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Pictured: John Resig, Annie Elias, and Chris Moeser.

I’d like to reveal the story about the young couple who discovered $50,000 in a kitchen safe was a hoax. Original story here.

It came to pass for a couple reasons. My brother Leo and I were known for pulling a few notable hoaxes once upon a time – The Donald Trump Tip Hoax, and HOPA Hoax: Girl Quits Her Job on Whiteboard. – After which the national media declared us incapable of pulling another one. They weren’t totally wrong, it’s been 5 years since I even attempted it.

Instead, we took what we learned about going viral and repurposed the technique to create theCHIVE’s flash charity model. Much more rewarding. Still, you never lose the itch.