My friend had a psychic moment.

[JP1283]

Last night, myself and some friends were playing Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition at my friend Shannon's. Shannon claims to be an "empath," in that she can "read people's minds."

Since we were playing on teams, it was her team's turn (each team had 2 people) and I asked her team their question. The question went something like this:

Which couple reunited to film the movie "Back to the Beach?" (That's not exactly how the question went but you get the gist.) At first Shannon said it was Brooke Shields and "that other guy," but I told her she was wrong. She thought about it some more, then looked at me hard and, out of the blue, she said "Frankie Avalon and..." Her teammate then said Annette Funicello before she got the chance.

I was floored. I myself have never even heard of this movie, nor any of its predecessors, and if I know Shannon, she wouldn't have either. I was thinking that maybe she had already been asked that question once before, but she hasn't had the game very long and has only played it a couple of times, mostly with me. Shannon claimed that she pulled it out of my mind. I know how this sounds (ridiculous) but it was just something weird that happened and I thought would share it with you all and get your thoughts on it.

[Darat]

Not so sure what you want from people. You consider someone getting a questions right at Trivial Pursuits is an "psychic moment"?

In what way?

[fishbait]

1. She has a board game with the question and answer written on a card.

2. The question pertains to a movie that was filmed in 1987 and has been shown on TV many, many times.

3. The question specifically mentions "Beach" and "couple"

4. Annette and Frankie are the world's most well known couple for beach themed movies.

5. She claimes to have answered the question using a method for which there is no credible evidence.

What is more probably? She read the question previously, saw the movie once, read about the famous "beach" couple, heard about it somewhere. Or, she is using a paranormal ability?

Your account holds as much water as a rusty bucket.:rolleyes:

[jimtron]

This is a good example of how many people confuse natural abilities with supernatural ones. I think this kind of thing is very common, as many folks are not necessarily familiar with skeptical/critical thinking, and/or want to believe, so they refrain from skepticism.

[joesixpack]

Well, if she's really a psychic, she won't get any questions wrong for the rest of the game.

Let us know how it turns out.

[Loss Leader]

I think the million dollar prize should go to someone with real superhuman abilities - like any person who can actually sit through "Back to the Beach."

[tkingdoll]

I nominate this thread for World's Most Rubbish Psychic Ability.

[Gr8wight]

I was floored. I myself have never even heard of this movie, nor any of its predecessors, and if I know Shannon, she wouldn't have either. I was thinking that maybe she had already been asked that question once before, but she hasn't had the game very long and has only played it a couple of times, mostly with me. Shannon claimed that she pulled it out of my mind. I know how this sounds (ridiculous) but it was just something weird that happened and I thought would share it with you all and get your thoughts on it.

What, you figure because you are hopelessly ill-informed about pop culture, you think everyone else in the world must be, too?

[Dogdoctor]

The big Kahuna was responsible for the psychic powers ( I will admit to having seen it more than once) :o Hey even if it is a hokey surf movie it's still a movie about surfing. Ok Ok I was bored the second time.

[Avita]

Wait, she pulled info that you didn't have out of your mind? How does that work?

[Gr8wight]

Wait, she pulled info that you didn't have out of your mind? How does that work?

Of course he had the info. He was holding the card in his hand upon which the answer was printed. Doesn't matter. She still isn't psychic.

[RemieV]

I have no clue who Frankie Avalon is, so if I ever get that question in Trivial Pursuit, thank you for revealing the answer.

[jimtron]

I have no clue who Frankie Avalon is, so if I ever get that question in Trivial Pursuit, thank you for revealing the answer.

He's the dreamiest. (http://images.google.com/images?q=Frankie+Avalon&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images)

[Ersby]

Isn't Frankie Avalon pretty well known for cheesy beach movies?

[ObscureReferenceMan]

I nominate this thread for World's Most Rubbish Psychic Ability.

