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Compiled by "Smart Mouth" columnist Amelia Robinson, Seen and Overheard is fueled by juicy tidbits, oddball tales and strange sightings.
Home > Blogs > Seen and Overheard > Archives > 2009 > October > 16 > Entry
Was ‘Balloon Boy’ part of a publicity stunt?
Now that 6-year-old, Falcon Heene is safe, many are wondering if the whole thing was a publicity stunt?
What do you think?
Falcon’s father, meteorologist Richard Heene says no. He told the NBC Today Show that it was no hoax, and that there was no way he could profit from the balloon or the experiment. The balloon is not patentable, he said.
But Falcon seemed to let the truth out of the bag on CNN’s ” Larry King Live” Thursday night, saying he didn’t come out because his family “did it for the show.”
As Falcon threw up - yeah, Balloon Boy threw up - , his father explained it away on the Today Show, saying that Falcon was confused.
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He also said that such suggestions are “crap” and “disgusting.”
In light of so much pushing and pulling for media attention these days, do you agree with questioning whether if was a hoax being off limits?
The cops are convinced it wasn’t a hoax, but are still going to investigate.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment |
Comments
By Shirley
October 16, 2009 9:29 AM | Link to this
I don’t know for sure, but my gut tells me that the dad had something to do with this. I feel sorry for the kids.
By Calie
October 16, 2009 10:39 AM | Link to this
Why would his father do something like that to put his son in danger…I think it was the brothers who put him up to playin with the balloon and then lied when they got into trouble by sayin that the little boy was in the balloon when it went up in the air
By mechengr9
October 16, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this
According to a video I saw released by the family the father launched it but the mother was supposed to be holding it and it got away. I think they knew all along he wasn’t in there.
By Mitch
October 16, 2009 10:58 AM | Link to this
This family is clearly off their rocker and it is more than obvious that the father is smart but clearly unstable as well as a terrible liar. They all looked as if they had slept in their clothes at the Friday morning GMA interview and were very shakey about answering questions about the incident. The part of the interview where the youngest boy had to leave the set and throw up was ridiculous in that you could hear every gag the kid made as if to purposely be heard in the interview. The local police need to conduct an indepth investigation of this incident and most likely remove these children from this unstable environment. I was convinced of this after the fathers comments about structures and land grating evidence on Mars. WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
By flipper
October 16, 2009 11:00 AM | Link to this
Was he found on the plains in eastern Colorado? If not then a hoax. father needs pysch counseling.
By bluecorvettemom
October 16, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this
This is the same family that was on the TV Show Trading Spouses. The father is rude and obnoxious to anyone who will not or does not agree with him. He is a wanna-be metorologist as the show brought off. It had to be a publicity stunt!!
By christa
October 16, 2009 12:14 PM | Link to this
I thought it was hilarious when the kid barfed his guts out on live TV this morning on the Today Show!
By Falcon Punch
October 16, 2009 12:33 PM | Link to this
LOL LOL mom I need the bucket. That Dad doesn’t even care. I loved the look on the brothers face though
By bugford
October 16, 2009 3:22 PM | Link to this
There is now a video on youtube showing the balloon taking off. Both parents are there. There is no box attached. And later it turns out that the ‘compartment’ at the bottom of the balloon is not really a compartment at all — it’s just part of the balloon, and it doesn’t have a hatch. And then we find out that this balloon is just a really big version of the kind sold in flower stores, and doesn’t have near enough lift to carry a boy inside it. Now, the dad made this thing, right? And we’re supposed to believe that he thought his son crawled into a ‘box’ that wasn’t there, connected to a ‘compartment’ that isn’t a really compartment, on a balloon that can barely lift its own weight? And he’s angry that we’re skeptical?
By Mike
October 16, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this
Children are dying around the world. Children are raped and killed every day. We have our military serving selflessly while all of you worry about this crap? Get your priorities straight. Please, just give a little thought to what I am saying and your life will be less stressful and you will actually make a worldy difference before you die, unless you think God and Jesus are fake.
By Katie
October 16, 2009 5:08 PM | Link to this
I say give them their own TV show, like on TLC. They love morons like these people.
By James
October 17, 2009 7:33 AM | Link to this
It’s obvious it’s a hoax. Dad first acts like he can’t hear the question posed by Wolf Blitzer, then he acts like he doesn’t understand it. When pressed again, he flips it by getting upset. I’ve never seen so much tap dancing. HOAX from the start and his son let the cat out of the bag…ouch! They should charge dad with the costs associated by fire, rescue and any other responders.
By becky
October 17, 2009 9:29 AM | Link to this
Why is every body asking do we think this was to get on tv?Yes it was to get on tv come on people we are smarter then that dad and he sick to use his kids to do this.I think the house looked dirty and clutterd are chrildren ser gonna go out to the home and make the parents clean there home up?Its nasty these poor kids and the kids think they are suppoes to live that way because there parents are nuts.