When you hear the words “all in,” what do you think? You might picture a color-coordinated, fairy-themed surprise proposal that took months to create, or maybe you think of a singer who went on stage and nailed the perfect high note in front of everyone (like this girl). Whatever you picture, the idea is the same: Going “all in” means doing something with total commitment—literally giving it your “all” and going completely over the top. No second guessing, no holding back—just full-throttle enthusiasm with some creativity and flair thrown in. That’s how we get those viral internet moments we can’t stop watching.
This week, we've found a handful of hilarious and heart-warming videos that perfectly capture what it's like to go "all in"—moments where passion, creativity, and commitment take center stage and something truly special happens as a result. Here are five of our favorite examples.
@_julianabba Replying to @courtney_azbell I’m okay @tate mcrae @t8 hq #tate #tatemcrae #tatemcraetour #sportscar #soclosetowhat #misspossesive #misspossesivetour #tatemcrae1 ♬ original sound - jules
The viral song “Sports Car” by Tate McRae has become an absolute viral hit, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only is the song super catchy, but her performance is show-stopping (you might even say she and her backup dancers go all in). Everyone is singing and dancing along—although this content creator’s rendition of the song might be the most passionate one. He gets a little too caught up, as you’ll see at the end of this video—and, well, his reenactment becomes "show stopping" in a different way. (Don't worry, though, he's totally fine.)
This week, the team at All In asked Reddit users what they go “all in” on in their own lives, and the responses were entertaining and inspiring (and sometimes both). One commenter shared that they go all in on blue cheese dressing when they’re eating buffalo wings (respect), while another shared that they go all in on saving up their retirement (we love to see people reaching for big goals). Turns out you can go “all in” on everything from maintaining a healthy marriage to putting salt on your cucumbers. Our favorite responses, though, were people who went in on personal growth and learning. Click here to see what they had to say (and click here to snag a box of All In bars—for free!).
@kynder.jpg that's my mom! 💙⛸️ #iceskating #followyourdreams #figureskating #lifeover50 ♬ No One - Aly & AJ
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking you’re “too old” to follow your dreams, watch this video, because this midlife mom will prove you wrong. This video shows a woman skating in her first figure skating competition—and she’s about to turn 50. The daughter, who filmed and posted the video to TikTok, says that ice skating has always been her mother’s lifelong dream, and recently she just decided to go for it. The costume, the composition, and the passion are all first-rate, but the best part is that the commenters are going crazy for her, too. One of them wrote, “As a former competitive figure skater, nothing makes me tear up like videos of people getting into skating later in life. The ice was my first love, it was home. Welcome home.”
@itz_sokizzy ♬ Some Nights - Fun.
Okay, so unlike the figure skating mom, there’s nothing technically impressive about this woman dancing—as in, she’s not a professional dancer. She doesn’t use choreography or sparkly costumes—but what’s great about these videos is that her passion and enthusiasm just can’t be denied. It’s just her in her bonnet, dancing along to upbeat classics like “Some Nights,” by Fun, and somehow you can’t help but be completely mesmerized—and maybe start dancing along yourself. We watched a bunch of her videos—there are tons, and they’re all equally enthusiastic—and we couldn’t help but laugh and groove right along with her. That’s what’s great about going “all in”—it inspires other people, too.
@animallover.zx123 if you're done with your ex move on#just move on#ex #move on with your life #fyp #fyp #fyp #fyp ♬ Gladdest Done with your ex - GLAD FAMILY
People can sometimes be “extra” when it comes to their pets (like dressing up their dog as a cowboy or a mailman for Halloween). But there’s being “extra” with your pet, and then there’s going “all in,” which this TikTok creator undoubtedly does. King Guinea Adventures (@animallover.zx123) has built a platform on staging re-enactments of popular songs, but with a twist: the star of the show is a guinea pig. These hilarious videos show the guinea pig acting out the lyrics of popular songs such as “Video Games” by Lana Del Ray and “Whiskey Lullaby” by Braid Paisley and Alison Kraus. The literalism of these videos is what makes them actually hilarious, and it shows how much thought the creator put into making them (In “Video Games,” for example, when Lana sings “Swinging in the backyard / pull up in your fast car,” you see a literal toy car appear in the swing next to him. When she gets to the lyric “video games,” you see a Nintendo Switch pop up.) It’s creative, it’s funny, it’s fun—and best of all, this creator takes their love of pop culture (and the love of her pet guinea pig) and truly goes “all in.”
