Uh oh: Balloon boy says “we did this for a show”
posted at 8:15 am on October 16, 2009 by Allahpundit
This clip’s better than the one I posted in Headlines last night. Blitzer does follow up after the kid blurts out something about a show, and dad … gets awfully defensive. Maybe the kid simply meant that they built the balloon in the first place with an eye to appearing on some reality or science show? (Which might explain why the brothers were videotaping the backyard.) That makes no sense in the context of the question, admittedly, but that’s six-year-olds for you. On the other hand, after a long, traumatic day in which at least one of their kids outright lied to them about whether his brother was in the balloon or not, it’s … odd that the parents were holding full family media availabilities with CNN mere hours later, no?
To clarify one lingering ambiguity being kicked around in comments last night: The reason the parents didn’t speak up and tell anyone that there was no box/basket attached to the balloon while the media was still reporting that the boy might be trapped inside is that the basket was attached during the whole flight. There was a lot of confusion about that yesterday, but the cops finally said last night that it was still on there when the balloon crashed. So, yeah, the parents might genuinely have thought he was inside. Might.
Update: More context from the CBC. Question: If it is a stunt, why would the parents run the risk of having the kids spill the beans by letting them field questions from the media?
Blowback
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Kids say the darndest things!
Shy Guy on October 16, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Kids do the darndest things
blatantblue on October 16, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Jinx!
buy me a dr pepper!
blatantblue on October 16, 2009 at 8:17 AM
And parents vote for the darndest people.
GamerPundit on October 16, 2009 at 8:18 AM
you’re 15 minutes are up…
cmsinaz on October 16, 2009 at 8:19 AM
Here’s some reality for the parents: The tab for the cost of all the personnel sent out for the “resuce” attempt should land in their mailbox.
JammieWearingFool on October 16, 2009 at 8:19 AM
I bet those kids would kick Wolf’s ass on Jeopardy.
JammieWearingFool on October 16, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Why isn’t this family in charge of writing up Obamacare?
Loxodonta on October 16, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Balloon boy and Obama stunt-boy both put on a show yesterday.
Why do people hate you (sniff, sniff)?
jeff_from_mpls on October 16, 2009 at 8:21 AM
someone heard last night on another thread, there will be no bill…
cmsinaz on October 16, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Ship the whole weird family to Canada.
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:22 AM
2nd
cmsinaz on October 16, 2009 at 8:23 AM
So are the boys named after birds of prey, or old Ford models?
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Sad but true.
beachgirlusa on October 16, 2009 at 8:24 AM
cmsinaz on October 16, 2009 at 8:23 AM
lol
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Great interview, Wolf.
Now, how about you press the Obama administration for answers with just as much gusto? America would really appreciate it.
Conservative_SAHM on October 16, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Falcon, Fairlane & Galaxie
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Okay, let’s wrap this up…you have a dysfunctional family, a family who “tasted” fame, but are social losers.
Every neighborhood has these weirdos, this isn’t news, it’s just everyday life of boring people seeking excitement.
Now send them the bill, but be generous and only charge them $25,000 for their foolishness.
The good news? Obama was pushed off the air for a couple of hours.
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 8:26 AM
I’m more likely to go with the speculation on local radio this morning that this was all a stunt to get the attention necessary to parlay 15 minutes of fame (other than repeated visits to WifeSwap) into a realty TV show along the lines of Sci-Fi channel meets Octomom.
highhopes on October 16, 2009 at 8:26 AM
I must be old fashioned. Aren’t little boys named Bill or John or Mike anymore?
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:28 AM
Yes. The Pennsylvania Avenue neighborhood in DC comes to mind.
Loxodonta on October 16, 2009 at 8:28 AM
Let’s split the difference, be thankful the little guy is fine and stop giving these folks coverage.
Cindy Munford on October 16, 2009 at 8:28 AM
Geraldo, someone who should know a publicity hound when he sees one, thinks the country’s been “punked”. He said so on Fox and Friends this morning. I think ol’ Gerry Rivers is right for once.
kingsjester on October 16, 2009 at 8:29 AM
I want one a those things.
tree hugging sister on October 16, 2009 at 8:29 AM
Too Frumpy. Now they are more likely to be named Jaden, Colin, or Justin.
highhopes on October 16, 2009 at 8:29 AM
If they didn’t want to do any television as the father says in this interview, than why did they agree to do the morning shows today?
And apparently the poor kid vomitted–who knows, maybe he’s sick, maybe he’s scared to death he’s going to say the wrong thing and his father is going to flip out on him.
Even if (and that’s a big if) this whole thing was a huge misunderstanding the family has handled it very poorly. They’ve got some messed up sense of values.
