The Balloon Boy Reality TV Show

When I first heard the term "Balloon Boy", I was hoping to be treated to a heart-warming story of a Pinocchio made out of balloons that just wanted to be a real boy. I was deflated when I found out the truth. Get it? Deflated? Because of balloons. They get deflated when they... forget it.

By now you've probably heard about the boy whom everyone thought was trapped in a UFO-shaped balloon flying over Colorado, but was really hiding in his attic or garage or something. You've probably also heard that the whole thing was a hoax.

The family had pitched a reality TV show to TLC (which TLC rejected), and the hoax was most likely intended to draw attention to the family and the show. How did they figure out it was a hoax? Balloon Boy said on CNN that he thought "we did it for the show".

Many people are outraged. Don't get me wrong, I think this was a terrible thing to do. But GIVE THAT FAMILY A SHOW! I mean they were willing to fake their son's disappearance and possible death. Can you ask for better television?

Every episode they could douse their son in pig blood and throw him in a shark tank, or dip him in gasoline and set him on fire, or cover him in sunflower seeds and set thousands of starving hamsters on him. Then someone would try to rescue him, and after they get chomped or burnt or gnawed, the kid would pop out of some box like David Blaine, unharmed.

It has violence. It has suspense. It has magic. It has hamsters. What more could you want?