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14-year-old's expressive, physics-defying 'Mad World' dance blows away AGT judges and fans

Her haunting performance is a must-see.

America's Got Talent/YouTube

Mariandrea Villegas has talent and showmanship beyond her years.

Dance is a unique art form in that the medium it utilizes is the human body itself. Simply through purposeful and graceful control of movement, dancers can express and evoke joy, sadness, fear, confusion—the whole range of human emotion. And when dancing is done well, it's utterly mesmerizing.

Such is the case with Mariandrea Villegas, a 14-year-old from Mexico who auditioned for America's Got Talent in July of 2023 and wowed both the judges and the audience with her dance performance. She has been dancing since she was 5, and as Simon Cowell pointed out, it's clear that she was born to do this.

After showing off her sparkling personality during the pre-performance interview, Mariandrea danced to a cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World," personifying the song in her performance. But it wasn't just her intentional movement that reflected the emotional complexity of the ever-popular hit. Her facial expressions, ranging from subtle fear to a clown-like smile to genuine sorrow to angry defiance, change on a dime, adding an acting element to her routine that takes it to the next level.

Add in the incredible control she has of her body as it twists and turns and seems to defy gravity, both gracefully flowing and disturbingly contorting, and it's easy to see why she earned a standing ovation and enthusiastic praise from all four judges.

The original video posted to America's Got Talent's Youtube account has since expired, but you can watch the performance posted by Youtuber TALENTKINGHD, an avid poster of clips from American and European music and talent competitions:

- YouTube

For someone so young to have such a strong grasp of her craft is quite extraordinary, and people were wowed by her talent as well as her showmanship.

"I had to watch this more than once. Her smile, energy, and face reminds me of a young Natalie Portman. You can tell she is more than a dancer also, very intelligent, expressive, talented, yes acting too. Wow! Congratulations!" shared one commenter on the now-expired original video.

"This young lady has a very bright future ahead of her! The passion that she emanated while dancing was above and beyond what we have seen in half the dancers that are older than her... Can't wait to see what she does next!!!" wrote another.

"Stunned. I would have given her a golden buzzer. The sharpness, flexibility, timing, theatrics, and costume use. 10/10," shared another.

One commenter pointed out that her dance felt like a monologue, and another person called it "absolute art." Many people expressed disappointment that she didn't receive the Golden Buzzer, which would propel her immediately to the final round.

But, to no one's surprise, she did just fine even without the golden buzzer. Mariandrea made it to the Semifinals and, fortunately for all of us, she's still dancing (and now modeling!) today.

Follow her success on Instagram.


This article originally appeared last year.

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arts
Science

How the woman with the world’s highest IQ silenced her critics with the Monty Hall Problem

Marilyn vos Savant took on 10,000 angry letters to prove her controversial answer.

Wikimedia Commons

Door 1, 2, or 3? Choose carefully, there's a Pontiac Tempest on the line.

A recent thread on X by @iamluismalheiro has reignited interest in a fascinating problem. In his thread, Luis recounts the 1990 controversy sparked by Marilyn vos Savant, who famously tackled the puzzle in her “Ask Marilyn” column. Before we get to the controversy, let's play the game. Ready? There are three doors. Behind one is a car—a gleaming, shiny, make-your-friends-jealous car. The other two? Goats. What happens to the goats if you win is anyone’s guess, but let’s stay focused.

Pick a door. 1, 2, or 3. Got one? Great. Let’s say you picked door 1. Now, the host opens door 3 to reveal…a goat. Now comes the big moment. The host gives you a choice: stick with your original pick, or switch to door 2? What do you do?

If you switched, congrats—you just won a brand new 1965 Pontiac Tempest! If you didn’t, well…enjoy your new goat.

But why? Why does switching lead to victory twice as often as staying with the original door?

The puzzle that stumped millions

This is the Monty Hall Problem, named after the host of the classic game show Let’s Make a Deal. It’s simple enough to explain, but the math behind it has baffled people for decades. Even PhDs and mathematicians have gotten it wrong.

via GIPHY

The question boils down to this: When Monty opens the door to reveal a goat, does switching increase your odds of winning the car? The answer is yes—switching doubles your chances of winning.

