Latest news with #WifeSwap
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The True Story Behind 'Trainwreck: Balloon Boy'
On July 15, the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy takes flight, chronicling the saga of the Heene family in Colorado, who sparked wall-to-wall cable news coverage in October 2009 when they reported that their homemade helium balloon, shaped like a flying saucer, got untethered with their six-year-old son Falcon inside. Turns out Falcon—nicknamed 'Balloon Boy'—was in his family's house the entire time, nestled in a space above the garage that police missed in their search. When asked why he didn't come out of the house when it was being searched during an interview with Larry King, Falcon said, 'You guys said that we did it for the show.' That comment started a whole new news cycle about whether the Heene family had staged a hoax. Falcon's father Richard Heene, an amateur scientist, pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, and his wife Mayumi pleaded guilty to filing a false report to authorities. Richard received a 90-day prison sentence, and Mayumi received a 20-day prison sentence. In 2020, the Governor of Colorado pardoned the Heenes, arguing that the state needed to move on from the episode. In Netflix's latest Trainwreck documentary, Falcon and his parents speak out about this traumatizing period. Here's how they respond to the claims that they staged a hoax. Balloon Boy's side of the story The helium balloon came to exist because Richard Heene liked to conduct science experiments and film them—often taking his kids out to chase tornadoes. But he claims he never intended for it to come untethered, only hover about over 20 feet over his yard in Fort Collins, Colorado. Built like a flying saucer, it was a tempting attraction for a kid. 'There's a little compartment there that's perfect for my size, you know,' Falcon, now 22, says in the doc. 'I wanted to live in there.' On the day of the infamous search, Falcon says he had tried to climb into the balloon a few times but got yelled at by his dad. Feeling 'scared,' he decided to go back into the house to his favorite hiding place, the garage attic, where he 'got bored and fell asleep.' He remembers waking up to a lot of commotion in the house, and says he went and found a large number of people in the house, but no one recognized him. Reflecting on the entire incident and the viral Larry King interview, Falcon says he feels like his words got blown out of proportion. 'I remember feeling bad that I did something wrong. But just looking back on it now, I was six-years-old and all these adults took whatever I said they were able to string together what they thought was something else and make it so, so big. It's baffling.' How the family responded to hoax claims After Falcon's comment went viral, the public and law enforcement focused on why the family would have made up the story. Richard and Mayumi Heene had been contestants on the show Wife Swap in 2008, and some wondered whether the 'Balloon Boy' incident was an effort to land a reality TV show of their own. Bob Heffernan, investigator with the Larimer County Sheriff's office, says in the doc: 'I also learned that the Heenes had been working very hard to try to get themselves a TV show. It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out there somewhere. I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax.' Despite serving time on charges related to the hoax, Richard and Mayumi Heene maintain in Trainwreck that they were not trying to seek attention with the balloon. When those comments are played back to Richard Heene in Trainwreck, he says 'that makes no sense. Why would I even consider doing something that's going to turn on me, potentially sending me to jail. Like how am I going to get a TV show doing that?' As far as those who cite his stint Wife Swap as proof that he was capable of pulling off the 'Balloon Boy' hoax to get attention, 'People were accusing us of being fame hungry because we were on Wife Swap, which is completely not true. I would have never done Wife Swap in a million years. It sounded gross to me. But they offered to pay us, and we needed money.' He argues the footage of him and his wife hysterical when they realize the flying saucer is drifting away shows genuine emotion. They're screaming and visibly upset. In terms of Falcon's implication that the family did it for a show, he argued that 'he's only 6,' meaning viewers have to take what a six-year-old says with a grain of salt. The Heene family moved from Colorado to Florida to start new lives with more anonymity. The incident does not appear to have deterred Richard from doing more experiments. The documentary ends with him teasing a mystery invention: 'I'm working on something new, and it's going to be really big.'
