It's tough being a storm scientist these days Richard Heene has given them a bad name. In his nutty quest for reality-show fame, Heene brought his three children, ages 6, 8 and 10, into the belly of tornadoes and other violent storms. The erratic former Wife Swap participant, who screamed and threw things at his television spouse, also said he believed the world was going to end in 2012 and that reptilian aliens lived among us and claimed that he once passed out in a fast-food joint after extraterrestrials spoke to him. The day after his big saucer-shaped balloon floated away and everyone worried that his son Falcon was inside, Heene dragged his visibly ill child, a.k.a. Balloon Boy, onto Good Morning America and the Today show, where Falcon memorably upchucked on camera. It soon became apparent that Heene wasn't going to win any Father of the Year awards. Heene faces jail time for his role in creating the now infamous hoax. Under his plea deal, Heene won't lose custody of his kids. Many are wondering if he should.
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists