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{{Short description|English mentalist, magician, and thought reader (born 1960)}}
{{for|the 1970s TV detective series|Banacek}}
{{Infobox person
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| caption = ▲| birth_name = Steven Shaw
▲| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|11|30|}}
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▲| birth_place = [[Middlesex]], England
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▲| occupation = [[Mentalist]], magician, writer, skeptic
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▲| alma_mater =
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'''Banachek''' (born '''Steven Shaw''';
==Early life==
Banachek was born in England and raised in South Africa and Australia. He was abandoned at the age of nine in South Africa with his two brothers, aged one and three, and raised them by himself until he was
Deciding that his given name did not sound memorable enough for a stage performer, Shaw adopted the stage name Banachek from the American detective television series ''[[Banacek]].''<ref name="Draper">{{cite web|last1=Draper|first1=Paul|title=Banachek LIVE Video Q&A on Full Circle Magic, Streamed on Nov. 19, 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxT5mwqgqsg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/HxT5mwqgqsg |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|website=YouTube.com|
▲Banachek was born in England and raised in South Africa and Australia. He was abandoned at the age of nine in South Africa with his two brothers, aged one and three, and raised them by himself until he was sixteen.<ref name="Cows">{{cite book|last1=McAfee|first1=David|author1link=David G. McAfee|last2=d'Entremont|first2=Yvette|author2link=Yvette d'Entremont|title=No Sacred Cows: Investigating Myths, Cults, and the Supernatural|date=Aug 22, 2017|publisher=Pitchstone Publishing|isbn=978-1634311182|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXIsDwAAQBAJ&q=banachek+million+dollar+challenge&pg=PT217|accessdate=Dec 7, 2017}}</ref>
▲Deciding that his given name did not sound memorable enough for a stage performer, Shaw adopted the stage name Banachek from the American detective television series ''[[Banacek]].''<ref name="Draper">{{cite web|last1=Draper|first1=Paul|title=Banachek LIVE Video Q&A on Full Circle Magic, Streamed on Nov. 19, 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxT5mwqgqsg|website=YouTube.com|accessdate=14 Nov 2017}}</ref> He was inspired to take up [[magic trick|magic]] after reading ''[[The Truth About Uri Geller]]'',<ref name="PoI" /> a book by magician James Randi that debunked the paranormal claims of [[Uri Geller]], famous for his feats of mentalism, particularly [[spoon bending]]. Having developed multiple methods for replicating Geller's tricks,<ref name="Cows"/> Banachek wrote a letter to Randi in which he volunteered to demonstrate the gullibility of scientists studying parapsychology by deceiving them into believing that his mentalist tricks were genuine displays of psychic power.<ref name="PoI" /><ref name="Draper" />
==Project Alpha==
{{main|Project Alpha (hoax)}}[[File:SteveShawWithConfederate.jpg|thumb|
Banachek collaborated with fellow teenager Michael Edwards on James Randi's Project Alpha experiment at the newly founded McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research of [[Washington University in St. Louis]].<ref name="Alpha">{{cite journal|last1=Randi|first1=James|authorlink=James Randi|title=The Project Alpha Experiment: Part 1: The First Two Years, and Part 2:Beyond the Laboratory|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=Summer 1983|volume=7-8|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/160343103/James-Randi-The-Project-Alpha-Experiment-Skeptical-Inquirer-1983|
Banachek later assisted with Randi's investigation into the deceptive practices and false claims of self-proclaimed [[Faith healing|faith healer]] [[Peter Popoff]].<ref name="Randi">{{cite book |last=Randi |first=James |authorlink=James Randi|year=1989 |title=[[The Faith Healers]] |location=Amherst, New York |publisher=[[Prometheus Books]] |isbn=0-87975-535-0 |page=147}}</ref>
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==Professional accomplishments==
