FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A viral TikTok has gathered millions of views, showing parents pranking and rewarding their son with a trip to the NCAA tournament to see Hogs play Kansas.
Jude Stadler is a Razorback fan living in Joplin, Mo. The video posted by his mother, Lauren, gathered millions of views and national attention. In the video, she along with his dad, Daniel, prank him.
"While you got good grades, they weren't perfect. Okay, so we're not gonna watch the Razorback game on TV today," Daniel said in the video. "We're going to drive about five hours and we're going to go to the Razorback game today and we're going to watch the Razorbacks beat Kansas."
"I'm a big fan of Razorbacks," Jude told 5NEWS.
The 10-year-old's blood runs Razorback red. His father is from Benton and graduated from the U of A.
"I grew up going to Razorback games at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock and so it was important for me to be able to take Jude to games. We've been to three basketball games now and one football game," Daniel explained.
Daniel and Jude attended the Razorback vs. Kansas Game. It was a nailbiter for Hog fans, as Arkansas trailed 35-27 at halftime. In a comeback win, the Razorbacks defeated the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks 72-71 to advance to their third Sweet 16 under Head Coach Eric Musselman.
"It was really fun. We were we were stressed but it all paid off in the end," Jude said.
"We actually had KU fans on either side of us and it was kind of funny, because the louder Jude would cheer, the louder they would cheer," Daniel said.
Not only was this trip a reward for good grades but also for good deeds. Instead of making his 10th birthday all about him, Jude decided to throw a party for a children's shelter and donate gifts to other kids.
"I just realized that I have it good it and other people don't. So I want to make them have it good, too," Jude said.
"It's extremely rewarding as a parent, to see that he recognizes it and, you know, through that recognition be able to reward him with opportunities that most don't," Daniel said.
Razorback Athletics saw the TikTok and wanted to send the future Razorback some gear. Jude's parents invited us to be part of yet another surprise. During our interview with the family, 5NEWS reporter Jose Carranza broke the news for Jude that he'd be going to the Sweet 16. His parents bought him tickets to the Arkansas vs UConn game in Vegas.
In true Hog fashion, Daniel has already booked a hotel through Sunday, expecting a Razorback win. Jude has a prediction for Thursday's game: Hogs by 90.
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