International Battle of the Psychics winner June Field
How a Dundee medium won a Ukrainian TV title
In December 2012 June won the 11th season of International Battle of the Psychics, a prime-time competition filmed in Kyiv for the Ukrainian channel STB and watched by 34 million people.
Six months in Kyiv
The channel STB invited June to take part in the 11th season. At the time she had recently lost both her husband and her mum. Leaving her teenage son at home and travelling alone to Kyiv was one of the hardest things she has done.
She lived there for six months while the series was filmed. Once a week for three hours, over 12 weeks, it went out on Ukrainian prime-time TV. The Evening Telegraph covered the build-up to her move, and the Daily Record backed her as she represented Scotland.
Overcoming my fear of snakes during filming of International Battle of the Psychics... It took a long time.. And the snake was very friendly..
- 70,000+
- psychic mediums worldwide in the competition
- 5
- times voted Psychic of the Week
- 54%
- of the final vote went to June
- 6
- months living in Kyiv for filming
The tests
Each week brought new tasks, some with police, grieving families or famous faces taking part.
Like the rest of the 70,000 contestants from around the world, I faced a series of challenges designed to test my abilities ranging from communicating with dolphins and finding hidden microphones to reading DNA, none of the tasks were what you might call ‘simple’.
I was the only person in the history of the competition that never failed any tests.
Episode by episode
What June faced in each episode of the series, from her own notes.
June's own account of each episode follows its video.
- Ep. 1
Blindfolded, June read for a celebrity she could not see, without knowing if it was a man or a woman. It was the French actress Michelle Mercier, who was in tears at the evidence.
Read June's account
Reading with Michelle Mercier - French Actress - 60’s sex symbol.
We were blindfolded and had to give a reading to a celebrity who was unknown to us. We didn’t know if it was male or female. Michelle Mercier was in tears with the evidence given.
- Ep. 2
A reading of a Russian president's car, and of actresses from the TV show The Bachelor.
Read June's account
Reading of Russian Presidents car and actresses from TV show The Bachelor.
- Ep. 3
A reading for the famous Russian ballerina Anastasia Volochkova, who did not like the truths June gave her.
Read June's account
Reading for famous Russian Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova.
Reading for famous Russian Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova who didn’t like what truths I gave her during the reading. Beautiful lady but an extremely rude prima-donna. My evidence is shown to be true… Keep watching.
- Ep. 4
Without seeing or hearing a video, June described it from its vibration: an open-roofed place full of people shouting and cheering, a pull towards her legs and a South African Krugerrand. It was Oscar Pistorius running at the Olympic Stadium in the UK. A second task, about a murdered young woman, took June a while to recover from.
Read June's account
This first task on episode 4 involved a video being played which was unseen and unheard by the psychics and we were to relay through the vibration of the video what we saw and heard in our minds.
During my task I saw an open roofed area filled with people shouting and cheering.
I felt an adrenalin rush and wanted to run but was drawn to my legs… Something was different.
I also received a picture of a South African Krugerrand.
When I was shown the video after I described it … It was the Olympic Stadium in UK and Oscar Pistorius from South Africa running in an able bodied race when he had false legs.
Task 2 on episode 4 involved looking at a picture a young woman and being asked what happened to her whilst sitting with her parents and being filmed.
I was immediately aware of many animals and women around me from spirit and a smell of burnt flesh.
This woman was murdered along with many other women who were all mutilated, cooked and eaten.
A man was caught and charged with this and is currently serving a sentence in prison.
He experimented on this grizzly task with animals firstly before he started murdering women.
This was a very harrowing task that took me a while to recover from emotionally.
- Ep. 5
June sensed that a woman riding a horse round an arena had problems with her legs, and that the horse was not her own, which turned out to be true. She also described a well-known celebrity very specifically from a painting the celebrity had made.
Read June's account
In the 1st task of the 5th episode the psychics had to give a ring to a woman riding a horse around an arena.
I felt she had leg problems each time she passed me and that although she was riding the horse… I felt It did not belong to her. (This turned out to be true).
She was disabled physically due to drug abuse a few years back…
After filming was finished… The stable owner asked me to look round a part of the stables where they discovered horses kept getting sick… I was the only psychic asked to do this and I gave them the all clear.
In the 2nd task of the 5th episode we were asked to do a reading on a painting that was painted by a well know celebrity…
I described her very specifically.
In the 3rd task of the 5th episode we were asked to speak with a lady who was experiencing spiritual problems in her home..
When I read her I saw from her energy that she had been meddling with a darker side of magic to gain power.
She had opened a door and was now unable to close it.
The lesson to learn in this is that “Power comes at a price!”
- Ep. 6
Taken by the army to a remote area full of traps and trip wires, June was the only psychic to reach the hidden actress. She brought through the actress’s father and husband, and the actress asked her for a longer private reading afterwards.
Read June's account
In the first task of the 6th episode we were taken to a remote country area by the army and asked to use our psychic skills to find a famous actress somewhere around the area.
The downside was that there was many traps, tripwires and explosives to get through and we had to find where they were in order to avoid them.
