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Operation Brisket Freedom

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Cedar Park couple wins second in ‘My H-E-B' contest
Mandy and Paul Young insist their dog Ranger owes them money. They say the 6-year-old beagle waited for them to leave, broke into the fridge, and ate an untold amount of meat and cheese products over a period of several weeks.

“He ate about six and a half pounds of raw meat before we got a baby lock,” said Mandy. And meat wasn't the only thing on the menu. The Youngs said Ranger also developed a taste for $20 bills, which he will pick out of a stack of money, leaving the “chump change” untouched. They were forced to recover their losses somehow.

So they used Ranger's image to produce a commercial for the “My H-E-B” commercial contest. The video they entered, entitled “Operation Brisket Freedom,” depicts the beagle raiding the fridge while Shiner, his 5-year-old boxer cohort, stands guard. It won second place, which left the distribution of the $2,500 prize, all in H-E-B gift cards, up for debate.

Ranger denied all charges. He said the missing products were either eaten or thrown out by the humans in the house and any incriminating evidence - such as ground beef wrappers - found in the back yard was planted by stray cats.

He said the video in question was doctored and not viable proof of any criminal conduct.

Therefore, Ranger asserted that all of the money earned from his performance should be spent to buy him more food. And possibly chew toys. But mostly food.

The Youngs said the money is just about enough to cover their losses, and they would use it to purchase a grill for Paul's father and throw a barbecue for all of their friends. Any remaining gift cards will be saved for as long as possible.

“Operation Brisket Freedom” was filmed using two cameras, one of which was placed inside the fridge. Paul, who has a degree in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Texas, then edited the footage himself.

He added music and voiceover, then sent it in to the contest on his wife's urging.

They competed against more than 600 entries, and were selected as one of the 10 finalists a few months later. Their commercial was then placed on the H-E-B website, where the general public voted on the winners.

The Youngs won second place, behind a grand prize-winning hungry puppy, and the first place entry, which was a spoof of “Sixteen Candles,” titled “Six Candles.”

The top three commercials began airing this month and can be viewed online at www.myheb.com.

The Youngs did not expect to reach the top 10, and the second place win came as a shock.

Mandy was out of town when she got the news, but that did not stop her from getting some celebratory ice cream from the nearest H-E-B.

She and Paul are hoping to properly celebrate with a backyard barbecue sometime in July.

“Hopefully our friends can make it before Ranger eats all the brisket,” Mandy said, but Ranger remained silent. She lost him at “brisket.”

E-mail amy@hillcountrynews.com

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