Impractical Jokers is known for cringe-worthy and hilarious punishments, but this hidden camera show featuring the jokers, Q, Sal, Mur, and Joe, have brought fans to a whole new level of awkward in season 8. The jokers compete against each other in awkward social experiments and public pranks, but the catch is that the joker who won't do or say what the others tell them to is the big loser of the episode. The loser is forced to partake in a punishment that is tailored to their fears and weaknesses, making it particularly miserable for the loser and sidesplittingly entertaining for the audience.
In season 8 these Jokers have really stepped up their game with new jokes and revisiting hilarious old favorites. Some of the season 8 Impractical Jokers pranks include giving fake and hilarious presentations, reading their made-up daughters' diaries to strangers, and getting input from random people on how to respond to ridiculous and embarrassing text messages. The losers have been through the most horribly uncomfortable punishments you can imagine, but they continue to push the limits.
In the previous seasons of the show, the jokers seemed to focus on punishments that had to do with public humiliation and/or primal fears, such as scared of heights Murr being forced to jump out of an airplane or feline-phobic Sal being locked in a box with a bunch of cats. In season 8, the Impractical Jokers have opted for more basic and social fears, smaller than jumping from an airplane, but somehow more humiliating than ever. Out of the episodes thus far in season 8, here are the top 5 most cringe-worthy punishments jokers had to endure, the ones that make you look away from the TV screen because it's just too painful to watch.
Full Mental Jacket- Episode 4
In this punishment, Joe is at the coat check for the attendees of a posh fashion show, after they check their coats with Joe and settle in to see a new clothing line from a fashion designer, they are shocked when the joker walks out wearing one of the guests' designer jacket and backpack. Joe is forced to not only model every single last one of the coats that were checked, but he also has to do and say what the other jokers tell him to do, such as dropping the expensive fur coats at the end of the runway. The audience is first confused, then amused, then angry as they watch Joe drop a thousand dollar coat on the floor. As horribly painful it was to watch this episode, it just proves that Joe can keep a straight face no matter how horrible the punishment.
The Closer- Episode 2
Murr is in a busy coffee shop with one rule: he must close every laptop that is open for no reason whatsoever. The unsuspecting coffee shop customers are working on their laptops as Murr comes by and closes them. Awkward and angry glances are exchanged between customers. If this wasn't bad enough, the other jokers are in Murr's ear, telling him to do other things as well, such as kiss the forehead of one of the guys working on the show posing as a customer. When the jokers tell him to kiss another guy in the coffee shop who works for their crew, Murr does, to his surprise, the guy does not work for them and happened to be just a regular customer.
Cake Loss- Episode 9
Q is punished by posing as a judge for a cake-decorating competition. He wears a name tag that reads 'judge' and walks around systematically judging and ruining the cakes however the other jokers deem necessary. He is forced to smash, wipe the frosting off, and take big bites out of the cakes. The tension grows as the contestants talking amongst themselves about this strange judge ruining the contestants' cakes. After ruining all of the cakes, the jokers inform him that he isn't actually a judge, but a cake decorating contestant himself. He removes the cheap 'judge' tag and goes behind his own cake-decorating booth. When the cake-decorators see that he was only posing as a judge to wipe out the competition (literally), things go bad to worse as Q becomes the 1st prize winner of the cake competition. The cringe value of this punishment is off of the charts as you watch Q become increasingly uncomfortable.
The Dumbbell- Episode 6
Murr's punishment is to go to a busy gym and work out. The twist? He has fanny pack around his waist filled with insults that he must pull out and say to tattooed gym goers. One insult being "I know a guy who could cover up that tattoo for you." Watching the bodybuilder's reactions to Murr's insults is not only one of the most awkward punishments on Impractical Jokers history, but (possibly) television history. Murr looked scared for his life insulting some of the strongest, most tattooed bodybuilders in the gym.
Tipping Point- Episode 3
Sal is punished in this episode by posing as a food courier who is delivering food to workers at an office. Sal gives them their food and receives a tip, but the twist is that Sal has to complain about the tip not being good enough regardless of the amount. This cringy punishment not only makes the joker look like a cheapskate but is making the people ordering the food feel bad too. Sal is so uncomfortable that he is sweating by the end of the punishment, and runs out of there as soon as it is over. The cringe in this episode is palpable.
The Impractical Jokers are always pushing the boundaries for hysterical punishments, and in season 8, they have really hit the mark. Get ready for all new pranks, dares, inside jokes, and punishments the rest of season 8. Q, Sal, Murr, and Joe are just getting started with the cruel and unusual punishments.
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