Seconded. Seriously... What the he11?!?! JP1283 - Why do you jump to the "psychic" conclusion? What is so psychic about getting the answer to a trivia question (if that's the requisite, I must be hugely psychic). Also, how did she pull it out of your head when you didn't know? The mind boggles. :boggled:

[Ashles]

I myself have never even heard of this movie, nor any of its predecessors, and if I know Shannon, she wouldn't have either.
You know what films another person does or does or does not know anything about? Sounds like you have quite the psychic ability yourself.

Also if she really could read other people's minds she might at some point have picked up the real definition of the word "empath" which she is currently incorrect about.

This really is a silly thread.

Next time I play Trivial Pursuit maybe I should start off by saying I am telepathic. Then if I get a question right someone wasn't expecting me to get right they will think I am amazing.

[gfunkusarelius]

and also as usual, i think the scientific aspects of the event are more interesting than the psychic interpretation. i have had many instances at trivia nights (common at bars) where they ask a question and i just know it...it just "pops into my head" as they say...but this isnt supernatural, this is just a fascinating capacity of the human mind to store and sometimes recall extremely obscure memories. i think examining how the mind stores and retrieves info is a lot more interesting than saying its psychic powers. or at the very least a lot more useful.

[Ipecac]

Back to the Beach is actually a pretty fun movie. Especially since Pee Wee Herman makes a guest appearance.

Agreed, nothing whatsoever paranormal here.

Now, if she had told you your bike was at the Alamo, then that would have been something . . .

[Garrette]

I think Back to the Beach is a hoot, especially the Bob Denver appearance as the bitter bartender. "You think you got problems, buddy? I was on an island with a guy who could make a nuclear reactor out of two coconuts and a piece of string, but he couldn't fix a three-foot hole in a boat."

I am quite close with two people convinced of their psychic ability when playing Trivial Pursuit.

They are convinced because if either of them knows the answer the other is likely (not certain) to also know the answer, thereby proving telepathy.

My suggestions that their knowledge base is similar since one raised the other and have shown similar interests fall on deaf ears.

[Fnord]

Here's a similar event, with different interpretation...

Early January 1988. Trivial Persuit (Genus), men v. women. Question asked of the men "Who played Captain Queeg in the 1962 version of 'Mutiny On The Bounty'?"

We (the men) could not come up with the correct answer until at the very end of our time limit (house rules), I said "Oh, whatthehell ... Trevor Howard?"

[Sound of Crickets]

"I've always hated you," said the opposing team captain. "You and your stupid mind-reading tricks."

We won the game. People kept asking how I had made a WAG and come up with the correct answer, and I had to keep saying "I don't know" because I really had no idea.

Next day, I was listening to the radio, and the announcer said something like "... Trevor Howard, known for his role as Captain Queeg in 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was buried today..." (or something like that).

Then I remembered that he had died during the previous week, and that the local PBS radio station had covered it. The simple explanation is that I had lheard the news on the radio at work, but never consciously registered it.

Who really pays any attention to PBS?

So, my "psychic" performance was nothing more than the expression of a disassociated memory -- I remembered the answer, but not the circumstances under which I learned it.

-Fnord of Dyscordia-

[tsg]

As an account of psychic/supernatural abilities, it falls short in several places.

First of all, there is no unverified third-party claim from someone who has "no reason to lie". Shannon does claim to be able to read people's minds, but you don't relate any previous incidents that you only know of because she told you about them.

Second, you completely forgot the "I used to be skeptical until this happened" introduction.

Lastly, you're missing the "I'm not saying it was , but I don't know what else it could be" conclusion.

And it really could have used a "too strange to have happened by chance".

Plus, the arbritrary discounting of mundane explanations needs some beefing up.

Here's how I would have written it:

[i]I've never been a big believer of psychic abilities until last night, when myself and some friends were playing Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition at my friend Shannon's. Shannon claims to be an "empath," in that she can "read people's minds." She once told me of the time when she knew how much the gas was going to cost before the attendant told her. She's not the kind of person who would lie about something like that.

