TALK about mind games . . .
NBC is putting a novel spin on “American Idol” with a new series called “Phenomenon,” in which self-professed spoonbender Uri Geller and “mystifier/artist” Criss Angel will search for the next great mentalist.
The live talent show is adapted from “The Successor,” a hugely successful Israeli TV show hosted by Geller, whose claim to fame is his “ability” to bend metal objects with his mind.
On the show, which doesn’t yet have an airdate, Geller and Criss Angel, who currently hosts A&E’s “Mindfreak,” will judge a talent pool of 10 contestants, who’ll perform a series of “mystifying talents” each week.
The contestants will be narrowed down each week, with the winner of “Phenomenon” ultimately being determined by viewers at home (a la “Idol”).
Newly minted NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman knows a thing or two about borrowing successful show formats from other countries.
He previously ran Reveille Productions, which is responsible for adapting “Ugly Betty,” “Coupling” and “The Office,” among others, for American TV.
“The Successor” is one of the most successful shows in Israeli TV history since premiering last November.
It averaged around 850,000 viewers in prime time – a huge number for that country – and was watched by about 50 percent of Israeli households.