Do you agree most pranking borders on cruelty? More MythBusters-related Q&A here: ruclips.net/video/EEuhyrqpwWw/видео.html Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions: ruclips.net/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin
I read the book called "The Complete Practical Joker". The author took great pains to warn about cruel pranks. One thing they said was a good prank takes advantage of and exposes someones prejudice or ignorance. At the end of every chapter there was a warning in the form of a story about a prank that ended very badly. The book was entertaining, informative, and very sobering.
One of the best pranks is the "Telekinetic coffee shop" prank as an advertisement for the movie Carrie from 2013, which is a special effect prank like you wanted to do at a hotel. It is not embarrassing anyone, just scaring them a bit to think Telekinesis is real 😂🤣 Just search for it here on yt.
I remember the episode where Tory, Grant and Kari built the replica Ark of the Covenant with the stun/shock battery in it - seemed like you were not amused. I'm with you, not a fan of most pranks.
Pranks are a social tool for both testing and forging relational bonds. Like fire and a hammer, in the hands of most, they can and will bend, break or destroy friendships. But wielded by the right person, who understands the temper(ament) of the recipient, it can paradoxically increase trust, intimacy and joy.
Used to work in an office where a bunch of the guys were constantly pranking each other. I warned them - I don't wanna play with you idiots - mess with me and I go straight to the nuclear option - you have been warned.
They really would be good at it too. It would have been an entirely different show and I totally understand why Jamie would agree to never do it again, but I kind of wish they just went for it.
I remember that one episode of Mythbusters where Tory, Kari, and Grant upped the current on a prop and shocked the crap out of Adam.. and you could see that Adam was not pleased...
Yeah, because that amount of electricity can kill someone. It was high voltage power from a cattle prod going through the prop. There’s a difference between shocking someone as a prank, and doing something stupid that could get someone seriously hurt or killed.
Second rule: if called out on it, the gig's up. No "no man I'm serious" because at that point you're just making fun of a friend for being fool enough to trust you.
I was gonna say, I think GOOD pranks are pranks that make the prank-ee laugh after the ruse has been revealed. I think that's the enjoyment of it, the human urge to laugh when everything is okay. If it makes someone panic too much, that relief will be in sighs, not laughs, and I think that's where pranks go wrong.
I like the pranks where the pranked gets the feeling of having superpowers. Like those tricks where the volunteer is asked to do something mundane like press a button or open a box and something impossible happens and the magichian seems as baffled as the audience.
@Culpride my only thing with those would be, for example, Adam's proposed TV prank show. For some individuals, if the prank is too fantastical and or realistic, it could cause acute psychosis. It would not occur often I don't think, but if the subjects aren't screened before for a large scale prank, then there's a risk you make someone go crazy 😭😭
The only pranks I find acceptable are the entirely harmless ones - like saying "It's pretty muggy outside" for them to then look out and see a bunch of mugs in the yard. And the prankster should be the one to clean up the prank afterwards
Oh that is a good one. completely harmless and just funny. no one feels stupid about it either, so it's having fun with the person you are pranking, not making fun of the person you are pranking
An early 1960s Candid Camera show in the UK involved Jonathan Routh driving a car with no engine downhill into a garage and explaining to the service person that the car wasn't running properly. Hilarity ensued.
@@brucegoatly The US show did something similar, but had sealed up, sanded and painted over the fuel cap hatch. ...then asked the attendant to "fill 'er up"
There's a channel here on RUclips, Lindy and JLO. It's a family that pranks each other in a simple way. They fill water balloons with water and shaving cream, then hang them from doorways for a surprise ambush. They get each other all the time, and post videos daily. The great thing is everyone is laughing afterwards, even the target. I like those kinds of innocent pranks.
I could see how a situation could be used, to even further the 'targets' joy. But that requires knowing the person really well, having a great sense for various forms of humor and being able to 'jump over your own shadow'. Barely anyone can claim all of them. 😉
My mom used to make silk flower arrangements. Once, she took a round piece of the styrofoam that is used for such artificial flowers and iced it as one would a cake, and left this "cake" in the fridge. It was amusing to watch my uncle attempting to saw his way into the cake to get a piece; and we all laughed once he joke had been revealed. No cruelty, no sense of dread, no bad feelings. That's what a prank should be.
My biggest issue with pranks is that it removes your sense of trust, your ability to know that this moment is real. Yes, there's a ton of Cruelty in it. There's a weirdness where people like seeing someone distressed, which I find to be really disturbing. But in the wake of that prank? You have someone that doesn't trust the other person anymore.
I work in excavation. Truly it can be an extremely dangerous occupation. My coworkers and myself prank each other and even mock each other relentlessly. The purpose is not cruelty but to bring some levity to a tough, sometimes monotonous, sometimes life-threateningly dangerous day of work. I trust them with my life, and no amount of grease under the door handle, pockets stuffed with dirt, hidden toilet paper, or equipment blocking the outhouse door changes that.
@Khronogi I assure you that we accomplish our job with great care and observe all safety standards. There is plenty of room for professional performance and having a laugh. I think it warrants stating that no matter your demeanor, a trench collapse or ruptured gas line is equally dangerous to all.
@@noblesavage300 I am in commercial construction (union carpenter) I 100% know where you are coming from in all of this. I've even considered driving my small car up to the door after my buddy went into the porta-john LOL but don't have the nerve to follow through as I don't want to piss the wrong person off lolol. although I know for a fact he would find it hilarious, out of context the jobsite superintendent see's it at the wrong time and I could be thrown off the job or have a legit chewing out. Some jobsites are obviously more lax than others.
@justins21482 It probably helps that I'm the senior most employee in a small company 😅 Not that it makes me immune from a good butt-chewing, but the PM and both owners are also practical jokers. We have our fun certainly, but we keep things in the boundaries of break times. Context fully matters and we have our game faces on at go time. I'm extremely fortunate to work with great people. We give each other a hard time, but we really do lift each other up and do our absolute best to make sure all of us return home in one piece.
Yeah, I'd have been the same. Totally empathise from that one. It just ruined the whole vibe too, because it went from 'banter' to learning a hard lesson fast.
Remember how Tory looked like a puppy that'd dueced on the rug? He genuinely didn't want to do that prank. iirc that wasn't even their idea. A producer had came up with it, plus getting your hands shocked like that is really dangerous.
IMO the best pranks are the ones that just make people really confused for a few seconds… Pranks that don’t cause any pain or lasting damage. At my high school for our senior prank we added some voice changers to all the school intercoms, which made everyone who used them sound absolutely ridiculous.
That is so funny! And also - it's the same for EVERYONE, not just one person being singled out (like, it would have been cruel if it had just changed a single person's voice)
There's the old Just For Laughs (canadian?) prank show that was wonderfully harmless, they did lots of silly harmless stuff. Edit: from decades ago, there are apparently ones still made and i have no idea if they are as good
Sometimes it's beneficial. When I was younger, I had a habit of leaving my car running while I went into the local convenience store. My best friend (who hated that I did that) and his gf (now wife) were driving by one night when I did it and they noticed, so they pulled in and he parked my car behind the store, then they parked up the road and watched me panic when I came outside and found my car was gone. I freaked out for a few minutes before telling myself "It's just a junk Neon". Then I called him for a ride and he pulls in 10s later, laughing his head off. B-stard. I stopped leaving my car running after that.
Ah, yes, the "simulate a terrible life lesson you really needed under controlled circumstances" kind of prank is another exceptional case, where the terrible feeling it creates is productive and helpful. Through a certain very valid lens, I think you would still call this a kind prank.
