HERMISTON — A tiny Chihuahua, a couple of clumsy falls and a big laugh helped a Hermiston family win $20,000 on the national television show “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

Jose and Letty Garcia, their daughter Bresyda and their dog Chiquita appeared on season 35, episode 14 of the ABC staple, which aired March 23. Their video of Chiquita falling through a hole in their deck — twice — won over the judges and audience, earning them the $20,000 top prize.

Jose said he was working on the deck one day when his family’s three Chihuahuas were nearby. He had removed a 2-by-6 board from the deck to replace it when one of the Chihuahuas, Chiquita, came around and fell through the opening.

Jose called Breysda and asked her to bring a flashlight because he couldn’t see under the deck. Breysda came outside and used the flashlight on her phone while her father reached into the crawl space. He stretched his arm as far down as he could and eventually managed to pull Chiquita out.

After Jose placed Chiquita back on the deck, she fell right back in the hole.

Breysda noticed she had recorded the moment rather than hit the flashlight on her phone. They watched the video together and couldn’t stop laughing. Jose suggested to his daughter that maybe she should send the video to “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” thinking they might like it.

It turned out that’s exactly what Bresyda did, she went online and submitted the video to the ABC network. The following week, she told her father that “America’s Funniest Home Videos” had reached out. They had seen the video and wanted to feature it.

“The next thing we know there’s a lot of paperwork because you gotta sign all the releases,” Jose said. “And then, two, three different producers were talking to us. And man, it turned out our video was in the top three. We were surprised.”

Jose said he, his wife and their family watch the show every week. They enjoy it because it makes them laugh and have a good time, so being on the show was a dream come true.

The day of the show

The network shipped the family a laptop, camera and ring light to set up for the show — all of which they must return afterward. Producers also gave advice on how to arrange the background, including the couch, back table and picture frames.

Two weeks before the show went live, the family practiced setting up the equipment and background at home a few times. But after realizing their Wi-Fi signal was weak, they decided to move the setup to their workplace.

On the day of the show, during the live recording, the family ran into a problem — their laptop battery died. Producers reassured them in real time, telling them not to panic and that everything would be fine.

Their son-in-law, Chris Kestner, who was behind the scenes during the taping, sprang into action. He rushed home, grabbed the laptop cord and returned just in time to power up the computer. The Garcia family made it on air within 30 minutes, with just 13 minutes to spare. The episode’s runtime was 43 minutes.

On the episode, Jose, Letty, Bresyda and Chiquita sat on their couch when host Alfonso Ribeiro announced they had won the first-place grand prize. Tears streamed down Jose’s face as the family celebrated their win.

Jose said the producers advised families not to jump with excitement due to the camera frame. They told them to celebrate while sitting if they won, a suggestion Jose emphasized he struggled to follow as he fought to resist jumping with excitement.

“We were just shocked,” Letty said. “We wanted to jump but we couldn’t, so we smiled and laughed and cried for joy. It was just all emotions.”

The news of the family winning spread on the “NEW What’s Happening Hermiston” Facebook page, receiving more a thousand likes and more than 200 congratulatory comments.

“ Thank you everyone who contributed and gave us some positive feedback,” Jose said about the reactions.

Jose and Letty run the New Horizon Alcohol & Drug Programs, the Farm Workers Outreach program and a hot meals program with the Food Bank of Eastern Oregon to provide food boxes to the houseless. They said a portion of the prize money will go to these programs to help those in need and give back to the community.

The couple encouraged community members interested in helping with the hot meals program to get involved and support those in need.

Letty said they also plan to use the money to pay for Bresyda’s culinary school and fix up her vehicle. And of course, a portion of the prize will go to the star of the video, Chiquita, who will get a new doghouse, bedding and plenty of dog food and treats.

The Garcia family can be seen on season 35, episode 14 of ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” available on the ABC website and streaming on Hulu.