Retired magician James Randi played host at his fifth annual "The Amazing Meeting" recently. More than 800 skeptics got together to talk about science and the pursuit of skepticism. Photos by Clint Karlsen. Lori Lipman Brown attends "The Amazing Meeting" for skeptics. The event included discussions, a pub crawl and a slumber party. Julia Sweeney, left, and Rebecca Watson take a skeptical view of things during "The Amazing Meeting" last week at the Riviera.

Graydon Wheeler didn't want to be a celebrity-worshipper during his first time at a Las Vegas convention, but he couldn't help it.

He had lunch with comedian Julia Sweeney; he stood next to magicians Penn & Teller; and he met illusionist Jamy Ian Swiss. And for a few days last week, this railroad engineer from Wyoming was no ordinary guy, he was one of them: a skeptic.

Wheeler attended "The Amazing Meeting" at the Riviera last weekend, a gathering of some of the top illusionists, scientists and others who get together every year to talk about skepticism. Retired magician James Randi -- who offers $1 million to anyone who has solid proof of the occult or supernatural -- started the meetings five years ago.

These men and women of magic, comedy, science and trains spend their year being skeptical about everything: psychics, faith-healers, God, messages from God in the form of potato chips shaped like saints, and even the best chocolate.

"Several of us got into an (online) discussion about who had the best chocolate so we're going to have a chocolate exchange tonight," Wheeler said of his fellow skeptics.

During the day, the 800-plus attendees talked about critical thinking, Darwinian evolution, perpetual motion and how to infuse a good dose of skepticism into the general population. At night, they let their skepticism all hang out. Thursday night, they kicked off the meeting with a pub crawl. Friday was the Skepchicks slumber party, which was just what it sounds like.

Women are outnumbered by about 4 to 1 at the meeting, so they make a point to get together and bond in their pajamas.

"The pajama party is a funny mix," said Rebecca Watson, the creator of Skepchicks. "We eat chocolate, talk about nuclear physics and girly stuff. It's funny to walk by and hear these talks about girl stuff and the latest on dark matter."

This year's meeting focused on skepticism and the media because supernatural events and psychics are given a lot of media attention, which lends credibility to them, Randi said. Skeptics are not.

Sylvia Browne said the recovery of Shawn Hornbeck, a 15 year-old boy who was kidnapped four years ago, was a main talking point at the meeting.

Browne, a psychic who once accepted Randi's $1 million challenge and then backed out, had told Hornbeck's parents that he was dead, Randi said. Friday, Randi was deluged with media requests to discuss the case and the fact that she was wrong.

"We're trying to straighten up what the media does," Randi said.

To do that, they have to get the public angry at being fooled, he added.

Teaching people to think critically is important, too, Watson said. Her goal is to reach young people -- especially women -- and turn more of them into free-thinking skeptics.

"Men and women both believe in crap but they believe in different crap," explained Watson, 26.

"Men are more likely to believe in UFOs and women believe in psychics."