Since we were playing on teams, it was her team's turn (each team had 2 people) and I asked her team their question. The question went something like this:

Which couple reunited to film the movie "Back to the Beach?" (That's not exactly how the question went but you get the gist.) At first Shannon said it was Brooke Shields and "that other guy," but I told her she was wrong. She thought about it some more, then looked at me hard and, out of the blue, she said "Frankie Avalon and..." Her teammate then said Annette Funicello before she got the chance. How could she have known that if she didn't get the answer from my mind as I was reading it from the card?

I was floored. I myself have never even heard of this movie, nor any of its predecessors, and if I know Shannon, she wouldn't have either so it's really unlikely that she would have known it either. I was thinking that maybe she had already been asked that question once before, but she hasn't had the game very long and has only played it a couple of times, mostly with me so it couldn't possibly have been that. Shannon claimed that she pulled it out of my mind. I know how this sounds (ridiculous) but it was just something weird that happened, too wierd to be a coincidence, and I thought would share it with you all and get your thoughts on it. I'm not saying she definitely did read my mind, but I don't know what else it could have been.



There. Much better.

[baron]

I have a lot of time for anecdotes, more than most here, but this has no merit. Sorry.

[drapier]

I don't think your telepathic powers are that great. Trevor Howard played Captain Bligh (not Queeg -- didn't Bogart play him in the Caine Mutiny?)

Drapier

Here's a similar event, with different interpretation...

Early January 1988. Trivial Persuit (Genus), men v. women. Question asked of the men "Who played Captain Queeg in the 1962 version of 'Mutiny On The Bounty'?"

We (the men) could not come up with the correct answer until at the very end of our time limit (house rules), I said "Oh, whatthehell ... Trevor Howard?"

[Sound of Crickets]

"I've always hated you," said the opposing team captain. "You and your stupid mind-reading tricks."

We won the game. People kept asking how I had made a WAG and come up with the correct answer, and I had to keep saying "I don't know" because I really had no idea.

Next day, I was listening to the radio, and the announcer said something like "... Trevor Howard, known for his role as Captain Queeg in 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was buried today..." (or something like that).

Then I remembered that he had died during the previous week, and that the local PBS radio station had covered it. The simple explanation is that I had lheard the news on the radio at work, but never consciously registered it.

Who really pays any attention to PBS?

So, my "psychic" performance was nothing more than the expression of a disassociated memory -- I remembered the answer, but not the circumstances under which I learned it.

-Fnord of Dyscordia-

[tsg]

I don't think your telepathic powers are that great. Trevor Howard played Captain Bligh (not Queeg -- didn't Bogart play him in the Caine Mutiny?)

Drapier

Wow. What are the chances that both PBS and Trivial Pursuit would get that wrong? That's no mere coincidence ... :duck:

[Loss Leader]

I think Back to the Beach is a hoot, especially the Bob Denver appearance as the bitter bartender. "You think you got problems, buddy? I was on an island with a guy who could make a nuclear reactor out of two coconuts and a piece of string, but he couldn't fix a three-foot hole in a boat."

I am now psychically receiving the names of other people who had cameos in Back to the Beach:

Don Adams
Alan Hale, Jr.
Jerry Mathers
Barbara Billingsley
Frankie Avalon, Jr. and Tony Avalon
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Eddie Vail
Jon Paul Jones
Connie Stevens
and O.J. fracking Simpson!

[Garrette]

Harumph. My cameo is better than your cameo.

[volatile]

You all forgot that Frank Avalon was her second guess - she said Brooke Shields first of all.

Guess her mind-fu is weak.

And for the record, I wish the people I play Trivial Pursuit with would let me have 2 guesses.

[Garrette]

You all forgot that Frank Avalon was her second guess - she said Brooke Shields first of all.

