The "wierd science guy" was Uri Geller, a pretty well-known mind reader whose been in the business for like 40 years. He's pretty much a jerk (sued Nintendo because Kadabra bends spoons, which is a trick of his), though, and a total fraud.
I'd like you to revise your post, since it really doesn't say anything about the show. Here's the rundown for people unfamiliar: Phenomenon is a reality contest show to find the next big magician- like American Idol but actually interesting. Uri Geller (aforementioned douchepsychic) and Criss Angel are the judges.
I watched the first episode, and it was entertaining at least. Lots of the performances were boring, too much setup and not enough trick (for example the bald guy with the bear-trap was a major letdown after all the hype), but it was a decent waste of an hour (much moreso than Amrican Idol and other reality contests).
As for the fight you're talking about, supposedly Criss called out Uri on being a Fraud and Uri got PISSED. I like Criss Angel because he admits that everything he does is fake and doesn't claim to have any bullshit powers- and he hates people who do claim to have those powers. To him, and I wish more stage magic performers would think this way- a lot of the fun of the audience is the "how did they do that" factor and the "I haven't seen that trick before", rather than trying to convince them that something supernatural is happening.
I really hope the show doesn't get canceled because of Criss vs. Uri. It seems like it's pretty solid compared to most of the crap contests on TV. Maybe it's because I'v always had a fondness for stage magic, but I liked it.