Snag a free (!!) box of All In snack bars here while this deal lasts. Just pick up a box at Sprouts and text a pic of your receipt to get it for free. Enoy!
A list of the most beautiful names.
There is a lot of pressure to name a baby the absolute *perfect* name. And for many, the goal is to come up with a seriously beautiful name that is unique-sounding—a name that will stick with you forever.
Looking through baby names lists can help. But to get more ideas on beautiful names, a person posed the question on Reddit: "What’s the most beautiful first name you’ve ever heard?"
The crowd-sourced name-inspo led to a detailed and distinctive list of beautiful baby names, with many noting that the majority were for baby girls. "I love that 90% of these are women's names, meanwhile men are like this is my boy Daryl," one commenter joked.
kelly rowland 90s GIF Giphy
These are 36 of the most beautiful names people can think of:
"I saw a best guy employers name tag: Orion." - spaceshiplazer
"I used to know a woman called Isis, thought it was beautiful to be named after a goddess, now its just unfortunate." - ShireNorse
"I knew two Muslim sisters back in the 4th grade. One was Neda and her sister was Nezerine. I have always thought Nezerine was one of the prettiest names I have ever heard." - a-passing-crustacean
"When I was a kid I was obsessed with 'Swan Princess' and I thought the name Odette was beautiful lol idk if it’s even real." - messyowl
Princess Odette Girl GIF by The Swan Princess Giphy
"My sister's childhood friend's grandfather's name was Diogenes. He was a very nice old bloke too, so maybe I just associate the name with a friendly face. Nonetheless, it's both a strong name, and a beautiful name." - MrSlipperyFist
"Met a guy who said his name was Levi. Eventually I noticed he had a tattoo of a sea dragon. I asked him about it, and he told me it was for his name, because Levi was short for Leviathan. Coolest name ever." - Weird-is-norm
"My therapist's name is Althea, I think it’s so lovely." - FroggySpirit
"Vivienne - I find the French spelling the prettiest, it just sounds so melodic." - Looktothecookiee
"Genevieve in French pronunciation, like Genevieve Bujold (actress) is a fantastic name." - FlamingoRare8449
"I knew a woman named Eleanora which sounds so beautiful when pronounced by Italians." - CursingWhileCrafting
"Tbh most of the flower names like: Dahlia, Iris, Rose, Jasmine, Lily, Ivy, Alyssa." - frizzyno
Rose GIF Giphy
"Met an Italian girl named Alessandra. That was 30 years ago and it's still in my brain as the most beautiful name I've ever heard." - Mothman
"Aurelia." - worstnameIeverheard
"Evelyn is so pretty to me." - 1mALittl3N0tStraight
- YouTube www.youtube.com
"'Derry Girls' made me absolutely love Orla." - sarathev
"Noelle. 'Her name is Noelle I have a dream about her she rings my bell'." - Special-Strategy7225
"'Sailor Moon' made me fall in love with Serena. I also really like Celeste, Aria and Evangeline (no one but me seems to appreciate the last one lol). They were on my short list of baby names but I went with another fav." - endoftheworldvibe
sailor moon GIF Giphy
"The Māori name Anahera." - lizzietnz
"Seraphina. Heard it at coffee shop and it stopped me dead. Sounds like angels and fire rolled into one." - Twisted_Metalx
"Leilani was always pretty to me." - MathTutorAndCook
"There are so many, but I’ve always loved ‘Aurora’ ......it sounds magical and brings to mind the dawn and the northern lights." - Special_You_7103
"River Phoenix most beautiful name I heard." - Mona_Mour__
river phoenix 80s GIF Giphy
"Adelaide, my Mama's name." - Cantretiresoonenough
"Lydia. I just love it for some reason." - Beautifulone_2
Will Thilly break-dances at town meeting.
When you're trying to change the world, or at least a New Jersey town, sometimes you've gotta go big. For Will Thilly, a man running as an Independent for the Cranford Township Committee, he believes in being anything but conventional—at least in terms of grabbing attention.
