A 7-year-old, dazed and confused David DeVore Jr. sits in the back seat after a visit to the dentist and ponders.
“Is this real life?” he asks his father David DeVore. “I feel funny. Why is this happening to me? Will this be forever?”
The relatable, delirium-laden existential comments, and the post-dentist scream, made DeVore a YouTube viral sensation, if that term existed, in 2009.
A decade later, David DeVore Jr.’s grin showed more teeth when he found out he was accepted to the University of Florida -- no, not for dentistry.
The school acknowledged and congratulated its newest student, of course, via social media.
"With all due respect, we might suggest David the #GatorDentist, D.M.D. Class of 2027?" the College of Dentistry wrote.
DeVore, who wore a University of Florida T-shirt in the viral video, will study computer science at the school’s Innovation Academy starting in spring 2020.
“Wow! Now we have come full circle with this,” DeVore Sr. wrote on social media. “This is awesome. Well, you never know! One thing for sure this will make him smile! Go Gators!”
The video, which has been viewed more than 138 million times, was recorded in May 2008 after a dentist visit to have a tooth pulled. David DeVore Sr. posted the video January 2009 on YouTube. It became the second-most watched video that year, with 37 million viewers, the Miami Herald reported. DeVore and his family earn money from ads that display before the video, TODAY reported.
And while he said he is not recognized that much, DeVore did reference the video in his application:
"I don't want 'David After Dentist' to be all I'm ever known for," DeVore wrote, the Independent Florida Alligator reported. "I just want to do more with my life, and UF gives me the tools to do so."
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