Full Answer
Well not on the Impractical Jokers. Much to the audience’s delight, every single uncomfortable moment is just as genuine as it appears to be. Those moments where you have to cover your eyes due to the extreme secondhand embarrassment are 100 percent real.
Brian Michael "Q" Quinn AKA Tony Gunk (born March 14th 1976) is a member of the New York troupe called The Tenderloins and is the oldest of the characters of Impractical Jokers with his three friends. Q is a former firefighter, having served with the FDNY for eight years.
Q suffered two broken ribs when he fell off an ATV and was left wincing in pain when he laughed at Sal's punishment in "Swim Shady". On the special road show episodes where the Jokers hold challenges in unique locations, Q has often suffered the most physical punishments. Q is half-Italian, half-Irish.
IMPRACTICAL Jokers star, Joe Gatto, is well known for his pranks on the hit comedy show starring three other members. Despite Gatto's successful career in the franchise, he announced at the beginning of the year that he was stepping away, and now fans want to know why.
Q couldn't compete because of doctor's orders since he hurt himself while practicing and brought out none other than Joey Fatone to take his place in the competition. Each of the Jokers picked a charity, and the winner would take home a whopping $100,000 for their chosen one.
Already down one cast member, the lineup took another hit -- literally -- when Joe hit his head during his run on the obstacle course. He powered through the injury and finished the event, but he was clearly worse for wear.
As such, Q was unable to participate in the actual obstacle course competition, though his co-star Joe Gatto (who recently departed from the series after Season 9) smashed his head against a door during his attempt at the course and ended up staying on the ground for a few moments (via Talk Nerdy With Us).
Q suffered two broken ribs when he fell off an ATV and was left wincing in pain when he laughed at Sal's punishment in "Swim Shady". On the special road show episodes where the Jokers hold challenges in unique locations, Q has often suffered the most physical punishments.
Hosted by extreme sports superstar Travis Pastrana and powered by the showmanship of Nitro Circus, the season finale will feature Joe, Murr, Q and Sal, collectively known as The Tenderloins, tackling their biggest challenges yet, including two high-stakes live punishments and a four-part obstacle course.
It works because the guys have been best friends since their days at Monsignor Farrell High School, where they graduated from in 1994. At the time, they started out doing live routines and making viral videos. They formed an improv group, The Tenderloins, which is still touring colleges and comedy clubs.
Quinn suffers from depression, and has been very open about his struggles throughout the years.
Production later resumed, but in December 2021, Gatto, 45, announced that he was leaving the show. “I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be involved with Impractical Jokers,” the Tenderloins cofounder wrote via Instagram on New Year's Eve.
What keeps you coming back are the relationships between the cast members, who've been hanging in other's orbits for so long that it's almost surreal.
There were a few Jokers episodes where it was very clear that Q was suffering from an illness, and at least one challenge that Q was allowed to skip because of health concerns. Viewers didn't know that Q's problems were far worse than the flu, and after a battery of invasive tests administered by four doctors, a regimen of serious antibiotics, and a misdiagnosis of Lyme disease, Q found out he was actually suffering from serious encephalitis and meningitis. The difference between pre- and post-near-death Q is about 15 pounds, and Jokers filming was put off for at least a week.
One of the reasons Impractical Jokers has been able to break 200 episodes and notch a feature film (not to mention air on TruTV for what feels like every day, all day) has to do with how universally relatable the central concept is.
Murr got a harsh reminder of his indie film roots on the show when he was presented with his disastrous first feature film Damned!, which he wrote, produced, and directed for release in 1998. As part of a punishment Murr had to endure in the season four episode "Damned If You Do," Murr was forced to watch a packed screening of the movie, and afterwards endure a Q&A.
So much of the tension from watching an episode of Impractical Jokers comes down to peoples' reactions to the pranks. You know the feeling we're talking about. Is this the mark that's going to throw a punch that lands? That sort of thing.
No matter how you really feel about it, your best move is to get mad, stay mad — and get paid.
In an "Ask the Jokers" segment following the 23rd episode of the sixth season, Joe was asked by a viewer whether it's more difficult to pretend to be sexist or racist. At first, the Joker demurred — "I'm trying to think of the right answer here," he said, "Because either way feels like a trap.".