Had a buddy stop in every night on his patrol route. Would stop in to eat a Subway sandwich. Always left his cruiser unlocked, keys on his radio antenna. We stole the keys and moved the cruiser (On Camera BTW) one of us distracted him, the other "borrowed" the keys. Went outside and parked it around back, came in replaced the keys. We even "helped" look for the car. Several minutes later he found the car. Won't put what he said to us(NSFW). After then he always locked the doors and put the keys in his pocket.
I appreciate the fact that he immediately drew the line when he realized what Jamie did and Jamie respected it. Too many people take offence when someone pushes back after a line has been crossed.
Thank you for sharing that prank story. Not so much for the prank itself, but that wonderful description of how Jamie displayed emotion. I was trying to drink my morning tea, but just had to give up and let the chuckles run their course.
As a kid, I was a huge fan of Candid Camera, so when Punked came out I was excited but, I couldn't stand it, I'm not sure if it because I was older but while Candid Camera was fun and lighthearted I found Punked mean to borderline cruel.
For me, it's about allowing others to keep their dignity. Unfortunately, too many people lack the discernment, empathy, and maturity to keep this in mind.
Some prank calls can be funny. There are some ones online of someone doing a Tom Baker impression and calling various Doctor Who actors, for example, and most of them take it in stride(though the actor for the 7th Doctor just thought it was Tom calling him while drunk, which produced an equally funny result).
I always saw Mythbusters as taking place in a work environment, where pranks are not only discouraged and could even be dangerous. Things can go badly enough when you’re doing everything seriously.
I agree on the pranks. Someone I know pranked his classmate while on a group trip by leaving an opened condom in his bed in a hotel they were all staying in, to freak him out or embarrass him or something. The problem is the victim complained to the coach who chewed out the hotel staff who chewed out the housekeeping staff..... all of whom were completely innocent. It only came out later that it was a "prank"....
totally agree. I never understood why it's supposed to be funny. But, I also do not get 'fail videos' at all, so that makes me a total weirdo, I guess. 😆
One I did see was a person giving a course who struggled in carrying what looked to be a very heavy cardboard box. He then asked one of the attendees to pick it up. They did and it bounced off the ceiling as it was empty. There was the first lesson of the manual handling course - check the weight before lifting, because they are seen the other guy stuggling they assumed it was heavy and lifted without checking. Was it a prank - debatable, was it a good lesson - yes.
Very similar prank: We secured a few stacks of newspapers (relative did delivery so we had a few spare stacks lying around) inside this gigantic box and then taped a gift card inside. Gave the gigantic wrapped gift to my SIL for Christmas. Entirely harmless and delightfully fun for everyone.
A stranger once asked me if my pickup was a diesel at a gas pump... I know the nozzles are different sizes, and I knew I was pumping the correct fuel, but my heart still sank, and for a split second I felt awful, and that I had ruined my new truck. Turns out he wasn't pranking me. He had just noticed the large diameter of the exhaust pipe, and it was a genuine question. That split second dread, followed by a sigh of relief, is a good prank. If a person feels bad after, then I agree the prank went too far.
Most "pranks" seem designed to provoke surprise emotions like annoyance, embarrassment, fear, anger, disgust, etc. Probably because those are the easiest emotions to achieve. I hate that. But there are pranks, or at least prank-adjacent activities that can be positive. Telling a joke is basically surprising someone with emotions like amusement and delight. Or, I'm thinking of some of the Improv Everywhere stuff, like freezing time in Grand Central Station, or creating a time loop in a Starbucks, where people can be surprised with wonder and disbelief. Then there's the time Penn & Teller, specifically Teller I think, tried to buy a round of Jello for everyone in a diner. The waitress wouldn't allow it, because she was sure it had to be against some kind of rule somehow (?), but did allow them to send a bowl of Jello to one person. He thanked them, saying he hadn't had it since childhood and it brought back great memories. They surprised him with nostalgia and joy. So if you feel the need to prank, instead of putting effort into making someone unhappy for your amusement, put it into surprising someone in a positive way?
I've always had two ways of doing household pranks. One; moving something like sugar, or their coffee mug to an unreasonable place when they're not looking - and let them try and retrace their steps. It was always important to do this when they're not in a rush, or not trying to do something - just a relaxing morning or evening. You have to be upfront when it's done. My father and I would regularly do this to one another when he was still around. Two: Put something completely out of place in with other things, like a wrench in the fridge, or coffee grounds in the trunk of a car. It's intentionally harmless and silly, and makes the person being pranked confused, and if done correctly laugh at the absurdedity of the foreign object. I've always believed a prank done right make both parties involved in the prank laugh.
That’s why I liked Improv Everywhere- though technically “pranks”, there was no victim or target- they just staged these scenes and people could choose for themselves whether to ignore, observe or participate. They made a few mistakes along the way, where their good intentions resulted in reactions they hadn’t considered… but for the most part, nobody is getting upset when they see a time loop being acted out at Starbucks, or mannequins dancing in a storefront window, or a guy at a baseball game who simply cannot find his seat and winds up getting the entire stadium cheering him on as he gets closer to it, etc.
My husband and I also hate pranks. We've both agreed not to pull any mean pranks on each other. Things we've allowed are things like putting googly eyes all over the place or blowing up balloons to fill up a room. Things that are at worst inconvenient but never humiliating.
Related: The emotional hypersensitivity that typically comes along with ADHD significantly amplifies discomfort to that type of prank experience as well as aversion to watching others experience it, and the particular way you describe your exceptionally pointed reaction to Jamie's prank perfectly describes framing why pranking becomes cruel extremely rapidly, because there is almost immediately an element of them that is about _HIGHLY_ personalized discomfort, which very often fuels a feedback loop, rather than using communication like you did to effectively dismantling one. As such, I think it's an incredibly effective story for communicating the whole of that experience and why particular people really don't like to engage in it, because not only does it make you experience something you strongly dislike, but it strongly motivates you towards _being_ someone you dislike as well.
@@nedflanders4158 I stated that people with ADHD have an _amplified discomfort_ to what others experience from pranks. This happens because of having a lower resting dopamine level/metabolism which means that there is an increased sensitivity to dopamine fluctuations, which plays a key role in emotional hypersensitivity as compared to a neurotypical baseline. As such, neurotypical people with a higher resting dopamine level/metabolism don't experience the same degree of emotional hypersensitivity as people with ADHD, and thus while they still do feel discomfort or aversion to pranks as that's a normal emotional reaction, they won't experience the intensity of that emotion _as strongly._ Before you attempt to reactively dismiss something, it helps to understand the mechanisms behind it.
The two rules of pranking/practical jokes: 1. Don't prank someone who is not your friend. 2. Don't prank someone who you don't know for sure enjoys pranks. Any violation of these rules is just plain bullying.
I've seen incredible pranks pulled on complete strangers that were found to be hilarious by everyone, including the person being pranked, and those pranks had absolutely nothing to do with bullying.
Thank you so much for this one, Adam. I don't think pranking is always a bad thing, but it has to be done with a hell of a lot of care and the target has to at minimum A) not have a bad time and B) come out of it with a story they'll enjoy retelling. My favourite genre of prank is definitely 'prankster shocks the hell out of prankee by doing something incredibly nice/important for them'.
