Phenomenon is NBC’s newest reality TV series. World-renowned mentalist Uri Geller and “Mindfreak” Criss Angel are searching for the next big thing. Based on a successful show in Israel, which Geller judged and monitored, Phenomenon is a talent competition like no other. Utilizing celebrity assistants such as Carmen “Til Death Do Us Part” Electra, Rachel “Gilligan’s Island” Hunter and Ross “Celebrity Fit Club” Matthews, each contestant presents his or her death-defying act.

On the first episode, hosted by UK television presenter Tim Vincent, Eran Raven played Russian roulette with nail guns and Jim Karol overcame the pain of having his fingers caught in an animal trap to read former supermodel Hunter’s mind. It was pretty funny when Ehud Segev, the runner-up in the Israeli edition of the series, ‘touched’ Carmen Electra’s chest without laying his hands on her.

Unfortunately, most of the stunts fell short of our hopes. Uri Geller’s mind game with the US was kinda fun, but Angel’s Simon Cowell impression left a bit to be desired. All in all, it might be neat to watch the second episode on Halloween. Oh shoo! We’d rather be watching the live Elvira finale instead.

Overall, we say skip “Phenomenon”. Watch Criss Angel’s “Mindfreak” instead. He’s by far the best mentalist this country has to offer these days. 

Of course, you can check out Raven's Russian roulette game here: