Hypnotist bewitches audience with clever mind-reading act
By Esther Folaranmi
Laughter, shock and awe filled the Cavalla room Oct. 18 as Robert Channing read the minds of a captivated audience. Many were skeptical, and that was to be expected; however, Channing is no amateur. In fact, he has read the minds of celebrities ranging from Bill Clinton to Britney Spears. Channing also has numerous network television appearances.
Channing is not just a hypnotist and a mind reader. In addition to having extrasensory perception (ESP), he is also quite the comedian, as he worked clever jokes into his performance that kept the audience entertained. He recalled how he found his knack for entertaining at the early age of 5.
After seeing his performance, I’m convinced that Channing is a born entertainer. He involved the audience in the act, calling upon two random attendees to verify that he was being truthful during his performance. These assistants were especially useful when he reached what was the highlight of his performance: While blindfolded with numerous pieces of tape, coins, and cloth, he began to read the minds of the audience.
I suspected that he already knew people in the audience. This would have been a great argument, had he not read my mind as well. He was able to pinpoint what I considered to be the funniest moment in my life. Needless to say I was shocked and caught off guard.
The show went on marvelously with Channing convincing everyone of his abilities. By the end of the show, there was little doubt left about his talents. For his last trick, Channing made a specific prediction that involved four different people. The mind-boggling part of this scenario is that the prediction had been made prior to the show. At the start of the show, Channing had shown the audience the envelope, informing us that he would get to it at the end of the show, and then proceeded to hand it to a volunteer from the audience. The envelope was not opened until the end of the show, and held the correct prediction. The show ended with wild applause, as the audience was amazed and delighted.
Many students were overwhelmed with how cool the performance was. They thought the show was fantastic and were eager to see him at the next opportunity.
“I popped a blood vessel in my brain,” said Francesca Karpicki, a freshman business administration major.
This accurately sums up the intense experience. Channing stumped us all.
“It’s always fascinating to see the show and the students’ faces light up,” said Nick Barbati, assistant director of campus life.
For him, the standout moment was the grand finale simply because it’s always shocking. Barbati would definitely have Channing come again, as long as the students want him back. Undoubtedly, many students would love to see Channing return, especially those who might have missed out on the opportunity this time around.
published in the 10/22/14 edition.
