X

Parts of viral glitter bomb video were faked, says engineer who made it

Some things are just too good to be true.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
2 min read
screen-shot-2018-12-18-at-10-25-30

Mark Rober removed some reactions to the glitter bomb prank after their veracity was questioned. 

 Mark Rober via YouTube/Screenshot by CNET

This won't make you feel good. Some of the reactions in that glitter bomb video that went viral earlier this week appear to have been faked. 

Former NASA engineer Mark Rober uploaded a video to YouTube on Monday that showed him getting back at thieves who were stealing his packages. He designed a fake Apple HomePod package that blasted glitter and fart spray after the box was opened. If that weren't enough, four phones inside the package recorded all the action. 

The package was then placed outside of Rober's house, as well as at other people's homes. The revenge video has racked up more than 42 million views.

Now, Rober has acknowledged that some of the reactions in his original video masterpiece may have been staged. The suspect scenes took place when the packages were placed at other people's homes, though he stood by the fidelity of the reactions recorded at his own home.

"I was presented with information that caused me to doubt the veracity of 2 of the 5 reactions in the video," Rober said in a statement posted on YouTube and Twitter on Thursday. "It appears (and I've since confirmed) in these two cases, the 'thieves' were actually acquaintances of the person helping me." 

Rober has since removed about a minute and a half of the original video to delete the apparently faked reactions, he wrote. 

Viewers began dissecting the original video soon after it was uploaded and noticed some inconsistencies, BuzzFeed reported. People on Reddit wrote that they found it odd no police were involved, and also noted that the thieves' reactions were relatively calm after getting blasted with a cloud of glitter. 

Rober didn't respond to requests for comment.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said in the statement on YouTube and Twitter. "Ultimately, I am responsible for the content that goes on my channel and I should have done more here."