By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
A frustrating dinner turned into a television and Internet bonanza for a Canal Winchester family recently featured on “America’s Funniest Videos.”
Jared Carr filmed his three-year-old daughter Charlotte and five-year-old son Wes during a tense meal when Charlotte, overly tired, wailed in response in refusing Wes’ suggestion for her to take a nap.
It was the nap heard around the world after Jared posted the short video on social media and entered it into an AFV competition. It won a weekly $10,000 contest in January and hit 19 million views on a web page hosted by actor Tyrese Gibson.
“People all over the world, as far away as Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Scotland, reposted the video,” said Carr, who was recently interviewed by the “Daily Mail” newspaper in London, England. The video was also featured on the Entertainment Tonight and Huffington Post websites.
“I enjoy photography and usually take pictures of the kids. My wife was not home that night. I was making dinner and it was one of those days where Charlotte was tired and wasn’t happy with anything I made,” said Jared.
Jared propped his phone on the table to film the meal time meltdown when Wes asked his sister the now famous question, “Did you have a nap today?” Carr uploaded the video to a small circle of friends and family on Instagram and then to a larger audience on Facebook.
He submitted the video online to AFV in September and in a month found out it was one of three weekly finalists. Jared was notified and immediately drove to Tollgate Elementary in Pickerington to break the news to his wife, Bethany, a second grade teacher, and her class.
“The kids were so excited,” said Bethany. “I was so excited.”
They flew to California on Oct. 26, taped the show the next day, and flew back home on Oct. 28.
“We were treated so nicely by the production company,” said Bethany, “and Tom Bergeron is as authentic and nice off-camera as he is on-camera. The kids waited in the Green Room until they were needed on the set.”
The audience picked the Carr video as the weekly $10,000 winner, making them eligible for the $100,000 grand prize determined by visitors voting at a Disneyland kiosk.
“The hardest part was not being able to tell people we won until after the show aired,” said Jared. “How do you keep a five-year-old quiet?”
They flew to California in December for the finale show and although they were not the grand prize winner, the family took a few extra days to enjoy west coast attractions.
“I liked Disneyland,” said Wes. “The Matterhorn bobsled was my favorite. I didn’t like being on TV. It was so weird. I liked the candy in the Green Room.”
Similar to her brother, Charlotte also did not like being on television, but she liked Tom Bergeron, the AFV host.
“He’s silly,” she said. “It was funny when the makeup girl put makeup on my daddy.”
The celebrity experience is starting to settle down for the Carr family, though the video continues to be popular on YouTube, even prompting parodies.
“There are people re-enacting the video,” said Jared. “And Wes was at Meijer with his grandpa when the person ringing them up said, ‘Hey, you’re the ‘Did you have a nap today?’ person.’”
View the Carr video on YouTube at Little Brother Tells Little Sister How It Is AFV Winner.
