N.B. nurse gets surprise audition on Canada's Got Talent

Sam Babin, of Rogersville, impresses judges with impromptu performance on popular TV show

Published Apr 08, 2024 • 4 minute read

Sam Babin, of Rogersville, was surprised with an impromptu audition on Canada's Got Talent. Photo: SUBMITTED

When Sam Babin traveled to Niagara, she thought she was there to watch the filming of auditions for Canada’s Got Talent.

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What she didn’t know was that by the end of the trip she would be up on stage singing her heart out.

Babin, originally from Rogersville, said she and her sister Tyffanie Bourdage used to watch America’s Got Talent- the show’s U.S. counterpart- at their grandparents’ house every year, and she grew up loving to sing.

As a younger girl, Babin was shy and would only sing at home alone. Bourdage convinced her to join a band with their cousin, and for several years she performed in small New Brunswick venues.

Though, when she went to nursing school and became a nurse, she set her singing aside. Now she is working at the Campbellton Regional Hospital.

Last year, Bourdage, who lives in P.E.I., told her she had won an Instagram contest with the prize of an all-expenses paid trip to watch the auditions for the show at the Fallsview Casino Resort.

Bourdage had invited her along, but Babin was not aware that her sister had seen a social media post from the show asking fans to send videos of people who had talent.

Bourdage had sent in videos of her sister singing, and the producers had liked it, so she had been in contact with them about setting up a surprise audition.

Babin said because she thought her sister won a contest, she did not think anything was amiss when drivers picked them up at the airport, or put microphones on them before they went to sit in the crowd.

“I had no clue whatsoever,” she said.

Someone from the show came and told Bourdage her microphone was not working, and she was whisked away.

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“All of a sudden she was on the stage,” said Babin, noted her sister announced the surprise audition, and Babin was taken backstage.

Since Bourdage had sent in several videos, Babin was given a list of songs to chose from. She selected “Creep” from Radiohead.

Babin said she had not performed in front of an audience in at least four years, but tried to keep her composure.

“This is the moment you’ve been waiting for your whole life. You’ve been dreaming about stuff like this since you were a little girl,” she had thought.

Her biggest fear was forgetting words to the song. It was a running a joke with her band that she sometimes forgot lyrics.

Her sister was in the audience cheering her on as she belted out the words to “Creep.” When Babin finished, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, as tears welled up in her eyes.

In answering questions following her performance, Babin said she would never have thought about auditioning for the show.

“You always think ‘I couldn’t be that person. I’m not good like them,'” she told the panel of judges, which included Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Kardinal Offishall, and Trish Stratus.

The judges, on the other hand, had a different opinion.

“You definitely belong on a stage like this,” said Singh.

Mandel said the lyrics did not suit her situation.

“You’re not a creep and you do belong here,” he said, prompting a laugh from Babin.

Offishall acknowledged how it difficult it must have been for Babin to get up on stage with no preparation.

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“To be able to do that in front of the entire country, but still manage to deliver what you delivered tonight, you did something amazing, and you should be proud of yourself,” he said.

Babin told Brunswick News she appreciated the judges’ input.

“It was fun to hear famous people giving feedback on the performance,” she said.

All four judges gave Babin’s performance a “yes,” allowing her to move on to the next round.

Babin said the rest of the day was a blur of signing paperwork, being briefed by the production team, and having photos taken.

“It feels like a fever dream. It didn’t feel real at all,” she said.

She had to keep her performance a secret from friends and family until closer to the airing of the episode. The episode entitled “You Belong Here” aired on March 26.

After the episode was released, she received a barrage of excited phone calls and text messages from friends and family, including some co-workers who did not know she could sing.

She is looking forward to the next round because now she has time to practice, select her song, and choose her outfit and makeup, rather than being unexpectedly asked to perform.

“I’m happy about my performance. It’s obviously not on par with what I know I can do,” said Babin.

Since returning home from the audition, Babin realized she had been pushing her dream of love of singing aside and has asked to join an upcoming FUSION event, which is a blend of art, fashion, special effects, videos, story and performance.

“It gave me a push,” she said.

Yanick Devost, of Fredericton, and his German shepherd “Maggie the Goalie” were also selected to move on to the next round of competition.

The winner of the show’s third season will receive $1 million, which according to Citytv, is the largest cash prize in Canadian TV history.

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