Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar

It is a privilege to welcome Hilary Roberts to the Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.

Hilary is a singer-songwriter who is a phoenix rising from the ashes. After suffering many years of trauma and abuse, Hilary made the decision that she could no longer deal with those demons alone. On May 9, 1997, she reached out to a mentor who offered her solutions and a way of life to help her recover one day at a time. She has been sober ever since.  Hilary is not only a trauma survivor but also survived open-heart surgery after being diagnosed with a very rare congenital heart defect, to which she was only given a 50% chance of success.

After the surgery, she lost her voice but eventually got it back after a year and a half. All these situations led her to focus on a life of giving back and spreading the message of hope wherever she goes. She now dedicates her life and talents to making a positive impact on society through her music. Her goal with her music is to be a beacon of hope and empowerment to all.

In 2018, she released her debut single “There For You” under her self-owned label, Red Songbird, which charted No.10 on the Billboard Dance-Club Chart. She followed up that chart-topping single with a second one, an upbeat rendition of Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life,” which spent 13 weeks on the Top 50 chart before claiming No.1 in 2019. She also released “Fight to the Other Side,” which was dedicated to her beautiful friend who was there for her during the depths of her deepest pain. Following her chart-topping success, she released her single, “Good Man,” which is all about celebrating men who make a positive difference in our lives.

On this edition of The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Hilary Roberts spoke about starting the Red Songbird Foundation and her latest single, “Never Too Late,” which she co-wrote with the iconic Justin Tranter.

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Angelcake Entertainment's Drew Angelman returned to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast!

Drew is the creator of ‪Angelcake Entertainment! He has covered the popular MTV reality competition series, ‪The Challenge, since Final Reckoning and many of its spin-offs, including The Challenge: All Stars, The Challenge: USA, and The Challenge: World Championship.

Drew also gave fans crash courses on some of the show’s top icons, including Derrick Kosinski, Jenna Compono, Johnny Bananas, Leroy Garrett, Tori Deal, Zach Nichols, and the late Diem Brown. He also delivered a three-part documentary on two-time champion Cara Maria Sorbello and a five-part documentary on five-time champion Chris “CT” Tamburello. He also addressed some of the franchise’s biggest rumors, ranked the show’s seasons, and dissected how Wes Bergmann and Kenny Santucci’s legendary rivalry continues to impact the franchise.

Drew also conducted interviews with cast members. Adam Larson, Alyssa Lopez, Brandon Nelson, Jonna Mannion, Josh Martinez, Dr. Kefla Hare, Kyland Young, Michele Fitzgerald, Nelson Thomas, Paulie Calafiore, Steve Meinke, and Troy Cullen are among the individuals who have visited his platform. Fans can watch and listen to their whole conversations on Drew’s Patreon.

On our LIVE episode, Drew spoke about his coverage of Survivor 50 & The Traitors and previewed The Challenge: Cutthroat.

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The America’s Got Talent (AGT): Season 21 Judges Auditions are over!  

Throughout the past seven weeks, hundreds of acts auditioned in front of the show’s on-air team (judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara, and series creator Simon Cowell).  Only 10 lucky individuals received the automatic ticket to the Season 21 live shows, courtesy of the Golden Buzzers from the judges and host Terry Crews.  

Once the auditions were over, the judges entered the Gallery of Talent to determine which of the over 100 acts would join their Golden Buzzers in the live shows.  For several acts, the judges wanted to see them once again for the first-ever Judge Callbacks (think of it as a combination of AGT’s Judge Cuts and X Factor UK/X Factor USA Judges’ Houses).  These acts will have the chance to prove themselves over the next two weeks.   

However, tonight, it was all about the Live Acts! Which audition favorites received the green light to advance to the AGT: Season 21 live shows and continue their journey to win the show’s signature $1 million prize? Listen on to find out!  

Next week, the AGT: Season 21 Judges Callbacks begin!

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It is a privilege to welcome singer-songwriter and transgender Belgian/American artist Sam Bettens to Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  

Sam began his career as the frontman for the Belgian rock band K’s Choice with his brother Gert. The band grew in popularity in Belgium, the Netherlands, and across Europe and toured across the United States with Alanis Morissette, the Indigo Girls, Tonic, and the Verve Pipe.  

