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Mom of three becomes 'accidental' American Idol contestant after nailing her audition

People are calling Sara Beth a relatable breath of fresh air and the show's new "hidden gem."

American Idol/YouTube

Sara Beth auditioning for "American Idol"

High-level talent competition shows have been around for a long time. And from them, we’ve come to expect spectacular performances from trained artists completely dedicated to their craft. While that’s remarkable to watch, sometimes it’s just as inspiring to witness average folks doing something they love.

Take it from Sara Beth, a mother of three recently dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

First of all, Sara Beth is filled to the brim with quirky charm and does nothing to try to hide her nervousness. Judge Katy Perry accurately described her as a “comic strip character brought to life.” In a sea of ultra confident divas it’s refreshing, to say the least.

Second, as a 25-year-old who married and started a family young, Sara Beth admitted that she had been focused on being there for her kids and only recently began pursuing music. Or as she called it, having “a minute for me.”

So when asked if singing was her dream, Sara Beth was hesitant.

“I’m still processing…I can’t even answer. This is so much,” she confessed.

That answer didn’t impress judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, but it certainly resonated with views in the crowd and at home—parents in particular.

“As a mother of two young boys I can easily relate to this not being her dream yet,” one mom wrote. “She has spent years pouring into others and taking it day by day and she just recently pulled her head out of water and remembered that she is a person with talents and hobbies and interests outside of being a mom...she doesn't even have the mental capacity for [American Idol] to be a dream yet but she took a huge bet on herself.”

Despite Sara Beth not fitting the usual parameters for an American Idol, there was no denying her incredible voice once she started singing.

Watch:

Sara Beth might have moved forward with only two out of three yes votes, but let’s just say her audience approval rate was pretty damn unanimous.

“Sara Beth is wonderfully herself and a breath of fresh air, judges are faced with a woman who is open with no filters of fear. I think she's amazing.”

“I think she IS the hidden gem in this competition. She could definitely win.”

“I won't be surprised if she wins this whole thing.”

Just take it from the “Accidental American Idol:" It’s okay to be unsure…and go for the thing anyway.

Soon after she shook things up in her American Idol audition, Sara Beth shocked everyone by leaving the show early to be with her children, and also citing discomfort after Katy Perry made a "Mom-Shaming" joke. Luckily for us, her exit from American Idol was not her exit from music. Sara Beth is still active and posting original songs on her TikTok and Instagram, and you can stream her music on Spotify.


https://www.instagram.com/p/DElIB4fT_PI/

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Pop Culture

Lebanese dance troupe delivers a breathtaking performance on 'America's Got Talent'

The Mayyas walked like the proud lionesses they are.

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10/10. The Mayyas dance.

We can almost always expect to see amazing acts and rare skills on America’s Got Talent. But sometimes, we get even more than that.

The Mayyas, a Lebanese women’s dance troupe whose name means “proud walk of a lioness” in Arabic, delivered a performance so mesmerizing that judge Simon Cowell called it the “best dance act” the show has ever seen, winning them an almost instant golden buzzer.

Perhaps this victory comes as no surprise considering the Mayyas had previously won “Arab’s Got Talent” and competed on “Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions,” both in 2019. But truly, it’s what motivates them to take to the stage that’s remarkable.

“Lebanon is a very beautiful country, but we live a daily struggle," one of the dancers said to the judges just moments before their audition. Another explained, “being a dancer as a female Arab is not fully supported—yet.”

Nadim Cherfan, the team’s choreographer, added that, “Lebanon is not considered a place where you can build a career out of dancing, so it’s really hard, and harder for women.”

Still, Cherfan shared that it was a previous AGT star who inspired the Mayyas to defy the odds and audition anyway. Nightbirde, a breakout singer who also earned a golden buzzer before tragically passing away from cancer at 31 years old in February 2021, had told the audience, “You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy.” The dance team took the advice to heart.

For the Mayyas, coming onto the AGT stage became more than an audition opportunity. Getting emotional, one of the dancers declared that it was their "only chance to prove to the world what Arab women can do, the art we can create, the fights we fight.”

The Mayyas went on to fulfill their promise of a truly hypnotic performance. Starting in a single file line, the women created magnificent shapes while moving flawlessly in sync. At one point, the group even became a pair of eyes (a major crowd pleaser).

The judges—and the audience—were left dumbfounded.

It was no time at all before judge Sofia Vergara leapt up to give the Mayyas their well-deserved golden buzzer. “There are no words to explain to you what we were feeling over here. It was the most beautiful creative dancing I’ve ever seen,” she told the team.

Howie Mandel added, “You said you were going to hypnotize us. When we sat here and we watched the movement and the perfection and the time and effort that went into that, we were hypnotized by what you did.”

You can watch the Mayyas’s spellbinding act below. Prepare to be hypnotized yourself.


This article originally appeared in June.

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Education

Woman without an internal monologue explains what it's like inside her head

“She's broken my mind. I don't even understand what I'm not understanding."