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Channel 5 launches new challenge show inspired by iconic Eddie Murphy film
The new show has a retro feel to it 'for more than one reason' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EDDIE MURPHY's Eighties movie Trading Places is the inspiration for a new TV project. The Channel 5 show has the same name and will see two people with very different lifestyles have to walk in one another's shoes. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Eddie Murphy alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places Credit: Alamy So you might end up watching a banker try his hand at farming, or a violinist become a lorry driver, or a ballerina ditch their tights in favour of working on an oil rig. It is based on the story at the heart of comedy Trading Places, which sees Eddie's down-and-out character Billy Ray Valentine trade positions with upper-class stock broker Louis Winthorpe, played by Dan Aykroyd. Meanwhile, snobbish Louis becomes a street hustler and pals with local hooker, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. A TV insider said: 'While this has strong echoes of the 1983 movie, it has a retro feel to it for more than one reason. "The new project definitely has a whiff of Channel 4's Wife Swap or Faking It, which were hugely successful in the Nineties and Noughties. 'Though this does take things to higher level, as there is an implied amount of competition given that it's two people trying to excel in the other's field of expertise.' But the experience goes much further than their nine-to-five job. The participants will live in one another's houses, take over their hobbies, and even socialise with their friends and families. They will even have to follow the other's sleep routines — and neither has the faintest idea what the other does for a living before they start filming the show. DAMIAN'S GALAXY OF STARS ACTING royalty DamiaN Lewis brought together a galaxy of stars for the launch of Lightroom's Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs. I was on Wife Swap - what the other woman said when she went through my fridge left me reeling The attraction, in King's Cross London, is a new immersive experience that takes visitors back to prehistoric times, 66 million years ago. 3 Damian Lewis with celeb pal Billie Piper Credit: Getty 3 GMB host Kate Garraway was one of a string of Damian's famous pals to attend Credit: Getty Damian, who played Henry VIII in the BBC's Wolf Hall dramas, lends his dulcet tones to proceedings as the narrator. But at the official launch he was also playing host to a string of famous pals including Billie Piper and GMB host Kate Garraway. Other big names attending included Kay Burley, Anita Rani, Charlotte Ritchie and Matt Johnson. The prehistoric world was brought vividly to life through Lightroom's cutting-edge 360-degree projection technology – and all to the sound of a score by Hanz Zimmer. LIAM'S GIFT TO SINGERS NICOLE SCHERZINGER has told how co-star Liam Payne would put in extra hours behind the scenes of Building The Band to help the wannabes. The late singer is also a judge and mentor on the Netflix talent show that launched yesterday. It was filmed prior to his shock death last October. Nicole, who was a guest judge on The X Factor in 2010 when Liam found fame with One Direction, said of his time on Building The Band: 'He was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor bands. 'He put in the extra hours to work with these bands even off screen. 'He was giving back and that's one of his gifts.' AMY SET FOR LAST LAUGH THE first comedian primed to join a new star-studded cast of Jimmy Carr's Last One Laughing is Amy Gledhill She has been snapped up by Prime Video for the second series of the hit comedy show, which drops next year. Jimmy is back to host the show challenging ten of the UK's funniest people enter a room for a six-hour battle of wills - where the last one to laugh is crowned the winner. Amy will follow in the footsteps of Bob Mortimer, Daisy May Cooper and Joe Lycett who featured in the first outing. An insider told The Sun: 'Amy is not massively known as yet, but she's a rising star who has already achieved acclaimed success at the UK National Comedy Awards and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 'Last One Laughing is the perfect opportunity to show off her talent - and help catapult her onto the worldwide stage.' ROSE'S THRILLER GROWS ITV has commissioned a second series of thriller Code of Silence which stars Rose Ayling-Ellie. The first, six part series was widely acclaimed when it aired on ITV1 and ITVX in May and June and the first episode consolidated with 7.5m viewers In particularly, people tuning in were impressed by it putting a deaf character, Alison, at the heart of the action. Former EastEnders and Strictly winner Rose, who plays the key role, said: 'I'm so proud that Code of Silence has been recommissioned. 'The response to the first series has been incredible, and it means so much to be part of a drama that not only keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, but also puts a Deaf character at the heart of the story. 'I'm really excited to see where Alison's journey goes next and to be working again with the wonderful cast, crew and creative team behind the show.' A NEW trailer has dropped for series two of Netflix hit Wednesday, and it suggests Jenna Ortega's eponymous lead is in grave danger. During one of her psychic visions, she learns her best friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) will die and it is her fault. It lands on August 6. NETFLIX's longest-running unscripted series Queer Eye has been canned. The lifestyle show followed the Fab Five – experts in fashion, design, relationships, grooming and interiors – as they made over willing its 2018 debut more than 90 episodes have been aired.
