THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do)
- Two pranksters targeted Michigan Red Baron worker Walt Z. with a fake Apple Pay transaction while he was stocking freezers.
- The father of four described long workdays and mortgage struggles, prompting viewers to organize a fundraiser that reportedly surpassed $413,000.
- Red Baron says Walt remains employed and has the company’s support; the family expressed gratitude and requested privacy.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time)
Two internet pranksters picked the wrong guy to turn into a viral joke. The audience they expected to laugh ended up raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the man they bothered.
A video showed a Red Baron employee identified as Walt Z. stocking frozen-food shelves at a Michigan grocery store. Two pranksters asked him for the time, then pretended to have stolen $10 using a fake Apple Pay sound.
They expected a funny reaction. What they got was an exhausted father trying to work. ‘My life is hard enough as it is, okay? I don’t need this crap,’ Walt told the pair.
One prankster insisted, ‘It’s just a prank.’ Walt explained he was already late finishing his route, his four children had gone to bed without him, and he needed to rise early for another long day. ‘I gotta wake up at 5 in the morning and do 10 more stores!’ he said.
Then came the line that hit viewers hardest: ‘I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage! And I got four kids at home!’ The clip wasn’t a punchline anymore. It was an accidental portrait of the working American the pranksters had chosen to inconvenience.
Instead of laughing at Walt, thousands of viewers asked how they could help. Stranger Luke Oakenshield launched a GoFundMe, and donations rapidly climbed past $100,000, then $250,000 and reportedly over $413,000 by October 29.
Oakenshield located Walt and updated supporters that he was ‘absolutely blown away.’ The family thanked donors and asked for privacy. GoFundMe said it was working on transfer arrangements; the reported fundraising total should not be confused with funds confirmed delivered.
Red Baron’s parent company said the incident itself occurred in August, even though the footage had only recently gone viral. It confirmed that Walt remained a valued employee and was receiving support. The brand posted: ‘He’s still here. He’s got a fan club. Including us.’
The pranksters reportedly deleted their post amid the backlash. Apparently public humiliation is less hilarious when the camera points the other way.
This is the part of the internet worth celebrating: ordinary people recognizing a hard-working father and choosing generosity over mockery. The pranksters pretended to steal ten dollars. The crowd answered with hundreds of thousands — and a happy ending nobody could have scripted.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I have all day)
- New York Post — Fundraiser update
- New York Post — Prank exchange
- Parade — Fundraising coverage
- RVM — Company reaction