Marilyn’s bold answer—and the backlash

In 1990, Marilyn vos Savant, recognized for having one of the highest recorded IQs, confidently declared, “Yes, you should switch.” Her answer was based on solid math, but it provoked a storm of criticism. She received over 10,000 letters, including nearly 1,000 from PhDs. Many accused her of misunderstanding the problem or even being incapable of basic logic. Others resorted to personal attacks:

"You are the goat!"

— Anonymous critic

Some critiques veered into outright sexism:

"Maybe women look at math problems differently than men."

— Anonymous critic

But Marilyn stood her ground, unwavering in her confidence. Over time, her answer was proven right by computer simulations run by MIT, as well as by experiments conducted by MythBusters. Eventually, many academics who had criticized her publicly apologized for their errors, acknowledging her insight and logic. The ordeal transformed Marilyn into a symbol of intellectual resilience, and her calm persistence in the face of hostility continues to inspire people today.

Marilyn’s lasting legacy

Marilyn often reflected on her experience, noting how the backlash revealed deeper issues with how we approach learning and problem-solving. She attributed much of the confusion—and the vitriol—to flaws in the education system. “Our schools teach us to memorize answers, not to question them,” she argued, advocating for an approach to education that encourages independent thinking.

Despite the loneliness that sometimes accompanied her intellect, Marilyn saw her gift as a blessing. “It’s not easy being this smart,” she admitted, but she never shied away from using her platform to challenge conventional thinking. Her Monty Hall response remains one of the most famous examples of sticking to the truth in the face of overwhelming opposition.

Today, her story is a reminder that being right doesn’t always mean being popular—but it’s worth standing firm. As Luis Malheiro’s viral thread shows, the Monty Hall Problem continues to fascinate people, thanks in no small part to Marilyn’s courage and conviction.

Here’s the math

Let’s break it down. When you first choose a door, you have a 1/3 chance of picking the car and a 2/3 chance of picking a goat. If you’ve picked a goat (which happens 2/3 of the time), switching after the host reveals another goat guarantees the car.

It's a numbers game backed up by MIT supercomputers and the Mythbusters alike:

  • Pick the car (1/3 chance): Switching loses.
  • Pick a goat (2/3 chance): Switching wins.

So, by switching, you win 2/3 of the time.

"Switching wins 2/3 of the time."

— Luis Malheiro

Why is it so hard to grasp?

The Monty Hall Problem messes with our intuition. Most people reset the odds after the host reveals a goat, assuming it’s now a 50/50 choice between the remaining doors. But the math doesn’t work that way—the odds of your initial pick being correct stay at 1/3.

via GIPHY

In her defense of the solution, Marilyn criticized the education system for fostering passive learners who lack the tools to think critically. It’s a critique that feels just as relevant today.

The thread blowing up on X

Luis Malheiro’s thread has reignited the debate, drawing millions of views and sparking conversations about math, intuition, and education. Many users shared their disbelief at the backlash Marilyn endured, while others admitted they’d initially gotten the problem wrong themselves.

"It’s not easy being this smart."

— Marilyn vos Savant

Why it matters

The Monty Hall Problem isn’t just a fun game show puzzle—it’s a reminder of the importance of critical thinking and the courage to stand by the truth, even when it’s unpopular. Threads like Luis’s help bring these lessons to a new audience.

So, the next time you’re faced with a tough choice, consider the Monty Hall Problem. Sometimes, the smartest move is to switch.

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Pop Culture

SNL sketch about George Washington's dream for America hailed an 'instant classic'

"People will be referencing it as one of the all time best SNL skits for years.”

Saturday Night Live/Youtube

Seriously, what were our forefathers thinking with our measuring system?

Ever stop to think how bizarre it is that the United States is one of the only countries to not use the metric system? Or how it uses the word “football” to describe a sport that, unlike fútbol, barely uses the feet at all?

What must our forefathers have been thinking as they were creating this brave new world? Wonder no further. All this and more is explored in a recent Saturday Night Live sketch that folks are hailing as an “instant classic.”

