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Let's face it: There are a
lot of reality shows out there, and not all their cast members are willing
participants. Sure, everybody enjoys a good laugh at someone else's
expense -- especially when that someone doesn't know about the joke
until it's too late. Back in the old days, televised fool-making was
harmless fun: A cute little kid might offer you a shoeshine for $10, and
you'd decline, and he'd keep offering, and you'd be polite but
firm and then Allen Funt would run in,
chanting, "Smile! You're on 'Candid Camera!'"
But times have changed, and
that little kid has been replaced by super-compromising
situations or
tricky questioning -- all carefully designed to make real people look
ridiculous
on national TV (as if looking ridiculous in ordinary life
isn't bad enough).
So how come we don't just
run the other way when we spot these celebrity pranksters?
Why do we
answer their questions and entertain their insane requests? Well, it's
probably
because we don't always know who they are. So in the interest
of saving you from
coast-to-coast embarrassment, we've rounded up some
usual suspects -- who they are,
what they do and what to do if you
"innocently" bump into them:
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Ashton
Kutcher
By far television's most-feared host, Kutcher has made a career
out of ruining the composure of his Hollywood peers. Whether it's Brandy getting "caught" with "stolen"
jewels or it's Lindsay Lohan getting
verbally assaulted by her limo driver, there's plenty of malice to
go around. Good thing Kutcher only trashes famous people. Our only
concern is that he will one day run out of pop singers and movie
starlets, and the prince of practical jokes will start punking the
rest of us. Our advice: Don't go anywhere or do anything in
public.
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Jay
Leno
The stand-up comedian has always been a fun-loving guy, but he
has the most fun when he's asking random strangers obvious trivia
questions. If you're an expert in world geography or U.S. history,
welcome Leno with a handshake and dare him to ask a question you
can't answer. But if your library is a little dusty these days, you
might consider avoiding the camera's lens -- because no matter
how much you'd love to be on TV, a cameo on "Jaywalking" is hard on
the ego.
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Daisy Donovan
For most of her career, Donovan has enjoyed the same fame
that a lot of British celebrities enjoy: Only people in England had
ever heard of her. But with "Daisy Does America," Donovan unleashes
her dry comedic wit on unsuspecting American dipsticks -- from
psychics to wedding planners and dog-show handlers. Most people are
basically cordial (Remember when she went to Camden, N.J., and asked
locals how she might become a rap star, and nobody shot her? People
can be nice). The great thing about Donovan is, although she might
make you look ridiculous, nobody looks more out-of-place than her.
And as long as your job isn't totally bizarre (bounty hunter, beauty
pageant contestant), you're probably in the clear.
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Michael
Moore
Most of us don't have to worry about Moore's special brand of
practical joke, because most of us aren't crazy zealot reverends or
ruthless, money-grubbing CEO's -- although a few startled
Canadians can attest to Moore barging into their houses, just to see
if the doors were locked. Luckily, Moore has abandoned the
small-time crooks of "The Awful Truth," so that he can fry bigger
fish -- fish that are so big, they can only be humiliated in a
movie theatre.
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