We all love to talk about the power of fandom and how it can save lives. Well, this story shows how that isn’t just metaphorical.
TikTok user SloppyJoey17 recounted with his father an instance where the love of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer literally saved the lives of their family and several others. On the night of the show’s series finale, their family received a tornado warning. While SloppyJoey17, his mother, and several other locals sheltered in a nearby storm cellar, his father decided he would wait out the storm in favor of watching the series finale.
After the storm passed, the father went to the storm cellar to find that an oak tree had fallen on the entrance, trapping his family inside. He eventually managed to free them with no other harm, but the family noted it would have likely been a very different turnout if he had gone in the bunker with them. Remember, this was the early 2000s; they had cell phones but the coverage wasn’t the same as it is today and, even now, many people can struggle with getting a good signal in a storm cellar during or after a storm.
The TikTok has since gone viral, accumulating 1.8 million loops and over three-hundred and twenty-seven thousand likes.
Others replied with comments like “Rename the cellar to ‘Sarah Michelle Cellar.’” or “Well, [she] did save the world … a lot.”
Obviously, it could have happened with any program, but I think it speaks to the importance of Buffy that this man was willing to risk getting caught in a tornado just so he could watch how it ends.
What show would you risk getting caught in a tornado (or other major weather event) to watch live? Comment below!
(featured image: The WB)
