Most won’t admit it, but this grandmother from New Jersey is not afraid to show that she has favorites.
In fact, Mary LaMorte, also known as Nanny, has gone viral for using a leaderboard to rank her 10 grandchildren!
New York City-based comedian Dan LaMorte shared on TikTok that he and his cousins are ranked on a regular basis on a leaderboard hung on a wall in their grandmother’s home.
The magnetic leaderboard has the numbers one through 10, and photos of each of her 10 grandchildren that can be moved up or down.
Dan explained in the video, “This is my grandma’s ranking board. She has a wooden board where she ranks the 10 grandchildren from 1 to 10, all of our faces on magnets.”
Nanny ranks the grandchildren based on their latest actions and activities. She immediately became viral when Dan, 27, posted that he had been demoted from the fourth favorite to the last spot.
Apparently, Nanny did not approve of his two new tattoos, which led to tenth place on the leaderboard.
Dan recalled the incident, saying, “I’m No. 4, the highest I’ve ever been. I did just get two new tattoos though, so I am a bit nervous about what that’s going to do for my ranking.”
After showing his grandmother the intricate design on his upper arm, he asked her, “What do you think of my new tattoos?”
Nanny immediately moved him to the bottom of the leaderboard, saying, “This is what I think of your new tattoos.”
Grandmother and grandson actually had a good laugh about the huge interest in the viral TikTok clip, particularly since the leaderboard was a gag gift given by another grandson in 2015.
Nanny shared, “My grandson, Christopher, and his girlfriend … they made it, and they brought it over to us. They had all the cousins’ names and pictures, and so we hung it up in our house.”
Dan added, “It was always an inside joke that there were favorites in the family. So, that’s how the board was made.”
Nanny described how promotions and demotions happen to the grandchildren on the leaderboard. Movement up and down the board can be based on different milestones and behaviors. These include having babies, coming to visit, or not visiting often enough!
She said, “My grandson just had a new baby, so he goes to the top because it’s a very good, happy moment. And I’m not going to even get into demotions.”
And Dan’s latest spot on the leaderboard? Nanny said, “Tattoos? That’ll do it every time.”
While movement may occur freely across the leaderboard, Dan said that the two top spots are largely dedicated to two cousins – one veterinarian and one dentist. Less frequent visits or calls to Nanny almost always warrant demotion. The leaderboard is a good motivation for the family though. Dan said,
“It’s a good system to keep the family encouraged to kind of stay close together, to always make sure you’re checking in.”
While the LaMorte cousins currently dominate the leaderboard, the next generation is coming into the family.
Dan and his cousins, however, are not keen on allowing the great grandchildren onto the leaderboard.
He said, “We don’t put them on the board because we’re scared they [might] get ranked above us. They’re younger and cuter, and they haven’t messed up as much.”
While the reaction to the TikTok has been overwhelming, the LaMorte family is surprised how seriously the public has viewed Nanny’s ranking system.
Dan stated, “We’ve always been a very jokey, roasty family. It’s definitely a way to keep everyone together, and it gets us all talking.”
The leaderboard is simply evidence of the family’s humor, which Dan also credits to his Nanny. “I was very lucky with four funny grandparents who are all still alive,” he said.
“I always grew up with someone telling jokes — and Nanny would always tell you never to take yourself too seriously.”
This isn’t the first that Dan discussed Nanny’s leaderboard on Tiktok, and it probably won’t be the last one either.
In March, he was relegated to sixth place, explaining that his female cousin got the top spot because she lived next door to their grandmother.
As to the grandchildren’s future rankings on the leaderboard? Nanny jokingly warned: “Just be careful!”
See Nanny’s powerful leaderboard in action in the video below:
@danlamorte My ranking on my grandma’s leaderboard after showing her my new tattoos 👵🏻❤️🩹😩 #savage #funnyvideo #family #familyvideo #funny #grandma #grandmavideo #lmfao #familything #familyfun #familyfeud #grandparents #tattoo #ranking #rankingstuff #funnygrandma #familycomedy #cousins #cousinsgoals ♬ original sound – Dan LaMorte