TV
The Impractical Jokers
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A TV column by Matt Clark
I used to really enjoy publicity stunt
prank shows, like Impractical Jokers,
where they went around and tricked
people, whilst being filmed with
hidden cameras.
If you’ve never seen Impractical
Jokers, it’s a bit like a toned down
Jackass where a group of mates
would get a member of their team
to do increasingly bizarre things on
an unsuspecting public using hidden
earpieces and cameras.
It’s pretty good. Harmless but
humiliating.
The punishments they had to do if
they failed were just as hilarious and
humiliating as the pranks themselves.
Also, ‘Off Their Rockers’ on ITV
was good as well, where senior
citizens pulled pranks on unsuspecting
members of the public, with
unexpected and (sometimes) very
amusing endings.
Even shows like ‘The Real Hustle’,
which isn’t a comedy prank show like
the others, used to be pretty damn
good.
The show featured scams
performed on the public, to reveal
how they work so the viewer won’t be
conned in real life. An educational
prank show for want of a better
description.
In my opinion all of these shows
were brilliant, and I used to watch
them all the time.
But I don’t any more. And why is
that you may ask?
Blame YouTube.
Now, I watch YouTube videos all of
the time, and I have to admit, there’s
some great entertainment out there
to freely watch, whether it’s gaming
videos, music videos, or whatever
interests you.
And when I first discovered these
prank videos, I was quite excited.
I was expecting the type of
pranks used on the shows mentioned
above – things which would annoy
random members in the street, such
as grabbing things out of people’s
shopping trollies, or making an old
lady jump. Hilarious stuff, right? (I’m
such a cruel person.)
However, on YouTube, the pranks
have started to become more
ridiculous by the day, and as one
prank video tries to outdo another,
it’s slowly getting out of hand.
Not only are these YouTube videos
clearly staged in some cases, but
when people feel the need to be
making ISIS bomb prank videos, just
a few days after a recent terrorist
attack, then a fine line must be
drawn.
There is a point where pranks can
be taken too far and are no longer
funny.
I don’t see the funny side of these
‘so-called’ prank videos - or as I
like to call them, a ‘one-way ticket
to possibly getting killed one day’
video.
They’re not really about laughter
and humiliation any more but about
shock and fear.
They’ve lost the audience
somewhere along the way and it’s
only a matter of time before there’s
serious consequences to their actions.
For me, it’s taken the shine away
from these prank shows as these
YouTube videos have created such
a negative opinion on pranks, that I
simply don’t watch them anymore.
Which is a shame, really.
Or this column could just be one
huge elaborate prank for you the
reader with a massive shocking
surprise waiting for you just around
the corner.
Or not.
16 www.theocelot.co.uk
Ocelot 122 Wilts.indd 16
25/07/2016 20:50