Impractical Jokers is a hidden-camera comedy show that premiered in 2011 on truTV. Since then, it has gone on to become one of the greatest improvisational prank shows of all time. The show originally starred four lifelong friends — Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, and Sal Vulcano — who challenged each other to perform embarrassing tasks in public. While Gatto ended up leaving the show after 9 seasons, the format of Impractical Jokers has mostly remained the same with the remaining three friends. In every episode, the jokers have to listen to the rest of his friends dictate tasks for them through an earpiece. Every joker must listen to everything their friends ask them to do and a refusal to do so results in a punishment for the loser of the episode.
These punishments are a key element of the show, designed to push the boundaries of each Joker’s personal comfort zone which leads to some of the series’ most memorable moments. For instance, Q was once subjected to labor pains, and Sal came face-to-face with two bears. The punishments in Impractical Jokers are notorious for being over-the-top and designed to target the individual fears and dislikes of each Joker. After a day full of tasks, the punishments serve as a climactic and hilarious end to each episode. However, sometimes the jokers tend to go a little overboard with the punishments sometimes tend to get a bit extreme. In fact, one of these punishments that James Murray was subjected to was so bad that it triggered a revenge plot within the group!
Murr Started Off Strong in the First Challenge Before Things Went Downhill For Him
Impractical Jokers Season 3, Episode 1 ‘Look Out Below’ kicks off with the guys at a hotel, posing as bellhops and assisting guests. But the catch is, that each of them will be receiving instructions through an earpiece from the others, and they have to follow every command, no matter how outrageous! To make things all the more embarrassing, the goal is to try and get a tip out of the guest once they’re done performing all their tasks. Whoever doesn’t manage to get a tip loses.
Murr begins his challenge by unpacking his guests’ luggage for them, touching their belongings without their consent. He then goes on to step on their bed with his dirty shoes but the folks end up giving him a tip anyway. This means that he was safe this time around and moved into the next round as one of the winners.
The 2nd Challenge Wasn’t Looking Too Good, Followed By An Unforgiving Tie-Breaker
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For the second challenge, the guys have to do the same thing while operating a hot dog cart. If you refuse to listen to the guy’s instructions, you lose! This challenge is just as hilarious as the guys force Vulcano to squeeze a man’s behind with his tongs and tell a customer that he is related to Hitler. Then, Brian Quinn is made to write on a boy’s hotdog with a permanent Sharpie, accuse one of his customers of being an undercover cop, and then pretend to be a cop himself!
Murr is up next and when he’s asked to snatch a hot dog from a kid’s hands, he refuses to do it. That means Murr is the first loser of the challenge! After him, Joe Gatto ends up throwing confetti at a customer’s face but eventually loses when he’s asked to make a joke about his wife.
The two losers then go head-to-head to determine who gets punished. In a Joker showdown double down, Murr and Joe Gatto have to pitch their inventions to a focus group. But the products they are pitching have actually been invented by the other guys! The goal is to convince the group that their product is better than the other and the person with the least amount of votes for their pitch loses. In the first round, Sal Vulcano and Murr are up against each other, pitching a 47-hour energy bar and Tin Cans with antennas respectively.
Murr’s Fear of Heights Was Pushed To The Limit With His Punishment
For this punishment, Murr has to stare death in the face as the guys give him a nasty surprise. The guys tell him that he has to give a fake skydiving class. However, when they get there, Murr finds out that he’s going to be the one jumping out from the sky! Poor Murr immediately starts begging his friends to let him go. But Sal Vulcano reminds him that they made a pact to never say “no” to a punishment. So, despite his fear, Murr has to accept his fate.
While suiting up, Murr is evidently nervous, not being too convinced by the safety protocols. As the plane starts going up in the air, Murr begins crying at the thought of having to face his worst fear. When it’s time for him to take the plunge, the poor guy starts shaking like a leaf, trying to find a way to get himself out of this mess. While he had a professional skydiver with him the whole time, that still wasn’t reassuring enough for Murr. Eventually, he takes the leap of faith, and as horrifying as it was, Murr eventually makes it back to the ground safe and sound. But he makes sure to give his friends a piece of his mind for coming up with the punishment as soon as he’s back on his feet.
Murr Made Sure To Take Revenge For Everything He Was Put Through
That’s not where it ends, though. In the Impractical Jokers Season 3 finale, Murr decides to make Vulcano pay for the skydiving punishment. After strapping Vulcano to a dolly, Murr puts on quite a show for his old friend. In a televised ceremony, and in the presence of Vulcanos’s entire family, Murr marries his sister Jenna Vulcano. Despite Sal Vulcano’s shouts and protests, there’s nothing he can do to stop Murr.
What’s more, is that the ceremony was completely legal! To add to the drama, Murr and Jenna Vulcano even played a video at the wedding, where they confess their long-standing love for one another. Of course, once Murr had taken his sweet revenge, he and Vulcano’s sister got their marriage annulled the same day, proving that their ‘love story’ was just for the show. But considering how terrifying Murr’s punishment was, you can’t blame him for wanting to go over the top this time. Impractical Jokers Season 11 premieres on July 11, 2024, at 10 PM ET/PT on TBS. All previous seasons are available to stream on Hulu. Don’t forget to check out top 20 NBC comedy shows of all time.
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