In Fort Collins, Colorado, the Heene family set off an experimental balloon that they had been creating in their back yard. The balloon’s supposed purpose was for use in the early indication of oncoming storms so that Richard, the father who worked as a stormchaser, could be on top of things if and when a storm hit Colorado. However, Richard’s neighbor, Robert Thomas, claimed that he had been assisting Richard with the balloon since the inception of the idea and that it was designed to look like a UFO and the plan was to pull off a great hoax with the balloon they were working on.

Richard’s motive for scamming the general public was to create publicity for his family and garner national media attention to help him pitch his idea for a reality TV show that he and his family would star in. The Heene’s had their first taste of reality television stardom on ABC’s Wifeswap, and after that appearance Richard Heene was left thirsting for more attention. Richard set about getting that national attention by setting off the balloon in his back yard and informing local, state, and federal officials that his son was trapped in the balloon now floating over the clear Colorado skies. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), numerous local emergency units, several national news stations, and millions of Americans followed the event closely for 6 hours as the balloon drifted on and nothing was heard from 6-year-old Falcon Heene who was supposedly inside the balloon. Citizens of America watched intently as news stations showed live footage of the balloon making its way across Colorado, all the way until it touched down fairly softly near the Denver airport. Some Americans watched as the prayed for the safety of the boy, but many were more fascinated by the prospect of the boy’s grim ending and hoped that they, similar to the crowds that gather around people who have just received a traumatic injury, could glimpse a bit of the carnage.

EMT and public officials quickly searched the balloon and the surrounding area only to find that the boy was never in the balloon at all. Falcon Heene in an interview later admitted to hiding in the attic the whole time because, “we did this for the show.” Those simple words seemed to have brought everything crashing down on Richard Heene; they brought about 4 criminal charges, 2 of which are felonies, and ended the relief and joy that many Americans were feeling for this family. Most would think that would mean that Richard Heene’s fifteen minutes of fame were up and it is now time to move on to a different, hopefully legitimate, news story. Incorrect. If all Heene was after was his due fifteen minutes of fame, then he certainly went about it the wrong way… he overachieved grossly! The Heene name is dropped in print media, broadcast media, and radio newscasts daily, as well as used as an allusion in completely unrelated stories. Heene has become a household name in just a little over a week because of his hoax. Heene boldly provided entertainment for the entire nation, despite the risk of being caught and punished for fraudulent actions and public scams and in turn received far more national publicity than he even thought was possible. The FAA wants to discourage this type of activity in the future but pressing charges is really just giving the Heene family more attention. The FAA might as well extend an invitation to anyone else who is trying to attract the attention of the national public to engage in other fraudulent acts so as to get in the news for as long as the Heene family.

Both Richard and Mayumi Heene have their own lawyers and are geared up for a long legal procedure that promises even more media coverage. Whether the Heene family becomes famous or infamous will depend on how these legal procedures pan out, but if their aim is to be reality television stars all they have to do is stay out of prison. Some of the most infamous names of the past few years are extremely well known reality television stars: Terrell Owens, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Spencer Pratt, Tiffany Pollard aka New York, and etc. There is a very good chance that when all this is through Richard Heene will be considered brilliant for doing exactly what it takes to make his dream of getting a reality television show for his family a reality. Richard Heene set his mind to a task and is making sure he gets it done. Richard Heene is the best representation of the American Dream that we’ve had since entering the recession era!