But hey, I’m sure they’ll get their own show.
Niere on October 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Geraldo was on Fox and Friends and for once I agree with him. Call child welfare and have them investigate. Something is very fishy here.
milwife88 on October 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
I can read it in the tabloids a year from now:
‘Richard and Mayumi Plus 3′ premiers on TLC. On the first episode, Falcon is believed to be eaten by a garbage truck. Newscopters and police in high-speed pursuit as the truck heads to the landfill…
Dude, I am going to feature this weird-a$$ story on the program today at http://www.ArmchairEnergist.com
ArmchairEnergist on October 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
The old man sure seemed defensive, and what does mom have to say?
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
You’re a bit behind the breaking news here.
The kid threw up on Today Show. The kid threw up on Good Morning America.
Diane Sawyer had to incredulously tell the parents to get up and attend to the kid as they sat there staring into the camera blankly.
Marcus on October 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Maybe he meant to say “we did this for a Snowe”. History called.
LibTired on October 16, 2009 at 8:31 AM
I can’t pretend to know what makes little boys tick, much less a grown man (I’m still trying to figure out my 15 year old boy) but as a mom, if I had endured several terrifying hours thinking my boy could have been dead only to have the extreme relief of finding him, I wouldn’t be appearing on TV talking about it. I would be in bed, properly sedated.
CarolynM on October 16, 2009 at 8:31 AM
frumpy?..lol..ok
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:32 AM
I love CNN. They are wonderful at fact checking SNL and getting the real dirt on a poor family that has just gone through hell. (Granted they are kinda crazy, but the story does seem believable to me.) Wolf should go find real news and not try to manufacture some issue there. His backtracking, after the dad told him off, was priceless.
freckleface on October 16, 2009 at 8:32 AM
get out
did the kid really yak?
blatantblue on October 16, 2009 at 8:32 AM
News:
Anne Dunn has stated on CNN that this was orchestrated by the right wing to divert attention to the ever growing support for Obama’s health care.
“This family is an American disgrace”, Dunn stated, “We will investigate them thoroughly and are sure we will find links to Fox News”. “This is another case of home schooled children going wild, unsupervised, and causing valuable resources to be expended”. Dunn further stated “…that the school district is looking into filing child abuse actions against the conservative parents, raising their children in isolation”…”This is the type of actions that conservative cabal’s like Fox News creates” Dunn said in closing “The FCC will look into this and fines will be appropriately applied”…
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 8:33 AM
He probably meant that the balloon was done for a show possibly in the future. That’s why he hid because he knew he would be in trouble because they wouldn’t be able to do the show.
It’s a kid that messed up and was scared he would be in trouble. And a parent that was scared that his kid was in danger. If they wanted to do this for a show, they would have had advertising on the balloon.
In fact, I was thinking how I wished I had an ad on the balloon. . . and what a shame there wasn’t an ad on the balloon.
ThackerAgency on October 16, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Yeah, good idea, call in the government, they will fix it…sheesh…
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Did he yak? Right on cue! Both shows! Joe Scarborough – I have to give a golf clap to. He said CPS should run, not walk, to a certain Colorado home.
Marcus on October 16, 2009 at 8:36 AM
Don’t know what you call these names but in the grocery store the other day, a mother trying to get her kids from running around said “Montana, hold Aspen’s hand”. It was a boy and a girl. I don’t even want to guess which was which.
sherry on October 16, 2009 at 8:37 AM
Throw in a WalMart reference and you have a winner!
SlimyBill on October 16, 2009 at 8:37 AM
You were also thinking if that young girl reaches 13 she is fair game…
We got you Thacker, we get you…
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 8:37 AM
They are probably getting paid, and I’m sure every single producer on TV or Cable or Satellite or internet was begging them for an interview.
ThackerAgency on October 16, 2009 at 8:37 AM
shenanigans! Media whore dad put this whole show on. look at their music video. for chrissaches.
coondawg on October 16, 2009 at 8:38 AM
OK, what the HELL are you talking about? Still upset that I’ve been celibate for 10 years? Looking for a sex scandal to titillate you?
ThackerAgency on October 16, 2009 at 8:38 AM
Better yet, why aren’t they writing global warming legislation?
Rovin on October 16, 2009 at 8:39 AM
Attention whores. I wash my hands of this foolishness!
CurtZHP on October 16, 2009 at 8:41 AM
LMAO
beachgirlusa on October 16, 2009 at 8:42 AM
And I get you right2bright. . . you think the only appropriate sex is gay sex right? You are one of those ‘everybody is gay’ people, right? wow, you are so funny and original you should have your own show. . . why do you waste your time here? Your talent is being wasted in the comment section here. . . you should go on the road and give people a real laugh.
