The Viral Fleetwood Mac Challenge Guy Just Got $10,000 in Donations

First came the viral TikTok video.

Utilizing only a longboard, a large bottle of cranberry juice and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” Nathan Apodaca soothed the anxieties of a stressed out nation.

Then came the parodies.

By the personification of Pumpkin Spice Season:

By soldiers serving in the US Army:

Hell, even Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac made one:

The viral clip led to Gen Z collectively discovering Fleetwood Mac for the first time, and subsequently losing its damn mind.

All of which put Fleetwood Mac back on the charts like it was still 1977.

Then, finally—finally!—Nathan Apodaca’s story emerged. What glorious event was it that inspired this Idaho Falls resident to make such a serene, carefree clip? Well, Apodaca was on his way to work at a potato factory. From his brother’s house, which he lives outside of, in an RV with no running water. And his car had broken down on the way because it has a faulty battery. And, because he only had 15 minutes to get to work on time, he had to jump on his longboard to get there. The TikTok clip? Just a spur-of-the-moment decision to make the journey more fun.

Apodaca’s zen attitude paid off—literally. Fans of his viral video have since sent him over $10,000. Talking to TMZ, he described the donations as “a blessing,” said he would be giving $5,000 to his mom, and using the rest to fix his car and get “a space of [his own] to cook and clean, shower and shit.” He also said he would be open to doing a commercial for Ocean Spray, should they require his services.

All of which goes to prove that a little optimism can still go a long way—even in 2020.
Update: Since first publishing this story, there have been two important developments. First, Ocean Spray’s CEO made his own parody video:

Then his company promptly presented Nathan Apodaca with a new truck full of cranberry juice. Apodaca responded accordingly with a new TikTik video.

Keep the PMA going by following Apodaca on TikTok.