truTV and Impractical Jokers Take Over New York’s South Street Seaport in
Epic, First-Ever Live Event Celebrating Hit Series 100th Episode
In front of thousands of cheering fans, Jokers attempt highwire walk
They came, they walked, they conquered. On Thursday, Sept. 3, truTV and Impractical Jokers stars Q, Murr, Joe and Sal pulled off an epic, first-ever LIVE punishment in New York City’s South Street Seaport in front of legions of fans and event host Howie Mandel.
Making a grand entrance on a double-decker bus, the Jokers were met by an enthusiastic crowd that included thousands of fans, New York City tourists and spectators. One by one, each of the Jokers stepped onto a highwire five stories above the streets of South Street Seaport in an electrifying challenge to see who could walk the farthest to secure the victory and make the most money for their chosen charity.
Getting the crowd hyped up for the evening’s festivities was the Jokers’ trainer, highwire expert and Ringling Bros. Circus clown Bello Nock, best known as the “World’s Greatest Dare Devil.” With his signature foot-tall red hair, Bello walked the highwire first to demonstrate just how “easy” a challenge it would be for the Jokers to complete, much to delight of the masses waiting for the main event.
As part of the live punishment special, GEICO gave fans the power to save one of the Jokers from having to walk the highwire first –
and also the power to set the order of walkers. Launching the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 2, truTV and GEICO allowed fans to vote for the
GEICO Save to #SAVEJOE, #SAVEMURR, #SAVEQ, or #SAVESAL via their social channels. The results were tallied in an online leaderboard at
www.trutv.com/jokers100 and revealed on-air during the live punishment special. The lucky Joker who decided everyone’s fate was Q.
The first to hit the highwire was Murr, who as fans familiar with a popular past episode know, has a strong aversion to heights. With his three best friends cheering him on and the crowd below chanting his name, Murr was able to make it about 9.7 ft. across the wire before falling off.
Next up was Sal, who motivated himself by doing a little dance with his eyes closed before stepping onto the wire and making it an impressive 9.2 ft.
Then came Joe, wearing his always entertaining Captain Fat Belly costume, which he was forced to wear after being declared the “biggest loser” at the end of the 100th episode. Joe, who was the frontrunner voted by Impractical Jokers fans leading up to the live event as the most likely to walk the farthest, gave it his all and made it about 5 ft. across.
Last but not least was Q, who after a few false starts, was able to walk the full length of the tightrope using his own distinctive technique, to claim victory and win $50,000 for his favorite charity. The three remaining Jokers’ charities will each receive $10,000 donations.
truTV partnered with
FanDuel (www.fanduel.com,) the largest one-day fantasy sports operator, to each contribute $25,000 towards a $50,000 cash prize for the winning Joker’s beneficiary. The other three charities will each receive $10,000, provided by truTV. Sal walked for
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); Joe for
Daniel’s Music Foundation; Murr for the
Make-A-Wish Foundation and Q for the
Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Impractical Jokers is produced for truTV by NorthSouth Productions (Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Double Divas), with Charlie DeBevoise, Mark Hickman, Joe Gatto, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Sal Vulcano serving as executive producers.
About truTV
truTV takes viewers on a fun ride that surprises and entertains. The network delivers a dynamic mix of action, comedy and competition, featuring engaging characters and compelling new worlds that pull you in and leave you wanting more. Currently seen in 92 million U.S. households, truTV features such popular original series as Impractical Jokers, The Carbonaro Effect, Friends of the People, Hack My Life, Fameless, Six Degrees of Everything, How to Be a Grown-Up, Barmageddon, as well as the upcoming Funny Or Die’s Billy on the Street, Those Who Can’t, Adam Ruins Everything and Santas in the Barn. In addition, truTV is a partner in airing the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and recently began airing the network’s first ever boxing series
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; kids and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
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