Guess her mind-fu is weak.

And for the record, I wish the people I play Trivial Pursuit with would let me have 2 guesses.Yeah, I have second guesses a lot. Coincidentally, my second guess is usually a split-second behind the reading of the answer.

I'm a post-psychic.

[ottle]

i have a friend that I don't play Trivial Pursuit with anymore. She knows ALL the answers. Not because she's psychic. Because she's played the game SO MUCH that she's got all the questions memorized. Across versions. Really.

It's sort of sad. We should go out more, maybe.

[Fnord]

I don't think your telepathic powers are that great. Trevor Howard played Captain Bligh (not Queeg -- didn't Bogart play him in the Caine Mutiny?) -- Drapier


Wow. What are the chances that both PBS and Trivial Pursuit would get that wrong? That's no mere coincidence ... tsg

Oops. :boxedin: It was Captain Bligh, not Captain Queeg! Queeg (played by Humphry Bogart) was in the Caine Mutiny, Bligh in "Bounty"

That's what I get for relying solely upon my poor memory of the day instead of cross-checking with Wikipedia or Google ... musta been all that Cap'n Crack cereal I had for breakfast.

Yep... best Quacker Oats product ever...

-Fnord of Dyscordia-

[JP1283]

I didn't post this because I believed in it. It just kinda threw me was all. Since I posted this yesterday I came to my senses and realized, yeah it was stupid. But the reason I even post this stuff on here is because I'm looking for help to be skeptical. For me, it doesn't come easy like it does for all of you, but dammit, I'm trying.

[tsg]

I didn't post this because I believed in it. It just kinda threw me was all. Since I posted this yesterday I came to my senses and realized, yeah it was stupid. But the reason I even post this stuff on here is because I'm looking for help to be skeptical. For me, it doesn't come easy like it does for all of you, but dammit, I'm trying.

Fair enough. Seeing as you're actually making an effort....

Rule #1 for skepticism and critical thinking when encountering a seemingly paranormal or otherwise unexplained event: Ask yourself "am I being fooled, especially by myself?" While my edit of your OP was largely tongue in cheek, there is a lot of truth in there as well. Almost invariably, posts like yours claiming to have witnessed a paranormal event contain many of the following items:


"I used to be skeptical until .." - essentially the statement means not that the person engaged in critical thinking and came up with this answer, but rather means "I didn't believe until I did." My standard response to this is "evidently not considering how little it took to convince you".

Some part of the story will be a retelling of a third-party anecdote neither witnessed nor investigated by the teller. Anecdotes carry very little weight with skeptics. Third-party anecdotes even less. The retelling is usually followed by the statement "this person has no reason to lie". That the teller can't think of a reason why the person would lie, or has but has discounted it, is very telling of the extent of his critical thinking skills. He has automatically dismissed the possibility that he could be fooled.

A general claim that any mundane explanation for the events related is simply too unlikely to be considered. Ignoring for the moment that the paranormal explanation the teller is claiming is even less likely than the most outrageous coincidence, all it really means is that the teller can't think of how it could have happened. "I don't know how it could have been done" is a far different statement than "it couldn't have been done". Rule #2 in skepticism: admit it when you don't know.

The possibility that the teller has been "put on" (ie deliberately fooled either as a joke or otherwise) is immediately discounted with little to no investigation. It's almost as if the idea of being had is so repulsive the teller would rather believe just about anything else. The other side of that is some people want so much for something to be true they will accept just about anything as proof.

The statement "I'm not sure it was paranormal, but I don't know what else it could be" which says much more about the teller's investigation than it does about the supposedly paranormal event. All I can say is "probably because you didn't look hard enough".


