FOXWhen you hear the word "Chino" what do you think?
A pair of preppy pants, sure. And as of today, the Powerball. But many millennials also equate that magical (maybe?) town with the one and only Ryan Atwood, angst-y hero of The O.C.
So when the winning ticket of the massive $1.6 billion lottery prize was announced to have been sold in Chino Hills, California, an entire contingent of fans who refuse to give up on their beloved Ryan flew to action. After all, no one would be more deserving of a massive Jackpot than Seth Cohen's best friend. He's gone through such a tough childhood, built himself up from nothing, and managed to fit in with some of the most spoiled people on the planet. If putting up with Marissa Cooper doesn't put you on the short list for a miracle, we don't know what does.
These fans flocked to social media to begin a campaign to literally will the winner to be Ryan. They would stop at nothing to convince America that he was the most deserving Chino resident.
Of course, there are a few reasons why Ryan could never win the lottery. First, he's a fake person. You kind of have to be a real-life man to claim the prize. And secondly, Chino and Chino Hills are actually two different places. The Chino of The O.C. is actually the area east of the Chino Hills of today's Powerball fame. Sure, they're right next to each other, but it's an important distinction.
But these subtle exceptions are doing nothing to deter the real Ryan Atwood, a.k.a. Ben McKenzie, from getting in on the fun. This morning he tweeted out a little message for his devoted followers, saying "Apparently I won #Powerball last night." He added "Thanks, social media" before throwing out a #Chino4eva hashtag that's sure to get the people riled up.
You can't say the guy doesn't know how to take advantage of an opportunity—something he probably learned from his onscreen counterpart.