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News.com.au
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
In-sync Australian twins leave Project host Waleed Aly stunned
Viral Aussie twins Bridgette and Paula Powers have appeared on The Project overnight where they have once again spoken in unison. Footage of the identical twins from Queensland went viral on Monday when they were interviewed by 7News after witnessing a horror carjacking spree in their Sunshine Coast community. The twins' mother, Helen Powers, was among those who came face-to-face with the man allegedly holding the gun. But the twins themselves became the news story when they responded to the journalist's questions at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way, leaving viewers both locally and globally in awe. The folks over on The Project were just as captivated, with the panel inviting Bridgette and Paula on the show on Tuesday night to please explain how they are able to talk identically, word-for-word. 'It just happens and we don't know why. But we have tried to talk separately but it's we're not ourselves. It's not us,' they responded together. 'It's very hard and we don't care about the critics. We tell people if you can't stand listening to us, simply switch off the TV.' The Project host Waleed Aly playfully pleaded with viewers to not switch off just yet as they still had questions for the twins. 'Sorry, I'm still blown away with what's happening here,' he said. 'How does this happen?' The inseparable twins were then asked if they have ever been in romantic relationships. 'Guess what? We're too busy for boyfriends. We give all our time to the wildlife,' they responded, referring to the Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue sanctuary they founded. 'Men are too much trouble.' The pair also revealed that they have never had a falling out. 'Never, no way. We love one another and we're best friends,' they said. Still in awe, Aly said that throughout his career, interviewing the twins has got to be a highlight. 'I reckon I might have done 10 to 15,000 interviews... not one has been was like, this is extraordinary,' he told them. The twins are no strangers to fame. They first gained recognition after working closely alongside and being mentored by late wildlife legend Steve Irwin. The pair went viral in 2016 after appearing on Good Morning Britain where they spoke in unison during an interview with Piers Morgan, who couldn't stop laughing. 'This is one of the greatest interviews I've ever conducted in my life,' he declared at the time. They confessed that they in fact did not rehearse their speech and that speaking in unison was simply to do with how close they are. In a 2021 interview with ABC's Australia Story, the pair further admitted that they had never spent a day apart, saying 'When we're separated we don't feel complete.' 'Our brains must think alike at the same time,' they added.
News.com.au
22-04-2025
- News.com.au
‘Nothing can prepare you': Twins go viral over TV interview
Identical Aussie twins have gone ridiculously viral in the US after giving an interview following a horror carjacking spree on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Bridgette and Paula Powers, affectionately known as the 'Twinnies', had people asking 'What is going on in Australia?' after they spoke in-sync during their recollection of the chaotic highway scenes. Their interview occurred just moments away from the scene of a crime that rocked the Sunshine Coast community on Monday afternoon. A 22-year-old woman died from injuries sustained in a crash and a man was shot in a violent end to the Easter long weekend. NSW man Bradley Donald Towle is being accused of crashing his Porsche and embarking on a series of armed carjackings. The Twinnies, founders of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, appeared on 7News Queensland after their mother, Helen Powers, came face-to-face with the man allegedly holding the gun. The pair didn't skip a beat as they responded to the journalist's questions at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way. 'One guy, he was up there with our mum … he goes, run, he's got a gun,' the sisters said in unison. 'Our heart started to pound. I said, 'Oh mum, where's mum?' Poor mum was stuck up there,' they continued. According to the twins, Mrs Powers rushed to the aid of a crashed car only to discover the alleged gun-wielding car thief inside. 'She goes, 'Are you alright?' Because he had blood all over his face. She goes, 'I'm here to help,'' they continued. In a moment of quick thinking, Mrs Powers distracted the alleged gunman before fleeing to safety. Fortunately, both the twins and Mrs Power managed to escape the terrifying ordeal unharmed. The twins are no strangers to fame. They first gained recognition after working closely alongside and being mentored by late wildlife legend Steve Irwin. The pair went viral in 2016 after appearing on Good Morning Britain where they spoke in unison during an interview with Piers Morgan, who couldn't stop laughing. 