Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

The episode isnt bad, but the first half is told from the family point of view, as if it was real. The dad is not likeable and the kids are only marginally better. I remember this but forgot the Larry King Live interview part. It was not as good as other episodes, but if you are too young to remember Ballon Boy or never heard of it, it is an interesting watch. I remember thinking it was a hoax at the time and after watching this, I still do. Hard to believe they are still going with their story, and they do try and sell it as it was real, but more likely it was all a set up for attention. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, but they didn't convince me it was real.

The interviews with the family throughout were not useful in any way. They talked about this as if we already didn't know they were all bs artists. They were still sticking to the story that this was all true. It was bad and I am dumber for having watched it. One of the kids just swears constantly just to hear himself swear. The mother saying she didn't know what the word "hoax" meant just put this over the top. That her "confession" wasn't really a confession because the officers confused her. It was all silly. The conversations with the police and neighbors brought some information to the documentary. But that was about it.

I lived in Colorado when this happened as like many others that day I watched it all play out on TV news. When it all came out that the kid wasnt in there, people were not happy. And it quickly turned on the family when no one quiet believed the story. This guy was what would now be called a social media wannabe. That whole family was bred and raised to further his attempt to be TV famous. From the moment this guy got caught he did nothing but obfuscate, throw his kids under the bus, and outright lie. It was like if baby Jessica had been a hoax. People in Colorado immediately turned on him and the family. He got his 15 minutes but now one in that area will ever forgive this family for the hoax.

The Train Wreck series is pretty cheesy. The documentaries and sensationalistic and tacky. This one, Balloon Boy, goes above and beyond.

The father is clearly manic and is basically a clone of Cody from Sister Wives in temperament and ego. He is screaming for attention 24/7, even whwn he already has it.

The mother is clueless in every way a person can be and is completely controlled by the father. I don't know what happened to her that makes her that subservient, but it's pathetic to witness.

The sons are misogynistic tools, programmed by daddy. Beware.

Watching the documentary, and especially the father, made my skin crawl.

Richard Heene alerts the authorities that his son, Falcon, has climbed into a homemade UFO balloon. The giant silver, helium-filled structure flies off at a pace; it becomes a major news story. The balloon is tracked by the authorities, officials, and seemingly most of America.

This was such a bizarrely entertaining documentary, one of those where you almost watch in horror, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. Someone please explain to me why and how so many people were taken in by the story.

There was a lot of fascinating footage, including the initial lift off scene.

I thought Richard Heene was wonderfully charismatic and entertaining, but there was no way on earth he didn't know that Falcon was not in the balloon.

Richard definitely had a desire to grab a little bit of fame; why else would he have appeared on Wife Swap? His behavior on that show was designed to get himself noticed, no other reason. That moment where Falcon told the cameras that it was all a game was so revealing.

Did anyone truly think that Falcon was in that balloon? Genuinely? Let's be honest, this could only have happened in America.

7/10.