WORLD Grand Prix semi-finalist Dimitri Van Den Bergh has revealed he was offered the opportunity to appear on The Masked Singer in his homeland.
The Belgium No1 was beaten 5-2 by fellow countryman Mike De Decker last night at Mattioli Arena, Leicester.
It's heating up
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) July 18, 2024
Luke Humphries leads 12-10pic.twitter.com/cgQg2X3Gvg
The pair have been sharing an Airbnb this week, and the defeated Van Den Bergh was asked if he would make a good housemate in the Big Brother house in an interview with Boyle Sports.
Van Den Bergh, who was mocked by Luke Humphries earlier this year, revealed: “Big Brother, that’s a step too far.
“You’ve got basically no privacy anymore, they’ve got 24 hours livestreams so everyone is literally being watched. That’s a bit extraordinary, taking it over the top.
“Funnily enough, in Belgium I’ve been asked already to do a few shows, including The Masked Singer.
“I don’t know if I would be really good at it but I definitely would have a lot of fun.
“All of these people, the way they’re dressed, their costumes, a bit of singing – I don’t even know if I’m good at, but it would be fun.”
Van Den Bergh went on to say fans believed he had already appeared on the show in disguise.
He continued: “Last year – there is something called a mushroom in English – it’s different in Belgium, it’s champignon, that’s what they call it. It almost sounds like champion. And they were making this image as if it was me.
“So many people were asking if I was in it, if I was doing it and I just tagged along. I really was making people believe I was in the suit.
“The biggest reason I’m not in these shows is because I’m a professional darts player and the Tour is just very busy when they do all the episodes at this time when we’ve got all the Majors. So it never plans out right.”
Back in July, the world number one defeated The Dream Maker at The World Matchplay in Blackpool.
On his way to victory he managed to have a bit of fun as he teased his opponent.
With the match in the balance at 11-10 in Humphries’ favour, Van den Bergh produced a brilliant 180 to leave just 52 to finish.
The Belgian celebrated his 180 by shrugging his shoulders boastfully, apparently confident he was about to get back level.
Up stepped Humphries knowing a failure to check out 106 would likely see Van den Bergh win the leg.
His first dart missed its treble 20 target but he remained composed to hit treble 18 before finishing on double 16.
Then came something unexpected from Humphries, who is famous for maintaining a cool and controlled demeanour – something which does not win him favour with fans.
As Humphries went to collect his darts he mimicked Van den Bergh’s shoulder shrugging celebration with a big smile across his face.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON rolled back the years by delivering a team talk to help inspire a team to title victory.
The Manchester United legend was back at Old Trafford for the Super League Grand final between Wigan Warriors and Hull KR.
He was a special guest of Wigan as they secured an historic quadruple, beating Hull KR 9-2.
Head coach Matt Peet thought it would be useful to have Fergie‘s input as he picked up on the parallels between his side and the United team of 1999.
Peet said: “We reached out through a mutual friend – we just thought we were on the verge of something similar to when United won the Treble,” said Peet.
“Obviously Sir Alex’s side played at Old Trafford, [plus] the fact he spent his career developing homegrown talent and with his mentality, we thought he was the perfect person.
“It was epic, as you can imagine. We hung on every word, but it was his presence. The lads were so quiet to hear a leader like that and, a humble man as he was, you could hear a pin drop.
“With all the lads, Sir Alex presented their jerseys, external I can never thank him enough for that.”
Ferguson, 82, was renowned for his team talks during his managerial career – sometimes for the wrong reasons.
But he may have helped to make a difference for Wigan who added the Super League title to their trophy haul.
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They retained the title they won last year and added it to their successes in the League Leaders’ Shield, World Club Challenge and the League Leaders’ Shield.
Ferguson had a knack for inspiring his players although he could tear them apart too – depending on his mood and the situation.
Ahead of the 2008 Champions League final Ferguson told his players he has “already won” because of the bond he had with his team.
Patrice Evra revealed that was enough to inspire them to victory as they beat Chelsea on penalties.
RING doorbells are set to receive a brand new feature that enables you to find just about anything instantly from videos without endlessly scrolling through footage.
The technology already picks up on intruders but an AI-powered Smart Video Search will make it even easier to find specific details.
Currently, finding exact moments – both good and bad – can take more time, requiring the user to watch through footage manually.
For example, if you’ve heard about a crime on your street involving a red car you would have to go through the videos yourself to find that moment.
But the new AI-powered Smart Video Search can find those specific sections for you.
“Instead of scrolling through your video footage to figure out who ate the last of the ice cream or why the garbage cans are knocked over, you can type queries directly into your Ring app to quickly pinpoint the right moment,” the Amazon-owned company said.
