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Punk'd

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Punk'd
Punk'd Opening (2003-2005)
Created byAshton Kutcher
StarringAshton Kutcher
Country of originUnited States / Canada
No. of episodes56[1]
Production
Running time30 min.
Original release
NetworkMTV
ReleaseApril 15, 2003 –
present

Punk'd is an American hidden camera practical joke television series on MTV, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher, which first aired in 2003. It bears a strong resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera, and to TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, which also featured pranks on celebrities. "Punk'd" refers to the act of having such a prank played on oneself, and the word also refers to the show's style of prank itself.

Formats

Candid Camera format

The show begins with a description by Kutcher of which celebrity will be punk'd, what the celebrity's claim to fame is or the celebrity has done something bad (ex: Terrell Owens), why he feels the celebrity deserves to be punk'd, and what the setting of the joke will be, including the accomplices and the premise. As the show is usually set in Los Angeles, the pranks often take place in common locations such as parking lots, restaurants, hotel rooms, residences, Universal Studios Hollywood, a school or a bowling alley. Occasionally, Kutcher will engineer the prank at a celebrity event at which the target is a prominent guest, such as barring Halle Berry entry to the premiere of her film, Gothika, or when he pranked Philadelphia 76ers' Guard Allen Iverson by convincing him that he could not enter his own 30th birthday party because the President's daughters and Secret Service men were inside. Kutcher will also sometimes use real-life current events as elements in his pranks, as when he pranked tennis player Andy Roddick, who was scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show, by convincing him that his automobile was trapped by the 2004-2005 Los Angeles mudslides. Kutcher sometimes sets his pranks on the sets of movies, TV shows or music videos where his targets are working, as when he pranked Kanye West by convincing him that he could not shoot any footage for his music video for the song Jesus Walks on Sundays without a permit, or when he pranked The Game by convincing him that he could not leave his studio because his crew had repaved its entrance. Kutcher has also done holiday-themed pranks, as when he pranked Beyoncé Knowles into thinking she knocked over a 50 foot Christmas Tree, or when he pranked Fall Out Boy's Peter Wentz into thinking he derailed a train at a Christmas festival. After the joke progresses to a point, usually with the celebrity having become angry or frustrated at the outrageousness of the situation, Kutcher or one of the actors will announce to the surprised victim that they just had a practical joke played on them (usually with the line, "You just got Punk'd!"). The celebrity typically unleashed a barrage of profanity which is bleeped by MTV. An episode will usually feature three pranks.

Road Trips

In Season 3, Ashton Kutcher and his crew went to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, at an event tied to the release of the film The Prince and Me, and pranked actress Julia Stiles.

In a road trip to Tony Hawk's hometown Carlsbad, California in Season 5, Hawk was pranked by his son Riley, who destroyed a park restroom with an M-80, injuring a bystander played by an actress.

In Season 6, Kutcher sent crew members to Moorestown, New Jersey, the town of residence of football player Terrell Owens, in order to prank him there. The crew staged an auto accident in which Owens, believing it to be real, attempted to assist elderly people from an overturned bus. [2].

Ryan Pinkston Format

A frequent segment during the first season had the then fifteen-year-old Ryan Pinkston pretending to interview celebrities at red carpet events for a kids' show, only to mock them instead [3].

