Acts of Kindness
Marine Gets Help Reuniting Her Family From Prank Channel
Melissa was a 21-year-old marine trying to rescue her brothers from foster care. She allowed a documentary crew to follow her journey—and ended up getting their help in an inspiring way.
Ryan Aliapoulios
02.14.18

Those who spend a lot of time on YouTube probably know just how many prank channels there are. In general, these channels are typically run by a couple who pranks one another or a group of friends who use their resources and exposure to pull off bigger and bigger stunts. Still, most of these pranks are done at the expense of someone else—and even if the joke is revealed and nobody gets hurt, they can sometimes seem a little cruel.

But what if there was “positive” pranking?

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One channel called MediocreFilms has recently taken it upon themselves to do just that.

As the video begins, host Doug Benson introduces a marine named Melissa who is 21 years old. Melissa had a difficult childhood and was in and out of different foster homes as a child. Despite her upbringing, she found a way to live a fulfilling life of her own—the only issue is that her two brothers, JD and Christian, were still caught up in the foster system.

Although Michelle thought she’d signed up for a documentary, Benson’s true intentions were to “prank” her.

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Melissa’s only chance at adopting her brothers was to drive down to Alabama and plead with the court.

Although she knew what had to be done, she wasn’t sure she had the money to make the dream come true. Although Melissa had plans to drive down with her two friends to help out, Benson and his crew wanted to help them all out even more. To do that, Benson showered Melissa and her friends with gifts from the road—including food, a new phone and $500 in gas money.

Benson also made sure that Melissa’s rent was taken care of.

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With the basic expenses and responsibilities handled, Melissa was able to drive down and plead with the court—and she won.

After the court case, Melissa decided to surprise her brothers in school—even though they hadn’t seen each other in six years! Cameras were rolling the whole time and many happy tears were shed. Finally, the crew got back together and Benson revealed that the entire documentary was a happy prank! And there was even one final surprise.

Outside were three brand new Toyota Rav4s in different colors—and Melissa could choose her favorite.

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Above all, this video shows just how powerful “pranking it forward” can be.

With Benson’s help, Melissa was able to reunite with her brother and take back control of their lives. As it turns out, social media can be used for good after all.

Congratulations to Melissa, JD and Christian!

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