>> reporter: in one infamous tv moment on "the montel williams show," sylvia browne told shawn hornbeck's to their face that he is dead. >> there are two jagged boulders -- >> he's there? >> he's near the boulders. >> is he still with us? >> no. >> reporter: four years later, shawn was found very much alive. >> this is probably the best day of our lives. >> reporter: browne apologied, but says she's broken case after case since. >> somebody that's holding out hope, you tell them their kid's dead? >> you are amazing. >> thank you. >> reporter: it's because he's much more than a critic. he's a crusader, a mentalist, who for years has yuked magic tricks to prove magical powers are just an illusion. >> it's not been proven in a laboratory yet. it's not science. it hasn't been science, it never has been. >> reporter: to prove his point, when he was just 18, banachek managed to convince researchers that his gifts were worthy of scientific study. it was all a ruse. >> to be honest, we cheat. >> reporter: had he not told me it was a trick, i would have believed he was a psychic. >> i signed it, i