There were some very scary moments here! Didn’t like this task at all!
I was the only psychic that managed to actually get to her!
She was moved to tears with the specifics of my reading when I brought forward her father and her husband.
After the filming ended, she asked me for a longer reading in private with my interpreter who wanted to go home but she had him by the lapels and would not let him go until I had finished her reading!
In this 2nd task of the 6th episode we were asked to find out what happened to a woman’s daughter who had been murdered.
I brought the daughter through to her and she told me she had a young son that she had to leave behind and was thanking her mother for looking after him..
The specifics I gave her mum were gratefully accepted.
- Ep. 7
Reading flames set off by a voice, June described a famous Russian actress and predicted a baby girl for her daughter, who it turned out had just married.
Read June's account
In this 1st task of episode 7 we were asked to give specific details of a sisters death after a fall from a high rise flat… We were to decide whether or not it was murder..
Another harrowing task.
In this 2nd task of episode 7 we were asked to read flames from a machine that we activated by the vibrations of an I divide all voice.
It turned out that she was a very famous Russian actress.
I gave her such specifics including a prediction about the birth of a baby girl for her daughter and it transpired that her daughter had just gotten married!.
Many specifics given and she was very surprised.
In this 3rd task of episode 7 a woman wanted to know why all the men I her family were dying young… Was she cursed she asked?
I sensed she had a young son nearby and asked for him to be brought in… When he passed me on the way to his mother, I touched him and told her he had ear problems… She verified this.. A lovely little boy that would indeed go on to a ripe old age! (He was only 3 years old then).
Many specifics given in this task.
- Ep. 8
Sent round a house to find 10 hidden cameras, June found nine. She was the only psychic to find the owner, a Russian pop star, and read for her. Uri Geller commented on how specific she was.
Read June's account
In this 1st task of episode 8 we were asked to visit a haunted house that was not in disrepair and the gentleman who was brought up in that house was now a very successful business multi millionaire who now lived in USA and he intended to restore the house back to its former glory.. I think the spirits in the house who were related to him approved of that.
He was an extremely nice courteous gentleman.
In this 2nd task of episode 8 we were all taken to a very large house with inside swimming pool and asked to go one by one around the house to find 10 hidden cameras.
A famous Russian pop star would be monitoring us and watching us on camera and during the time we were searching for the cameras we were to give a feel about the house and a reading for the owner (no one knew who it was).
I described the personality and emotional experiences she went through in life and also told her that she was now married to a man who had a scar on his head (her husband at that time).
I also picked up her favourite doll.
I was the only psychic to find her in the house and meet her.
Lovely young lady - very tall and beautiful and extremely polite.
I also managed to find 9 of the 10 cameras hidden in the house.
Uri Geller commented on this episode stating how specific I was and how amazed the judges were that I found 9 out of 10 cameras around the house.
- Ep. 9
Given a photo of a young woman who had died, June said her hair was blonde when she passed, not brown as in the photo. Her relatives said that was correct. In a second task she described people sitting in large chairs facing away from her, and the order they sat in.
Read June's account
In this 1st task of episode 9 we were faced with detailing the death of a young woman.
I was given a photograph of her and instantly told them that her hair was blond when she passed and not brown as was on her photo… Her relatives were stunned and said that was correct.
The details of her death were harrowing as she was murdered by strangulation and dumped In her bath and left there undiscovered for a while.
In this 2nd task of episode 9 we were face with a set of extra large chairs facing away from us and the task at hand was to determine what each person had in common with the other..we were not allowed to see them until after we had finished.
We were also asked to describe a personality of one of the people… I described them all and told them the order they were sitting in from male to female.
They all had the fact that they were touched with spirit in some way in common.
The producers were shocked by this!
- Ep. 10
One task was to connect with a child seen on a TV screen. June described her personality, her parents and what was in her room, then got to meet her.
Read June's account
This 1st task of Episode 10 was to describe the eventual death of a woman’s husband.
He was a well known lawyer and was murdered by mafia whilst travelling on a train.
His death was very unpleasant.
Another harrowing task.
This 2nd task of Episode 10 was to connect with a child playing with many other children whilst looking at her on a TV screen.
I described her personality, what she liked and what she had in her room.
I also described her parents and their personalities.
Then I got to meet her!
This was a fun task to do.
This 3rd task of Episode 10 was to discover the cause of a woman’s in curable skin condition.
She had dealings with a gypsy who demanded money from her and felt she was left with a curse.
- Ep. 11
Holding a murdered girl’s necklace, June described the killer for the Ukrainian police (the full story is below). In a second task she was the only psychic to meet and read for a famous Ukrainian soap star.
Read June's account
This was the task on Episode 11 where I described a killer who went on to kill again and when he was caught my description was 99.9% correct as quoted by him to the police.
In this 1st task we were asked to describe (through holding an object of a dead girl) details that might lead to the capture of the girls murderer.
The Ukrainian Police were present in the hope to gain some information from us.
I held onto the necklace whilst sitting opposite her father and immediately told him she was not blood connected to him. He then relayed the Information to us that she was adopted.
