Olympian Kate Hansen Takes Video of 'Wolf' Roaming Halls of Sochi Hotel
UPDATE: Friday, February 21, at 9:34 a.m. ET by Dan Carson
Yup, Jimmy Kimmel was behind the wolf stunt. The comedian admitted to the hoax on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night.
Nothing can be magical or true anymore. From now on just presume life's greatest mysteries and strange occurrences are all just Jimmy Kimmel stunts.
The silver lining here is that it was an actual wolf, which is fantastic.
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UPDATE: Thursday, February 20, at 6:35 p.m. ET by Matt King
Jimmy Kimmel has basically confirmed his part in the hoax with this tweet:
"I always say, if you're going to cry wolf - get an actual wolf to cry with http://t.co/930U3lFfr5 @k8ertotz
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 20, 2014"
The lesson here? If something seems too good to be true, it's probably because Jimmy Kimmel faked it.
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UPDATE: Thursday, February 20, at 3:45 p.m. ET by Dan Carson
Alright, so this whole "wolf" deal might be another Jimmy Kimmel hoax.
According to Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel, Hansen and Kimmel set up this "wolf" video scenario to look like it's happening in Sochi. Boedeker writes that Inside Edition has confirmed the ruse with representatives from the United States Luge Association. Kimmel will reportedly Skype with Hansen tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (11:35 p.m. ET) to discuss the supposed "wolf" in her hallway.
Sorry to ruin the party, but it sounds looks this wolf is a stunt wolf. If you tune in tonight you'll probably see the "full" video, which will undoubtedly include Kimmel walking a pack of "stray Sochi wolves."
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Husky? Wolf? Dire wolf?
We can’t confirm its lineage just yet, but there is a large creature of the Canis lupus variety stalking the halls of a Sochi hotel, according to U.S. Olympic luger Kate Hansen.
Hansen, who has taken over the Winter Olympics with her twerk-centric medal-blessing ceremonies and dancing warm-up routines, tweeted out a video of a “wolf” roaming the corridors outside her bedroom in Sochi.
"Wolf in my hall?!? #SochiProblems #SochiFail http://t.co/ZMqZFC40jp
— Kate Hansen (@k8ertotz) February 20, 2014"
The video was spotted by Michael Rusch of Buzzfeed.com (h/t John Ferensen of NextImpulseSports.com), and indeed, there does appear to be a large canine resembling a wolf that was nosing about the hallway.
While Hansen may believe she’s living in The Grey 2: Urban Hunt, it’s likely this is more of a Balto scenario. Ferensen notes that the “wolf” in question looks a lot like a wolf-husky mix with a heavy lean toward the former.
In all likelihood, this pooch is a pet or one of the thousands of stray dogs wandering Sochi and the surrounding countryside.
Either way, the animal isn’t frothing at the mouth or menacing anyone, and appears to be just scratching around looking for food and friendship.
That said, when you open a door in Russia and find a large animal resembling a dangerous predator, you err on the side of “This might kill me.”
Hopefully hotel managers will allow the pup to leave the building and go on its merry way, or perhaps Hansen will adopt the beast and channel the spirit of its dire-wolf ancestry for her next competition.
Where’s a warg when you need one?