'This is one of the greatest interviews I've ever conducted in my life,' he declared at the time. They confessed that they in fact did not rehearse their speech and that speaking in unison was simply to do with how close they are. In a 2021 interview with ABC's Australia Story, the pair further admitted that they had never spent a day apart, saying 'When we're separated we don't feel complete.' 'Our brains must think alike at the same time,' they added. The two acknowledged that it is 'weird' to some and revealed they tried to alter the way they speak in the past. 'We do annoy a lot of people [but changing] doesn't feel right to us at all.' The clip quickly drew in viewers around the world who couldn't believe what they were watching. 'This has got to be a skit,' said one dumbfounded viewer. 'This is the kind of scene you couldn't script, characters you couldn't invent. Watch it immediately with the sound on. Australia can't be real,' said another person. 'Nothing can prepare you for that interview,' added a third. Bradley Donald Towle, 41, now under police guard in a hospital, was allegedly driving a red Porsche Macan that caused a six-vehicle crash. The 22-year-old woman who died was a passenger in one of the cars involved. The man allegedly exited the Porsche armed with a firearm and shot the driver of a SsangYong Rexton who stopped to offer assistance. He shot the 62-year-old man in the arm after an altercation before stealing his Rexton, police alleged. The good samaritan was taken to hospital while his car was found crashed at nearby Landsborough about 20 minutes later. The man then allegedly stole a grey Mazda 3 driven by a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint. The teenager and her parents ran from the vehicle and were not injured. Police said they arrested the man about 12.48pm on Monday at a Landsborough intersection on the Sunshine Coast, about 30 minutes after the fatal crash. The arrest was less than five kilometres from Irwin's Australia Zoo. A firearm was found inside the vehicle, police said. The man sustained head and body injuries in the traffic incidents and was transported to Sunshine Coast University Hospital where he remains under police guard. The 41-year-old Tewantin man has been charged with 15 offences and his matter is set to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday. 'Investigations are continuing with further charges likely,' a police statement said. Anyone with information should contact police.
New York Post
22-04-2025
- New York Post
Twin telepathy: Identical twin sisters go viral after uncanny in-sync interview discussing mom's alleged carjacking
It's a real double-take. Identical twin sisters are going viral for a news interview about their mom being carjacked in Australia — in which they appear to show uncanny telepathy, speaking in near-perfect unison. Bridgette and Paula Powers, both 50, gained traction online as the interview with 7News Queensland caught them finishing each other's sentences and mirroring their hand gestures as they discussed their mother's gunpoint ordeal. Advertisement 'And one guy, he was up there with our mom… he goes, run, he's got a gun,' one sister recounted — while the other mirrored her speech perfectly. 'And our hearts started to pound. And I said, 'Oh Mom, where's Mom?' And poor mom was stuck up there.' The sisters continue retelling the horrific story in near-perfect unison, telling the interviewer together that their mom showed compassion to her attacker. Advertisement 'Apparently our brave mom, she goes, 'Are you all right?' Because [the attacker] had blood all over his face. And he goes: 'I'll shoot you.' She goes: 'Hey, I'm here to help.'' 'Mom distracted him to make him look the other way, and he looked the other way, and Mom ran into the bush behind the fence. The guy goes, 'I'll find you and I'll shoot you,'' they said at the same time. Bridgette and Paula Powers went viral for their oddly in-sync interview. Advertisement Both sisters, in unison, said the entire time they were hoping, 'I hope he doesn't fire.' The sisters and their mother all walked away from the horrific incident unscathed. The sisters have previously gone viral for speaking in sync. It's not the first time the pair, who are founders of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, have gone viral for their synchronous responses during an interview. Advertisement The duo, known throughout Australia for their rescue work, also went viral in 2016 after answering every question in unison on ITV's 'Good Morning Britain,' according to Mediaite. While their synchrony stunned hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, the twins explained it was just a result of their lifelong bond.