Still staying true to their name as The Tenderloins, the guys originally pitched the show to be called Mission: Uncomfortable after winning in NBC’s It’s Your Show and investing in the pilot.
They set up a high wire walk on live television in which they challenged each other to walk the farthest. Whoever walked the farthest during the punishment challenge would get $50,000 and give it to the charity of their choice. Some of the charities represented included Make-A-Wish Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Daniel’s Music Foundation and Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Although Q’s charity received a bulk of the money as the winner, the remaining jokers received $10,000 donations to give to their corresponding charities.
Their favorite prank involving Murr is to slowly, and in small increments, increase the tip on the receipt whenever Murr is distracted after going to a restaurant.
Murr actually graduated from Georgetown with a degree in English and like put it to good use.
They went to Spike to start their careers as possible contenders of a new hit reality comedy show. Unfortunately, Spike didn’t buy into what they were selling so they didn’t pick up the show. To reminisce, however, the guys will show snippets of that pilot into their live shows.
As part of his challenge, Murr is made to wear a rather revealing item of clothing while being soaked in baby oil. To up the ante, he was supposed to interview his childhood crush, who is none other than Danica McKellar from The Wonder Years who was more than thrilled to participate. One could say Murr suffered an immense blow to his already fragile ego at that point.
If only life worked that way. That is why in 1999 Murr, Q, Sal and Joe were part of a comedy troupe called The Tenderloins.
Supercuts - Technically a tie where the Jokers had to give each other funny haircuts. Q gets bright red curls.
Before Q was famous, he worked as a ride operator at Beachland Amusements, a video clerk at Blockbuster, and a fireman for the FDNY before the show aired. He also acted in four movies Warshots in 1996, Dogma in 1999, Big Helium Dog in 1999, and Vulgar in 2000. Q is the oldest as of his birthday being March 14.
Q suffered two broken ribs when he fell off an ATV and was left wincing in pain when he laughed at Sal's punishment in "Swim Shady". On the special road show episodes where the Jokers hold challenges in unique locations, Q has often suffered the most physical punishments. Q is half-Italian, half-Irish.
Q suffers from arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), which was used against him in one of his punishments. He and Murr have lost teeth while filming, both were caught on camera and used in the show. He and Murr each have one fake tooth because of it. Murr's issue, meanwhile, escalated into a punishment.
Q is a former firefighter, having served with the FDNY for eight years.
Blue Man Dupe - At a Blue Man Group event, Q is forced to rudely ask strangers to get out of their seat; because he thinks that the seat is his, where he later finds an error on his ticket. Later, Q must sit in the front row when the show starts in just his clothes, unlike in a poncho-like everyone else, and get disgusting substances all over him, and made a mess of with things like toilet paper.
While taking a trip to Germany in 2009, Q was arrested for disorderly conduct and a Police officer punched him in the face, knocking his tooth out.
Joe decided to leave the Tenderloins troupe just weeks before they came up with the idea for Mission: Uncomfortable ( Impractical Jokers ) he had to be talked back into the troupe by Q and Sal. Sal, Murr, and Q all have permanent tattoos as a result of a single punishment.
Joseph Gatto was shot at least once in the abdomen with a small-caliber handgun, and his home had been ransacked, Los Angeles Police Lt. Richard Parks said.
Murr is off the market! Impractical Jokers star James Murray is engaged, PEOPLE can confirm exclusively. The comedian, 43, proposed to girlfriend Melyssa Davies on Aug. 30 outside the home they just bought together in New Jersey — and even though it wasn’t his original plan, it was as romantic as ever.
1 Art Class Saboteur. There is no doubt that the single most cringe-inducing punishment ever served on the show combined all the elements of the show into one evil cocktail.
Q from Impractical Jokers isn’t an expert quad biker, that was legitimately his first time and he broke his ribs.
So, is Sal still part of Impractical Jokers? Everyone breathe a sigh of relief! Yes, Sal is still a main castmate on Impractical Jokers. The funnyman recently spoke with Alabama Life & Culture about his popular show and comedy tour with his best pals known as The Tenderloins.
And it’s true, the quartet of Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Sal Vulcano and Brian “Q” Quinn are just as down-to-earth and good-natured as they appear on their prank show, which returns with new episodes tonight at 10pm.
Basically, everybody I meet I’m starstruck. You, I’m kind of starstruck right now sitting here.