Stars interviewed by Pinkston

Failed Punks

  • In the season 1 finale, producer Jason Goldberg tried to prank Ashton, with Britney Spears being an accomplice. However, Ashton knew about the prank and got Britney on his side to turn the tables and prank Jason. Also, Spears tried to punk Busta Rhymes in New York City but Kutcher told her to not punk Rhymes.[1]
  • In December 2003, Kutcher attempted to "punk" WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg by having a truck run over an exact replica of his prized motorcycle, but the stunt went wrong when the truck clearly missed the bike. Goldberg quickly realized what was going on, and asked "Who do I have to kill?". Kutcher then revealed himself, as the joke had failed.
  • In June 2005, Kutcher failed to punk self-proclaimed "King of Crunk" Lil Jon. He was boarding a plane headed for Las Vegas, but Kutcher had actors playing customs agents tell him that he was actually headed for Ecuador. Lil Jon quickly identified members of the "customs agents" from previous episodes of the program, and asked for Kutcher to reveal himself.
  • According to Kutcher himself, he failed to punk Neve Campbell twice until he finally succeeded on his third try in season 6.
  • According to Nick Cannon in the March 3, 2006 People magazine, Ashton grew frustrated because he failed to fool Cannon about 4 times, with his last attempt involving a man pretending to be trapped in a gas station. Cannon saw through the joke because he noticed the cameras and was not convinced by the actor's performance.
  • According to Kutcher himself he also tried to punk Mila Kunis, but he failed. The second time he managed it.

Controversy and conflict

  • In late 2003, it had been announced by MTV that Kutcher had decided not to continue production on Punk'd. Some commentators speculated that the announcement was a ploy designed to lower the guard of increasingly wary celebrities in an attempt at another season of pranks. This proved to be true when the third season began airing on April 25 2004. The television audience itself had been "punk'd".
  • Alias star Michael Vartan reportedly refused to sign the release after being pranked by Kutcher, preventing the prank from airing. However, Vartan denies ever being pranked. [4][5]
  • During his interview of Kutcher for Interview, actor Brad Pitt advised Kutcher to not prank his Ocean's Eleven/Twelve co-star George Clooney, a notorious prankster himself. Pitt told Kutcher, "Don't do it. Don't ever go near it. Clooney will kill you and everything you love. I know it's tempting, but don't do it." [9]
  • Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has stated that she does not wish to be Punk'd, and is so paranoid that she often assumes she is being Punk'd whenever any suspicious or out of the ordinary mishap occurs, as when, for example, a valet gives her the wrong car when leaving a restaurant, which Kutcher's crew members did to Simon Cowell during the Season 5 Premiere. [10]

Influences

In addition to the obvious influences of past hidden camera prank shows such as Candid Camera and TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, Method Man, Redman and Matt Besser of the Upright Citizens Brigade had a hidden camera celebrity prank show on MTV called Stung in 2002, a full year before the introduction of Punk'd. Whether this was a direct influence on Punk'd is unclear. On Hip Hop DVD magazine S.M.A.C.K. DVD Vol. 9, when the interviewer asks about the similarities between Stung and Punk'd, Redman replies "Fuck you, Ashton Kutcher," while the whole crowd behind him laughs and repeats after him.

Parodies and derivatives

MTV Shows derivated from Punk'd

Parodies

Celebrities who have been "Punk'd"

Celebrity accomplices

Most of the sources are from all episodes of Punk'd.

NOTES: 1. Kutcher did not introduced him as an accomplice until Fest was at the scene to give his input as he co-wrote the song Jesus Walks 2. Her name is misspelled as "Stephani".

Punk'd Firsts

NOTES: 1. Goldberg was supposed to become the first WWE wrestler to get punk'd but Kutcher messed the prank up. Instead, The Rock is now the first WWE wrestler to get punk'd.

Name of Prankee Intended Season: Notes
Al Shearer 1 The prank was never seen on MTV but was released on The Complete First Season: DVD
Alex Rodriguez 3 First celebrity to deny Punk'd broadcasting rights, although he was amused by the show's concept. [13][14]
Black Eyed Peas 3 Claimed in an interview that they were pranked. They noticed the 'cops' apparently featured in the prank weren't real and got into a fight because they suspected the fake police not of being Punk'd staff, but criminals. [15][16]
JoJo 4 Denied Punk'd broadcasting rights. JoJo did not sign the release form to air her episode because she didn't want her young fans to see her swearing.
Juliette Lewis 4 MTV forgot to air her on Season 4.
Michael Vartan 4 Denied Punk'd broadcasting rights. Vartan's lawyers threatened to file suit against Kutcher if the prank was aired, but Vartan denies being punk'd. [17][18]
Pamela Anderson ? Denied Punk'd broadcasting rights (see above)

Other information

  1. ^ Complete video.
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