Yeah, I totally agree. Most of the time, pranking is just cruelty. I remember way back then, I was maybe 16 ? I pulled up an elaborate prank to my little brother, who was 12 at the time. So, here's the setup : I gone to his bedroom, and rigged some objects in a cabinet of him with nylon wires. I took all of that wiring to my bedroom, beeing extra careful to hide everything along the edge of the coridor. It's now the end of the day, my brother came home in the late afternoon, and we have just finish our meal. He goes to his bedroom, I go to mine. I wait just over 20 min before silently going to a piece of cardboad were the wire are all regrouped. I start to slowly pull one of the wire. And a second one, but just in time to hear that my brother is starting to cry and beeing afraid. I stopped immediately, and did go straight to him, to reassure him. He was very frightened, very emotional that time. He thought that a mouse or a rat was lurking around, or some spirit, I don't remember well. But I showed him everything : the wires, the piece of cardboard, how it works. I apologized massively that night and we spent the evening together. So yeah, for me, it was just a matter of "'Hey, what if I let my brother thought his bedroom was haunted ?". And I didn't thought of the aftermath, of the shock. In the end, it was just not worth it all.
There used to be a prank show in Germany "Verstehen Sie Spass?" that did elaborate pranks that generally were clever and funny, and not mean to the victims. Once they had a limo driving a celebrity from the airport in Munich (Germany) at night - then they drove into a weird "wormhole" on a dark country road (laser light show...), and suddenly all the road signs were places in Finland. They stopped at a fuel station, which also had been changed to Finnish (they set up all the magazines, road maps, price tags, etc. cashier only spoke Finnish, etc.). Another prank was in a pizza restaurant - a couple ordered small pizzas, and got tiny, tiny cracker-sized pizzas, and a miniature glass of wine. Then they decided to get the large pizza after all, and it took a long time, and a 2m (6 feet) pizza was served. It was the sort of elaborate, expensive show along the lines of what you described - clever rather than mean-spirited, and the "victims" could have a good laugh themselves when it was revealed.
The only kind of prank I like - and therefore the kind I perpetrate - are the completely harmless variety, like leaving a totally non-sequitor, poorly spelled poem about shoes or aardvarks on a post-it note on someone's desk and only claiming for two minutes I didn't do it. And only if they're having a good day and they know me REALLY well. Anything that causes terror or turns the world upside-down is just mean, unproductive, and can even leave scars. Physical and mental. It shouldn't be done.
I feel the same about pranks, I remember while I was in the Navy some of the guys in Personal pranked a guy with fake orders to Afghanistan, he was crying and everything. The guys in Personal got in a lot of trouble for it.
I was in a diner that had a TV and custo erst had the remote. I got the re one that day and had turned on a show. Another customer came in, walked to the TV and switched it to a basketball game. They ignored the big sign about the remote. So whenever they weren't staring at the screen I lowered the volume. After a few minutes, up he got to turn it up. This happened several times before a waitress came by and he complained about the TV volume not working. She advised him it never works well without the remote. Myself and other customers as well as his wife had a good laugh. He apologized and I gave him the remote. Pranking him was better than the show I was going to watch, lol.
It’s so refreshing hearing someone else voice a dislike of pranks. I love your partner’s way of putting it. I also have no enjoyment from the feeling of being pranked or scared and done enjoy watching it being done to others. I think a joke or prank (or indeed ‘banter’) should always bring enjoyment to both people not just one.
That last story could have ended _very_ badly. You don't know how people will react to these things, and humiliation can stay with you for a _long_ time.
He forgot the semi-prank where he yelled out "Myth busters!" while driving by Jamie's house. Jamie couldn't tell who was in the car so he was concerned some fan now knew his home address. Jamie told Adam that later and Adam said, "Oh that was me." Jamie says he thought they weren't doing pranks. Adam agreed he didn't mean to violate the agreement and apologized.
I had a supervisor tie my bicycle to the rafters of a warehouse just before home time, which he found hilarious. His face soon changed when I told him it wasn't mine 🤣. We also found an old oiling can, with which we would drop oil on the ground underneath the same persons engine every day for weeks. He would spend hours at the weekend trying to work it out. He did see the funny side when we finally told him, as he dished it out just as often.
I have met people who understand the line between prank and cruelty but those people are surprisingly rare. For some people it is probably an excuse to be cruel.
That isn't a prank, though. Pranks or even light trolling are just for laughs. There are pathetic cases of people who feel inferior who pick on people feel big, but those are just bullies, and those are small people.
The show jury duty is the only one that comes to mind like your pitched “expensive prank show” very very kind and wonderful feeling show like a warm hug
My favorite prank I’ve ever pulled happened in a discord call while playing Destiny 2. One friend of mine goofed up the main class of another friend (who wasn’t in the call), and said “if you can hear this, I’m sorry I misclassed you.” I decided to DM the misclassed friend and ask him to join the call, say “apology accepted,” and leave. He did, and everyone in the call went ape.
One of my favourite not-cruel pranks: I work in the science dept of a high school, and one April Fools I printed out periodic tables in alphabetical order (Actinium, Aluminium, Americium...), laminated them, and gave them to the final year students, telling them it was the updated version from the RSC. One asked how they were meant to find, say, the alkali metals. "That's why it's colour coded!" "Nope, still don't like it." They all kept them as souvenirs. Took me a couple of hours to rearrange!
That "prank" show idea sounds AMAZING. Sort of a play on Westworld, but in real life. Just be able to wake up in a totally different world, or outlandish world circumstances, anything other than what you were expecting. Honestly, I'd pay big money to experience something like that.
I once had a manager with an incredible sense of humor, so he and I would joke with each other a lot. My favorite ongoing prank was that we would take turns putting googly eyes on office equipment, family photos, etc of the other. with the express intent of trying to get the other to chuckle during a meeting or phone call. He and I once worked together to put googly eyes on all the people in the family portrait of the sales manager, who did not notice them for 3 months. As a side note, that manager was a wonderful human being. In his spare time, he ran a boy scout troop for young men with mental disabilities (primarily boys with Down's Syndrome and boys diagnosed with Autism), and did stuff like take them rafting on the Colorado River. I miss him as a boss.
Pranks can definitely have unexpected consequences. I worked at a very casual job where all the engineers and techs wore jeans and t-shirts. We had a new guy who had been working with us for a month and convinced him that our corporate leaders were arriving the next Monday and we were all expected to be wearing suits. Of couse, the next day he wore a suit and we all were in jeans. We all seemed to have a good laugh. Later on, we discovered that he had not owned a suit and had to buy one and had used most of his first pay for this one occasion.
That's a less funny version of Dave Letterman's college prank where he helps his friend make an awesome Bic pen costume for a costume party. Except that when his friend got there he was the only one in a costume.
I agree with Adam - pranks are something that should leave everyone able to laugh, afterwards. I remember a Just For Laughs Gags episode where there was a port-a-potty and once someone went in, actors RUSHED in and moved a scene set set in StarWars, with Storm troopers and Darth Vader at the other end. THAT is an epic and funny and memorable prank. Scaring someone and startling them is also acceptable if the people are willing victims. If I go into a horror house, I am signaling, I'm okay with being jumped scared and startled.
Laughter is a fear response, that's why prank videos are popular, they convey danger and elicit sympathy. Fail videos do the same thing. Empathy kills laughter. So as we become more empathetic, pranks and fails become less funny to us. There is a major smile effect that happens with some empathy though, such as AGT's Golden Buzzer moments, that can feel like laughter, and often involves tears. That sort of laughter seems to be linked to short breath sighs and self-soothing that we teach ourselves as infants while our chests and lungs build strength. Laughter is our body self-soothing and regulating itself so that we don't panic when danger is still perceived to be a threat. So prank and fail videos absolutely elicit that response until we become more aware and empathetic. It's the same with being offended, it's empathy.