Of course, then you couldn’t be anonymous and slanderous. . . that would kill your whole gig.
ThackerAgency on October 16, 2009 at 8:42 AM
Yeah, good idea, call in the government, they will fix it…sheesh…
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Oh you are so right, BTW how many times did the cops look in the house to try and find this boy? They said they turned the house upside down and looked everywhere and still couldn’t find him. Because of the fact that his involved a child, CPS WILL be called and they WILL investigate. Like it or not.
One more thing, you have your whole life to be a jerk, try taking a day off. Sheesh!
milwife88 on October 16, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Obama is heading to Fort Collins to
learnre-learn how to captivate the media.Rovin on October 16, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Give me a freakin’ break?? I can’t believe anyone is still giving them the benefit of the doubt. This dad is a douche of epic proportions, and the kids act like they’re no strangers to working it for the camera’s. They need to be exposed and made to pay the bills for the “rescue”. I am so sick of people being “excused” for their mistakes. I have no doubt this dad will be joining forces with Jon Gosselin and Michael Lohan any day now.
anniekc on October 16, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Yeah, and once they pay for the “resuce” attempt we should also charge them for the rescue attempt.
JoeinTX on October 16, 2009 at 8:49 AM
In fact, I was thinking how I wished I had an ad on the show. . .
Loxodonta on October 16, 2009 at 8:51 AM
A spent, leaky, deflated balloon, coming down on a desolate field without its promised cargo is a metaphor for Obamacare.And, as with Obamacare, the public will have to pay for this scam.
MaiDee on October 16, 2009 at 8:51 AM
LOLOL
If I was stating a family today, I’d name my kids after Native American Chiefs
Little Sitting Bull, please check on Chief Oshkosh and Chief Pontiac
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Hmmm..maybe name the kids after wrenches
Hey 9/16ths, please call 7/8ths to dinner
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 8:54 AM
I’m no aerospace engineer, but once the craft came down and it’s size was evident, the whole thing became “fishy” to me. That craft was way too small to carry anywhere near the weight of that boy. The dad HAD to know this!
These people are publicity whores. Mark my words, E will give them there own reality show.
edgehead on October 16, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Good one!
beachgirlusa on October 16, 2009 at 9:00 AM
The two best names I ever heard working in the NICU as a travel nurse were:
1. Tixe – the last sign the Mom saw before she entered the OR was the “EXIT” sign on a door. She thought it would be a cool name if it were backwards.
2. Gnikomson – that’s right – “No Smoking” backwards. don’t even ask me how they pronounced THAT one.
People need a permit before they name their children.
mjk on October 16, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Pal you are the one who defended the child molester, and thought the girl was asking for it.
You are the one who thinks little girls can be “had” because of their shopping habits.
Do you want to dig up your sick posts again?
You, You, are the one who posted those things…I am not putting words in your mouth, like you are trying with me.
You posted it, you own them, and you never backed away from them…
If you want to apologize for being a creep, and try to redeem what little reputation is left, go ahead.
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Anything would be better than that godawful “Girls Next Door” show. Heck, staring at a wall with drying paint is better than “Girls Next Door.”
mjk on October 16, 2009 at 9:02 AM
ROFL…good one…and yes..names should have to be approved…poor kid going through life like that.
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 9:02 AM
“Hey Falcon… You go let the balloon loose, while we go up on the roof and videotape it… Then, go hide in the attic, and we’ll tell everyone you were in the balloon… Then watch what happens.”
franksalterego on October 16, 2009 at 9:04 AM
They bumped the President off the news for several hours…the MSM is going to really give them the business.
Asher on October 16, 2009 at 9:04 AM
I’m not sure everyone is getting this right yet. The kid didn’t actually say “we did it for a show”. What he said was “you guys said we did this for a show”. Now if “you guys” meant his parents, he was probably spilling the beans. But if he was refereing to the news set team with Blitzer, which is very plausible at that point, he might have been repeating something he heard before he got there and the news hype surrounding the story. He’s six, so he not going to be using adult thought processes here.
MikeA on October 16, 2009 at 9:04 AM
I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right about the whole thing. I think it was a stunt to show off his invention. Which, when you think about it, it’s a pretty cool invention. What isn’t cool is leaving the thing around for kids to play with. If media attention is what he wanted, he got it…probably beyond his wildest expectations. Making people (especially rescuers) think there was a small child in the thing was pretty sick, and if dad had a part in that he should be held accountable.
scalleywag on October 16, 2009 at 9:05 AM
You and I have a different opinion, you think the government will fix it…I don’t.
