Mayyas are first Mena act to win 'America's Got Talent', but not the first non-American


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

Mayyas made history when they won America's Got Talent on Wednesday night, taking home $1 million in prize money and the chance to perform in Las Vegas.

The Lebanese dance troupe are the first act from the Mena region to win the American talent show. They are also only the third non-American act to be crowned the winners.

Japanese performance artist Kenichi Ebina won the eighth season of the show in 2013, and British comedian and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin won season 10 in 2015.

Speaking about Mayyas reaching the final and the "biggest stage in the world", Mohamad Ajouz, a friend of members of the troupe, described it as meaning “everything to me and all the Lebanese people".

British comedian and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin won 'America's Got Talent' in 2015. Getty Images
British comedian and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin won 'America's Got Talent' in 2015. Getty Images

How do acts who aren't from the US qualify for 'America's Got Talent'?

America's Got Talent is indiscriminate when it comes to auditions and says: "Everyone is welcome to audition for AGT, no matter where in the world you call home," in its auditioning FAQs. However, there are regulations in place.

"To audition on stage for the judges, all performers must be either a United States citizen, legal permanent resident of the United States, possess a current employment authorisation card (EAD card), or be in the United States legally at the time of their audition," the rules state.

To qualify for the show, the acts simply need to have valid visas at the time of auditioning.

In season 17, the initial auditioning stages were virtual, conducted via Zoom "from the safety of [acts'] own home", owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Season 17's diverse finalist line-up

While Lebanese troupe Mayyas won the show, the 2022 America's Got Talent final line-up was a truly diverse one.

Half of the finalists were not from the US, coming from Australia, France, Lebanon, Poland, South Korea and Spain. The majority of the international contestants had competed in their home country's versions of the talent show.

Dancer Kristy Sellars, who came second in America's Got Talent this year, is from Victoria, Australia, and won season nine of Australia's Got Talent in 2019.

Magician Nicolas Ribs is from Paris, and made it to the semi-finals of season 14 of the French version of the show, La France a un incroyable talent, in 2019.

Spanish ventriloquist Celia Munoz, who is from Madrid, won season six of Got Talent Espana in 2021.

Polish singer Sara James won The Voice Kids Poland in 2021 and competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in the same year, where she placed second. The 2022 season of America's Got Talent was her first international talent show.

South Korean contestant Yu Hojin is a magician from Seoul, known for his sleight-of-hand tricks. He hasn't competed on any international versions of the show, but toured with The Illusionists for seven years before going solo and appeared as a guest performer with the group on season 11 of America's Got Talent in 2016.

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Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space

Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)

Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)

Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution) 

Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space  

Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019

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Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children

She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career

She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence

Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken

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Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

Need to know

When: October 17 until November 10

Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration

Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center

What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.

For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com

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Updated: September 26, 2022, 10:16 AM`