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Pop Culture

Jimmy Fallon asked people to share their 'dumb bets' and the responses are absolutely hilarious

These are priceless.

Jimmy Fallon beside Tweet
YouTube

Hashtags with "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon"

Who hasn’t been led astray by dumb bet? The promise of five bucks to name every state capitol, or a whopping $50 to eat something bizarre or grotesque—why, it’s a classic form of mindless (but mostly harmless) entertainment. And sometimes the entire plot of a movie.

When the chance of winning money is involved, that little voice inside our head that says, “Hey, since when can you do parkour?” can become nothing more than a whisper. Plus, there’s the thrill of defying the odds. Get lucky, prove your friend wrong. What could be better?

Personally, I still tend to play it safe. I’ll make some quick cash testing my obscure sci-fi knowledge, but that’s about it. But clearly, some people take it up a notch. Jimmy Fallon recently asked his Tonight Show audience to share some of of their wagers with his #MyDumbBet hashtag on X (formerly Twitter). Here are 20 of the silliest, most satisfying responses. Bet you can’t get through them all without shaking your head.

1.

A $45 dollar profit! Not bad.

2.

Sometimes even when you win, you lose.

3.

4.

5.

Wow. That's cold, grandma.

6.

7.

My anxiety shot through the roof after reading this one.

8.

That's gotta hurt.

9.

An easy win and a sweet moment!

10.

11.

This guy knew how to use language to his advantage.

12.

Fro-oh no!

13.

Dad's not messing around.

14.

15.

That's the thing about dumb bets...you never know when you're being set up for failure.

16.

Ugh, I would, like, lose so hard at this too.

17.

18.

For this last one, we' have to call it. Chris Evans is now married. Sorry!


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Pop Culture

'Wheel of Fortune' fans left shocked after contestant wins $50,000 solving impossible puzzle

“How in the world did you solve that last one?” asked host Ryan Seacrest.

Wheel of Fortune/Youtube

That was quite impressive.

Listen, while we all love a hilarious Wheel of Fortune fail, watching an epic win can be just as entertaining. And that’s exactly what recently happened on The Wheel when a contestant named Traci Demus-Gamble made a winning puzzle solve so out-of-nowhere that it made host Ryan Seacrest jokingly check her for a hidden earpiece.

In a clip posted to the show’s YouTube account Friday, Jan. 17, Demus-Gamble waved to her husband who was standing on the sidelines before going up to the stage for her next challenge: guess a four-word “phrase.”

Demus-Gamble wasn’t off to a great start, as only two of her given letters (“T” and “E”) made it to the board. And the odds didn’t improve much after Demus-Gamble, admittedly “nervous,” gave the letters “M,” “C,” “D,” and “O” and only two of those letters showed up once on the board.

“Again, not too much more, but who knows, you’ve had a lot of good luck tonight,” Seacrest said. “Maybe it’ll strike you.”

Then, all in under ten seconds (more like in 1.5 seconds), Demus-Gamble correctly guessed, “They go way back” like it was nothing.

Watch the incredible moment below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

As the audience cheered, Seacrest playfully circled Demus-Gamble, as though searching for an earpiece that must have fed her the winning guess. Down in the comments, people were equally floored.

“Now THAT was an amazing solve.”

“Wow! That was impressive!”

“I couldn't solve that one to save my life, but Demus-Gamble got it like it was nothing.”

“There's only one way to describe this to me: 😦”

At the end of the clip, Seacrest opened the envelope to reveal that Demus-Gamble’s puzzle solve won her $50,000, earning her a total win of $78,650. Certainly not chump change.

As for her winning strategy—Demus-Gamble assured no cheating was involved. “I just dug deep," she told Seacrest. We’ll say.

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Modern Families

Study ranks each American state by its living wage for a family of four. Over half exceed six figures.

Hawaii has easily the highest total

Photo credit: Canva

A study ranked all 50 U.S. states by living wage for a family of four. Over half of them exceeded six figures.

Let’s face it—it’s expensive to live anywhere in the U.S., and only those at the very top are cruising by. But it’s interesting to look at the data and see which areas of the country may offer the most financial breathing room.

A recent study by GOBankingRates crunched some numbers, breaking down the living wage in each state for a family of four. Per their methodology, they analyzed "annual living expenses" by using the 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey data "for a married couple with children (oldest child 6-17) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics." The factored costs of living were "housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and transportation" (or "necessities"), and they defined "living wage" as "the income required to be able to cover 50% necessities, 30% discretionary/luxury spending, and 20% for savings."