Thanks for this. I've never been one to pull pranks and people seem to steer clear of pranking me. But pranks in general have always tended to bother me (not always but usually). How you expressed your opinions here really helped me understand my own thoughts about this.
I remember his reaction to the gang shocking him with a cattle prod hooked up to the ancient battery. He was pissed and the gang didn’t laugh. Haha so funny.
They didn't laugh because they didn't want to do it. From what I read they were pressured into doing it by one of the producers. Tory still feels bad about that "prank" to this day, Heck he outright says in the episode, right after touching it himself I might add, "We CAN'T do this to Adam".
The Magic Prank Show on Netflix did a prank similar to what Jamie describes. They hypnotized a guy, put him in a deep sleep, drove him a few hundred miles away to the desert and stuck him in a cargo box where he woke up to a TV playing “News” on a loop about the apocalypse. It was pretty good.
I like what Penn Jilette said about pranking in one of his books. He said that a good prank is one where the target of the prank is enjoying it the most.
The turtle prank is very similar (almost identical) to the plot of the Roald Dahl book “Esio Trot”…one of Dahl’s weirder and more morally ambiguous children’s books.
In the US military I worked in an office. I left my desk for a few minutes and when I came back there was an MP with a dog sniffing around. I alerted on my desk! The MP pulled out a bag of weed!! I was freaked out...stunned...mind whirling about how my life was screwed...then everyone started laughing. My section chief told the MP to put the plant in my desk (they use them to keep the dogs interested) so they could prank me. Holy Smokes! I laughed, but but I didn't see the humor in it. Later I got my revenge: I had learned to pick simple locks years before. So, I picked the locks on the two senior people's desks and swapped them. Then, I used thin fishing line and tape to attach the fishing line to everything light weight on the top of their desks and ran the line down the back of the desk and under to tape them to the underside of the desk drawer. When they came in to unlock the desk, it was funny when the two had to swap keys, but the best part was when the first one yanked their desk drawer open and everything on top of their desk flew off! The best part was that these same senior people had told stories of the same pranks they did to others. I was quite satisfied and they never pranked me again.
I couldn't help it, but I was cracking up as Adam was telling the story of the Jaime prank. Just imagining the whole situation and Jamie's red face while trying to hold in the laughter had me laughing.
My fav prank (I was only a witness, not a participant): I worked for Oral Roberts TV in the early 1980s in the set and lighting crew. The lighting director was a great guy named Lowry Perry. We came in one morning to find Perry's office completely filled with cobwebs and dust - it looked like the room hadn't been touched in 1000 years. Perry is sitting at his desk reading a magazine - he had cleared just enough of the office to get into his chair. He left it that way all day (and then made the guys who had decorated it clean it up!). They had rented a professional cobweb spinner and spent HOURS doing this overnight.
Adam, you've been such an inspiration since your MythBusters days! Love your RUclips channel. Would love to know where I can get merch like your shirts - both one with your name and maybe even a custom one with mine! Keep being awesome!
Here's a fun but simple and harmless prank to play on a friend When they leave your house, text them that they forgot their phone. You can even take a picture of it wherever they put it down when they were there. See if they fall for it and if they do, see how long it takes them to realize they've been duped. Edit: MAKE SURE it's your house and not a public place where their phone could be stolen or messed with if they ACTUALLY left it there.
Magician Justin Willman (Magic for Humans) did a version of the show Adam pitched, called the Magic Prank Show (on Netflix). The premise was that people who had previously been pranked by a friend or relative would be avenged by Justin setting up an elaborate situation involving magic. Most were not mean spirited.
My buddy and his friend were out cruising around getting high when his friend fell asleep. He pulls up on a set of railroad tracks, grabs his flashlight, shines it in his friends face while shaking him awake and screaming "TRAIN!!!".
I can remember 2 pranks from Mythbusters. One was when you dirtied up the bathroom, which made Jamie mad and another was when Jamie kept giving you electric shocks.
Do you agree most pranking borders on cruelty?
More MythBusters-related Q&A here: ruclips.net/video/EEuhyrqpwWw/видео.html
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:
ruclips.net/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin
I read the book called "The Complete Practical Joker". The author took great pains to warn about cruel pranks. One thing they said was a good prank takes advantage of and exposes someones prejudice or ignorance. At the end of every chapter there was a warning in the form of a story about a prank that ended very badly. The book was entertaining, informative, and very sobering.
One of the best pranks is the "Telekinetic coffee shop" prank as an advertisement for the movie Carrie from 2013, which is a special effect prank like you wanted to do at a hotel.
It is not embarrassing anyone, just scaring them a bit to think Telekinesis is real 😂🤣 Just search for it here on yt.
I remember the episode where Tory, Grant and Kari built the replica Ark of the Covenant with the stun/shock battery in it - seemed like you were not amused. I'm with you, not a fan of most pranks.
Pranks are a social tool for both testing and forging relational bonds. Like fire and a hammer, in the hands of most, they can and will bend, break or destroy friendships.
But wielded by the right person, who understands the temper(ament) of the recipient, it can paradoxically increase trust, intimacy and joy.
I like Adam's idea of a flash-mob style of prank show. Maybe one day the expense will be worth the gold it could produce.
The Mythbusters "Mutually Assured Destruction" agreement of pranks 😅
My face hurts from smiling, this is so maliciously adorable.
Used to work in an office where a bunch of the guys were constantly pranking each other. I warned them - I don't wanna play with you idiots - mess with me and I go straight to the nuclear option - you have been warned.
They really would be good at it too. It would have been an entirely different show and I totally understand why Jamie would agree to never do it again, but I kind of wish they just went for it.
I remember that one episode of Mythbusters where Tory, Kari, and Grant upped the current on a prop and shocked the crap out of Adam.. and you could see that Adam was not pleased...
Yeah, because that amount of electricity can kill someone. It was high voltage power from a cattle prod going through the prop.
There’s a difference between shocking someone as a prank, and doing something stupid that could get someone seriously hurt or killed.
Grant wasn't still on the show at that time.
He was PISSED OFF, clearly. That didn't work out well for them. That clearly wasn't a successful prank, in my book.
@@Blood-PawWerewolf It was not mains power. It was hooked up to a transformer intended for animal fences.
There was discussion in another episode that the whole thing was actually Jamie's suggestion.
One big rule I've always followed: if you pull a prank, you are responsible for making things right. You make the mess, you clean it up.
That's what I really appreciated about the turtle prank, they returned the original turtle
“Clean up or die.” -Jamie’s sign
Second rule: if called out on it, the gig's up. No "no man I'm serious" because at that point you're just making fun of a friend for being fool enough to trust you.
@@adamsbjayes
so if you make a mess of someone's emotions and thus make them feel less safe around you, what do you do to restore their trust in you?
"Confuse, don't abuse" kind of pranks are the best pranks 😂
I was gonna say, I think GOOD pranks are pranks that make the prank-ee laugh after the ruse has been revealed. I think that's the enjoyment of it, the human urge to laugh when everything is okay. If it makes someone panic too much, that relief will be in sighs, not laughs, and I think that's where pranks go wrong.
I like the pranks where the pranked gets the feeling of having superpowers. Like those tricks where the volunteer is asked to do something mundane like press a button or open a box and something impossible happens and the magichian seems as baffled as the audience.
