A Louisiana man was after his five minutes of fame and he was willing to do almost anything to get it. Kevin Wise from Slidell, Louisiana, told his TikTok followers that if he received 2,000 likes he would jump in the aquarium at the Bass Pro Shop located in Bossier City. He received well over 2,000 likes and followed through on his promise because he “didn’t want to be a liar.”
Shoppers at the “Granddaddy of all outdoor stores” filmed the moment that Wise climbed into the fish-filled tank, swam to the other side, climbed out then ran out of the store. The 26-year-old was arrested when he later returned to the store.
According to the Bossier City Police Department, Wise was charged with simple criminal damage to property, which is a misdemeanor. Wise claims that Bass Pro said they weren’t going to press charges unless costs were incurred due to emptying and cleaning the giant tank.
According to Wise’s Facebook page, Bass Pro changed their tune and is fining him for $1,500 to cover the cost of testing the water quality of the tank following the stunt. He is asking his friends and followers to pitch in to help cover the fine because he “did it for the people.”
Wise is getting a lot of attention for his swim, but he isn’t the first to take a dip at Bass Pro. Known on social media as the “Bass Pro Challenge,” numerous fearless posters have filmed themselves taking the challenge, much to the chagrin of Bass Pro.
“This incident is illegal, dangerous and highly discouraged. We work with law enforcement to investigate all individuals who personally attempt or are involved with such activities,” representatives told NBC-2 after a man dove into a tank at the store’s Fort Myers, Florida, location.
See the video that gave Kevin Wise his 5 minutes of fame below.