My junior year of college I called the Ricki Lake Show. They were looking for show ideas and people willing to guest star. The recorded prompt instructed me to leave a my name, contact info, and a general message. Game on.In my best white trash voice I said, "Ricki! I need your help up in here. My husband wears boxers that are full of tiger stripes. His pajamas used to be his dad's and he died 13 years ago. Ain't that freaky? His briefs got holes and stains, too. WOOH! And the gas! I NEED YOU RICKI! Please give my husband a bedroom makeover!!" Then I left my mom's name and phone number, being sure to ask Ricki to call me back ASAP.
Several days later I got a call in my dorm room. It was my mom. The conversation went something like this.
Mom: (all business) Stacy Ann! What did you do?
Me: Hi Mom! What's going on? (innocently, of course)
Mom: Did you call the Ricki Lake Show?
Me: The Ricki Lake Show? That show is such trash, Mom. You should just stick to Oprah.
Mom: This is NOT funny. A producer from the Ricki Lake Show just called me, asking about your father's underwear habits.
Me: Really? Did you tell the truth? (at this point I'm barely able to hold it together)
Mom: Do NOT call strange TV shows and give them our phone number. I have no desire to go on national TV and have your father get some sexy makeover.
I don't remember how the conversation ended. I think I had to promise not to ever do it again. I kept that promise, too. I never called Ricki Lake again. But Jenny Jones, well, that's another story.
To this day all I have to say to my sister is "Ricki" and we both bend over laughing like it just happened. But we only try to do that when it's a holiday because some stories are too good to not include the entire family, don't you think?
Surely you've made your share of prank calls. Tell me about your best ones. How old were you? Who was the victim? Details, people. I need details.
No prank call I ever made is nearly up to par with this one! Where do you come up with these bizarre ideas? You're a girl after my own heart.
ReplyDelete@ Christy -
ReplyDeleteI have always been somewhat of a prankster and tend to think fast on my feet. When inspiration hits I go with it. Love me some April Fool's Day and think most other days are a practice run.
SS
No you did not.
ReplyDeleteI was present when an old friend called a late-night infomercial number for some sort of turkey oven. Twenty minutes of sincere, thoughtful, yet detailed questions in, he asked how many turkeys the oven came with. The salesperson only argued with him for a few minutes about whether the company was guilty of false advertising. Then they hung up.
ReplyDeleteThat was a good night.
@Curtis-
ReplyDeleteSo. Did.
I like to play with telemarketers.
ReplyDeleteThis is all shades of awesome. Mine is NOTHING compared to that...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I had an ongoing prank with a friend of mine for about 3 years. This was, of course, before caller ID could ruin all that for us. Anyways, I would call her and claim to be with AT&T's friends and family, and when she would say she wasn't interested, I would sob that I would lose my job and that my husband's brother's dog would be homeless because he was living with us, and I'd be homeless and it was going to be her fault that the dog was put in a shelter.
Seriously, I don't know how she didn't realize it was me for 3 years, but at her graduation, I approached her and used the voice, and she almost died. Fun stuff.
wow. that is the funniest! good one.
ReplyDeleteI love Ricki Lake. She is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI've never pranked a telemarketer, but a few years ago I was working as a fundraiser for my school, calling alumni. One night I called a house to talk to a woman who had graduated, we'll say Mrs. Smith. Well, seeing the caller ID said only "Houghton College," her husband assumed it was their son calling from his dorm room and answered the phone "House of Pleasure!" I had to speak to his wife, not him, so my only option was to make a request: "Is Mrs. Smith available?" Mr. Smith got in a lot of trouble with his wife :)
ReplyDeleteOh man, PERFECT! I wonder how many guests on the Tyra Show, or Ricki Lake, or even on Jerry Springer have all started like this. And at the thought of being on television, the people making the prank, decided to take this one step further and act like this was really their life's story! Seriously, cause some of the things these days are just too crazy. I saw a promo for a black lady who bleached herself and her kid's skin to make it paler so they'd be "less black". She is black, and racist against herself. (I'm sure there could be something psychological to cause this, but I'm hoping it's a prank for the sake of her kids.) Just absurd.
ReplyDeleteMy husband met a guy who is an actor for shows like this.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I see why you are the Queen and I am but a mere plebe.
ReplyDeleteA decade ago in high school, my grandparents were staying with my brother and me while my dad was away captaining a fishing vessel in Alaska. On an early release day (which my grandparents didn't know about) my bro and I had gone over to a friend's house to hang out for a bit. We called home to let them know we were on our way, but instead told them that we had gone to an away game with the football team and that they needed to call the school office and excuse our absence since we had left early that morning. My grandmother was absolutely shocked and could say no more than "ohhhhh, noooo" in her beautiful Norwegian accent. She was very relieved to here the truth.
I used to tell my parents that I was going to call the child abuse hotline when they would tell me I couldn't do things when I was 8 or 9. Like attend an American Girl birthday party for my dolls at someone's house because we were going somewhere that day.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure my parents laughed at me behind my back ALL the time as a child.
note to self: never, EVER, give Stacy your phone #.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, my momma would have killed me.
No prank phone calls I've ever made could measure up. That is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteThat is hilarious. Love the patience of waiting for the call for your mom. Truly the sign of a great prankster.
ReplyDeleteJon
My aunt used to own a dress shop in a little town in East TX. We used to prank call her all the time. I think the funniest was when my cousin called (in an incredibly awesome girlie voice and dialect that I'm still trying to perfect myself)and wanted to know if she sold any ling-ger-ree. She didn't understand what he was saying and he repeated it and then said, "You know sexy underwears." She told him they did have some nice nightgowns. He asked if she had any crotchless panties and proceeded to tell this really long story about how he'd been to "the walmarts" but they didn't have any and he'd tried to make his own with an old pair of panties and some scissors but it just got all raveled up. By the time she got off the phone she was so worked up - really worried this crazy woman was going to try to come shop in her store. We still laugh at that one over Christmas dinner :)
ReplyDelete