@Culpride my only thing with those would be, for example, Adam's proposed TV prank show. For some individuals, if the prank is too fantastical and or realistic, it could cause acute psychosis. It would not occur often I don't think, but if the subjects aren't screened before for a large scale prank, then there's a risk you make someone go crazy 😭😭
A prank that induce a feeling of wonder is pretty wholesome.
Yep, a magician is a professional prankster.
The only pranks I find acceptable are the entirely harmless ones - like saying "It's pretty muggy outside" for them to then look out and see a bunch of mugs in the yard. And the prankster should be the one to clean up the prank afterwards
Oh that is a good one. completely harmless and just funny. no one feels stupid about it either, so it's having fun with the person you are pranking, not making fun of the person you are pranking
An early 1960s Candid Camera show in the UK involved Jonathan Routh driving a car with no engine downhill into a garage and explaining to the service person that the car wasn't running properly. Hilarity ensued.
I very much endorse this example of a prank.
It's Pretty Muggy is the Dad Joke of pranks...... I love it!
@@brucegoatly
The US show did something similar, but had sealed up, sanded and painted over the fuel cap hatch.
...then asked the attendant to "fill 'er up"
I agree so much with Adam's take on pranks here. The good pranks are kind. there are better ways to laugh than inflicting pain and other people.
There's a channel here on RUclips, Lindy and JLO. It's a family that pranks each other in a simple way. They fill water balloons with water and shaving cream, then hang them from doorways for a surprise ambush. They get each other all the time, and post videos daily. The great thing is everyone is laughing afterwards, even the target. I like those kinds of innocent pranks.
Anything that causes actual physical, mental, monetary, and/or reputational damage is never a prank. As Adam said, it's just cruelty by that point.
I could see how a situation could be used, to even further the 'targets' joy. But that requires knowing the person really well, having a great sense for various forms of humor and being able to 'jump over your own shadow'. Barely anyone can claim all of them. 😉
My mom used to make silk flower arrangements. Once, she took a round piece of the styrofoam that is used for such artificial flowers and iced it as one would a cake, and left this "cake" in the fridge. It was amusing to watch my uncle attempting to saw his way into the cake to get a piece; and we all laughed once he joke had been revealed. No cruelty, no sense of dread, no bad feelings. That's what a prank should be.
When it comes to pranks, I will always spout John Hodgman's wise adage: If it's not fun for all, it's no fun at all.
A prank is something where *everyone* ends up wanting to laugh afterwards. Everything else is bullying.
Some people laugh when scared. So yes, but maybe.
@@FrietjeOorlog the key is "wanting to laugh" not actually laughing neccesarily, but wanting to.
I think this is a pretty good definition.
And since you can't read minds or predict the future, they're the same thing in reality.
Spoken like a true participation trophy recipient.
My biggest issue with pranks is that it removes your sense of trust, your ability to know that this moment is real.
Yes, there's a ton of Cruelty in it. There's a weirdness where people like seeing someone distressed, which I find to be really disturbing. But in the wake of that prank?
You have someone that doesn't trust the other person anymore.
I work in excavation. Truly it can be an extremely dangerous occupation. My coworkers and myself prank each other and even mock each other relentlessly. The purpose is not cruelty but to bring some levity to a tough, sometimes monotonous, sometimes life-threateningly dangerous day of work. I trust them with my life, and no amount of grease under the door handle, pockets stuffed with dirt, hidden toilet paper, or equipment blocking the outhouse door changes that.
@@noblesavage300 til someone gets hurt. In "an extremely dangerous occupation" one should not even risk it, be professional.
@Khronogi I assure you that we accomplish our job with great care and observe all safety standards. There is plenty of room for professional performance and having a laugh. I think it warrants stating that no matter your demeanor, a trench collapse or ruptured gas line is equally dangerous to all.
@@noblesavage300 I am in commercial construction (union carpenter) I 100% know where you are coming from in all of this. I've even considered driving my small car up to the door after my buddy went into the porta-john LOL but don't have the nerve to follow through as I don't want to piss the wrong person off lolol. although I know for a fact he would find it hilarious, out of context the jobsite superintendent see's it at the wrong time and I could be thrown off the job or have a legit chewing out. Some jobsites are obviously more lax than others.
@justins21482 It probably helps that I'm the senior most employee in a small company 😅 Not that it makes me immune from a good butt-chewing, but the PM and both owners are also practical jokers. We have our fun certainly, but we keep things in the boundaries of break times. Context fully matters and we have our game faces on at go time. I'm extremely fortunate to work with great people. We give each other a hard time, but we really do lift each other up and do our absolute best to make sure all of us return home in one piece.
I will never forget Angry Adam after the shock prank. If looks to kill everyone would have been dead in Mythbusters HQ
I kept thinking of that this whole video.
Please link it, I need to see it
Yeah, I'd have been the same. Totally empathise from that one. It just ruined the whole vibe too, because it went from 'banter' to learning a hard lesson fast.
Remember how Tory looked like a puppy that'd dueced on the rug? He genuinely didn't want to do that prank. iirc that wasn't even their idea. A producer had came up with it, plus getting your hands shocked like that is really dangerous.
IMO the best pranks are the ones that just make people really confused for a few seconds… Pranks that don’t cause any pain or lasting damage.
At my high school for our senior prank we added some voice changers to all the school intercoms, which made everyone who used them sound absolutely ridiculous.
That is so funny! And also - it's the same for EVERYONE, not just one person being singled out (like, it would have been cruel if it had just changed a single person's voice)
A lot of TV is based on pranking or humiliation. I've often said that the show Hoarders borders on cruelty by televising desperate people.
All of those TLC shows are pure exploitation
I feel like my 600 lb life also falls in that category
They do agree to be on the show and get paid but now the world can see your pain.
There's the old Just For Laughs (canadian?) prank show that was wonderfully harmless, they did lots of silly harmless stuff.
Edit: from decades ago, there are apparently ones still made and i have no idea if they are as good
@@Call-me-Al That show is hilarious. Just for Laughs Gags has many clips on youtube.
Sometimes it's beneficial. When I was younger, I had a habit of leaving my car running while I went into the local convenience store. My best friend (who hated that I did that) and his gf (now wife) were driving by one night when I did it and they noticed, so they pulled in and he parked my car behind the store, then they parked up the road and watched me panic when I came outside and found my car was gone. I freaked out for a few minutes before telling myself "It's just a junk Neon". Then I called him for a ride and he pulls in 10s later, laughing his head off. B-stard. I stopped leaving my car running after that.
Your buddy did you a solid.
Ah, yes, the "simulate a terrible life lesson you really needed under controlled circumstances" kind of prank is another exceptional case, where the terrible feeling it creates is productive and helpful. Through a certain very valid lens, I think you would still call this a kind prank.
Had a buddy stop in every night on his patrol route. Would stop in to eat a Subway sandwich. Always left his cruiser unlocked, keys on his radio antenna. We stole the keys and moved the cruiser (On Camera BTW) one of us distracted him, the other "borrowed" the keys. Went outside and parked it around back, came in replaced the keys. We even "helped" look for the car. Several minutes later he found the car. Won't put what he said to us(NSFW). After then he always locked the doors and put the keys in his pocket.
I appreciate the fact that he immediately drew the line when he realized what Jamie did and Jamie respected it. Too many people take offence when someone pushes back after a line has been crossed.
