Sometime in the last few years, gender reveals became a thing. Instead of just posting a simple Facebook status update or a quick text message of “IT’S A BOY!” or “IT’S A GIRL!” couples started making elaborate videos to announce to the world the gender of their upcoming baby. There’s a wide array of methods used, but the basic gist is that you reveal the gender of your baby with something colored blue for a boy or pink for a girl. It could be a colored powdered or colored cake for example.
Some people use an alligator for their gender reveal.
Other people go catfish noodling for their gender reveal.
Archery enthusiasts show off their skills in their gender reveal.
A popular gender reveal method is to have one person shoot a target that is filled with colored dust and Tannerite, an explosive powder. When the marksman hits the target with a bullet, it explodes and the colored powder bursts into the air.
Dennis Dickey’s gender reveal celebration was 🔥🔥🔥. The expecting dad used Tannerite in his gender reveal ceremony, but it ended in complete destruction. On April 23, 2017, Dickey fired his rifle at the gender reveal target filled with Tannerite and the explosion ignited a wildfire that torched 47,000 acres because of 40 mph winds and dry conditions. The exploding target started the Sawmill Fire near Tucson, Arizona last year that torched the area.
“Dickey had placed Tannerite, a highly explosive and legal substance, inside the target, intending for it to detonate when shot by a high-velocity firearm bullet,” the U.S. attorney’s office for Arizona said in a statement. “Dickey fired shots at the Tannerite target, ultimately causing an explosion that started a fire that spread and resulted in damage to more than 45,000 acres of land managed by the State of Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and various private landholders.”
Dickey “immediately reported the fire to law enforcement, cooperated, and admitted that he started the fire,” Forest Service Special Agent Brent Robinson said in a federal court filing last month. However, the damage was already done and the Sawmill Fire would rage for two weeks over the parched land before 800 firefighters could contain the devastating wildfire. The dangerous wildfire forced dozens of residents to leave their homes.
The estimated cost of the colossal firefighting endeavor is expected to be more than $8 million. Dickey has agreed to pay $100,000 up front and another $120,000 in monthly installments of $500 each over the next 20 years (which is longer than he’ll be supporting the child from the gender reveal). SURPRISE! IT’S A FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR TWO DECADES!
On Friday, Dickey plead guilty to violating U.S. Forest Service rules. He will reportedly be on probation for five years and appear in a public service announcement for the Forest Service. So was it a boy or a girl? The smoke looks gray.
“It was a complete accident,” Dickey said in court. “I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life.”
Maybe next time pop a balloon and have colored confetti inside?
Here are some gender reveal fails that didn’t devastate 47,000 acres and are a little more comical.
And here are some gender reveals that did not end in tears or widespread destruction.
[FoxNews]