Local family to appear on America's Funniest Home Videos

CHILLICOTHE - When Charity Whitehurst got her pet snake, it played well into a "scaring away the in-laws" joke, and fulfilled a dream for Charity who had always wanted one. Now, the 1-year-old ball python could be the key to winning her family thousands of dollars.

Sunday night's episode of America's Funniest Home Videos (AFV) will reveal if a video featuring Charity's snake brought the $10,000 prize home to Chillicothe. The show features submitted homemade videos that include everything from funny pets to pranks. In this case, it is a little combination of both.

The Whitehurst family, including Charity, her husband Gil, daughter Tiffany, and 5-year-old grandson Julius, were flown to Los Angeles for three days in January to compete against two other finalist families in the show's competition with their submitted video, "Super Scared of Snakes."

Tiffany, who sent in the video, said only about a week had passed from the time she sent it in to when they were invited to the show's taping in Los Angeles.

Filmed in early November, the clip featured on the ABC channel show shows the python wrapped around a screaming Gil, and sending people into a fit of laughter.

"That day she dared me to hold the snake and my grandson was in here so I was trying to be brave. Then they said I should put it around my neck," Gil said. "She draws up and I jumped. ...They put it around my neck and I just started screaming like a little girl."

"But every time (Charity) reached for it, it would draw up again," Tiffany said, and every time the snake would draw up, Gil would scream.

Recounting the recorded event for the Gazette still had the family — including Gil — clutching their sides, who said they like to watch their copy of the footage from time to time.

At the time, Gil said, he had no idea he was being filmed. But this was not the first time this prank had been pulled on him; it is a regular occurrence in their home that ends with the women doubled over laughing at his reactions.

"We will go get the snake and torture him," Charity said, laughing.

The self-proclaimed star admitted he is afraid of snakes, and Tiffany and Charity said they will often get his scaly co-star and bring it out of its cage to scare Gil, but all in good fun.

As part of their participation in the show, the family had to remove the video from their personal social media accounts, but Tiffany said the AFV site will likely post the video after the episode airs.

Possibly the most challenging aspect of the video's success has been not sharing the results of the show they have known since the taping took place over a month ago.

The word of the family being invited to the show spread around Gil and Charity's offices quickly, and both said they have people asking about the results "all the time." So far, everyone has managed to keep the results a secret.

The Whitehursts said they will likely watch the episode at home with close family.

The episode featuring the Whitehurst family will air Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC. If they are i the $10,000 winner, they will return to California this spring for a shot at a $100,000 prize.