Only Adam would think to isekai people as a prank 🤣
Right!? 100x more sadistic than water on someone’s pants 😂
And it's such a brilliant idea! I would absolutely approve of/watch that show.
Agreed. Especially since most pranks aren't pranks but just bullying. Fun at someone's expense. That's no fun.
Thank you for sharing that prank story. Not so much for the prank itself, but that wonderful description of how Jamie displayed emotion. I was trying to drink my morning tea, but just had to give up and let the chuckles run their course.
"It's just a prank, bro." is the call of someone who's never seriously faced the consequences of their actions
As a kid, I was a huge fan of Candid Camera, so when Punked came out I was excited but, I couldn't stand it, I'm not sure if it because I was older but while Candid Camera was fun and lighthearted I found Punked mean to borderline cruel.
A true prank is one where both parties laugh. Not all this harassment and bullying on RUclips.
For me, it's about allowing others to keep their dignity. Unfortunately, too many people lack the discernment, empathy, and maturity to keep this in mind.
Thank You for this. I'm not even a fan of prank calls because my empathy goes through the roof just being around it.
Some prank calls can be funny. There are some ones online of someone doing a Tom Baker impression and calling various Doctor Who actors, for example, and most of them take it in stride(though the actor for the 7th Doctor just thought it was Tom calling him while drunk, which produced an equally funny result).
I always saw Mythbusters as taking place in a work environment, where pranks are not only discouraged and could even be dangerous. Things can go badly enough when you’re doing everything seriously.
I agree on the pranks. Someone I know pranked his classmate while on a group trip by leaving an opened condom in his bed in a hotel they were all staying in, to freak him out or embarrass him or something.
The problem is the victim complained to the coach who chewed out the hotel staff who chewed out the housekeeping staff..... all of whom were completely innocent. It only came out later that it was a "prank"....
😬
agree a million percent on "pranks" Not a fan in any form of them. Shocking or scaring someone for "laughs" has always felt a little "off" to me
totally agree. I never understood why it's supposed to be funny. But, I also do not get 'fail videos' at all, so that makes me a total weirdo, I guess. 😆
I would add that pranks that humiliate are unacceptable... If you have to be hurtful to get a laugh, you've failed.
You are just a kind hearted person and I absolutely appreciate that.
One I did see was a person giving a course who struggled in carrying what looked to be a very heavy cardboard box. He then asked one of the attendees to pick it up. They did and it bounced off the ceiling as it was empty. There was the first lesson of the manual handling course - check the weight before lifting, because they are seen the other guy stuggling they assumed it was heavy and lifted without checking. Was it a prank - debatable, was it a good lesson - yes.
Very similar prank: We secured a few stacks of newspapers (relative did delivery so we had a few spare stacks lying around) inside this gigantic box and then taped a gift card inside. Gave the gigantic wrapped gift to my SIL for Christmas. Entirely harmless and delightfully fun for everyone.
A stranger once asked me if my pickup was a diesel at a gas pump... I know the nozzles are different sizes, and I knew I was pumping the correct fuel, but my heart still sank, and for a split second I felt awful, and that I had ruined my new truck. Turns out he wasn't pranking me. He had just noticed the large diameter of the exhaust pipe, and it was a genuine question. That split second dread, followed by a sigh of relief, is a good prank. If a person feels bad after, then I agree the prank went too far.
Most "pranks" seem designed to provoke surprise emotions like annoyance, embarrassment, fear, anger, disgust, etc. Probably because those are the easiest emotions to achieve. I hate that.
But there are pranks, or at least prank-adjacent activities that can be positive. Telling a joke is basically surprising someone with emotions like amusement and delight. Or, I'm thinking of some of the Improv Everywhere stuff, like freezing time in Grand Central Station, or creating a time loop in a Starbucks, where people can be surprised with wonder and disbelief.
Then there's the time Penn & Teller, specifically Teller I think, tried to buy a round of Jello for everyone in a diner. The waitress wouldn't allow it, because she was sure it had to be against some kind of rule somehow (?), but did allow them to send a bowl of Jello to one person. He thanked them, saying he hadn't had it since childhood and it brought back great memories. They surprised him with nostalgia and joy.
So if you feel the need to prank, instead of putting effort into making someone unhappy for your amusement, put it into surprising someone in a positive way?
I've always had two ways of doing household pranks. One; moving something like sugar, or their coffee mug to an unreasonable place when they're not looking - and let them try and retrace their steps. It was always important to do this when they're not in a rush, or not trying to do something - just a relaxing morning or evening. You have to be upfront when it's done. My father and I would regularly do this to one another when he was still around.
Two: Put something completely out of place in with other things, like a wrench in the fridge, or coffee grounds in the trunk of a car. It's intentionally harmless and silly, and makes the person being pranked confused, and if done correctly laugh at the absurdedity of the foreign object.
I've always believed a prank done right make both parties involved in the prank laugh.
One thing I've never liked about pranks is how quickly they can escalate.
I so want that show, if anyone asks if they need actors… I’ll be there in the front. 7:51 😂❤
That’s why I liked Improv Everywhere- though technically “pranks”, there was no victim or target- they just staged these scenes and people could choose for themselves whether to ignore, observe or participate.
They made a few mistakes along the way, where their good intentions resulted in reactions they hadn’t considered… but for the most part, nobody is getting upset when they see a time loop being acted out at Starbucks, or mannequins dancing in a storefront window, or a guy at a baseball game who simply cannot find his seat and winds up getting the entire stadium cheering him on as he gets closer to it, etc.
My husband and I also hate pranks. We've both agreed not to pull any mean pranks on each other. Things we've allowed are things like putting googly eyes all over the place or blowing up balloons to fill up a room. Things that are at worst inconvenient but never humiliating.
The only prank my wife and I do is jump scares. Hide around the corner and surprise each other. Most of the time the hider gives it away by giggling 😅
Good thing you never joined the fire service Adam, pranks are the culture.
Related: The emotional hypersensitivity that typically comes along with ADHD significantly amplifies discomfort to that type of prank experience as well as aversion to watching others experience it, and the particular way you describe your exceptionally pointed reaction to Jamie's prank perfectly describes framing why pranking becomes cruel extremely rapidly, because there is almost immediately an element of them that is about _HIGHLY_ personalized discomfort, which very often fuels a feedback loop, rather than using communication like you did to effectively dismantling one.
As such, I think it's an incredibly effective story for communicating the whole of that experience and why particular people really don't like to engage in it, because not only does it make you experience something you strongly dislike, but it strongly motivates you towards _being_ someone you dislike as well.
this.
Have ADHD, can confirm.
NOPE, adhd has nothing to do with it. Normal people feel that exact way due to pranks all the time.
@@nedflanders4158 I stated that people with ADHD have an _amplified discomfort_ to what others experience from pranks. This happens because of having a lower resting dopamine level/metabolism which means that there is an increased sensitivity to dopamine fluctuations, which plays a key role in emotional hypersensitivity as compared to a neurotypical baseline.
As such, neurotypical people with a higher resting dopamine level/metabolism don't experience the same degree of emotional hypersensitivity as people with ADHD, and thus while they still do feel discomfort or aversion to pranks as that's a normal emotional reaction, they won't experience the intensity of that emotion _as strongly._
Before you attempt to reactively dismiss something, it helps to understand the mechanisms behind it.
The two rules of pranking/practical jokes:
1. Don't prank someone who is not your friend.
2. Don't prank someone who you don't know for sure enjoys pranks.
Any violation of these rules is just plain bullying.