“Smart Video Search helps keep you close to the things that matter, like your family, pets, home, business, or personal interests, like wildlife, and it can help you answer everyday questions, like when the kids got home from school.”
So, for example, you could type “red car” and it will come up with any moments in which a red car was detected.
Smart Video Search is rolling out in public beta first.
But when it launches fully you’ll be able to search for things related to animals, locations, packages, people, time, vehicles, weather, and even some activities, like jumping, running, playing, or riding.
It’ll work with all Ring video doorbells and cameras.
But you’ll need the new Ring Home Premium to take advantage.
Ring recently revealed an overhaul of its subscription plans, with the introduction of a new Premium tier.
There are now three Ring Home subscription tiers available, previously known as Ring Protect.
Home Basic remains the cheapest option at £4.99 / $4.99 a month, which covers just one device and stores up to 180 days of video event history.
Users will get new Video Preview Alerts, showing a short clip in the push notification so you can instantly see what triggered a motion alert without opening the app.
Home Standard is the new name for Protect Plus, which also remains at £7.99 / $9.99 a month.
It now comes with an extended live view, allowing you to watch your camera feed live for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Home Premium is the brand new top end tier which comes in at £15.99 / $19.99.
The plan covers all the Ring devices in your home and 24/7 recording for the first time.
Footage is saved for a maximum of 14 days giving you time to check and download any you wish to keep.
Amazon is currently offering up to 40% off some Ring doorbell products for a limited time.
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
SPOTTING the mess in the bedroom is easy, but can you outsmart everyone and find the hidden spider?
Time to put your vision skills and IQ to the test and crack this tricky brainteaser in just eight seconds or less.
The image above is known as an optical illusion, meaning there could be other not-so obvious elements to be found.
The challenge here is to spot the hidden spider perfectly blended into the scene.
Everyone can quickly see the mess taking over the bedroom.
But only those with 20/20 vision and a high IQ can solve this mind-bending puzzle.
Are you able to find where the spider is or will you be left scratching your head?
It might seem a bit daunting at first, but the key is to carefully examine each section of the image.
You might wish to start from the top left corner of the image and work your way down, or maybe do the complete opposite – whatever gives you more confidence!
Another useful tactic is picking an element of the picture and analyse what’s around it.
OPTICAL illusions work by tricking the brain into seeing something that doesn’t match physical reality.
They exploit the way our brain processes visual information to create images that are interpreted in a way that differs from the actual object or scene.
Our eyes capture light and send signals to the brain, which then processes these signals to form an image.
But the brain doesn’t just passively receive this information; it actively interprets it based on past experiences, expectations, and assumptions.
The brain often simplifies complex scenes to make sense of them quickly.
This simplification can lead to misinterpretation of what is actually there, resulting in an illusion.
Did you manage to spot the spider hidden in the messy bedroom? If so, congratulations!
Still struggling to find it? Have a look at the solution image at the bottom to find out where it is.
Did you know that solving optical illusions is a great way of training your brain and improving creative thinking?
Brainteasers are purposefully designed to trick our vision and can be used as simple determiners of intelligence.
So you might want to try The Sun’s wide range of optical illusions created to stimulate the deepest parts of your brain.
In this mind-bending image, everyone can see the farm but you have 20/20 vision and a high IQ if you can spot the hidden heart in seven seconds.
Another tricky brainteaser features a gnarled tree but only those with high IQ can spot a sleepy cat hiding on it.
If that’s still not hard enough for you, then have a go at spotting the hidden broom amongst the clothes in less than five seconds.
Or you can have a go at figuring out the hidden message in this band’s cover art that has confused fans for years.
Lastly, puzzle fanatics have been left scratching their heads trying to find the lost feather in just 12 seconds.
PATRICK Mahomes’ stats through five weeks of the season make for worrying reading for the rest of the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has led his team to a 5-0 start to begin the 2024 campaign.
But Mahomes and the offense has looked far from it’s best to begin the season.
The 29-year-old has had to deal with a number of injury problems on offense.
At the beginning of Week 6, Mahomes was 22nd in passing yards with 1,235.
He also had six interceptions to go with his six touchdowns.
And the superstar quarterback was just 16th in QBR with a rating of 55.8.
Despite his own struggles, Mahomes has still managed to lead the Chiefs to five straight wins.
NFL fans are stunned at how Kansas City keeps managing to pull it off, wondering “how do they keep winning?”
It’s an ominous sign for the rest of the NFL as his Chiefs chase history.
Kansas City is looking to become the first team in history to win three straight Super Bowls.