A clip of Thilly addressing the current public town hall committee went viral recently on social media, but not necessarily for his viewpoint on taxes or any of his other political ideas. It was his dancing. Thilly shimmies on up to the podium and is asked by Mayor Terrence Curran to state his name and address for the record. Thilly seemingly ignores this request as he has some popping and locking to do. He holds his finger up as if to say, "One second," as the mayor reminds him, "Mr. Thilly, I've started your time." The audience is smiling, some with their heads in their hands. He turns to them and asks, "Wanna see me do the back spin?"
(The Washington Post clip on Instagram is cut down for time, but in the same clip posted on Thily's page, the Rocky theme song is added and he vamps a bit longer. )
Thilly decides he doesn't need a yes. Without any prompting, he gets on the ground and says, "Watch this," as he does an impressive breakdancing back spin, landing on his back with both feet up, similar to the yoga pose "happy baby." He groans as he stands back up and composes himself, occasionally looking back at the crowd asking for applause that doesn't quite come.
Thilly begins to speak, quite seriously, on a topic important to him: taxes. "400 bucks on an average assessed home....Why did our taxes go up so much?"
Mayor Curran gently says, "Thank you Mr. Thilly. I liked the interpretive dance." Mr. Thilly takes the compliment in as he moonwalks away from the podium.
In just a few weeks, this clip grabbed well over a million likes on the Washington Post's Insta-reel alone. The comments are hilarious. One writes, "I don't understand your protest. Perhaps you could break it down for us?" Another enthusiastically exclaims, "I’ve seen enough - send him to the Olympics!"
Breakdancing at the Paris Olympics Giphy, GIF by NoireSTEMinist
But some see the method behind the madness, writing, "It worked. He got our attention. We’re watching his video. Hip Hop wins again."
The truth is Thilly was seeking attention because this run for township committee matters very much to him. Upworthy had a chance to "break it down" with him and find out just why he's running and, of course, how he learned to moonwalk.
Upworthy: When did you get interested in politics?
Thilly: "When I moved to the town (Cranford, New Jersey) with our kids and saw how the town community was treating residents on a non-equal level. They were talking down to them. And I saw all over New Jersey, the developers are getting 30-year tax exemptions in these small towns." (This, he further suggests, puts the heavy lifting on the taxpayers which he doesn't believe is fair.)
"Ideally, I'm trying to get everyone's taxes down. And to get government to make decisions together with the community - instead of this 'Us vs. You guys.' They shouldn't be making decisions for us. My outlook is we should be making decisions WITH you, not for you."
Upworthy: Are you just naturally funny or is this a ruse to get people to pay attention?
Thilly: "I wasn't trying to be funny necessarily. And no, it wasn't a ruse. We've talked and talked and there's no point of going in and talking at the meetings. They don't answer. So I had an instinct that night that it could break down barriers and set people straight if I do this."
Upworthy: When did you learn to moonwalk?
Thilly: "1983! That's when we all learned, right? I was pretty good as a kid. Could do a lot more movements than now."
Upworthy: Did going viral move the dial?
Thilly: "We'll see in a month. Certainly seemed to be very well received from the town, especially young kids because it went really big on TikTok. So high school all the way down to elementary school kids have been coming up to me taking photos. Lots of people are asking for pictures, all over."
Upworthy: Any other town halls lined up?
"We just had another one last week and they (allegedly) censored it because they didn't want anything to go viral." (Thilly alleges they turned off the broadcast and later claimed it was a computer glitch.)
"And what we did is kind of a group dance. Audience members got up to dance!"
Upworthy: Did they break-dance too?
Thilly: "I invited everyone as a community bonding type-thing to all get up and dance together. And different people did different things. But we also had pairs dancing, couples dancing in the aisles."
This wasn't Thilly's first time to stand out at a community town hall. "I would go up and do nothing for five minutes. Just two minutes of silence, doing like a meditation."
Whether it moves the dial or not, Thilly has certainly made a name for himself, at least in the dancing community. The election will be held November 4th.
Checking in on California's beaver project.
Deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills on the Tule River Indian Reservation, tribal member Kenneth McDarment had passed by an ochre-red pictograph countless times throughout his life—a simple yet unmistakable image of a beaver with four paws and a distinctive paddle tail. Estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 years old, this ancient artwork adorned the walls of a rock shelter alongside other paintings of wildlife, humans, and geometric designs created by the Yokuts people.
