World's Greatest Con

Sometimes when you tell a story, you change it. We have an update on one of the central figures in Project Alpha. Brian Brushwood reads your emails and feedback including questions about James Randi and a moment when William Shatner blessed the podcast with an epic rendition of our title. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a 1983 press conference in New York City, the entire charade is revealed. It’s recorded for a prime time NBC special set to air two weeks later. We unpack 40 years of consequences from the triumph and betrayal of Project Alpha.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Shaw is an orphan who bounced around the globe. Mike Edwards is an Iowa choirboy who fulfilled every hope of his loving parents. They both see a world being defrauded by hucksters. They both apply to the Mac Lab study in St. Louis and are accepted. They both believe the other to be a liability in a long con. Can they coexist? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two boys demonstrate genuine psychic powers in a rigorous academic study in the late 1970s. When the results are revealed, the academics will be at the center of a new field of science coveted by governments, military and Hollywood. The only problem? The boys are frauds, out to debunk the very concept of parapsychology. For the first time ever, World's Greatest Con interviews the two boys, now men, at the center of the public embarrassment of a study funded for $4 million in today's money.You may have heard of it, you might even think you know the story but this season everyone will know the truth of Project Alpha. It all begins, April 10th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Brushwood brings you an update on the work of World's Greatest Con season three. Meanwhile...We’re sharing a bonus episode from our friends at Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things misunderstood and overlooked. This season, Malcolm’s obsessed with experiments – natural experiments, scientific experiments, thought experiments. In this preview, you’ll learn about a mysterious and disfiguring disease plagued parts of the world. No one could find a remedy, until a doctor in Ohio conducted a controversial experiment and finally found a cure …with an everyday condiment. You can hear more of Revisionist History at:https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/rhs7?sid=con. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s a special preview of the Cautionary Tales podcast from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that contain valuable lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about two young girls who faked an image of fairies so compelling that expert photographers could not explain it and esteemed figures like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were left believing in the existence of tiny nymphs. Hear the full story, and more from Cautionary Tales, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/ctcon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Only one man has guessed the exact amount on the Price Is Right's Final Showcase Showdown in the modern history of the show. He says he came up with the number by himself. Not so, says another super fan in the audience who says he fed him the answer. But wait, people backstage believe a bitter ex-producer has something to do with it. Who is lying? We find out using all of their own stories in their own words.Support The Show:http://betterhelp.com/WGChttp://ExpressVPN.com/WGC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.