Bugs Bunny counts his money Bugs Bunny Money GIF by Looney TunesGiphy

Some of the results are probably what you’d expect—others less so. The 10 cheapest and 10 most expensive are below, and the full list (with additional metrics) is available at the GoBankingRates site.

1. West Virginia (living wage for a family of four: $82,338)
2. Mississippi ($87,564)
3. Alabama ($87,607)
4. Kansas ($87,944)
5. Arkansas ($88,312)
6. Oklahoma ($90,659)
7. Iowa ($91,667)
8. Missouri ($91,669)
9. Tennessee ($92,179)
10. Kentucky ($93,349)

41. Arizona ($131,102)
42. Oregon ($131,824)
43. Vermont ($131,996)
44. New Jersey ($134,990)
45. Maine ($135,943)
46. Alaska ($136,990)
47. New York ($155,738)
48. California ($188,269)
49. Massachusetts ($199,671)
50. Hawaii ($258,918)

Twenty-six states exceed a six-figure wage. (The others not listed above are South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, North Carolina, Delaware, Wisconsin, Idaho, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Utah, and Washington.)


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Of course, it’s one thing to analyze some numbers, but it’s also worth considering real-life experience. And if we consult Reddit, where opinions are never in short supply, a lot of people don’t agree with these findings. If you scan the r/coolguides subreddit, for example, you’ll find responses like this:

  • "Yeah, I call BS on this. I’m in CA with a family of 3 (me, wife, 4yo daughter), roughly making a combined $250k, and we’re still living with a tight budget"
  • "Maine more expensive than Connecticut? That doesn't seem right."
  • "This list is just very wrong. I live in the Midwest, and families due just fine making 40-50k. They live within their means."
  • "Need to see 'living wage' for NY State with data from NYC completely omitted... My family of four lives pretty comfortably on literally half that amount."

It’s a nuanced subject, not a one-size-fits-all situation. And even if you accept that, say, Hawaii requires the highest living wage for a family of four, there are plenty of other reasons you might want to live there. (I can think of about 15 off the top of my head.)

For example, let’s consult some of WalletHub’s recent reports. In September 2024, they published a breakdown of the "happiest states," analyzing "economic, emotional, physical, and social health" across 30 key metrics, from depression rate to productivity levels. Hawaii hit number one on that list, with residents citing "the highest levels of life satisfaction in the nation and the lowest depression rate." Massachusetts, meanwhile, came in at number 10.

Morgan Freeman applauds at the OscarsMorgan Freeman Applause GIF by The Academy AwardsGiphy

In August 2024, they assessed the "best states to live in" using 51 indicators of livability, ranging from housing costs to education rate to quality of hospitals. These are further broken down into broader categories of ""affordability," "economy," "education and health," "quality of life," and "safety." Massachusetts was number one, followed by Florida, New Jersey, Utah, and New Hampshire.

Massachusetts also took the top spot in two of the company’s other recent lists: one measuring the quality of school systems (factoring in "performance, funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials") and another based on family-friendliness (factoring in "median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate, and school quality"). The state also topped Consumer Affairs’ September 2024 list measuring quality of public education.

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Joy

London man finds a mysterious egg, incubates it, and launches a Pixar-worthy journey of love

When Riyadh found an abandoned egg, he had no idea that it would change his life.

Courtesy of Riyadh Khalaf/Instagram (used with permission)

When Riyadh found an egg, he had no idea how much it would change his life.

The story of Riyadh and Spike starts like the opening to a children's book: "One day, a man was walking along and spotted a lone egg where an egg should not have been…" And between that beginning and the story's mostly sweet ending is a beautiful journey of curiosity, care, and connection that has captivated people all over the world.

Irish author Riyadh Khalaf was out walking in Devon, England, when he came upon an egg. "We just found what we think is a duck egg," Riyadh says in a video showing the milky white egg sitting in a pile of dirt. "Just sitting here on its own. No nest. No other eggs."

Thinking there was no way it was going to survive on its own, Riyadh put the egg in a paper cup cushioned with a napkin and took it home to London, which entailed two car rides, a hotel stay, a train ride, a tube ride, and a bus ride. He said he used to breed chickens and pigeons, so he had some experience with birds. Knowing the egg could survive for a while in a dormant state, he ordered an incubator on Amazon, and the journey to see if the egg was viable began.

Even though it was "just an egg," Riyadh quickly became attached, and once it showed signs of life he took on the role of "duck dad." Every day, the egg showed a drastic change in development, and Riyadh's giddy joy at each new discovery—movement, a discernible eye, a beak outline—was palpable. He devoured information on ducks to learn as much as he could about the baby he was (hopefully) about to hatch and care for.

