The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark

Noted skeptic Gerald Larue and his friend, actor George Jammal, contrived an elaborate hoax in which Jammal claimed that he had found Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey, and had wood from the ark to prove it. The forgery was featured on a this TV special in 1993. The show's producers wanted to prove the existence of the ark as described in the bible. The show featured interviews with the usual religious "experts", but at its core were Jammal's claims and his presentation of a piece of wood from the ark. After the broadcast Larue exposed the claims as a hoax and and outed himself as an advisor to the hoaxer. In response, Sun International Pictures claimed that the incident was a secular humanist plot to discredit the innocent, honest Jammal and issued a press release claiming Jammal was victimized by Larue. Jammal then admitted that the hoax had fooled both Sun International Pictures and the Institute for Creation Research, both of which missed (or willfully overlooked) numerous clues in his claims, in particular the names of people who had allegedly assisted him on his search, including Mr. Asholian, Vladimir Sobitchsky, and Allis Buls Hitian. The piece of wood Jammal claimed came from the ark was actually a piece of a railroad tie found near his home and cooked in his kitchen with a variety of sauces to falsely age it, something the producers and creationists involved with the tv show never bothered to test because of their foregone conclusions.

A version of the documentary which replaced Darren McGavin's narration and on-camera segments with that of Richard Blair was broadcast on Pax and made available on home video under the title The Quest for Noah's Ark.

Followed by Ancient Secrets of the Bible, Part II (1993)