Credits: Wikipedia
Impractical Jokers is an American hidden camera-practical joke reality series that premiered on TruTV on December 15, 2011, and is produced by NorthSouth Productions. It follows Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, the four members of the comedy troupe The Tenderloins, as they coerce one another into doing public pranks while being filmed by hidden cameras. The show differs from other prank television programs as the stars of Impractical Jokers do not know the details of the prank until the moment they are performing it on strangers. The show is currently in the middle of airing its sixth season, and it was announced by TruTV that the show would be renewed for a seventh season on May 12, 2017.
Development
Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, four high school friends who attended Monsignor Farrell High School, from Staten Island, New York, formed the live improv and sketch comedy troupe, The Tenderloins in 1999. After a long and successful history, including winning the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's "It’s Your Show" competition, the group went into television. In 2008, they filmed a pilot episode for a scripted sitcom for Spike TV, but the show did not go to series. TruTV announced the series Impractical Jokers, originally slated to be named Mission: Uncomfortable, on April 12, 2011, eight months before the show's debut. Murray explained how the hidden camera format made sense based on the jokesters skills. "We needed to find the right format... thing is, we've been doing this for years, but when it's on camera, the embarrassment is amplified."[4] Q and Sal have said when they gave their pilot episode to TruTV, it was recorded on their iPhones. At the time they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development for NorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception.
Episodes
Before every challenge, the Jokers explain where they are, what the challenge is, and what will happen if they fail. Often (but not always) there is an ear piece placed on the cast member(s) performing the prank while the others have a mic in a covert location. There are also hidden cameras near the area to capture the action. The location in which the challenge takes place is usually a public area in or around New York City such as a city park, or store. The criteria of each challenge are the same for each of the jokers competing in the round. If the joker cannot complete their task, they get a Thumbs-Down. At the end of the episode, the joker or jokers with the most thumbs down is punished, and the punishments are usually more embarrassing, humiliating, disgusting, painful or scary than any of the challenges. Punishments cannot be refused, or the joker is off the show.
Statistics
- Up to date as of Thursday, August 17, 2017
- Some statistics have been rounded.
- Some challenges involved double-thumbs down; punishment percentage rates based on total episodes that involve punishments (140 out of 143)
- In some instances, a joker can make a bet another joker can't complete a (usually difficult) task. If the task is complete, the challenge will end (even if not all jokers participated), and the joker who loses the bet loses the entire episode, regardless of the loser board. This has only happened on three occasions in the show's run.
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