Finally, 28 days later, the shell of the egg began to crack. "I could see this very clear outline of the most gorgeous little round bill," Riyadh said—confirmation that it was, indeed, a duck as he had suspected. But duckling hatching is a process, and one they have to do it on their own. Ducklings instinctively know to turn the egg as it hatches so that the umbilical cord detaches, and the whole process can take up to 48 hours. Riyadh watched and monitored until he finally fell asleep, but at 4:51am, 29 hours after the egg had started to hatch, he awakened to the sound of tweets.

"There was just this little wet alien staring back at me," he said. "It was love at first sight."

Riyadh named his rescue duckling Spike. Once Spike was ready to leave the incubator, he moved into "Duckingham Palace," a setup with all of the things he would need to grow into a healthy, self-sufficient duck—including things that contribute to his mental health. (Apparently ducklings can die from poor mental health, which can happen when they don't have other ducks to interact with—who knew?)

"My son shall not only survive, but he shall thrive!" declared the proud papa.

Riyadh knew it would be impossible for Spike to not imprint on him somewhat, but he didn't want him to see him as his mother. Riyadh set up mirrors so that Spike could see another duckling (even though it was just himself) and used a surrogate stuffed duck to teach him how to do things like eat food with his beak. He used a duck whistle and hid his face from Spike while feeding him, and he played duck sounds on his computer to accustom Spike to the sounds of his species.

"It's just such a fulfilling process to watch a small being learn," said Riyadh.

As Spike grew, Riyadh took him to the park to get him accustomed to the outdoors and gave him opportunities to swim in a small bath. He learned to forage and do all the things a duck needs to do. Throughout, Riyadh made sure that Spike was getting the proper balanced nutrition he needed as well. Check this out:


After 89 days, the day finally came for Spike to leave Riyadh's care and be integrated into a community of his kind "to learn how to properly be a duck." A rehabilitation center welcomed him in and he joined a flock in an open-air facility where he would be able to choose whether to stay or to leave once he became accustomed to flying. Within a few weeks of being at the rehabilitation center, his signature mallard colors developed, marking his transition from adolescence. Spike has been thriving with his flock, and Riyadh was even able to share video of his first flight.

This is the where "And they all lived happily ever after" would be a fitting end to the story, but unfortunately, Spike and his fowl friends are living in trying times. The rehabilitation center was notified by the U.K. government in December of 2024 that the duck flock needed to be kept indoors for the time being to protect them from a bird flu outbreak and keep it from spreading.

Building an entire building for a flock of ducks is not a simple or cheap task, so Riyadh called on his community of "daunties" and "duncles" who had been following Spike's story to help with a fundraiser to build a "Duckingham Palace" for the whole flock. Riyadh's followers quickly raised over £11,000, which made a huge difference for the center's owners to be able to protect Spike and his friends.

All in all, Riyadh and Spike's story is a testament to what can happen when people genuinely care. If Riyadh had left that egg where it was, it may not have made it. If Spike hadn't survived and been moved to the rehab center, the ducks there would be in greater danger of the bird flu due to the costs of building an indoor shelter for them. Despite the ongoing bird flu threat, the story really does have a happy ending.

Thank to Riyadh for sharing Spike's journey with us. (You can follow Riyadh on Instagram here.)

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Motherhood

New study determines the whopping yearly dollar value of a mother's work

Mom's aren't asking for a paycheck, but even just a smidge of support would be nice.

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Moms carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. We know about the mental load and the stress and the impossible-to-meet expectations, but then there’s the physical workload, too: The hours of cleaning done every year, countless loads of laundry, untold amounts of time shuttling kids back and forth to school and friends’ houses and practice, the dozens of quick trips to the store and hours spent meal planning and cooking. If you were going to pay a person to do all of that for you, there’s no telling what it might cost! Or is there?

A new study from the folks at Insure.com has done the math and estimated that the average mother’s “salary”, a fair wage to compensate for all the hours worked — that normally go completely uncompensated! — would be $140,315.

That's up from the same group's estimate of $116,022 in 2021. A separate study also done in 2021 put the number at around $184k.

The number isn't pulled from thin air. It's based on the fair market value of real work.

mom in white long sleeve shirt reading to baby in white onesie Photo by Wesley Mc Lachlan on Unsplash

The team used the Bureau of Labor and Statistics to find out how much money, on average, a cook makes, and then multiplied that number by the hours moms spend cooking. Then you have the cost of a tutor times the hours mom spends helping with homework. And so on.

To put it into perspective, that’s a sweet six figure salary, more than your average accountant or consultant makes, and not far off from the salary of a pediatrician! Sadly, not only do moms not get paid for their efforts, we actually often view the time spent parenting and running a household as worthless. Just ask any mom that’s tried to re-enter the working world after taking a few years off to stay at home how valuable that experience is.