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Channel 5 launches new challenge show inspired by iconic Eddie Murphy film
EDDIE MURPHY's Eighties movie Trading Places is the inspiration for a new TV project. The Channel 5 show has the same name and will see two people with very different lifestyles have to walk in one another's shoes. 3 Eddie Murphy alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places Credit: Alamy So you might end up watching a banker try his hand at farming, or a violinist become a lorry driver, or a ballerina ditch their tights in favour of working on an oil rig. It is based on the story at the heart of comedy Trading Places, which sees Eddie's down-and-out character Billy Ray Valentine trade positions with upper-class stock broker Louis Winthorpe, played by Dan Aykroyd. Meanwhile, snobbish Louis becomes a street hustler and pals with local hooker, played by A TV insider said: 'While this has strong echoes of the 1983 movie, it has a retro feel to it for more than one reason. Read more on Channel 5 "The new project definitely has a whiff of Channel 4's Wife Swap or Faking It, which were hugely successful in the Nineties and Noughties. 'Though this does take things to higher level, as there is an implied amount of competition given that it's two people trying to excel in the other's field of expertise.' But the experience goes much further than their nine-to-five job. The participants will live in one another's houses, take over their hobbies, and even socialise with their friends and families. Most read in News TV They will even have to follow the other's sleep routines — and neither has the faintest idea what the other does for a living before they start filming the show. DAMIAN'S GALAXY OF STARS ACTING royalty DamiaN Lewis brought together a galaxy of stars for the launch of Lightroom's Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs. I was on Wife Swap - what the other woman said when she went through my fridge left me reeling The attraction, in King's Cross London, is a new immersive experience that takes visitors back to prehistoric times, 66 million years ago. 3 Damian Lewis with celeb pal Billie Piper Credit: Getty 3 GMB host Kate Garraway was one of a string of Damian's famous pals to attend Credit: Getty Damian, who played Henry VIII in the BBC's Wolf Hall dramas, lends his dulcet tones to proceedings as the narrator. But at the official launch he was also playing host to a string of famous pals including Other big names attending included Kay Burley, Anita Rani, Charlotte Ritchie and Matt Johnson. The prehistoric world was brought vividly to life through Lightroom's cutting-edge 360-degree projection technology – and all to the sound of a score by Hanz Zimmer. LIAM'S GIFT TO SINGERS NICOLE SCHERZINGER has told how co-star Liam Payne would put in extra hours behind the scenes of Building The Band to help the wannabes. The late singer is also a judge and mentor on the Netflix talent show that launched yesterday. It was filmed prior to his shock death last October. Nicole, who was a guest judge on The X Factor in 2010 when Liam found fame with One Direction, said of his time on Building The Band: 'He was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor bands. 'He put in the extra hours to work with these bands even off screen. 'He was giving back and that's one of his gifts.' AMY SET FOR LAST LAUGH THE first comedian primed to join a new star-studded cast of Jimmy Carr's Last One Laughing is Amy Gledhill She has been snapped up by Prime Video for the second series of the hit comedy show, which drops next year. Jimmy is back to host the show challenging ten of the UK's funniest people enter a room for a six-hour battle of wills - where the last one to laugh is crowned the winner. Amy will follow in the footsteps of Bob Mortimer, An insider told The Sun: 'Amy is not massively known as yet, but she's a rising star who has already achieved acclaimed success at the UK National Comedy Awards and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 'Last One Laughing is the perfect opportunity to show off her talent - and help catapult her onto the worldwide stage.' ROSE'S THRILLER GROWS ITV has commissioned a second series of thriller Code of Silence which stars Rose Ayling-Ellie. The first, six part series was widely acclaimed when it aired on ITV1 and ITVX in May and June and the first episode consolidated with 7.5m viewers In particularly, people tuning in were impressed by it putting a deaf character, Alison, at the heart of the action. Former EastEnders and Strictly winner Rose, who plays the key role, said: 'I'm so proud that Code of Silence has been recommissioned. 'The response to the first series has been incredible, and it means so much to be part of a drama that not only keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, but also puts a Deaf character at the heart of the story. 'I'm really excited to see where Alison's journey goes next and to be working again with the wonderful cast, crew and creative team behind the show.' A NEW trailer has dropped for series two of Netflix hit Wednesday, and it suggests During one of her psychic visions, she learns her best friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) will die and it is her fault. It lands on August 6. NETFLIX's longest-running unscripted series Queer Eye has been canned. The lifestyle show followed the Fab Five – experts in fashion, design, relationships, grooming and interiors – as they made over willing its 2018 debut more than 90 episodes have been aired.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