Express Tribune
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Twin telepathy: Identical Australian twins speak in sync while recalling mother's carjacking in viral video
Identical twin sisters Bridgette and Paula Powers have become an unexpected viral sensation after appearing in a news interview about their mother's recent encounter with an armed carjacker in Queensland, Australia. The 50-year-old twins drew widespread attention not just for the incident, but for their unique habit of speaking and gesturing in perfect synchrony throughout the televised segment. Speaking to 7News Queensland, the Powers sisters described the alarming moment their mother was threatened by a gunman. While recalling the event, they finished each other's sentences and echoed each other's words with near-identical timing, a mannerism that quickly captivated viewers online. 'One guy, he was up there with our mum… he goes, run, he's got a gun,' one of the twins said, as the other repeated it simultaneously. 'And our heart started to pound. And I said, 'Oh, mum, where's mum?' And poor mum was stuck up there.' Their mother remained composed, despite the threat. 'But apparently our brave mum, she goes, 'Are you alright?' Because he had blood all over his face. And he goes: 'I'll shoot you.' She goes: 'Hey, I'm here to help.'' The twins explained how their mother distracted the gunman before escaping into nearby bushland. Fortunately, no one was harmed during the incident. Beyond the viral moment, the sisters are well-known locally for founding Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, an organisation they launched after forming a friendship with the late Steve Irwin. The pair has previously appeared in media, including a segment on Good Morning Britain in 2016, where their synchronous speaking also sparked fascination.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alarm as magpie filmed exhibiting strange behaviour: 'It's not normal'
An Australian magpie has been discovered exhibiting behaviour so strange, alarmed experts have taken the wild bird into care. One video shows it rolling around on its back like a cat and playing with a pen. In another, it can be seen fearlessly perching on his rescuer's leg and feeding from their hands. 'Three nights ago, I was putting the rubbish out and he just flew really fast towards my shoulder, but he misjudged the distance. Then he stopped and jumped on me. This isn't normal behaviour for a wild bird,' licensed bird rescuers Paula and Bridgette Powers told Yahoo News. The twins believed the juvenile magpie had been raised to associate humans with food, and that's why it approached them. 'He just wanted help, the poor little thing,' they said. The Powers sisters have decades of experience rehabilitating native birds and were mentored by the late Steve Irwin. They suspect the magpie, who they've named Sky, may have been dumped or dropped over the fence at their Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue shelter on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Related: 🏡 Desperate plea to Aussies after sick magpie found in home Registered wildlife carers are trained to rear orphaned or abandoned wildlife using specialised practices that prevent them becoming attached to humans or other domestic animals living in their homes. It could take months to rehabilitate the magpie so it becomes wild again. Problems with members of the public taking magpies from the wild occur across the country. When Western Australia-based Yas Hunter began working in wildlife rehabilitation close to 20 years ago, she'd see four or five humanised magpies admitted annually. But over the last three years that number has skyrocketed, and in 2024 the practice she managed treated 35. 'These are not magpies that are just a little bit humanised and come up to people for food like a lot of the urban magpies do. These are magpies with clipped wings. They land on people's shoulders thinking they're part of the human family so they have issues socialising with wild magpies,' she told Yahoo News. 'These are birds that cannot be easily released into their wild magpie family and they need to undergo a lot of rehabilitation.' 🐕 Call for answers after poison found buried in endangered predator's habitat 🦎 Stop work at airport after warning project will be 'nail in the coffin' for threatened animal 🍽️ Rare species to be served up to Aussie diners as certified 'sustainable' meal Taking home wild birds and not surrendering them to a licensed wildlife rescuer, carer, or vet is generally illegal in Australia. In 2024, Yahoo wrote about two of the humanised birds admitted to Hunter's clinic, Potato and Mildred. And the very different outcomes of their journeys highlight the problem of taking a bird from the wild can cause. 'We lost Potato. She had an underlying fungal infection in her body, aspergillosis. We picked up on it early and started treating her, but unfortunately she couldn't be saved,' Hunter said. While Aspergillus is found naturally in the environment, animals kept inside with poor ventilation can become more susceptible to the fungus. Potato's care team suspect the stress of her confinement likely caused her immune system to weaken, leaving her unable to fight the infection. 'She was taken from the wild, her wings were deliberately clipped and she was forced into a yard with a dog. She was terrified of humans and dogs, so it was devastating for her,' Hunter said. Mildred's fate was a happier one. She came into care at the same time as Potato, and after months of care she was released this week with a large flock of surrendered pets. 'We're just so proud of Mildred, she was one of the most humanised birds. She was scared of being outside, she was scared of the sun, and if another bird flew over her she would scream and hide. It took a good 12 months, and she no longer wants anything to do with humans,' Hunter said. 'Downright depressing' is how Hunter describes the ongoing saga of Australians taking magpies from the wild. Some people who have surrendered humanised birds have told her they were inspired by the Peggy and Molly social media accounts, which feature a "wild" magpie interacting with pet dogs. While the page's creators do not encourage followers to take birds from the wild, some misguided fans have tried to recreate what they've seen on the internet at home. 'These birds could have had a great life with their family, and not had to go through a year of rehabilitation,' Hunter said of birds taken from the wild in Western Australia. 'I'm not sure what we're getting wrong in terms of education. People don't seem to understand what they should do if they encounter wildlife. They seem to think they can do whatever they like with a wild animal.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
