Jackie Johnson of the WTXS News at 5 made an idle joke on air that if someone won the Mega Millions jackpot that night, she would buy a Mega Ball Costume and wear it for a newscast. That night, someone won, and on the following drawing day, Jackie Johnson debuted her brand new costume.

    It was a simple yellow ball costume made from foam and plastic rods to keep its shape. She also wore a matching yellow zentai suit that covered her body from the neck down, including her hands and feet.

    That night, as the News at 5 came to a close, Jackie joked that if someone won the jackpot that night, she would wear the costume not just for a single newscast, but for a full day. That night, someone won. So on the next drawing day, Jackie Johnson donned her costume for the full workday, including a live spot interviewing a local restaurauntier. He was a nice enough man, but didn’t understand why the woman from the TV station wore such a ridiculous costume.

    The studio made a vlog of ‘The MegaBall Girl,’ chronicling her adventure. By the time the next drawing was held, that video earned nearly a million views and shares. For the small midwestern TV station, Jackie Johnson and her yellow MegaBall costume was a ratings sensation. Her producers called a meeting with Jackie, and informed her she would wear the costume for each drawing day newscast until someone won the jackpot. They always made sure she had a live spot that day, which she was mandated to wear her costume for, as well.

    It was Jackie herself who came up with the idea to shoot vlogs of her days as a MegaBall. It started as an actual vlog, but soon became simple office skits. Fans and viewers wanted her to be at nearly every station publicity event dressed in her costume. They asked her for numbers, or rubbed her ball costume, in the hope she would bring them luck. Her interview and in-studio segments drew hundreds of thousands of views. She went on Ellen, and of course, had to wear the costume for the interview. 

    The Mega Million jackpot grew higher and higher, and the MegaBall Girl’s fame grew greater and greater. Just by the amount of segments Jackie had to do, she found herself wearing the costume the full workday on Tuesdays and Fridays because it was easier than changing all the time, and part time nearly every day in between. But the suit held up miraculously well, even as the weeks turned to months.

    And while national attention turned down over time, Jackie’s fame in her own community continued to grow. One day while she was grocery shopping, a viewer commented he was surprised and saddened that Jackie wasn’t wearing her costume on a drawing day. It’s what gave Jackie the idea for the next skit: MegaBall Girl goes shopping. From there, she and her producers came up with more elaborate skits for her to perform in. MegaBall Girl’s day in the park. MegaBall Girl learns to dance. MegaBall girl goes on a date.

    The average time between jackpots, Jackie found, was a bit under two months. But the numbers continued to elude, and Jackie had to wear her costume every Tuesday and Friday for four months until the MegaMillion jackpot grew to a record amount, and seemed like it could continue with no end in sight.

    At the beginning of the fifth month, the MegaMillion organizers asked if the MegaBall Girl could join them at the drawing, and so Jackie flew out to participate in the record breaking event. MegaBall Girl flies to Atlanta. She spent a whole day as a small town MegaBall Girl living it up in the big city. This final skit was completed and aired just hours before the drawing.

    That night, Jackie Johnson admitted that she had purchased her own ticket for the drawing, and she joked that if she won, she would quit her job as MegaBall Girl and go back to being an actual MegaBall. The hoppers came on and the numbers began to appear. Jackie, standing nearby, grew more and more excited as the machines matched her numbers. But she was certain she wouldn’t win until the last ball, the MegaBall, landed on her number.

    While most people assume Jackie cashed in her winnings and went on to live a life in privacy, there were strange rumors of what actually happened, as no footage was recorded of what came next.

    Jackie Johnson of the WTXS News at 5, the MegaBall Girl, jumped in elation at her winnings, but on the way up, she began to feel strange. Her arms, her legs, and her head were all pulled inside her rapidly hardening foam costume. By the time she hit the top of her arc, Jackie was sealed inside the now perfectly spherical costume.

    On her way back down, Jackie shrunk to regulation size and the winning ‘25’ appeared on her yellow surface. Jackie had kept her promise once again. She had become a MegaBall. Not knowing what to do, the Lottery organizers put Jackie into the hopper, where she lives to this day.