Les Jones

Word of the Day > Word of the Day: Phrogging

The (perhaps fictional) practice of living in another person's house, both while they're away and while they're present. Popularized by a set of videos of two girls living in a couples' house.

I heard about phrogging on a radio show when we were driving back from Florida. My first reaction was "that seems dangerous." As one of the people on the radio said, "What a fun and interesting way to get shot in the face!"

My second reaction was "I'll bet most of the people who claim to do it are lying." Phrogging sounds hard to do, but easy to fictionalize.

At the Snopes message board people are generally skeptical of the girls' story. This post outlines some of the major credibility problems:

I've only watched Day 1 so far, but I have noticed a few interesting things that make me question how real this is.

1) the camera - they make a few comments about how they can't turn on the lights because someone might see from outside through the house's oversized windows, yet they have that camera light pointing all over the place. Plus, the camera doesn't appear all that portable either (in Day 1, pt 4 there's a reflection of the thing), considering these two need to get out at a moments notice. In a dark house, even the smallest light, like the one in the fridge, is going to brighten the whole room.

2) I have two kids, and frequently "detect" their presence throughout the house, especially in areas where they normally aren't supposed to go (my bedroom and office as examples). There are just too many ways to leave evidence in a room (odd scents, footprints in the rugs, moved items, missing food), especially when these people aren't home all day. I just don't see how anyone could go for even a short time without being noticed.

3) the smoking - I lived in an apartment where the neighbor used to smoke outside every so often. Almost from the second she lit up I knew it, as the smell of tobacco is so pungent. If these girls are doing this for real, I'd expect them to give up habits that can so easily give them away.

4) the food - Unless the owners have guests over frequently, I can't see why they would have an excess of food in the house, beyond what they would normally need (my mother had a giant food pantry in the basement, but then there were also six people living there). That being the case, disappearing food is going to get noticed simply because there is less of it to begin with. When I was single, I would buy cereal one box at a time. If it were to suddenly go half-empty, I noticed.

Again, I haven't seen path the first day yet, but already this seems fake.

The few pieces I watched seemed too slick, the camera too steady, and the homeowners too oblivious. How do you not notice a girl who's under your dining room table, shooting you with a video camera, and whisper-crying into the camera Blair Witch-style? Color me a phrogging denier.

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