NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2009
The Family behind the "Balloon Boy" Story
Described as Storm Chasers who Live on the Edge, Heenes Twice Appeared on ABC's "Wife Swap"
-
Play CBS Video Video Balloon Boy Talks To Press The six-year-old boy who was feared to be in a helium-filled balloon speaks with the press about his true whereabouts.
-
Video The Boy and the Balloon A highly unusual search in Colorado has now ended for 6-year-old Falcon Heene, who disappeared while allegedly tied to a helium balloon. Ben Tracy reports that Heene was found safely at home.
-
Video Balloon Lands, Boy Missing A six-year-old boy was feared to be inside a homemade balloon aircraft that floated away from a yard in Colorado. But, when the balloon landed, there was no sign of the boy.
-
The Heene family is seen in a promotional photo for the ABC reality series "Wife Swap." (ABC)
-
Photo Essay Bizarre "Balloon Boy" Story A 6-year-old boy was believed to be inside a balloon that floated away, but he was actually in hiding in his family's home the whole time.
The family of a 6-year-old boy who set off a nationally televised scramble when he was thought to be in a balloon over Colorado has been featured twice in the ABC show "Wife Swap."
Falcon, the son of Richard and Mayumi Heene of Fort Collins, Colo., was found hiding in an attic above the family's garage after authorities spent Friday afternoon looking for the boy. Falcon's family was last on "Wife Swap" in March, favorites of the audience who had voted to have them featured again on the show's 100th episode.
In "Wife Swap," two mothers trade places for a few weeks. Producers try to match families with wildly different attitudes and lifestyles to see if sparks fly.
Photos: The "Balloon Boy" Incident
When they first appeared last fall, the Heenes were described as storm chasers who lived on the edge and were matched with a Connecticut family who considered safety to be paramount.
Viewers later voted for two families who had previously appeared on the show - including the Heenes - to be featured in a special 100th episode swap in March. ABC called the family "science-obsessed."
"When the Heene family aren't chasing storms, they devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm. In this ultimate swap, the Heenes swap lives with a psychic mom who speaks to the dead and can control the weather, her husband and her children -- who believe they are destined to be star," the promotional copy read.
Father Richard Heene is an amateur scientist and storm chaser, according to a 2007 Denver Post profile. He is a co-author of the Web site The Science Detective.
The balloon saga captivated people around the country as they stopped to watch the jaw-dropping sight on television of the aircraft gliding through the air. Some wondered if the whole episode was a hoax.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From U.S.
Add a Comment See all 19 Comments
- Honey? Can you help us blow up our balloon so that we can deceive the American public?
Balloon Boy to the rescue! Balloon Boy! He is here to save the day! - Reply to this comment
- Sorry to disagree or contradict, but this IS reality TV in its finest hour. The reality is what these boys will become as they grow to young men,considering the parenting that they have received. There are so many morals and lessons in this foolish episode but knowledge and learning always are secondary to the media in favor of sensationalism. This is a modern day Grimm's fairy tale and sadly, most of those did not have happy endings,either.
- Reply to this comment
- I think the whole family needs to have their butts whipped and pay whatever expenses this STUNT cost taxpayers.
Yes, I think it was staged so they could be in the spotlight again.
Idiots! - Reply to this comment
- Ya know........
michaelm07 pretty much said it all. Exploit the kids to get another round of "Oh LQQK @ us.....& a bit more dough in the bank acc''t, so momma can get that new pair 'o shoes. What a joke!
Apparently, the 15 minutes of fame the family had previously x-perienced via "Wife Swap" wasn't enough for Pops! [Or the rest of the family for that matter.]
As an unfortunate truth.....todays 'Reality Shows' create & feed meat-heads like the father in this story who just has to have their time in the lime-light.
---Grab it ALL Daddy!!! Gee Thanx[!] Daddy! There's a quarter Daddy! Can I get a New publicist Daddy?---
I find it very curious "That This Balloon" [capable of flight] would be left so accessible & un-secured / available, to young children as stated in the story to begin with!
Leaving such an object available to ANYONE who may be trouncing thru the yard is absolute, full-bore, Stupidity!!!!!
As 'Red Foreman' would say:......"DUMB*SS!"
BIG QUESTION:.....What category of insurance is gonna cover this bad idea when someone is injured or worse?????
I guess in respect of the gents self-given title of " Un-Trained Storm-Chaser" speaks for itself! It seems he is in need of more training than just the weather-related aspects of general life as it pertains to his part in society.
