance.
Results
When the data were tabulated, Deviner achieved only one correct match out of the ten attempts. This 1/10 success rate aligns closely with what would be expected from random guessing, providing no evidence of telepathic capability under the controlled conditions. After the outcome was announced, Deviner suggested that the open doors of the lecture hall allowed his “inner voice” to disperse, preventing it from reaching the Receiver. Kenny Biddle refuted this explanation, noting that the doors had been open for the entire session and that he, sitting merely two feet from the Sender, heard no audible cues during any transmission.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The CFIIG investigation concluded that Deviner’s telepathy claim could not be substantiated within the scientific framework of the challenge. As stipulated by the program’s rules, the applicant must wait a full year before submitting another claim. Biddle emphasized the importance of rigorous, repeatable methodology in evaluating extraordinary assertions, urging anyone who believes they possess genuine paranormal abilities to apply under the same stringent conditions. The $500,000 prize remains unclaimed, reinforcing the broader lesson that, to date, no reproducible evidence has emerged to support the existence of telepathy or other psi phenomena.