The hilarious clip takes place during the American Revolution, where George Washington rallies his troops with an impassioned speech about his future hopes for their fledgling country…all the while poking fun at America’s nonsensical measurements and language rules.

Like seriously, liters and milliliters for soda, wine and alcohol but gallons, pints, and quarters for milk and paint? And no “u” after “o” in words like “armor” and “color” but “glamour” is okay?

The inherent humor in the scene is only amplified by comedian and host Nate Bargatze’s understated, deadpan delivery of Washington. Bargatze had quite a few hits during his hosting stint—including an opening monologue that acted as a mini comedy set—but this performance takes the cake.

Watch:

All in all, people have been applauding the sketch, noting that it harkened back to what “SNL” does best, having fun with the simple things.

Here’s what folks are saying:

“This skit is an instant classic. I think people will be referencing it as one of the all time best SNL skits for years.”

“Dear SNL, whoever wrote this sketch, PLEASE let them write many many MANY more!”

“Instantly one of my favorite SNL sketches of all time!!!”

“I’m not lying when I say I have watched this sketch about 10 times and laughed just as hard every time.”

“This may be my favorite sketch ever. This is absolutely brilliant.”


There’s more where that came from. Catch even more of Bargatze’s “SNL” episode here.


This article originally appeared last year.

From Your Site Articles
humor
Television

In 1983, illusionist David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty vanish. Here's how he did it.

"When the curtain dropped the statue was not there. I didn't see it."

via Docebrown1955/YouTube

David Copperfield vanishes the Statue of Liberty in 1983.

In April 1983, 50 million Americans tuned in to see the legendary illusionist David Copperfield attempt the impossible. On live TV, he would vanish the 305-foot-tall Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American freedom and a beacon of hope to people worldwide.

Copperfield’s audacious illusion would stun the world and become one of the most outstanding achievements in the history of magic. The magician performed the act on a stage with an audience sitting before the statue. A helicopter flew above, shining light on the statue and a ring of lights lay on the ground below, illuminating Lady Liberty. Copperfield raised a curtain between 2 giant pillars, temporarily obscuring the audience’s view of the statue.

As loud music swelled, Copperfield concentrated intensely until the curtain dropped and the statue was missing.

The crowd screamed and yelled in disbelief as cameras revealed the spotlights pointing to a space where the statue used to be. Copperfield had pulled off the impossible.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

How did David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear?

Simply put, Copperfield didn’t move the statue; he rotated the audience away from it, which was sitting on top of a massive turntable. After the audience rotated, the statue was hidden behind one of the pillars.

“He had a helicopter with a bright spotlight shining on the statue for a considerable length of time, during which he apologized to the audience and said they were having ‘technical problems,’” Dan explained on the YouTube channel Mind Blown Magic Illusion. “Eventually, the curtain came across and the stage began to revolve imperceptibly slowly. However, the helicopter moved in sync with the stage. The beam of light appeared to be stationary in relation to the stage. When the curtain was lifted, they saw the helicopter in the same place but with no statue. The beam of light also helped black out the background. Otherwise, the audience would have seen a different skyline.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The key to the illusion was ensuring the audience didn’t know they were on a revolving platform. To do so, the stage rotated very slowly and the music had a lot of pounding bass that obscured any movement the audience may have felt.

A few minutes after the statue “disappeared,” the curtain went back up. When it was dropped again, Lady Liberty was back and America was whole again.

Why did David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear?

At the end of the TV special, Copperfield revealed that his goal for the illusion was to remind all Americans not to take their freedoms for granted because they could be gone in the blink of an eye. This was a heavy statement at the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

"I want to tell you why I did this. My mother was the first to tell me about the Statue of Liberty,” Copperfield told the audience of millions. “She saw it first from the deck of a ship that brought her to America. She was an immigrant. She impressed upon me how precious our liberty is and how easily it can be lost. And then, one day, it occurred to me that I could show with magic how we take our freedom for granted. Sometimes, we don't realize how important something is until it's gone."

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