Published: March 20, 2008 09:59 am            

Keeping up with the Joneses

Local family appears on AFV

PRYOR, Okla. — Keeping up with the Joneses will be tough. The Jones family of Pryor will be featured on America’s Funniest Home Videos Sunday, April 6.

Jeremy and Michelle Jones and their children Aden, 8, Grace, 4 and Alyssa 2, recently taped an episode of AFV in Los Angeles after being notified they had made the finals. The finals put the family in the running for $10,000.

It all started when Michelle had taken the children to Sears Department Store in Tulsa for a photo session. Michelle said while waiting Alyssa kept running up to a mannequin in the men’s department and would grab the mannequin’s leg.

Michelle, a stay-at-home-mom, said she would go get her daughter and take her back to the photo department. After a few trips to retrieve her daughter, Michelle decided to get out the camera and see what her daughter was up to. When Alyssa ran to the mannequin, Michelle caught it all on tape. The little girl thought the headless mannequin was her father.

“She loves her daddy,” said Jeremy, a pastor who also works in the insurance business.

Michelle’s mother-in-law, Jan Jones, encouraged her to send the tape to AFV because she felt the footage would stand out.

“It was very different and very unusual,” Jan said.

Michelle, who always keeps a camera close by, sent in the video in October 2007 and later got the call AFV wanted to use their clip on the show.

In January, the family found out their clip had made the finals, putting them in the running for either a $10,000 first prize, a $3,000 second prize or $2,000 third prize.

With those cash prizes, the Jones family felt they were already winners. Another perk of being chosen was an all expense paid trip to Los Angeles. AFV paid for the family’s air fare, hotel and spending money. They left Oklahoma Jan. 30, were picked up by a car service when they arrived and taken to the Marriott Hotel.

The show was filmed

Feb. 2 in a studio located next to the hotel. Jeremy and Aden were able to sit in the audience during the taping while Michelle and the girls waited in the Green Room. The girls were too young to sit in the audience.

When it came time for the audience to vote for the winner of the three finalists, Michelle and the girls were brought out to the audience and Jeremy and Aden joined them on the front row. The audience then voted on their favorite video. Although the Jones family cannot reveal whether they were the $10,000 winners, they hope the community will tune in to find out how they faired.

While on their trip, Jeremy and Michelle decided to extend their stay and take the kids to some of the local destinations like the Hollywood sign, Sea World in San Diego and Disneyland.

“I rided the Snow White ride and I had a Snow White dress on,” Grace said.

Aden enjoyed Disneyland but his favorite part of the trip was Sea World and “getting to see the whales do tricks.”

Michelle said she would encourage anyone with a funny video to send it in.

“You never know. You can’t be any worse off than when you started,” Michelle said.

The Jones family was a part of America’s Funniest Home Videos 400th episode. AFV first aired on Nov. 26, 1989.

Jeremy, who is Pastor of Pryor Creek Baptist Church, said he invites the community to join his family for a watch party Sunday, April 6, 6 p.m., at the church located at 32 S. Adair, Pryor. There will also be refreshments.

Pryor Creek Baptist Church recently moved to the South Adair location and is undergoing some construction. Jeremy said the move was needed because of growth in the church.

“We were growing to the point where we purchased our first piece of property,” Jeremy said.

For more information about the church visit its Website at www.pryorbaptist.com.



Melissa McClendon writes for the Pryor (Okla.) Daily Times.