To McDarment, this beaver image seemed like just another beautiful piece of Native art. That is until he looked at it again—this time seeing it clearly with fresh eyes.
Newly introduced beaver swimming through the water.Credit: CDFW
When severe drought struck the reservation about a decade ago, McDarment and other tribal leaders began searching for innovative ways to conserve water. The answer, it turned out, had been staring at them from the cave walls all along.
"Sometimes you need to just look at things more often," McDarment told researchers.
Glancing back up at the beaver, the pictograph suddenly took on new meaning as McDarment and the other tribal leaders began to recognize the ancient wisdom embedded in their ancestors' art. If beavers had once thrived on these lands and helped manage water resources, perhaps bringing them back could address their contemporary drought challenges. This revelation prompted the tribe to pursue what would become California's first beaver restoration program in over seven decades.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The revelation sparked an unprecedented collaboration between California's Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Native tribes. In the past, the Tule River Tribe and the Maidu Summit Consortium were dismissed, and told there was "no way to move beavers in California legally."
But after years of advocacy and preparation, in 2021, California finally launched its first beaver restoration program since the 1950s in partnership with both tribes.
On October 18, 2023, seven beavers were released into their new home in Tásmam Koyóm, a 2,325-acre valley in Plumas County.
"You just saw this tiny brown furball, this little nugget, catch a ride on the back of his sibling's tail, and it looked like he was surfing. I don't think it set in for days afterward, but that moment will go down as one of the highlights of my entire career. I think we were very proud of what we had done, and really optimistic about the potential that this represents for us and the good we think we can do moving forward." - Valerie Cook, the beaver restoration program manager for the CDFW.
Beavers being released to explore their new territory. Credit: CDFW
Where did they find the beavers? Set a few traps and catch as many as they could? No. The efforts presented in this project represented a fundamental shift in how California approaches wildlife management and water conservation. The beaver relocation process involved identifying "problem" beavers in areas where they caused flooding, and then safely transporting them to new locations where their engineering skills could work environmental magic. For the first time in nearly 75 years, the state began relocating beavers.
"We can make our future different from our past," declared CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham during the historic first release. "Our past is one where we treated these animals and others as varmints, as nuisances, and our culture over time ran them off the landscape. That can't be our future".
The results have been nothing short of spectacular. At the Maidu Summit Consortium's Tásmam Koyóm meadow—which means "tall grass" in the Mountain Maidu language—relocated beavers have constructed an impressive 328-foot dam, effectively creating a massive wetland complex that has increased water coverage by more than 22% according to CDFW's April 2025 report.
Dams like these offer shelter, a safe home for beavers, and food storage. Image by John Cannon/Mongabay.
"They are really powerful ecosystem engineers," Emily Fairfax, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Minnesota, told Mongabay. "The number of services they provide to us and ways that they build resilient landscapes is honestly too much to just rattle off all at once."
The benefits extend far beyond water storage, with those furry "ecosystem engineers" essentially transforming the landscape into a climate-resilient powerhouse:
For the Mountain Maidu and Tule River tribes, the beaver restoration represents much more than environmental conservation—it's a symbol of just how far they've come in reclaiming their relationship to the land. Nearly two centuries ago, Tásmam Koyóm Meadow was forcibly taken from the Mountain Maidu tribe and was not rightfully returned until 2019. Four years later, the beaver—which the Mountain Maidu call hi-chi-hi-nem and consider as family—finally returned to their land, marking a moment of healing and deeply profound spiritual significance.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Shannon Salem Williams, a Mountain Maidu program manager, said seeing the beavers slip into the water was a "full circle moment." Then added, "It was like a big welcoming home."
The success story of California's beaver restoration program proves that sometimes, the most efficient solution to modern issues is simply to return to ancient wisdom.
With climate change intensifying droughts, floods, and wildfires across the American West, beaver-based restoration is gaining recognition as a cost-effective, nature-based solution. The California program has become so successful that Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2024 to make the beaver restoration program permanent.
Scientists and activists remain hopeful that this trend will continue. "I think we're in kind of an idyllic [stage of] beaver literacy," advocate Heidi Perryman said. "People have begun to hear a lot of good things about beavers, and they're very hopeful that beavers can fix everything that we've messed up."