Recently, Sam released his first album in 17 years, Coming Home. The album was shaped by 15 years living in East Tennessee, including his full-time firefighter work and his transition. It also marks a new chapter in his recording artist career, as this is his first record in the Country-Americana genre. Recorded in Nashville with producer Tom Bukovac, Coming Home blends classic country and Americana singer-songwriter craft. It’s a record meant to be lived with, vinyl on the turntable, stories unfolding slowly, and a voice that carries the weight of experience.

On this episode of The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Sam Bettens shared K’s Choice’s origin story, shifting into Americana and country music, and reimagining K’s Choice hit single, “Not An Addict,” 30 years later.

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It is a privilege to welcome paleontologist, science communicator, and Kansas City native Kallie Moore to The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  

Kallie has loved paleontology before she could even spell it. Growing up in Kansas City, she was surrounded by fossiliferous limestones and spent hours searching for marine invertebrate fossils. Her excitement about being the first human to see a fossil in millions of years established a deep interest in ancient life. Kallie announced her future career in paleontology as a third grader and even spent her recesses searching for fossils in the playground gravel.   She completed her undergraduate education at Emporia State University (ESU) with a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science and a Minor in Paleontology. In January 2008, Kallie Moore started her position as the Collections Manager of the University of Montana Paleontology Collection (UMPC). Throughout her more than 18 years of employment, Kallie supervised a major renovation of the collection facility, led hundreds of tours for school and community groups, organized public outreach events, facilitated paleontological research, and even consulted for Disney.  She also earned the nickname “Fossil Librarian.”  
 
In 2017, Kallie Moore became a co-host and content consultant on PBS Eons. Kallie, along with her colleagues and paleontology experts Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, Blake de Pastino, and Gabriel-Philip Santos, has built a global audience of deep-time fans, amassing more than 757 million video views across YouTube and the PBS app, with 3.17 million YouTube subscribers and more than 1.1 million podcast downloads.   On Wednesday, July 29, PBS Eons will release its latest six-episode series, EONS: Life and Death on Pangea, on the PBS App and PBS.org, the EONS YouTube channel, and the PBS Television Stations. EONS: Life and Death on Pangea is set during the Permian Period hundreds of millions of years ago, and transports viewers to a world shaped by the supercontinent Pangea, extreme climate shifts, and ecosystems unlike anything seen today. From mega-monsoons and vast deserts to giant terrestrial animals, bizarre marine life, and massive volcanic eruptions, the series traces how Earth reached the brink of ecological collapse and how life ultimately recovered. The “Great Dying” remains one of the most dramatic examples of how environmental change can reshape life on Earth.
 
On this episode of The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Kallie Moore shared the EONS origin story, previewed EONS: Life and Death on Pangea, and talked about her children’s book, Tales of Prehistoric Earth.

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America’s Got Talent (AGT) entered its final round of the Season 21 Judges Auditions!

Tonight, the last set of hopefuls entered the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for one final chance to impress the judges (series creator Simon Cowell, Mel B, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara).   However, the judges and host Terry Crews used up all their Golden Buzzers! But did an act receive one final Golden Buzzer?  Listen on to find out!  

Next week, the ‘AGT: Season 21’ Live Acts will be revealed!   

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It is a privilege to welcome actor, stand-up comic, and LGBTQ+ activist Jason Stuart to the Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Los Angeles, Jason has built a reputation for bold, unexpected performances that blend humor, humanity, and fearless authenticity. A self-described insecure Jewish kid who found refuge in performance, he credits Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl with “saving his life”—a revelation that launched a lifelong pursuit of storytelling that challenges stereotypes and flips expectations. That instinct led to one of his most striking turns as a heterosexual Christian plantation owner in Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation, a role that mirrored and reframed the prejudice he’s fought his entire life. Most recently, he serves as actor, director, producer, and co-writer of the indie film REDLINING, a timely and provocative film examining systemic inequality and the personal cost of generational injustice. Anchored by a deeply human performance from Jason Stuart, the film also features Alexandra Paul in a striking turn that powerfully showcases her dramatic depth. Stuart brings nuance, empathy, and quiet power to a story that confronts America’s unfinished business head-on. The film continues his commitment to socially conscious storytelling and adds another bold chapter to a career defined by fearless choices and cultural relevance.

