credit – Danny Blanton, retrieved from TikTokWhen it comes to virality on the internet, the absurd and obtuse tend to win the greatest share of attention, but with 10 million views and counting, a clip of two long-lost friends running into each other in an Uber shows how the genuine is often the most appreciated.
In January, Uber driver Danny Blanton, 51, picked up passenger John Johnson, 60, for a ride to Dallas’ UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Blanton, who didn’t see the picture of his passenger ahead of time, kept his eyes mostly on the road, making small talk as the car took off. Speaking with People Magazine, he said that Johnson was his last pickup of the day, and the thought initially crossed his mind that his passenger seemed familiar.
“I thought for a brief second, ‘Do I know this guy?’” but then he recalls thinking, “‘No, it can’t be. I don’t know anybody here [in this part of South Texas].’”
However, the passenger Johnson asked the driver Blanton if they had met before, which led to Blanton looking over his shoulder, looking back at the wheel, and doing a double take with glee as they shook hands and started laughing.
Working together at the popular Dallas nightclub Phenomenon in the 90s, Blanton was a bartender and Johnson was head of security. They describe a wonderful, chill relationship that flourished at work, but not so much beyond it, leading to their eventual loss of contact.
Reaching the end of the Uber ride, the two exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch, while Blanton was so excited he posted the dashcam video of their ride on Facebook so his family could see. He eventually added it to his TikTok account so that those who have abandoned Facebook could do the same.
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Then Blanton’s son came to him with the news: the two men had gone viral and the video was up to 4.1 million views.
“We’re both elated by it and to see all the positive comments that it got,” Blanton told People. “Just people saying, ‘This is my favorite video,’ and how many people have watched it… It’s been positive.”
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The comments highlight how viewers could relate strongly to the unique sensation that you know someone, and iterations of praise like “I wanted to live that moment with yall,” and “that sensation is priceless” were often repeated in the over 7,000 comments.
“[We’re] just two little old guys from Mesquite and Dallas that went viral on the internet,” he adds. “That’s it.”
WATCH the reunion (profanity included)…
@danny.b106 When you’re driving Uber, pick up a passenger, and realize its an old friend you aint seen in 20+ years #uber #uberdriver ♬ original sound - danny.b106
KEEP THE VIRAL TRAIN ROLLING And Share This Priceless Moment With Your Friends…
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