Fans launched into a social media debate on whether Mahomes’ form is worthy of MVP.
“If he wins MVP the voting is absolutely rubbish,” one said.
Another posted, “He shouldn’t even be touching MVP right now.”
But other fans disagreed – and claimed he was showing his true value despite the stats.
“If Mahomes wasn’t on the Chiefs they’d probably be 0-5,” one argued.
“Pretty much the definition of Most Valuable Player.”
Mahomes has had to deal with losing free agent wide receiver signing Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown.
He also saw electric sophomore receiver Rashee Rice suffer a knee injury in Week 4’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kansas City has placed running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve as well.
And tight end star Travis Kelce has yet to find the end zone in a tough start to the season.
The 35-year-old has shown signs of his old self in the last two weeks with 16 catches for 159 yards.
The Chiefs are on bye in Week 6 before they face the San Francisco 49ers in a repeat of this year’s Super Bowl.
DONALD Trump has revealed that Elon Musk has promised to reach Mars in the next few years… and said will give him a job at the White House.
Trump and Musk have been growing closer as the Republican battles to vows to win back the White House in 2024.
The two have forged an unlikely bromance – with the world’s richest man endorsing Trump.
In the interview today with Fox News, Trump described Musk as a “great business guy”.
He said that Musk has promised to put America on Mars by 2028 if the former president is re-elected – and beat China to the red planet.
Trump added: “I want him to send a rocket to Mars.
“He’s made a promise to get to Mars by the end of my administration [in 2028], which will hopefully be long before China or Russia.”
Unless Trump changes the rules on term limits, his administration will have to end in 2028.
When asked by host Maria Bartiromo which agencies he would shut down if re-elected, Trump referred to his rival-turned-pal.
He said: “Let me have you ask another person, because I’m gonna have Elon Musk… he’s dying to do this, he’s a great business guy actually.”
He continues: “He’s a great cost cutter, you’ve seen that, and he said ‘I could cut costs with affecting anybody’.
“He doesn’t want to be in the cabinet, he just wants to be in charge of cost cutting.
“We’ll have a new position, Secretary of Cost Cutting.”
It comes after the SpaceX founder and tech entrepreneur publicly endorsed Trump ahead of the federal election.
Musk wrote on X after the Pennsylvania July 13 shooting: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
The two’s praise of each other comes in stark contrast to Musk’s previous comment after the former president accused Musk of lying about who he voted for in the 2020 presidential election.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” Musk posted in July 2022.
Trump’s high praise of Musk comes after the SpaceX Starship rocket completed a world first after it’s booster stage was captured on its return to the launch pad.
Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made.
SpaceX and its chief executive, Musk, hope that it will one day carry people to the moon and Mars.
Towering almost 400ft, the empty Starship blasted off at sunrise from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.
The SpaceX vehicle’s lower half manoeuvred back beside its launch tower where it was caught in a giant pair of mechanical arms, as part of its first test flight.
It brings SpaceX’s ambition of developing a fully reusable and rapidly deployable rocket a big step closer.
Engineers at SpaceX declared: “A day for the history books.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X: “Ship landed precisely on target! Second of the two objectives achieved.”
Former president Donald Trump and Telsla CEO Elon Musk’s relationship started rocky, but the pair have since reconciled, with Musk fully endorsing Trump and interviewing him on X Spaces on August 12.
In 2022, Elon Musk and Donald Trump publically feuded on X, then still known as Twitter.
Trump called Musk a liar and “bulls**t artist” during a rally in Alaska.
“Elon is not going to buy Twitter,” Trump said at the time.
“You know, he said the other day, ‘I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that – you told me you voted for me. So he’s another bulls**t artist, but he’s not going to be buying it.”
In response to Trump’s critiques, the SpaceX founder clapped back.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” Musk posted.
Musk also went on to buy X months later.
The X owner said he had previously voted mostly for Democrats since becoming a United States citizen in 2002.
However, when the 2024 election rolled around, he endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s rival.
“My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist,” Musk wrote on X in 2022.
“I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”
His shift in political parties might be attributed to his plummeting relationship with President Joe Biden who didn’t invite Musk to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit.
Despite their past issues, Trump and Musk’s relationship took a turn in March after they met at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was also previously against electric vehicles but has since changed his stance.
“I’m for electric cars,” he said at a rally earlier this month.
“I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice.”
Following the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in July, Musk announced his support for the former president.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X after the shooting.
During a recent press conference, Trump spoke highly of Musk.
“I respect Elon a lot. He respects me,” he said.
“Elon, more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country. He loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble, it’s in tremendous danger.”
