Belgian TikToker Fakes Death to Test Family and Friends

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2023/06/14

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Belgian TikToker Fakes Death to Test Family and Friends

Vocabulary Match

prank -   - not valued
mourners -   - people grieving
underappreciated -   - joke
life lesson -   - making contact
reaching out -   - demonstrates
proves -   - teaching moment

Article

A Belgian TikToker, David Baerten, decided to play a prank on his family and friends by faking his own death. He planned the prank with his wife and children and used social media to spread the news of his "death." A fake funeral was organized, attended by many friends and family members. However, instead of a funeral ceremony, a helicopter landed at the site. Mr. Baerten stepped out of the helicopter and was greeted by the mourners, creating a mix of emotional and confused reactions.

He explained that he felt underappreciated by his wider family, hence the prank to give them a "life lesson" about not waiting until someone is dead to show they care. Following the prank, he claimed some loved ones have been reaching out to him, and he believes the act "proves who really cares about me."

Quiz

  1. What did David Baerten do to test his family and friends?
  2. What did they do to spread the news of his "death"?
  3. Why did Mr. Baerten plan the prank?

Conversation

Cousin: David, is that you? I thought you were...
David: Alive and well, yes. I wanted to see...
Cousin: This is insane, David! We were grieving, in pain!
David: I understand, but I felt underappreciated. You needed a wake-up call.
Cousin: We care, David. Ugh... you've got a strange sense of humor.
David: Yeah, sorry, but I was dying to see your reaction!

Discussion

  1. Do you think David Baerten's prank was funny or mean?
  2. How do you show appreciation for your loved ones?
  3. Can you think of a romantic / funny / crazy way to propose marriage?

Vocabulary Answers

prank → joke
mourners → people grieving
underappreciated → not valued
life lesson → teaching moment
reaching out → making contact
proves → demonstrates

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. He decided to play a prank on his family and friends by faking his own death.
  2. They used social media to spread the news of his "death."
  3. Because he felt underappreciated by his wider family and wanted to teach his loved ones a "life lesson" about not waiting until someone is dead to show they care.

Source Material

https://news.sky.com/story/tiktoker-fakes-his-own-death-to-find-out-who-cares-and-then-shows-up-at-the-funeral-12902143

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