They Were Portrayed as a Wholesome Family on TV — Then One Son Came Home with a Gun
Jacob Stockdale fatally shot his mother and brother in 2017 before attempting to take his own life The family appeared on 'Wife Swap' in 2008, and was known for their strict religious values and musical lifestyle Stockdale pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 30 years to life in prisonHe was the quiet son in a God-fearing, music-loving reality TV family. But nearly a decade after Wife Swap introduced the world to the ultra-strict Stockdale family, Jacob Stockdale turned their idyllic farmhouse into a crime scene — killing his mother and younger brother before turning the gun on himself. On June 15, 2017, police say the then 25-year-old shot his mother, 54-year-old Kathryn, and his younger brother, 21-year-old James, inside the family's home in Beach City, Ohio. He then attempted suicide but survived. After years of psychiatric treatment and a not guilty by reason of insanity plea, Jacob eventually admitted to the killings in 2021 and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison, PEOPLE previously reported. The tragedy shook the small Ohio town — and stunned viewers who remembered the Stockdale family's 2008 appearance on ABC's Wife Swap. At the time, the deeply religious family was portrayed as a strict and close-knit. The children were homeschooled, dating was forbidden and secular entertainment — like television and video games — was banned. The family performed together in a bluegrass group, and their daily life centered around faith, work and music. Laurie Tonkovic, the temporary mother assigned to the Stockdale family during the show's two-week switch, told TMZ that Jacob panicked when she offered him and his three brothers small liberties, like watching TV. 'I was gonna let them have fun… television, video games. You know, [let them] experience life a little bit," Tonkovic told the outlet after Stockdale's arrest. 'But Jacob went outside crying… fearful of the repercussions because of what his parents had drilled into him over the years.' 'He was petrified that his religious mom and dad would be angry and that he would 'burn in Hell,'" she said. "He lived in a very controlled environment… his mom and dad told him what to do.' Investigators never publicly identified a motive — but the case has fueled speculation about whether the family's extreme isolation and rigid rules may have contributed to a mental health crisis. PEOPLE previously reported that Jacob was committed to a psychiatric facility after the shootings and was deemed incompetent to stand trial until nearly three years later. Now 33, Jacob is serving his sentence in an Ohio state prison. Read the original article on People
Scottish Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Channel 5 quietly axe popular show after just one series – despite being branded the new Wife Swap
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHANNEL 5 have quietly axed one of their reality TV shows after just one series. The programme was launched to much fanfare and was tipped to be the modern-day equivalent of iconic hit Wife Swap but it has been revealed that it won't be back for a second series. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Channel 5's Wife on Strike has been axed after just one series Credit: Channel 5 3 Wife on Strike featured plenty of fed-up wives quitting Credit: Channel 5 Wife On Strike was first launched in November 2023 but as the series continued, ratings for the show began to dip and it soon fell below one million viewers. Bosses decided to pull the series after just two episodes and instead re-launched the remaining episodes last July as Mums On Strike with a slightly re-tooled edit and premise. However, insiders have now confirmed to the Mail Online that the show has been shelved despite the revamp. A source told the publication: "Wife On Strike was reminiscent of the Wife Swap days when millions of nosey viewers would tune in for their reality fix. "But it just failed to catch on with the audience and was underperforming in the highly competitive prime time slot where original dramas could easily pull in double the numbers. "While the rest of the series eventually aired under a new name, a decision was made to quietly rest the show with no further episodes planned." The Sun has reached out to Channel 5 for comment. In the programme, it saw the wives of the household move out of the home and give up all household chores and jobs. They left the family home leaving the rest of their family to pick up the pieces and undertake all the jobs normally left to them. Wife On Strike bore striking similarities to popular Channel 4 show Wife Swap. Axed Channel 5 show Mum On Strike returns to air in shock U-turn The programme which featured two totally different wives swapping households to see how others approached family life was first launched in 2003 to huge appeal. It produced many iconic moments and continued to run until 2009 when the format was axed. It aired a total of eleven series across its six years on air.