(I described a murder seen I had not visited to such a specific detail that the police Interviewed me afterwards off camera and asked met to hold another object of another murdered girl to see if it was the same feel from it… It was, but he was to murder a third girl before being caught).
I described the murderer stating that he had a tattoo on his right shoulder, a scar on his left hand, the colour of his car, some of the numbers of his registration plate and also that he smelt of oil and worked with machinery.
I drew the area around where he worked.
All of this can be seen on camera during the task which aired the year before he was caught.
9 months later, after I had already won the competition (I won in the December) and returned to the UK he had murdered again and was caught in the August of the next year.
It hit the news in Ukraine about the description I had given the police and he stated to the police after he confessed that I was 99.9% correct.
He ended up hanging himself in his cell after his confession.
He had tried to have his tattoo removed and had sold the car he drove.
It made the front page of The Sunday Post (please see attached articles of Sunday Post and News from Ukraine).
In this 2nd task of Episode 11 we were to describe what animal a celebrity was dressed as when she walked around a busy shopping centre called Dreamtown.
We had to describe her personality and her character and personal life.
We did not know who the person was.. We had to walk in the area where she had been and pick it up from there.
I was so specific with her details that she requested to meet me to thank me.
I was the only psychic to meet her and read her.
She was a very famous Ukrainian soap star.
In this 3rd task of Episode 11 we had to give a reading to a lady who thought her grandmother was not settled on spirit side of life because a cross on her grave had broken in two.
I felt the woman was at rest and there was nothing to worry about.
- Ep. 12
June was the only psychic to identify every DNA slide correctly. In the last task for the four finalists, each was locked in a cell and had to sense which world tragedy a hidden object came from. The date of the tragedy was the code for the next door. June’s was 9/11.
Read June's account
In the 1st task of episode 12 we were to describe how a young male died and why he died that way.
He committed suicide by stabbing himself.
Another harrowing task.
In this 2nd task of Episode 12 we had to describe through a series of slides and DNA which one was human and also what the other DNA belonged to.
I described each slide correctly and was the only psychic to get them all correct.
I then found the human DNA and described the lady it belonged to and brought her mother forward from spirit side who had passed with cancer.
She was a famous Russian Actress and so was her daughter.
Her daughter was watching the filming in secret and came forward and thanked me for bringing her mum forward from spirit to talk to her.
The final task of Episode 12 was for the four finalists only.
We were each locked in a cell that contained explosives and the minute the doors closed the times started to tick away.
In each room there was an article concealed that was from a world tragedy and once you found the object and felt psychically what tragedy it was, then the ate of the tragedy was the code to open the door… The twist was that when I got me date it would open the cell next door and when they got theirs it would open mine.
My world tragedy was 9/11 and I gave to numbers to open the cell next door.
I then had to help get the other code psychically through the wall.
Once we got out we had to swap cards to deactivate the explosives.
It was -22 there was quite terrifying.
- Ep. 13
The story of June’s life and how she came to mediumship, then the final, where she won with 54% of the overall votes. She was the first English speaker to win.
Read June's account
This Episode 13 tells the story of my life and my journey through mediumship to where I am today.
It also has the moment of the final where I won the title of “Worlds Best Psychic” by taking 54% of the overall votes.
I was the first English speaker to win.
I did not ever receive the promised prize money of 250,000 hryvnia (£19,000 or $30,000) that we were all working for.
The murder case
In episode 11 the psychics held objects belonging to a murdered girl, with Ukrainian police there in the hope of new information. Holding her necklace, with her father sitting opposite, June first told him the girl was not related to him by blood. He said she had been adopted.
June then described the killer: a tattoo on his right shoulder, a scar, the colour of his car, some of the numbers on his number plate, and a smell of oil from working with machinery. She drew the area where he worked. The police interviewed her afterwards, off camera.
The episode aired the year before he was caught. After June had won and come home, he killed again, and he was caught in the August of the next year. He had tried to have the tattoo removed and had sold the car. He confessed, and according to June he told police her description was 99.9% correct. The story reached the front page of The Sunday Post.
What the judge said
When I was judging The Battle Of The Psychics, June Field really impressed me with the level of her intuitive talents and skills. She is also a real nice person.
Uri Geller, judge
The final
The last episode told the story of June’s life and how she came to mediumship, then showed the final. She won with 54% of the overall votes, beating over 70,000 psychic mediums worldwide to the title World’s Greatest Psychic. She was the first English speaker to win.
The Scotsman, the Dundee Courier, The Sunday Post and Psychic News all covered her win.
The prize that was never paid
Every contestant’s invitation said the winner would receive 250,000 hryvnia, about £19,000, as an earlier season’s winner had. None of them were told otherwise until the final. When June won, STB told her there was no cash prize.
A clause in the contract she had signed gave the channel the right to decide whether to pay, and under Ukrainian law it chose not to. June told the story to The Scotsman and The Sun.
Kyiv
I also went backstage to conduct a Private Reading for him. A very selfless, humble, gentle man with a bucket load of talent!