Burger King’s flame-broiled car fire commercial freaked out good Samaritans
Back in 2018, Burger King released an interesting commercial involving a vintage Chevrolet Corvair. At the time, BK claimed the production recognized “Good Samaritan Day,” which is March 13. This year, the stunt started recirculating, and some find the setup controversial through a modern lens. You can watch the staged car fire (yeah, that’s what this is) below.
The fast food chain took a classic Chevy Corvair convertible to an arid location in what looks like the outskirts of a town. The crew parked the car on the side of the road. Next, they jimmied up what passing drivers might interpret as a car fire under the hood. A crew member stood outside the Corvair and tried to flag folks down. The scene was a “test” to passing drivers: would any good Samaritans stop and assist?
Now, Corvair fans might quickly point out that the car’s engine is in the rear. So, the fire coming out of the hood wouldn’t make sense. In any case, most folks would see it as a large engine fire. The flames are real and span the whole hood bay.
Whenever a concerned citizen pulls over and rushes to the crew member, The King – Burger King’s mascot – walks up with a spatula in hand. The crew member basically does a “Wegotchu, ha, ha!” They explain that the fire is actually a smoking grill full of Whopper patties. Then, the crew member offers the driver a free Whopper.
I wish I were exaggerating, but:
There’s still an original YouTube video from Burger King Malta posted in March 2018.
The description reads:
“In celebration of Good Samaritan Day (March 13th), the BURGER KING® brand placed a smoking, flaming car on the side of a road as a crew member stood roadside flagging down passersby. Those who stopped to lend a hand were greeted with an alarming surprise – The King was flame-grilling WHOPPER® sandwiches under the hood of his custom ride.”
The commercial started recirculating on Instagram in April, wherein commenters wondered why BK thought this was funny or appropriate.
First, many people find faking an emergency situation, well, flat-out cringe. One woman was filmed holding her cell phone and crying out, “I thought your car was on fire!”
Sure, some of the drivers had a good laugh on camera. However, a few commenters reminded viewers that faking roadside emergencies is a (rare) predatory tactic for certain criminal acts. Car theft and kidnapping are two examples.
I have to say that I generally agree with the above feedback. At best, the stunt was a waste of people’s time. At worst, it caused undue stress. “Celebrating” good Samaritans by interrupting their day with a staged car fire all for a free burger is just poor taste. Then again, maybe I’ve just lost some of my sense of humor after adding two car seats to the back of the car.