While the woos generally would consider the possibility they were being fooled very last, as a skeptic you have to consider it first. Is it a gag? Is it deliberate fraud? Or am I fooling myself into believing something that isn't there? The last one does not necessarily mean you are allowing your emotions, especially fears or desires, to cloud your judgement. It could simply be that you "remember" seeing things you actually didn't. The human brain has a way of filling in the gaps in memories. Humans have also evolved to be very good at pattern recognition, even to the point of perceiving patterns which aren't really there. Pareidolia, or seeing faces in random designs, is a great example of this.

In your story in particular, there are a number of mundane explanations for the event. The most likely of which is either having seen the movie (or at least the trailer) and not remembering or at some point previously becoming aware that Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello were commonly featured in "beach" movies and suddenly remembering. If you really want to test her psychic abilities, have her try to read your mind to get answers off the cards that you haven't read her the questions to. See how well she does then. Make sure you take steps against her getting the information another way, up to and including deliberately cheating. Remember, that you can't think of why she would be motivated to cheat doesn't mean she isn't and won't.

[Minarvia]

Thanks, tsg, that is a very good summation of things. I don't mean just for the OP, but some of us as well. Since I joined this forum I am learning these things and they are really helping to keep me on track, so to speak.

[tkingdoll]

I didn't post this because I believed in it. It just kinda threw me was all. Since I posted this yesterday I came to my senses and realized, yeah it was stupid. But the reason I even post this stuff on here is because I'm looking for help to be skeptical. For me, it doesn't come easy like it does for all of you, but dammit, I'm trying.

Well, good for you, and it's very cool that you're happy to admit you weren't being entirely rational - that's actually the hardest bit and the reason many people remain self-deluded. They just simply can't admit they were wrong. Mind you, there are one or two skeptics like that too :D

I think the major difficultly I had with your story was that you would rather have attributed your friend's feat to psychic power than actual knowledge. It does her a disservice because it assumes she's too stupid, too uneducated, too uncultured, etc to know the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question. Sure, she may not remember HOW she knew that, but that would apply to about 99% of all your acquired knowledge. You know a whole lot of things but don't recall them until prompted, but that's just part and parcel of...well, being a human. It's the most basic function imaginable.

When I was about 10 years old, I was in a class and the teacher asked if anyone knew the word for when something is named after the sound it makes. A rather precocious child, I put my hand up. The teacher wasn't expecting such young kids to know the word but she asked me anyway and I replied "onomatopoeia". The class and teacher were agape, and the teacher asked me "how did you know that?". Now, I had no idea how I knew that. I must have acquired the knowledge from somewhere (probably my mother who was a poet) but I couldn't state exactly how I knew it as I had no recollection of consciously learning it.

But how silly would it have been for everyone to assume I psychically pulled it from my teacher's head?

This story stands out in my memory because of the reaction I got, but I'm willing to bet if you wrote down every occasion in a day where you have to recall a piece of knowledge with no memory of having learned it, you will have hundreds and hundreds of items on your list. Your brain, and your friend's, is amazing like that. No psychic powers needed.

[ObscureReferenceMan]

JP - I hope I wasn't too snippy before. That said, good for you for relating the tal, and also being open to explanations. I think tsg summed it up pretty well. Reminded me of someone's sig - "The scientist and the psychic/astrologer/medium both know you can fool others. But the scientist knows he can fool himself."

Keep up the critical thinking!!

[RenaissanceBiker]

I once won a game of charades in less than a second. The girl was given a card and we were told it was a movie title. She looked at in horror, not knowing how to begin. It was obviously a title she did not know didn't know how to portray it. When told to start, she blew on her hand. I said, "Cool Hand Luke." She was stunned and everyone thought I must have cheated. I told them it was one of my favorite movies and it just seemed like a good guess. No one accused me of being a psychic though.

[Boo]

Every day we are bombarded with information through our five senses. Most of it does not register on a concious level. This is how we acquire those little bits of knowledge that allow us to delude ourselves into thinking we are psychic or empath.

I once thought I was just like your friend, instead, what I am is very good at reading subtle physical clues and putting random bits of acquired data together on a subconcious level. Clues and data I'm not even aware I've taken in.


