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The Fake Long Island Medium 87

Theresa Caputo: The Fake

Long Island Medium

by Massimo Polidoro

Theresa Caputo, a self-proclaimed psychic
whose Italian origins are quite evident (she was
born Theresa Brigandi), has been a celebrity for
quite some time now thanks to her reality TV
show Long Island Medium. However, all of her
apparently paranormal demonstrations are
perfectly explainable and, interestingly, most of
them would not have been possible only a few
years ago.
aputo, in fact, seems to be the next
evolutionary step of contemporary mediums
after the likes of Rosemary Altea, John Edward,
Sylvia Browne, and James Van Praagh:
performers who, from the stage, point to
members of the audience and claim to receive
far apart. She really can’t miss. Even the casual Today mediums really have an easy life.
communications from the dead on their behalf.
encounters that she seems to have on the street One wonders what Margery Crandon, D.D.
In the cases of Altea, Edward, Browne, or Van
during her “reality” program are carefully Home, Eusapia Palladino, and all of the famous
Praagh, the use of old cold reading techniques is
choreographed. “In classic mentalist style,” mediums of the past would have given for a
quite clear. These are techniques that
undoubtedly require a quick mind, ready to continues Edward, “everyone must sign a pre- chance to amaze their clients in such an easy
show waiver or agreement to have their image way, instead of risking every night to be proven
grasp any information coming from the sitter
used on television. It’s only a standard form to wrong by tipping tables with their legs or
and convincingly sell it back to believers as if it
those folks. Why would they suspect anything? exuding ectoplasm gauze. It all seems very silly,
came from the spirits.
They should. All the staff needs is a laptop, a in the end, but it is quite distressing to look at the
Caputo, however, has taken a step
name, an address and a willing victim.” effect that banalities of this kind can have on the
forward. Instead of taking risks with straight
grieving. People get emotional; they start to cry
cold reading—guessing and inevitably making
Converting the ‘Skeptics’ and seem to be willing to give Caputo
mistakes—she prefers to come well prepared to
everything they have in order to speak again
her shows.
To begin with, Caputo places in the front Karen Stollznow, a linguist, author, and with their loved ones. Instead of helping the
rows those who she already knows, for whom skeptical investigator, wrote about Caputo’s grieving accept their loss and go on with life,
she already has performed in the past and about exaggerated displays of emotion: such “performers” keep them stuck in their sad
whom she has already learned everything there There is rarely a scene where she isn’t in situation, preventing their healing. The only
is to know. But her great idea (or perhaps that of tears or claiming empathetic abilities, such as, consolation is that she won’t last long, as this is
her staff) was to take full advantage of what “I could feel your tears running down my the fate that awaits all self-styled psychics.
modernity has to offer. In particular, it is thanks cheek.” In one episode she announces that the “Caputo,” admonishes James Randi, “is just one
to the information found on Facebook and other spirit of a deceased six-year-old boy has become more of the myriad faux seers who have stepped
social media that she can astound her public. “attached” to her. Convinced that the only way into the TV spotlight for their turn, and though
Thanks to an exposé by magician and to free the spirit is to meet with his mother, she her exuberant shtick rather outdoes the others,
skeptical investigator Mark Edward (2012), who tracks down the woman whose details she she’ll do her number along with Van Praagh,
worked on a “sting operation” on Caputo for happens to have in an appointment book. John Edward and ‘Psychic Sally’ until someone
Inside Edition, her methods are now quite clear. Caputo appears to be greatly distraught by the with a newer novelty elbows her offstage”
“In combination with selling seats through little boy’s constant presence, but she is (Randi 2012). []
Ticketmaster and the use of credit cards, strangely unavailable for a session until the
Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and all the rest of following week. She spent this week in apparent
the latest places people post private information, spiritual agony, yet still had time to have lunch
our own egocentric fascination with ourselves with friends, all the while complaining about her
makes it easy for the techie-smart agent or invisible friend. (Stollznow 2012)
producer to make seeming miracles happen,” Another of her specialties is confronting
explains Edward. “Like the old days when the and converting “skeptics.” As Stollznow notes:
gypsy only needed to tell her sitters what they During a live interview for Long Island
wanted to hear about themselves, we are now in radio station KJOY a line of eight “skeptics” are
an era when anyone can tell you more about pitted against her. Visibly stressed at first she
yourself than you might ever want to know.” asks the group, “Who lost a sister?” A woman
acknowledges this question, and the medium
Edward relates several such episodes, revealing quickly finds her stride, achieving perceived
how absurd this can get: “At one point Theresa “hits” with her staple “validations” about
asked a woman, ‘… Why am I picking up baby clothing and personal letters. Caputo had
clothes?’ To which the woman replied, ‘Oh, emotionally disarmed the woman who was taken
that’s weird. I just put up a bunch of pictures of in by what a real skeptic would readily recognize
baby clothes on my Facebook page!’ Not weird as a classic cold reading. Skillful editing seems
at all, really.” to have ironed out any misses and genuine
skeptics.
It is enough for her to have a few similar bits of It is no surprise, then, that in 2012
information placed beforehand on a seating Theresa Caputo received a Pigasus Award for
chart of the show. Her staff can then cue her to Performance from the James Randi Educational
the right spots, since all seats are numbered and Foundation.