You want the gov. called on the people, where the whole world has seen it, so why “call” when it is so obvious?
Your first inclination was to get the gov. involved…mine wasn’t.
Just two different opinions.
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 9:05 AM
How does this help Meghan McCain’s boobs?
Dr. Carlo Lombardi on October 16, 2009 at 9:06 AM
It wouldn’t surprise me if the parents told him to throw up on cue, to avoid the question lol
beachgirlusa on October 16, 2009 at 9:06 AM
LMAO
beachgirlusa on October 16, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Reporting a hoax as the truth is a ritual the mainstream media performs on a regular basis. Wolf Blitzer has not reported the truth in so long that reality is a distant memory. This family was just emulating the Obama administration. Nothing new here.
volsense on October 16, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Reminds me of the punchline of an old joke: “Why do you ask, Two Dogs F******?”.
mr.blacksheep on October 16, 2009 at 9:08 AM
heh!
bernzright777 on October 16, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Why would they let the kids answer questions? To continue the hoax?
Why would they have a fully inflated helium balloon in their yard ready for takeoff with a six year old boy running around?
crazywater on October 16, 2009 at 9:08 AM
You’ll never get Meghan off the ground with 10 of those balloons.
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Because they’re dumb as heck.
For ans’ring the question, I getta peace prize!
Shy Guy on October 16, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Here is not what is “right”…it was on every channel, for hours.
Even after the event it was shown and reshown…to the point of being ridicoulous.
This was a minor event, in a nation of 300 million people.
What is not right is the obsession with this…every unusual circumstance, is recorded, documented, and exposed for days.
Rush buying into a team, boy in a balloon, Lettermen and his affairs, anything Biden says…anything out of the ordinary is taken apart, shown to the world, over and over and over again.
The other day I reported how strange it is that I pass a school bus corner, and their are six kids waiting, and four cars of adults waiting in the background for the bus….paranoid, and over exposure.
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Those are kinda strange names, but not so bad.
My sons, Exxon and Haliburton, say that Montana’s really a cool name.
TXUS on October 16, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Why do people have a pool of water in the backyard with a six year old boy running around…why do they have a bicycle in the garage with a six year old running around…why do they have 110 electrical outlets with a six year old running around…they are storm chasers, meteorology is their hobby. Why do people have trees in the back yard for climbing with a six year old running around…
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 9:17 AM
That’s funny, and what a great first grade that would be.
right2bright on October 16, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Ya, but we are all trapped in Obama’s deficit balloon as it continues to inflate and soar away.
You’ll find me hiding in a box, in the woods…
Yoop on October 16, 2009 at 9:27 AM
My son, 9/16ths, like the name Montana too
Jeff from WI on October 16, 2009 at 9:37 AM
The kids were obviously coached, and their un-reality TV gig made them think the kids would play it out. Problem with kids is they have a probematic perpensity to blurt out the truth. D’OH!!
swede7 on October 16, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I submit the Heene’s real mission was to pick up Ward Churchill at UC and fly him back to his planet.
swede7 on October 16, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Because they are idiots. :-)
JeffinSac on October 16, 2009 at 10:35 AM
We are in an emergency situation!!! Now let me call my publicist and PR department!!!
search4truth on October 16, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Classy family. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmlBPAY90MM
JeffinOrlando on October 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM
So what? Why not give the guy his 15 minutes of bloated fame… after all, we’ve awarded another guy 4 years of it.
Michelle Dubois on October 16, 2009 at 10:58 AM
They’ll be on People magazine’s cover by the end of the month.
Beaglemom on October 16, 2009 at 11:08 AM
This had an odor right from the start. These people are gluttons for attention.
drjohn on October 16, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Exactly, If they’re idiotic enough to pull a astunt like this, then they’re idiotic enough to go on the show. Look at the reaction there, it’s obvious that this was set up by the father. Why didn’t he begin to ask his son what he meant by ‘we did this for a show’ line? He lookis down and says nothing along that line to the kid because he’s scared shitless that the kid is just gonna start talking.
cjk on October 16, 2009 at 12:00 PM
No doubt! When’s the last time you saw a baby boy named Larry or Fred?
rmel80 on October 16, 2009 at 12:08 PM
If true, this father would be perfect for the Media Czar in this administration. He would have as much credibility as any of the others and more than most.
volsense on October 16, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Give the kid a good ole-fashioned whipping and ground him for a month.
Parents who spank their kids when they deserve it are the most loving parents.
Parents who indulge their kids and don’t punish them are committing child abuse.
(and send the bill for most of the emergency costs to the foolish parents)
Sapwolf on October 16, 2009 at 7:04 PM