So ask yourself and your empathic friend which is more likely; she has a paranormal ability that no one has yet been able to scientifically prove exists or she is skilled at aquiring and processing information on a subconcious level which is an ability that has been studied and proven.


Then go get a copy of 'Blink' and read it.



Boo

[hipparchia]

Once during an Aikido seminar I was partnering with a guy who seemed new to this martial art. "You've been training Karate", says me. "Yes, how did you know?"- says guy, with some suspicion of me having mystical Aikido powers.

Well, once you've been training a martial art, your body language will tend to betray it. Sometimes subtly, sometimes not. In this case, the guy had taken a stance typical of Karate and not used in Aikido. "You're standing in...zenkutsu dachi, I think."- "Oh, that settles it...".

[hipparchia]

Oh, and here's a "psychic moment" from my wedding party last summer.

The DJ had this game where the bride and the groom sit back to back. I give one of my shoes to Mr., and he gives me one of his shoes. Then DJ will ask questions to determine how well we know each other. If we lift the same shoe, it's a point. Example: Who makes coffe in the morning? Lifting my shoe means me, lifting groom's shoe means he.

So, we had 11 out of 15 matches, which the DJ considered impressive.

The secret?

The camera guy had to have good lightning, so he put up a little spotlight. It was behind my back, so I could see the shadows of which shoe my husband was raising up. Big shadow- his shoe. Little shadow? My shoe. I would give my answer a split second after seeing the shadow. If I'd figured the trick a bit earlier, there you got your psychic bride.

[bluess]

Oh, and here's a "psychic moment" from my wedding party last summer.

The DJ had this game where the bride and the groom sit back to back. I give one of my shoes to Mr., and he gives me one of his shoes. Then DJ will ask questions to determine how well we know each other. If we lift the same shoe, it's a point. Example: Who makes coffe in the morning? Lifting my shoe means me, lifting groom's shoe means he.

So, we had 11 out of 15 matches, which the DJ considered impressive.

The secret?

The camera guy had to have good lightning, so he put up a little spotlight. It was behind my back, so I could see the shadows of which shoe my husband was raising up. Big shadow- his shoe. Little shadow? My shoe. I would give my answer a split second after seeing the shadow. If I'd figured the trick a bit earlier, there you got your psychic bride.

Were you a raging horror while setting up your wedding? Then you could go by the title 'Psychic Bride-zilla'. You could have your own VH1 show and everything....:D

[Deetee]

My "psychic moment" came at a party where one of the games was to be the last couple left standing - the DJ made all the couples on the floor stand "side to side", "back to back" or "front to front", then read off some cards in his hand which position he had picked out. Couples doing what he said had to go sit down. After about 8 goes, we were the only couple left on the floor.

All down to my spectacular predictive/mind-reading ability - Not!

I use this example of a commonly played probability game to show my kids/others that people can correctly guess on several consecutive occasions, and they can usually all appreciate they are merely guessing and no psychic ability is involved even though someone has to win by predicting correctly several times in a row. Anyone who claims psychic powers through a one-time success at this is bound to be rumbled the next time the game is played.

[fishbait]

But the reason I even post this stuff on here is because I'm looking for help to be skeptical. For me, it doesn't come easy like it does for all of you, but dammit, I'm trying.Good for you! I applaud your attitude. Keep at it.

Don't let the responses in this thread keep you from posting. It's all a learning experience.

Three years of reading this and other skeptical forums has given me an invaluable education.

[vIQleS]

Well, good for you, and it's very cool that you're happy to admit you weren't being entirely rational - that's actually the hardest bit and the reason many people remain self-deluded. They just simply can't admit they were wrong. Mind you, there are one or two skeptics like that too :D

I think the major difficultly I had with your story was that you would rather have attributed your friend's feat to psychic power than actual knowledge. It does her a disservice because it assumes she's too stupid, too uneducated, too uncultured, etc to know the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question. Sure, she may not remember HOW she knew that, but that would apply to about 99% of all your acquired knowledge. You know a whole lot of things but don't recall them until prompted, but that's just part and parcel of...well, being a human. It's the most basic function imaginable.