PA Struggles/Youtube

An estimated 50-70% of the population doesn't have an internal monologue.

The notion of living without an internal monologue is a fairly new one. Until psychologist Russell Hurlburt’s studies started coming out in the late 90s, it was widely accepted that everyone had a little voice narrating in their head. Now Hurlburt, who has been studying people's "inner experience" for 40 years, estimates that only 30-50% of the population frequently think this way.

So what about the other 50-70%? What exactly goes on inside their heads from day to day?

In a video interview originally posted in 2020, a woman named Kirsten Carlson gave some insight into this question, sharing how not having an inner dialogue affected her reading and writing, her interactions with others and how she navigates mental challenges like anxiety and depression. It was eye-opening and mind-blowing.

"Reading isn’t a particularly enjoyable activity," Carlson admitted, explaining that rather than seeing images of characters and landscapes, she only sees words.

“In my head, every sentence has a shape so you can see the shape of a sentence. Keywords will pop out and I can file those away into my concept map, so at the end of reading something I can have a concept map of the main topics that I read about. It's not images, it's just the words."

That said, she is apparently a “very fast” reader.

This concept alone was hard for viewers to grasp. As one person wrote, “She's broken my mind. I don't even understand what I'm not understanding. I've never visualized a sentence in my life.”

While she “never daydreams," Carlson does dream at night. However, she doesn’t recall any dialogue in those dreams. Carlson also shared that her alone time is always spent doing stuff like cleaning, cooking, watching Netflix, or studying. I can only imagine the things I’d accomplish if I didn’t get sidetracked with existential questions like “Is a hotdog a sandwich?” If only.

While Carlson’s way of thinking might seem vastly different from the norm, there are several commonalities. Like most people, she has stores of information that she can pull up at any time. Thoughts still can keep her up at night, even if she does picture her endless to-do lists rather than hear them. And not having an inner monologue offers no protection against things like anxiety or depression, which Carlson explains manifest physically for her. This is known as Somatic Anxiety. Rather than feeling mental overload, Carlson's hands will start shaking, her stomach might get nauseated, and she’ll feel physically fatigued or disinterested in life.

Watch the video below:

As our understanding (and appreciation) of neurodiversity becomes more evolved, it’s likely that we’ll have even more fascinating conversations to absorb. No two people interpret the world that same way. Celebrating these differences reminds us that there is no one “right” way of thinking.


This article originally appeared last year.

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Pets

Couple realizes the cat they've been snuggling is an imposter in a unbelievable mixup

"Where'd you get this cat? Who are you?"

Brandon Robert|TikTok

Couple hilariously realize they've been snuggling an imposter cat

We'd all like to believe that we know our pets. Every pet has their own distinctive look and even if they look like a sibling, they have different personalities making it much easier to identify one from another. But every once in a while there's a bit of a mixup where you see a cat outside that looks so much like yours you find yourself frantically darting out the door to let the imposter in while your actual cat is fast asleep under your bed.

One couple's cat mixup went in a different direction. They brought their cat inside and piddled around the house for a few hours before settling in for a snuggle session on the couch. It was then that the cat's mom noticed a cat outside that looked exactly like their cuddly little guy.

Instantly you see the confusion and concern register when they look closely at the imposter enjoying all the extra attention while the other stares from outside. Surely the real cat was offended that his own parents didn't know they were snuggling up to a generic version of him.

"Babe, look at the cat outside. That looks like you Rado, is that your brother?" the cat mom asks before appearing unsure if the cat in her husband's arms is actually their cat. Turned out the cat was not theirs and they quickly let the strange cat outside and scooped up their own cat. Commenters found the now viral situation hilarious.

One person writes, "slight error in the cat distribution system."

Another commenter says, "the way its body language is screaming 'kidnapped.'"

Someone laughs, "the fact that the cat was going to play it off and continue his days as Rado."

"Plot twist," a commenter writes. "Cats been switching places for months and they just noticed."

In a follow-up video, Brandon Robert, Rado's dad, shows a photo of their actual cat and the imposter, adorably nicknamed "Fraudo" by another commenter. They're strikingly similar so it's easy to see how Robert picked up the wrong cat while not wearing his glasses. Thankfully all is well now and their cat is back inside where he belongs, but you can watch the hilarious moment of realization below.

I didnt have my glasses on😭😭 #cat #catsoftiktok

@thebrandonrobert

I didnt have my glasses on😭😭 #cat #catsoftiktok


What do you think? Would you get these two kitties mixed up?

a screenshot of Rado the cat

Brandon shares a photo of Rado in a follow up TikTok.

Brandon Robert|TikTok

a screenshot of Rado's "imposter"

Brandon shares a photo of the imposter cat

Brandon Robert|TikTok

"Rado and Fraudo perfect siblings," said the comment on the follow-up video.

Perfect siblings indeed. It doesn't look like "Fraudo" has moved in as of yet, but we'll keep you posted.

This article originally appeared in January.

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