Jason Stuart has appeared in studio favorites including Kindergarten Cop and Vegas Vacation, and on hit series such as The Closer, My Wife & Kids, Goliath (opposite J.K. Simmons), and Judd Apatow’s Love. Indie audiences know him from Oscar winner Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Ira Sachs’ Love Is Strange (with John Lithgow and Alfred Molina), and the Amazon comedy series Smothered, which he co-created and starred in alongside Mitch Hara. The series earned Jason Stuart the Indie Series Award for Best Actor in a Comedy and sparked a new wave of acclaim as a content creator with the motto: “We don’t wait for permission to create.” A highly sought-after stand-up comedian, Jason Stuart tours nationally and released the comedy album I’m the Daddy and I Have Candy. He is also an in-demand speaker on diversity and inclusion and the author of the memoir Shut Up, I’m Talking! Offscreen, he serves as National Co-Chair of the SAG-AFTRA LGBTQ Committee, which he cofounded in 2004. Stuart has also recently completed the horror film Blackwood, the drama I Got Next, in which he plays a basketball coach mentoring a special-needs child, and the acclaimed indie drama Hank, which won Best LGBTQ Short at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Glendale International Film Festival.

On this episode of Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Jason Stuart spoke about the lessons that he learned from being on the sets of The Drew Carey Show, Everybody Hates Chris, Murder She Wrote, and My Wife & Kids; launching the SAG-AGTRA LGBTQ Committee in 2004; and previewed Redlining.

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America’s Got Talent (AGT)’s twenty-first season is nearing the homestretch of Judges’ Auditions.  

The show’s on-air team – host Terry Crews, judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara, and series creator Simon Cowell – has not only been searching for the next $1M winner but also getting competitive in selecting Golden Buzzer acts.  

Terry, Simon, Mel B, and Howie have already completed their search for Golden Buzzer acts, securing TWO acts each.

However, Sofia is the last member of the show’s on-air talent team to have an empty Golden Buzzer spot.  Did the actress press it tonight? Which acts received a buzzer? Listen on to find out!

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It is a privilege to welcome the fantastic Kara Alloway back to The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast!  

Kara began her media career after graduating from McGill University and landed at Allure in Los Angeles, where she worked as the Assistant West Coast Editor, reporting to editor Linda Wells. Her early work focused on beauty and fashion through a journalistic lens, pairing rigorous cultural reporting with a clear point of view.   She later returned to Canada to become Editor-in-Chief of Ingenue magazine, where the publication experienced record growth in circulation within the Canadian teen market. Alongside my editorial work, I hosted a daily fashion and beauty radio show, interviewing industry leaders including Stella McCartney, Laura Mercier, Phoebe Philo, Zac Posen, Diane von Fürstenberg, Bob Mackie, and Oscar de la Renta.  

Reality TV fans first met Kara Alloway on The Real Housewives of Toronto before competing on The Traitors Canada: Season Three. These experiences deepened her understanding of unscripted storytelling, both in front of and behind the camera, and sharpened her interest in how narrative, performance, and public perception intersect.

Following her work on camera, Kara moved into unscripted development and production, signing with Electus in Los Angeles and later joining Hangar 56 Media, where I worked in executive production. Her debut novel, MOST HATED, draws from these intersecting worlds of media, performance, and public judgment, marking a shift toward long-form, character-driven storytelling. Across platforms, Kara’s work reflects a sustained interest in how stories are shaped, controlled, and contested, particularly for women navigating highly visible public spaces.

On this edition of The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Kara Alloway gave an in-depth rundown on her experience on The Traitors Canada.

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America’s Got Talent (AGT): Season 21 Judges’ Auditions returned after its Fourth of July celebration!

Since the Judges’ Auditions began, the entire on-air team (Host Terry Crews, Judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara & show creator Simon Cowell) has raced each other to award acts the Golden Buzzer, which entitled the recipients a spot in the Season 21 Live Shows. 

 Before the episode aired, Simon, Howie, and Mel B pressed both of their Golden Buzzers, leaving only Terry and Sofia with one, respectively. Did Terry or Sofia use their Golden Buzzer tonight? If yes, who was the lucky recipient? Did any act receive any Xs? Listen on to find out!

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