Fat Squirrel Provides Fat Cash for College

Nicole Humphrey |

A pair of Fall Creek sisters, Bethany and Rebekah Van Goor, lucked out recently, snagging $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos with a video of themselves trying to dislodge an obese rodent from the crotch of a tree. As all you AFV fans know, they are now in the running for $100,000. Bethany and Rebekah were on Thanksgiving vacation, strolling through a Boston cemetery when they spotted the gravity-enhanced critter. “I saw his tail hanging out of the tree and I thought that’s adorable, a squirrel putting nuts in a tree. ... So I went over and he’s not moving. I poked him and he doesn’t go anywhere and I’m like that’s weird,” Bethany told the Leader-Telegram. After delivering the news of the potential hilarity to her sister, Operation Free Fatty began. They videotaped the epic rescue, protecting themselves from harm with pink mittens as they poked their furry friend repeatedly. Rebekah, aka the Squirrel Whisperer, soothed it by speaking to it in its native tongue. After 10 minutes of rodent yanking, the little pudge popped loose from its wooden prison. I know what you’re thinking: “I’m totally checking this out on YouTube.” Well, you can’t. The Nazis at AFV forbade the girls from posting their footage, so you’ll have to wait to see it until the show airs on May 10. We hear they’re using some of money for college tuition. Nutty stuff.