Even the pranksters don’t get a pass on Impractical Jokers
|||Munya Vomo
RECENTLY, we published a story on how former Golden Girl, Betty White, now stars in a prank show in which old people pull practical jokes on unsuspecting crowds. As much as reality TV is on the rise, so is prank TV.
It seems the more shows we get in the overacted reality TV genre, the more shows we get that focus on fooling people for our amusement. To be honest, the latter are actually more of the reality TV show kind because they cash in on the actual reactions of unsuspecting members of the public.
On DStv, Comedy Central is notorious for having these kinds of shows, but it seems its sister channel, MTV, is also airing more and more of this type of content. First it was PUNK’d, then Ridiculousness and now we have Impractical Jokers.
While some shows are based on what a team of TV producers decide to do with their hosts who perform the pranks, on Impractical Jokers the hosts go to their “marks” oblivious as to what they will have to do. So once they have come across an unsuspecting person, the TV host awaits for instructions from the producers via an earpiece. So the reaction is not only about that of the “victim” of the joke, but also the person who is trying to perform it.
The Impractical Jokers crew includes Joseph Gatto, James Murray, Brian Quinn and Salvatore Vulcano who all take turns to be on the streets and pull straight faces when they “attack” their prey.
Also, the pranks are rated as the show goes on. Each of them can be a win or a lose for the joker, depending on how they fare. Given that they have to react promptly to the instructions and handle a given situation in an unscripted environment, some of the hosts are bound to pass, while the others will fail.
The losers have to face their worst fears in public or risk losing their spot on the show. So it’s not only about making unsuspecting people look silly, it is also about pranking the very people who are part of the show.
It is quite a refreshing angle, given that there is a plethora of shows where the jokes are always on the man on the street. Here, you never know what is going to happen, and the TV man who is part of the joke is also in the dark. Essentially, the egg can then be on anyone’s face.
Impractical Jokers airs on Thursdays at 9pm on Sony Max (DStv channel 128).