Voting Station

Richard Heene

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Oddity

The Resume

    (circa 1961- )
    Resided in Fort Collins, Colorado
    Appeared twice, with his wife Mayumi and three children, on ABC's 'Wife Swap'
    Mastermind of the 'Balloon Boy' hoax involving his 6-year-old son Falcon and a silver helium balloon shaped like a UFO (2009)

Why he might be annoying:

    His fabricated story about his son being carried away in a balloon was all a publicity stunt.
    His hoax cost the state of Colorado thousands of dollars in emergency rescue fees.
    His hoax also delayed commercial flights in and out of Denver International Airport.
    He believes humans are descendants of aliens.
    He said he had an alien encounter after falling at a fast food restaurant and hitting his head.
    He has an explosive temper, which was twice displayed on episodes of ABC's 'Wife Swap.'
    He was arrested for vandalism, vehicle tampering and disturbing the peace (1997).
    His attempt to pitch a reality show starring his family failed (cited as a possible motive for the hoax).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is incredibly enthusiastic about science.
    His house was filled with a bunch of neat scientific gadgets.
    He is an avid storm chaser, claiming to chase 30 to 40 severe storms per year.
    He was so memorable on 'Wife Swap, viewers voted for his family to appear a second time on the show's 100th episode.
    His hoax was rather elaborate, and he conspired for months to pull it off.
    A 'Free Richard' group was started by some of his fellow science detectives and alien believers.
    His stated goal: 'This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947.'
    His hoax/publicity stunt did exactly what it was supposed to: create headlines and put the spotlight on his family.

Credit: D


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 82 Votes: 54.88% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 76 Votes: 55.26% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 30 Votes: 63.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 72 Votes: 79.17% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 50 Votes: 78.00% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 109 Votes: 66.97% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 532 Votes: 74.25% Annoying