TruTV's hidden camera prank show Impractical Jokers has been delighting fans of hidden
camera comedy since 2011.
Whether you're a long-time aficionado or brand new to the show, here are a few Jokers-related
tidbits you're probably unaware of.
Class clowns
Making goofing off with your best buds from high school into your job sounds like a ridiculous
pipe dream, but that's exactly what happened to Brian "Q" Quinn, Sal Vulcano, James "Murr"
Murray, and Joe Gatto.
The long-time friends were born within nine months of each other on Staten Island and
met as teens at an all-boys Catholic high school — the perfect proving ground for
fine-tuning their prankster chops.
Murray says their high school shenanigans helped shape their specialized skillset, making
them "well-practiced in the art of pranking."
One such early prank — Gatto's frequent attempts to touch people with his nose without
them noticing — even made its way onto Jokers.
Who says school doesn't prepare you for the real world …
"Oh my God."
"I feel like we're about to cause an international incident."
Troupers
Goofing off is fun and all, but you need to find an audience if you're going make a living
at it.
So in 1999, the guys formed a comedy troupe called The Tenderloins.
Fast-forward to 2007 when the four friends entered the Carson Daly-curated NBC online
comedy video competition It's Your Show.
Their entry, "Time Thugs," an infomercial spoof about some time-hopping goons that can
fix your past, helped nab them the top prize of $100,000 …
"You Timmy Jenkins?"
"Who wants to know?"
"Our fists want to know, you little bastard!"
The guys took the cash and put together a pilot for Spike TV in 2008 called Mission:
Uncomfortable that would ultimately become Impractical Jokers.
The network ultimately decided not to pick the show up, but the guys often show snippets
from it at their live shows.
Joke's on them
The idea for the pilot came one night when the guys were discussing prank shows and were
inspired to invert the formula and make an "upside-down hidden camera show" where they're
the butt of their own jokes.
Or one of their butts is the joke ...
"You have a finger in your a------ on television!"
The Tenderloins say they don't consider Impractical Jokers a reality show or even necessarily
a prank show, but instead just a platform for their comedy.
Four dudes wreaking havoc in public sure sounds like Jackass, but the guys are quick to point
out that the joke is always on them instead of the unsuspecting public, or as Joe calls
them, merely the "instrument of embarrassment."
"Oh my God."
"That's what happens when you lose!"
Behind the schemes
When Jokers started out, it was literally just the four guys in control of every aspect
of the show — they even shot their "pitch episode" for TruTV in 2010 with their iPhones.
After the success of the first two seasons, they finally were making enough money to hire
some writers to work with them in creating the jokes and brainstorming ideas for challenges.
"Low Risk, High Yield Investments.
Little risk, lotta yield.
You don't put a lot of risk out there, and you bring a lot of yield in.
It's all about the yield."
But that doesn't mean the foursome are hands-off after six seasons and counting.
Murr describes the show as "an improv show in disguise," with about 60 to 70 percent
of it made up on the fly.
Joe still oversees all the editing, too, ensuring The Tenderloins' stamp remains firmly on the
Jokers product no matter how big they get.
Off-screen antics
The guys may be getting paid to force each other into the most excruciating situations
imaginable on TV, but that doesn't mean they lay off in private.
They play tricks on each other constantly off-camera, and, much like on the show, Murr
is typically the target.
One of their favorite pranks involves increasing the tip Murr leaves at restaurants by adding
a digit somewhere on the receipt while he's distracted.
"Murr's cruise credit card.
There's money on the boat, you use this to buy everything, you guys want a drink?"
"Keep them coming!"
The guys rarely dare Joe to do anything in public anymore, so convinced are they that
he'll do pretty much anything proposed to him, just for laughs.
After all, this is the guy who walked down Wall Street in a wedding dress with his dog
gussied up as a groom beside him ...
Jokers in the wild
Far from one-prank ponies, the guys have shared their comedic talents elsewhere, with Sal
and Murr doing an episode of Bones in 2015, and all four scheduled to make appearances
in the Syfy series 12 Monkeys.
Q is set to star in a new movie directed by indie horror maestro Adam Green, which means
he's likely get his head blown off in some wonderfully gruesome way.
But Murr says their solo interests won't keep them from their Jokers duties, and the guys
will "keep working together for a long time to come."
"You guys just f---ed up."
"Hey watch your language buddy, it's a family friendly show."
"Season six is coming, and I'm going to destroy the three of you."
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!