I mean REALLY.....there is NO direct vocabulary link or physical definition that I can think of that places "storm-chaser" in the same category as job titles such as 'Brain Surgeon" or "Rocket Scientist". Ya see what I'm sayin' here???
Must say however that it was a rather unique way of tossing the family back into the media spotlight.
The family should be held responsible for all costs incurred from services provided by the county / state / or other agencies, & possibly be charged with reckless endangerment, simply because of the fact that the 'Balloon' was left in such an accessible state that it could so easily be released.
Thankfully the child mentioned in this article is OK & was not actually on-board the balloon when it was released. Hopefully the local authorities will follow the incident with an in-depth investagation of the entire issue & file charges against the father accordingly. - Reply to this comment
- Anything for attention, like a drug these folks are addicted and trying to get their 15 minutes stretched out for as long as they can. This situation yesterday is as ridiculous as the whole voyeur concept of these STUPID reality shows. Like the ridiculous John and Kate plus 'who cares', I have always thought people who like that crap need to get a life. I have never watched it nor will I, and the same goes for these losers with the balloon. Put a camera in front of people and they fall under a spell or something and act like dancing bears trying the get a treat (money). Talk about selling your soul? The bottom line, "reality" TV - isn't reality.
Fans of these shows are the same dumbed down fools that vote for other fools like Obama and all the other half-wist currently running our goverment. God (or whomever) help us, we've gotten what we deserve. - Reply to this comment
-
- "Anything for attention, like a drug these folks are addicted and trying to get their 15 minutes stretched out for as long as they can."
Yeah, they remind me of those self-righteous types who post long-winded comments on new sites. I have always thought people who like that crap need to get a life. They are a bunch of "half-wist" (sic) too.
- "Anything for attention, like a drug these folks are addicted and trying to get their 15 minutes stretched out for as long as they can."
- Balloon Boys sounds like he Admits: ?We Did This For The Show? -- http://thedailyjabber.com/?p=3675
Then you hear mom say "no" then dad sounds like he poop's on himself. - Reply to this comment
- Balloon Boys sounds like he Admits: ?We Did This For The Show? -- http://thedailyjabber.com/?p=3675
Then you hear mom say "no" then dad sounds like he poop's on himself. - Reply to this comment
- Oh, who cares about 'wife swap'? As long as the kid is ok, that's all I care to know.
- Reply to this comment
- Neglectful, stupid selfish parents raising their kids to be just like they are. Stupid also for not paying attention to their kids. At these ages neither boys are emotionally, psychologically, physically or intellectually trained to act responsibly. Stupid kids acting stupidly. Idiot parents acting like idiots.
- Reply to this comment
- Family services should be called. Have you seen the youtube video these boys have out? It is a true glimpse into the real family lifestyle.
- Reply to this comment
- They sure are irresponsible parents and whether this was a hoax or not they should be responsible for the extreme costs to the taxpapers of this "rescue" and "recovery" operation.
I am not impressed...thuis was the stupidest thing ever !!! - Reply to this comment
- by user465 October 15, 2009 5:26 PM EDT
the boy's parents seem eccentric but i don't think they are idiots.
No, not idiots, MORONS. You do NOT leave children unattended around things like this. In fact nowadays you don't leave young children unattended EVER. - Reply to this comment
- An expert on CNN calculated that the balloon was capable of lifting 100 lbs...plenty for a 6 year old. As others have said this dad owes his family for letting his hobby become a dnager. It has been reported that the kids and parents sleep in their clothes so they can get up in the middle of the night and chase storms.
- Reply to this comment
-
- then cnn should fire it's experts. a spherical dome with a diameter of 20ft and height of 2.5 ft (figures cited in the news stories about this brohaha) has a volume of about 401 cubic feet. The saucer shape is 2 domes joined at the middle so you have 802 cubic feet of helium. If the balloon had zero mass, the lift of that volume of helium would be 22.56 kgs, or about 49 lbs. given the typical weight of aluminized nylon film used in such balloons, the actual lift would be closer to about 33 lbs - not counting the weight of the plywood 'battery compartment' seen on the bottom of the balloon. in short there is NO way this thing could have taken off with a typical 6 year old inside. It just wouldn't have the lift required to do so.
- This man is not going to win the most responsible father of the year award. Never should have happened.
- Reply to this comment
- um............... I dont know what to say!!!!!!!!!! It is Bushes Fault.
- Reply to this comment
- yea, i doubt it was a hoax or some kind of publicity stunt. the boy's parents seem eccentric but i don't think they are idiots. if this is a hoax, the public will crucify this family and the authorities would probably bring charges against them.
- Reply to this comment
