Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Kids Say The Darndest Things

It’s possible that you were one of the hundreds of thousands of people who followed the unfolding saga yesterday of Balloon Boy.  It all started out when the media was reporting that a boy climbed into the basket of a hot air balloon, untethered it, and floated off into the sky.

As facts were clarified, it ended up being a helium balloon.  I felt so bad for this drifting six year old until I saw that this aircraft was basically a package of Jiffy Pop floating around.  There is no way that something that equates to being a Mylar beret would be able to lift a first grader.

Then it was revealed that this ironically-named child, Falcon — when my mother first heard a news reporter refer to him as “Falcon”, she just thought he was making a tasteless joke — belonged to a crazy family that was on an episode of Wife Swap.  I had never seen the show but actually did watch a rerun a couple weeks ago and it was of this family.  They sleep in their clothes so they are prepared to jump out of bed and chase storms at any time.  They. Are. Nuts.

The cynic in me started thinking hoax.  Falcon was eventually found safe and sound in the garage.  When CNN asked Falcon if he heard his parents calling for him, he looked at his dad and replied, “You guys said that … we did this for the show.”  Aw, shizzle.

17 CommentsLeave a comment

  • Arghh….I read an article that called the Dad a ‘Scientist’. I don’t think so….no self-respecting scientist would ever (a) name their kid Falcon, (b) go on Wife Swap, or (c) chase storms in a jiffy pop bag.

    idiots.

  • I am so glad the kid is ok. And if this is hoax on thier part- shame on them! What a terrible, terrible thing.

    Just on a side note, everything I have read about them so far makes them seem crazy.

  • I saw that episode and at the time thought “those kids need to be removed from that environment” man, it feels good to be right all the time

  • ok, was he found in the garage or the attic? i have now heard both…. oh and i call complete BS on this whole thing!

  • Have you seen the Henne boy’s bizarre rap video on utube which mocks over protective parents? TV doesn’t tell everything.

    http://spectator.org/blog/2009/10/15/balloon-boy-family-rap-video-m

    The “balloon boy” has now been identified as Falcon Henne, one of three boys in an family that appeared on the ABC series “Wife Swap” earlier this year. After doing a You Tube search, I unearthed this bizarre rap video recorded by the boys entitled, “Not Pussified.” It mocks “over-protective parents.” In light of what has gone on so far today, and given the family’s history we should be skeptical about anything we hear from now on. All we know is that an eccentric family claims that one of their boys floated away in a balloon, but was not found in the balloon.

  • They had this poor kid on with Meredith Viera even though he was so sick he was throwing up on camera (the mom was prepared with barf bin and napkin, obviously it was not a surprise). These two come across as some really rotten parents.

  • I really hope I am seeing things….

    at about the 1.20 mark Falcon suddenly arches his back and looks pained. Is Dad pinching him to make him shut up?

  • I know the police said that this event was not a hoax, but I don’t buy that for a second. This family is fame hungry. Falcon told the truth right here. 6 year old kids are not devious enough to make up something like “you said it was for the show”. They’ll fib about who broke the toy or who stole a cookie….but not “you said it was for the show”.

    Also….anyone else find it funny that the family searched high and low for the child…yet they didn’t find him in the attic?? She said they were even looking in “small drawers” for him….why not the friggin’ attic???

  • i get that they might have just missed one location searching for the kid- i was watching my little sis once and called for her- she didn’t come and i went all over the neighborhood…she was in the backyard. i was in a total panic/shock. and little kids get confused or lie to please adults, even when they’re super young. he might be trying to do his parents a favor….
    HOWEVER. i think what we should take from this is that they’re nutty either way, and most individuals who end up on reality tv either purposely distort their characters or understand that they will be distorted. these people are not unfamiliar with deception, i’d wager.

  • yo balloon boy, imma let you finish, but anne frank had the best attic hideout of alltime, ALL TIME!!

  • These loonies were on Wife Swap twice. Once with the parents who wouldn’t let their children ride their bikes in the street or go in the woods alone, and once with the psychic, British, bleach-blonde lady whose boys enjoyed tap class and book club with 60-year-old women. Ugh.
    The ballon boy’s dad scares me. I would put MYSELF up for adoption if he was raising me!
    I heard that this whole hoax was an effort for them to get their own reality show. God.Help.Us.

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