
Johnson, Khlif prank amateur pickleball players at open play
Oh, this was a fun!
Noe Khlif’s life partner, Jen Rogers, had the brilliant idea to dress him and JW Johnson up like old men and have them jump into open play at a local club in Arizona.
Luckily for us, Rogers documented the whole thing and uploaded this hilarious experiment on YouTube.
Rogers and a friend of hers went to a local Goodwill and started their search for the perfect outfit. They sifted through all the thrifted options, skull patterns, florals, and pineapple patterns – but they kept questioning what looked too trendy and stylish. They wanted to really commit to some classic Hawaiian shirts.
Then, they found a perfect plaid floral button-down for Khlif and green leafy polo for Johnson with a floppy hat. They also found some thick black sunglasses that Rogers described as the kind of sunglasses you wear after cataract surgery. The looks were coming together perfectly. And the girls couldn’t stop giggling.
After that, Rogers made a couple of phone calls to various courts and clubs in the area to find their spot to pull the prank. Soon enough, the team at Center Court Pickleball Club in Scottsdale shared their enthusiasm for the stunt, and it was time to get the boys ready.
Rogers spraypainted Khlif and Johnson's hair gray and used white pencil to give a gray hew to their eyebrows. Topped off with their hats and glasses, these pros looked like pretty believable oldies.
Johnson's look was my favorite out of the two. I love the long sleeve blue T-shirt underneath his green polo, thick glasses, and dog dad hat – it’s just so funny.
Only problem is, some of the higher level pickleball players recognized Johnson and Khlif. After all, if you’re an experienced player, you’re probably watching these guys play tournaments and seeing their highlight reels on Instagram.
Eventually, they found the perfect subjects who were rookies, so they didn’t know who Johnson and Khlif were, but players who were still at least a solid 4.5.
Johnson and Khlif first played with their non-dominant hands and were trying not to blow their cover. And they walked around with a sort of waddle to further depict that they were seniors. Nevertheless, Johnson and Khlif didn’t miss a ball.
Then, Johnson and Khlif turned it up a notch and started hitting some beautiful drops, drives, lobs, and even a body bag or two.
But after a fun game, Johnson and Khlif revealed their identities as pro pickleball players to their unsuspecting opponents. They were great sports about it, laughing it off, and shared how amazed they were at the pro’s consistency. One of the players even said this was a dream of hers to hit against a pro.
This experiment was such a success, Khlif and Rogers want to try it again. And I sure hope they do, because this was enjoyable from start to finish.
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