OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – What started as a prank to entertain friends on Facebook will now be shared on TV sets across the nation.
Vada Ball, a woman from Oak Hill, played a prank on her grandmother, Ernestine Moore, who was visiting from Kentucky, and now it has earned them a spot on America’s Funniest Home Videos.
However, when Ball got the text recently that they would be on, it was a bittersweet moment as her grandmother will not be with her to watch as she passed away weeks before.
“Unfortunately she passed away in September due to COVID-19, so it was very unexpected,” Ball said.
Ball says she hopes the video pays tribute to her fun-loving grandmother who was more than willing to participate in the viral “invisible string prank,” as her must-see reaction to the prank is what has earned them the national recognition.
“I showed it to a co-worker and he said, ‘You need to put that on America’s Funniest Home Videos. You need to send that to them.’ And I thought okay. I will,” Ball said. “And I did. And I didn’t think nothing of it and then in June, they contacted me and said, ‘Your video has a really good chance of being on the show.’”
And then just recently, it became official that they would make it on the show on Sunday night, but Ball says even back in June, before it was official, her grandmother was ecstatic to even be considered.
So even though Ball will not have her sidekick next to her on the day of their big break, she hopes everyone who tunes in gets a small taste of the joy she carried with her throughout her life.
“Just to live like my grandma would,” Ball said. “Even though she was always cutting up and joking. You don’t have to be so serious all the time. You can always prank with people and joke around, and I think that’s kind of what makes the world a happier place is to be able to go smile and laugh, and I do hope that it brings some people joy.”
Their part will air on Sunday’s America’s Funniest Home Videos episode that starts on ABC at 7 p.m.
