A teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, is probably the first retail customer to take delivery of a brand-new 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning—and he had no idea he even ordered one.
That's because he didn't; he was surprised with an F-150 Lightning by Ford Motor Company on The Ellen DeGeneres show.
Ellen set up a fun game of Blindfolded Musical Chairs and welcomed to the stage teacher Michael Bonner from Atlanta, who had been on the show twice before for his inspiring work giving back to teachers across America.
Michael thought he was just on stage to play the game, but he had no idea it was actually a set-up to reward him with an all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning.
The video shows a blindfolded Michael playing along and pulling off some dance moves before the music stopped and he realized the other "contestants" had left, leaving him alone on stage.
Judging by his confusion, that's when it probably dawned on him that something big was coming. And big it was indeed: a brand-new 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck that he now calls his own.
The very generous gift came during Teacher Appreciation Week, a special time to honor those who lend their passion and skills to educating children. The surprise giveaway also came just after the official production launch of the F-150 Lightning.
Ford CEO Jim Farley and the company's corporate account congratulated Bonner on Twitter and thanked him for his work as a teacher. The 4th-grade Social Studies teacher thanked Ford and Ellen DeGeneres on his Twitter account, promising that he already has something up sleeves for teachers.
Details about the F-150 Lightning Michael Bonner got as a gift are scarce, but we can see it's a Lariat trim, which starts at $67,474 with the standard range battery. If it packs the extended range battery, we're talking $78,000—before any options.
No wonder Michael was so surprised and excited to learn that the Ford F-150 Lightning was his. Watch the entire heartwarming moment in the video at the top of this page.