When I was about 10 years old, I was in a class and the teacher asked if anyone knew the word for when something is named after the sound it makes. A rather precocious child, I put my hand up. The teacher wasn't expecting such young kids to know the word but she asked me anyway and I replied "onomatopoeia". The class and teacher were agape, and the teacher asked me "how did you know that?". Now, I had no idea how I knew that. I must have acquired the knowledge from somewhere (probably my mother who was a poet) but I couldn't state exactly how I knew it as I had no recollection of consciously learning it.

But how silly would it have been for everyone to assume I psychically pulled it from my teacher's head?

This story stands out in my memory because of the reaction I got, but I'm willing to bet if you wrote down every occasion in a day where you have to recall a piece of knowledge with no memory of having learned it, you will have hundreds and hundreds of items on your list. Your brain, and your friend's, is amazing like that. No psychic powers needed.

The exact same thing happened to me too (well not the exact same thing, but you know...)

I was maybe 10 or 11 and the teacher, no doubt sick of actually teaching, was having a little quiz. It was my turn and I'm pretty sure he picked a hard question for me (judging by the look on his face when i got it right): something like what sort of makeup is applied to the eye area. I straight away said "Mascara" which I had absolutely no earthly way of knowing - he was shocked, as was the rest of the class...

[Kopji]

I caught my daughter cheating at 'Clue' by reading the reflection off of my glasses. Man we are one cutthroat game playing family...

With some effort I think she might be able to read the motion of my eyes as I looked at certain letters.

(I was so proud...)

[lolurigeller]

such moments need to be consistent and with un-erring accuracy to be even worth any real consideration.

Guessing right the first time doesn't prove or hint at anything.

[Cuddles]

Oh, and here's a "psychic moment" from my wedding party last summer.

The DJ had this game where the bride and the groom sit back to back. I give one of my shoes to Mr., and he gives me one of his shoes. Then DJ will ask questions to determine how well we know each other. If we lift the same shoe, it's a point. Example: Who makes coffe in the morning? Lifting my shoe means me, lifting groom's shoe means he.

So, we had 11 out of 15 matches, which the DJ considered impressive.

The secret?

The camera guy had to have good lightning, so he put up a little spotlight. It was behind my back, so I could see the shadows of which shoe my husband was raising up. Big shadow- his shoe. Little shadow? My shoe. I would give my answer a split second after seeing the shadow. If I'd figured the trick a bit earlier, there you got your psychic bride.

Surely with questions like "Who makes the coffee?" you should really be able to get more than 11/15, psychic or not.

[hipparchia]

Were you a raging horror while setting up your wedding? Then you could go by the title 'Psychic Bride-zilla'. You could have your own VH1 show and everything....:D

Oh, yes, you bet I was. Especially when right on the day of your wedding the exhaust pipe of our car broke. When mom and dad and brother and 14 other people arrived, they had to call me in the middle of my hairdresser's session and ask for directions for the city hall where we'd be married. "There's those flat paper things called maps!," I shouted.
And the previous day we lost and found a purse w/ documents, husband's ID and driver's licence. Then in the city hall nobody asked us for IDs. Are you so-and-so? Yep. Ok, go there and get married. Should've hired a substitute bride...I shouted a lot on the phone those last two days. But there was a certain pleasure in shouting to fix hotel reservations: "I'm the bride, so get this fixed right away or else..."

[bluess]

Nah, sorry, hipparchia, that doesn't count. Responding in irritation and anger to things that should irritate and anger you just makes you the really-ticked-off-bride-for-loads-of-reasons. And that is just TOO long for a TV show title. :)