Worse still, a lot of moms pull off this ridiculous workload while holding down a full-time job that probably doesn't even pay as much!

Of course, moms aren’t actually asking to be paid for all this labor (though they wouldn’t mind).

Some groups have actually proposed regular stipends for moms, but generally, people don't get paid for taking care of their own lives. It'd be great if we all earned extra cash by doing our laundry or mowing our own lawn, or even taking care of our children.

Instead of forking over $140k per year to every mother in America — we could ask the kids to pay, but I don’t think most of their piggy banks have enough scratch — we should be asking why it's so damn hard to be a mom in the first place, and if there are ways that we could ease up some of that workload. In fact, there are:


mom hugging child Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash

Affordable childcare. Childcare workers are underpaid, too, and yet somehow daycare is completely unaffordable for many families. It’s not worth it for a lot of moms to pursue a career when they’re just going to hand over their entire paycheck, and then some, to daycare. The government could and should invest in subsidies or a universal childcare program to make this more accessible.

Retirement and insurance options. Many other countries have figured out ways to account for some of the value of stay-home caregivers by making contributions to a pension or retirement. Most experts agree that stay-at-home moms need life insurance, but... who's paying for it? Remember, that $140k is only hypothetical. Attaching a number to the work moms do, especially stay-at-home moms, seems like an exercise just to prove a point – but it’s actually more practical than that. It illustrates the need for society to recognize how much it would actually cost to replace everything that a mom does if the unthinkable were to occur.

Helping moms get back to work (if they want to). Ever heard of the motherhood penalty? It's the idea that the wage gap, which is already substantial, is even worse for moms. They earn about 71 cents for every dollar that a dad earns in the workplace. It's also harder for them to re-enter the workforce if they took time off to stay-at-home, and once there, they're more likely to get passed up for promotions. Some estimates say being a mom costs working women about $16,000 a year. (Yeesh, this is really adding up.)

woman holding baby sitting on green grass field under sunset Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash

Fathers do a lot of unpaid labor at home too, but the proverbial deck is really stacked against mothers.

There is still a large disparity in who’s doing more around the house and with the kids, and it’s much more common for moms to stay at home, work part time, or otherwise sacrifice their career and earning potential. When you add it all up, $140,000 sounds like a lot of money but it's really barely scratching the surface. There's no cook in the world that can replace mom's love-filled recipes, no driving-service that could replicate laughing and singing along with mom on the way to school. I think if you were to take that money and actually try to replace everything a mom does, you'd quickly discover about a million little things that could never, ever be accounted for.

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Joy

People are sharing all the random things they 'haven't thought about since grade school'

"The flavor of the wooden spoon haunts me to this day."

via X (formerly Twitter)

Did you do any of these?

Everyone's childhood is different. But there are common objects, sights, sounds, smells, and memories from elementary school that most Gen Xers and Millennials share.

Personally, when i think back to being in elementary school in the '80s, I remember the taste of the chocolate chip cookie we got on Fridays (with the pizza), the humiliation of getting nailed in the back during nation ball, and the grumbling, grinding sound that happened when you slipped a disk into the drive on an Apple IIe computer.

Nowadays, in a world where most kids would have no idea how to even turn on an Apple IIe or have never felt the sting of a rubber nation ball hitting them square between the shoulders, I get a bittersweet feeling when I think back to my elementary school days.

Mel Madara stirred the nostalgia pot on X (formerly Twitter) one week in 2020 when she posted a series of photos of things she remembers from elementary school that anyone from age 55 down to age 30 probably recollect, too.

Apple lle ComputerAh, the good old days. via Daniel Bagel / Flickr


She started up with a series of objects and experiences you may have forgotten that were a daily part of elementary school life.


She inspired countless followers to share the things they remember from elementary school in the '80s and '90s.

Remember Heads-up 7-up? Can Remember the anxiety as someone walked slowly though the room and you hoped and prayed they touched your thumb?


That clock you can wind up from behind.



Do you remember dying on Oregon trail repeatedly?



M.A.S.H.! Did you wind up in a mansion, apartment, shack, or a house? What kind of job did you get? Who did you marry? What kind of car do you drive?



Before Michelle Obama it was acceptable to feed a kid a taquito filled with pizza.



The stool that helped you grab that Judy Blume book just out of reach. It was also a great place to sit and read if the tables were filled up or you just wanted some privacy.



My skin is peeling off!



Ah, childhood! So weird, so wonderful.


This article originally appeared five years ago.
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