I've seen incredible pranks pulled on complete strangers that were found to be hilarious by everyone, including the person being pranked, and those pranks had absolutely nothing to do with bullying.
Thank you so much for this one, Adam. I don't think pranking is always a bad thing, but it has to be done with a hell of a lot of care and the target has to at minimum A) not have a bad time and B) come out of it with a story they'll enjoy retelling. My favourite genre of prank is definitely 'prankster shocks the hell out of prankee by doing something incredibly nice/important for them'.
Yeah, I totally agree. Most of the time, pranking is just cruelty.
I remember way back then, I was maybe 16 ? I pulled up an elaborate prank to my little brother, who was 12 at the time. So, here's the setup : I gone to his bedroom, and rigged some objects in a cabinet of him with nylon wires. I took all of that wiring to my bedroom, beeing extra careful to hide everything along the edge of the coridor.
It's now the end of the day, my brother came home in the late afternoon, and we have just finish our meal. He goes to his bedroom, I go to mine. I wait just over 20 min before silently going to a piece of cardboad were the wire are all regrouped. I start to slowly pull one of the wire. And a second one, but just in time to hear that my brother is starting to cry and beeing afraid. I stopped immediately, and did go straight to him, to reassure him. He was very frightened, very emotional that time. He thought that a mouse or a rat was lurking around, or some spirit, I don't remember well. But I showed him everything : the wires, the piece of cardboard, how it works. I apologized massively that night and we spent the evening together.
So yeah, for me, it was just a matter of "'Hey, what if I let my brother thought his bedroom was haunted ?". And I didn't thought of the aftermath, of the shock. In the end, it was just not worth it all.
Adam’s prank show pitch was done by Derren Brown in his Apocalypse special.
There used to be a prank show in Germany "Verstehen Sie Spass?" that did elaborate pranks that generally were clever and funny, and not mean to the victims. Once they had a limo driving a celebrity from the airport in Munich (Germany) at night - then they drove into a weird "wormhole" on a dark country road (laser light show...), and suddenly all the road signs were places in Finland. They stopped at a fuel station, which also had been changed to Finnish (they set up all the magazines, road maps, price tags, etc. cashier only spoke Finnish, etc.). Another prank was in a pizza restaurant - a couple ordered small pizzas, and got tiny, tiny cracker-sized pizzas, and a miniature glass of wine. Then they decided to get the large pizza after all, and it took a long time, and a 2m (6 feet) pizza was served. It was the sort of elaborate, expensive show along the lines of what you described - clever rather than mean-spirited, and the "victims" could have a good laugh themselves when it was revealed.
The only kind of prank I like - and therefore the kind I perpetrate - are the completely harmless variety, like leaving a totally non-sequitor, poorly spelled poem about shoes or aardvarks on a post-it note on someone's desk and only claiming for two minutes I didn't do it. And only if they're having a good day and they know me REALLY well.
Anything that causes terror or turns the world upside-down is just mean, unproductive, and can even leave scars. Physical and mental. It shouldn't be done.
Adam's expensive prank show is basically the movie Westworld, and we all know how that ended.
as sex tourism for the ultra rich?!? 😀
Or Fantasy Island
I feel the same about pranks, I remember while I was in the Navy some of the guys in Personal pranked a guy with fake orders to Afghanistan, he was crying and everything. The guys in Personal got in a lot of trouble for it.
I agree completely about pranks. So many people are clueless about where to draw the line
I was in a diner that had a TV and custo erst had the remote. I got the re one that day and had turned on a show. Another customer came in, walked to the TV and switched it to a basketball game. They ignored the big sign about the remote. So whenever they weren't staring at the screen I lowered the volume. After a few minutes, up he got to turn it up. This happened several times before a waitress came by and he complained about the TV volume not working. She advised him it never works well without the remote. Myself and other customers as well as his wife had a good laugh. He apologized and I gave him the remote. Pranking him was better than the show I was going to watch, lol.
Thank you for this story.....I have had a rough time lately and this made me laugh so hard, the hardest in weeks. I love your videos.
It’s so refreshing hearing someone else voice a dislike of pranks. I love your partner’s way of putting it. I also have no enjoyment from the feeling of being pranked or scared and done enjoy watching it being done to others. I think a joke or prank (or indeed ‘banter’) should always bring enjoyment to both people not just one.
That last story could have ended _very_ badly. You don't know how people will react to these things, and humiliation can stay with you for a _long_ time.
you are a really good human. we need more. thanks for being you, adam
He forgot the semi-prank where he yelled out "Myth busters!" while driving by Jamie's house. Jamie couldn't tell who was in the car so he was concerned some fan now knew his home address. Jamie told Adam that later and Adam said, "Oh that was me." Jamie says he thought they weren't doing pranks. Adam agreed he didn't mean to violate the agreement and apologized.
I had a supervisor tie my bicycle to the rafters of a warehouse just before home time, which he found hilarious. His face soon changed when I told him it wasn't mine 🤣.
We also found an old oiling can, with which we would drop oil on the ground underneath the same persons engine every day for weeks. He would spend hours at the weekend trying to work it out. He did see the funny side when we finally told him, as he dished it out just as often.
I love your sense of empathy. I agree wholeheartedly on pranks. Life's too short to humiliate people for no reason but a laugh at their expense.
I have met people who understand the line between prank and cruelty but those people are surprisingly rare. For some people it is probably an excuse to be cruel.
Or a dominance thing. They may not even realize it, but the pranker is trying to be "above" the target in some way.
That isn't a prank, though. Pranks or even light trolling are just for laughs. There are pathetic cases of people who feel inferior who pick on people feel big, but those are just bullies, and those are small people.
The show jury duty is the only one that comes to mind like your pitched “expensive prank show” very very kind and wonderful feeling show like a warm hug
I love that Adam knows Jamie so well that he could tell he was trying not to laugh by the color of the back of his head!
I needed to hear this one - thank you
I love your stories. Keep them up!
My favorite prank I’ve ever pulled happened in a discord call while playing Destiny 2.
One friend of mine goofed up the main class of another friend (who wasn’t in the call), and said “if you can hear this, I’m sorry I misclassed you.” I decided to DM the misclassed friend and ask him to join the call, say “apology accepted,” and leave. He did, and everyone in the call went ape.
One of my favourite not-cruel pranks: I work in the science dept of a high school, and one April Fools I printed out periodic tables in alphabetical order (Actinium, Aluminium, Americium...), laminated them, and gave them to the final year students, telling them it was the updated version from the RSC. One asked how they were meant to find, say, the alkali metals.
"That's why it's colour coded!"
"Nope, still don't like it."
They all kept them as souvenirs. Took me a couple of hours to rearrange!
I keep loving these stories
If everyone isn’t laughing at the end of a prank, then it’s just being mean. It’s a hard line to toe.
7:00 yes, how hilarious it would be to wake up there 😂. Adam has a twisted sense of a " prank"
i would love to see that version of a prank show
That "prank" show idea sounds AMAZING. Sort of a play on Westworld, but in real life. Just be able to wake up in a totally different world, or outlandish world circumstances, anything other than what you were expecting. Honestly, I'd pay big money to experience something like that.
I once had a manager with an incredible sense of humor, so he and I would joke with each other a lot. My favorite ongoing prank was that we would take turns putting googly eyes on office equipment, family photos, etc of the other. with the express intent of trying to get the other to chuckle during a meeting or phone call. He and I once worked together to put googly eyes on all the people in the family portrait of the sales manager, who did not notice them for 3 months.