On the television special ''The Search for Houdini'' (1987), hosted by [[William Shatner]], Banachek performed an [[escapology|escape stunt]] in which he successfully dug his way out after being chained, handcuffed, locked in a coffin, and buried six feet underground.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Search for Houdini|date=5 May 2010 |url=https://mytvlog.blogspot.com/2010/05/search-for-houdini-1987-tv.html|
In addition to touring internationally,<ref name="website">{{cite web|last1=Banachek|title=Banachek website|url=http://www.banachek.com/performances/|
==Media appearances==
Banachek has appeared as himself and produced several television programs and shows, including ''[[An Honest Liar]]'', ''[[Criss Angel BeLIEve (TV series)|Criss Angel BeLIEve]]'', and ''[[Criss Angel Mindfreak]].''<ref name="imdb" /> He demonstrated his ability to bend forks on ''Unscrewed with Martin Sargent.''<ref>{{cite web|title=Unscrewed with Martin Sargent clip| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiXETE_jbzc |
==Debunking efforts==
Banachek served as director of the JREF Million Dollar Challenge, overseeing numerous tests of supposed psychics,<ref name="PoI" /><ref name="Cows" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=JREF Blog|title=Randi Challenges Top "Psychics" After Nightline Episode|url=http://archive.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1388-randi-challenges-top-qpsychicsq-after-nightline-episode.html|publisher=JREF,
[[File:MDC 2014.jpg|thumb
When engaging in mentalism, Banachek provides the disclaimer that his show is "simply entertainment" and that he is not in fact a psychic,<ref name="Cows"/> a practice that has aroused the ire of other mentalists.<ref name="PoI" /> He reserves special disdain for [[mediumship|mediums]] and faith healers who profit
==Awards==
* Awarded Mentalist of the Year by the International Magician Society in 2021<ref>{{Cite web|title=Las Vegas Magician Banachek Awarded 'Mentalist of the Year'|date=27 August 2021 |url=https://www.offthestrip.com/news/banachek-mentalist-las-vegas/|access-date=2021-11-15|language=en-US}}</ref>
* Elected as a fellow of the [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]], a program of the [[Center for Inquiry]] in 2017.<ref name="csifellow" />
* Psychic Entertainers Association Dave Lederman Memorial Award (for Creativity in Mentalism), 1997.<ref name="pea">{{cite web |url=http://www.p-e-a.org/awards.html |title=Awards |publisher=Psychic Entertainers Association | * Psychic Entertainers Association Dan Blackwood Memorial Award (for Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Mentalism), 2006.<ref name="pea"/>
* Psychic Entertainers Association Dunninger Memorial Award (for Distinguished Professionalism in the Performance of Mentalism), 2007.<ref name="pea"/>
* Awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership at PSYCRETS (British Society of Mystery Entertainers) Tabula Mentis VII in April 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=PSYCRETS Honorary Awards & Lifetime Members |url=http://www.psycrets.org.uk/html/Honorary_Awards_Members/honorary_awards_members.html |publisher=Psycrets |url-status=dead |
==Books and videos==
* {{cite book |author=Atmore, Joseph |last2=Dunninger |first2=Joseph |author2-link=Joseph Dunninger |author3=Banachek |author4=Palmer, Bill |title=Dunninger's Brain Busters |location=Humble, TX |publisher=H&R Magic Books |year=2001 |page=111 |oclc=65215584}}
* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |author1=Banachek |author2=
* {{cite video |people=Banachek (Featured Performer) |date=2004 |title=Banachek's Psi Series |medium=Motion picture |location=United States |publisher=L&L Publishing}}
* {{cite video |people=Banachek (Featured Performer) |date=2016 |title=Houdini & Doyle's World of Wonders |medium=Motion picture |location=Canada |publisher=GlobalTV.com}}
{{clear}}
==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=https://www.offthestrip.com/news/banachek-mentalist-las-vegas/}}
== External links ==
* {{Twitter | id= Banachek | name= Banachek}}
* {{IMDb name|2547959|Banachek}}
* {{cite podcast|title=Banachek
* {{cite video|title=Houdini & Doyle's World of Wonders (feat. Banachek) |url=http://www.globaltv.com/houdinianddoyle/video/webisode/cold-read/video.html?v=665873475604 | website=GlobalTV.com | publisher=[[Global TV]] and Smokebomb Media |accessdate=20 April 2016}}
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[[Category:1960 births]]
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