The balloon has burst.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A 6-year-old boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in his family's garage attic Thursday after being feared aboard a homemade helium balloon that hurtled 50 miles through the sky on live television.
The discovery marked a bizarre end to a saga that started when the giant silvery balloon floated away from the family's yard Thursday morning, sparking a frantic rescue operation that involved military helicopters and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.
But Sheriff Jim Alderden turned to reporters during a news conference and gave a thumbs up and said 6-year-old Falcon Heene is "at the house." "Apparently he's been there the whole time," he said.

Yeah, no shit. How much would you want to bet that this attention-whore family knew the whole time that the little brat was at home and not in that home made Jiffy Pop balloon they profess to be able to fly?

I'm betting a year's salary.

They have already been on "Wife Swap," the TV version of whoring yourself for money, and this latest stunt is their best bet to be able to stay in the public eye another fifteen minutes until the rest of you figure out that they're a bunch of nitwits.

Television has managed to create more so-called celebrities than the entertainment industry has created in the last 100 years, so it's no wonder that a money-hungry, attention-starved group of Midwesterners would manufacture a little Internet fueled, TV news inspired police chase live on national television in exchange for some attention.

"Oh, we're so happy you're home, son." a tearful dad says to little whatshisname when he crawled out of the family attic. What a load of crap. Meanwhile, national TV (disguised as CNN) bit into this scam hook, line and sinker. It was all over the news this afternoon, presumably because a small child had escaped in a balloon and was drifting over central Colorado. Uh-huh. I'm listening. What a load of crap.

Sorry you fell for it.