As a side note, that manager was a wonderful human being. In his spare time, he ran a boy scout troop for young men with mental disabilities (primarily boys with Down's Syndrome and boys diagnosed with Autism), and did stuff like take them rafting on the Colorado River. I miss him as a boss.
Pranks can definitely have unexpected consequences. I worked at a very casual job where all the engineers and techs wore jeans and t-shirts. We had a new guy who had been working with us for a month and convinced him that our corporate leaders were arriving the next Monday and we were all expected to be wearing suits. Of couse, the next day he wore a suit and we all were in jeans. We all seemed to have a good laugh. Later on, we discovered that he had not owned a suit and had to buy one and had used most of his first pay for this one occasion.
Wow that's just sad and sets a really bad tone for the new guy
... and we promptly fixed it by reimbursing them for the suit, and taking them out for a great dinner.
That's a less funny version of Dave Letterman's college prank where he helps his friend make an awesome Bic pen costume for a costume party. Except that when his friend got there he was the only one in a costume.
@@CorwynGC Exactly... At least the first part. Pass around the hat to pay the guy back for having spent so much on a suit he didn't need.
I agree with Adam - pranks are something that should leave everyone able to laugh, afterwards. I remember a Just For Laughs Gags episode where there was a port-a-potty and once someone went in, actors RUSHED in and moved a scene set set in StarWars, with Storm troopers and Darth Vader at the other end. THAT is an epic and funny and memorable prank.
Scaring someone and startling them is also acceptable if the people are willing victims. If I go into a horror house, I am signaling, I'm okay with being jumped scared and startled.
Confuse, don't abuse is a guideline I read somewhere in relation to pranks, and I think it's excellent advice.
Laughter is a fear response, that's why prank videos are popular, they convey danger and elicit sympathy. Fail videos do the same thing. Empathy kills laughter. So as we become more empathetic, pranks and fails become less funny to us. There is a major smile effect that happens with some empathy though, such as AGT's Golden Buzzer moments, that can feel like laughter, and often involves tears. That sort of laughter seems to be linked to short breath sighs and self-soothing that we teach ourselves as infants while our chests and lungs build strength. Laughter is our body self-soothing and regulating itself so that we don't panic when danger is still perceived to be a threat. So prank and fail videos absolutely elicit that response until we become more aware and empathetic. It's the same with being offended, it's empathy.
Love your idea!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for this. I've never been one to pull pranks and people seem to steer clear of pranking me. But pranks in general have always tended to bother me (not always but usually).
How you expressed your opinions here really helped me understand my own thoughts about this.
I love that idea for a show. I feel like I would give a solid hour of "stop messing with me" and then just fully accept it
I remember his reaction to the gang shocking him with a cattle prod hooked up to the ancient battery. He was pissed and the gang didn’t laugh. Haha so funny.
They didn't laugh because they didn't want to do it. From what I read they were pressured into doing it by one of the producers. Tory still feels bad about that "prank" to this day, Heck he outright says in the episode, right after touching it himself I might add, "We CAN'T do this to Adam".
My rule for pranks is “confuse, don’t abuse.”
A good prank should illicit confusion and laughter, not fear or panic.
The Magic Prank Show on Netflix did a prank similar to what Jamie describes. They hypnotized a guy, put him in a deep sleep, drove him a few hundred miles away to the desert and stuck him in a cargo box where he woke up to a TV playing “News” on a loop about the apocalypse. It was pretty good.
I like what Penn Jilette said about pranking in one of his books. He said that a good prank is one where the target of the prank is enjoying it the most.
Try googling Ancient battery mythbusters. I clearly remember that episode, what about you Adam?😁
If the prankster knows that the pranked person is gonna appreciate the humor of the prank, its a good prank.
Jamie emptying an entire bottle is such a Jamie thing to do. 😂
The turtle prank is very similar (almost identical) to the plot of the Roald Dahl book “Esio Trot”…one of Dahl’s weirder and more morally ambiguous children’s books.
It's also similar to the pranks that the married couple pulled on each other in his book "The Twits".
I feel like the person telling Adam the story was actually pranking Adam. The logistics of the turtle prank seem unlikely to me.
In the US military I worked in an office. I left my desk for a few minutes and when I came back there was an MP with a dog sniffing around. I alerted on my desk! The MP pulled out a bag of weed!! I was freaked out...stunned...mind whirling about how my life was screwed...then everyone started laughing. My section chief told the MP to put the plant in my desk (they use them to keep the dogs interested) so they could prank me. Holy Smokes! I laughed, but but I didn't see the humor in it. Later I got my revenge: I had learned to pick simple locks years before. So, I picked the locks on the two senior people's desks and swapped them. Then, I used thin fishing line and tape to attach the fishing line to everything light weight on the top of their desks and ran the line down the back of the desk and under to tape them to the underside of the desk drawer. When they came in to unlock the desk, it was funny when the two had to swap keys, but the best part was when the first one yanked their desk drawer open and everything on top of their desk flew off! The best part was that these same senior people had told stories of the same pranks they did to others. I was quite satisfied and they never pranked me again.
I feel like Adam would love the show Jury Duty if he hasn't already seen it
I couldn't help it, but I was cracking up as Adam was telling the story of the Jaime prank. Just imagining the whole situation and Jamie's red face while trying to hold in the laughter had me laughing.
Thank you, Adam, for sharing that "tale of Jamie and Adam in Prank Land."
My fav prank (I was only a witness, not a participant): I worked for Oral Roberts TV in the early 1980s in the set and lighting crew. The lighting director was a great guy named Lowry Perry. We came in one morning to find Perry's office completely filled with cobwebs and dust - it looked like the room hadn't been touched in 1000 years. Perry is sitting at his desk reading a magazine - he had cleared just enough of the office to get into his chair. He left it that way all day (and then made the guys who had decorated it clean it up!). They had rented a professional cobweb spinner and spent HOURS doing this overnight.
Adam, you've been such an inspiration since your MythBusters days! Love your RUclips channel. Would love to know where I can get merch like your shirts - both one with your name and maybe even a custom one with mine! Keep being awesome!
Tested-store.com is where all those shirts are -
Here's a fun but simple and harmless prank to play on a friend
When they leave your house, text them that they forgot their phone. You can even take a picture of it wherever they put it down when they were there.
See if they fall for it and if they do, see how long it takes them to realize they've been duped.
Edit: MAKE SURE it's your house and not a public place where their phone could be stolen or messed with if they ACTUALLY left it there.
I totally share your feelings on pranks, Adam.
Yeah… I’m not much for pranking either. Glad I’m not the only one and not just me!
"...Jamie has a Mood Head" hahhahahaaa too funny.
Adams prank show idea reminded me of a British prank show years ago called Space Cadets where all the people thought they went to space.
Magician Justin Willman (Magic for Humans) did a version of the show Adam pitched, called the Magic Prank Show (on Netflix). The premise was that people who had previously been pranked by a friend or relative would be avenged by Justin setting up an elaborate situation involving magic. Most were not mean spirited.
I’m glad I subscribed 😂🎉
My buddy and his friend were out cruising around getting high when his friend fell asleep.
He pulls up on a set of railroad tracks, grabs his flashlight, shines it in his friends face while shaking him awake and screaming "TRAIN!!!".
I would have never of expected that from Jamie, it makes it 10x more hilarious.
I can remember 2 pranks from Mythbusters. One was when you dirtied up the bathroom, which made Jamie mad and another was when Jamie kept giving you electric shocks.