Reproduced by a Magician, Under Tighter Controls Than Geller Preferred

Bending metal through misdirection and pre-stressing is a well-understood technique among stage conjurors, and magician James Randi made exposing Geller's methods a central project of his career. Randi demonstrated repeatedly that every one of Geller's signature effects, including spoon bending, could be reproduced through ordinary sleight of hand: pre-bending a spoon slightly before the demonstration and using misdirection and a final small application of physical force, disguised as gradual mental effort, to complete the visible bend.

The clearest public test came on a 1973 broadcast of The Tonight Show: Randi, working behind the scenes with host Johnny Carson, ensured the spoons, keys, and other props were kept away from Geller until the moment of the demonstration, removing his usual opportunity to prepare them in advance, and Geller was unable to produce any effect during the entire segment, saying he did not feel strong that night. The episode is cited as a clean natural experiment: tightening physical control over the props to a level any conjuring explanation requires eliminated the results entirely, while looser conditions, of the kind under which Geller preferred to perform, consistently produced them. Despite continued parapsychological interest through the 1970s and beyond, spoon bending by any means other than ordinary physical technique has not been demonstrated under controls a skeptical, conjuring-literate observer accepts as adequate.