Impractical Jokers is no stranger to potential injuries, being a hidden-camera comedy television series in which the challenges run the risk of angering people, but there was one Season 5 special that took the risk way too far. It not only injured two of the show’s four stars but came close to hurting a third — and all of that happened for a stunt episode that didn’t really fit the series’ premise in the first place.
A typical Impractical Jokers episode features Joe Gatto (who recently left the series), Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray and Sal Vulcano participate in a series of public challenges that usually involve them having to say or do what the other three tell them or being put in a difficult situation. The show’s allure and comedy relies on public embarrassment, and the loser of the episode must face a “punishment” that’s particularly humiliating. But there was nothing more cringe-worthy than the “Impractical Jokers Nitro Circus Spectacular.”
In “Nitro Circus Spectacular,” which served as the Season 5 finale, the four comedians participated in an X-Games-style obstacle course after a regular episode’s worth of challenges. This presentation seemed like an interesting way to super-size the finale, especially after the great reception of Season 4’s “Live Punishment Spectacular,” which saw the Jokers walk a tightrope in front of an audience to raise money for charity. Now in Season 5, they’d take on a full obstacle course and it would also make great television… except it didn’t. At all.
During the training they received from Nitro Circus founder and professional X-Games competitor Travis Pastrana, Q flipped his quad bike and broke multiple ribs while also crushing a nerve in his hip. He revealed these injuries on his “Tell ‘Em Steve-Dave” podcast and a later Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes episode added that he still doesn’t have feeling in part of his hip today. Doctors obviously didn’t clear him to participate in the live special after that, so producers got Joey Fatone — one of the show’s celebrity guest stars, like the upcoming Eric Andre and The Misery Index host Jameela Jamil — to take his place.
Granted, the premise of “Nitro Circus Spectacular” relied on the fact that none of the people involved were professional stuntmen; they were more like Homer Simpson, which was why the fastest competitor would earn $100,00o for their charity. That was a reason for them to put themselves out of their comfort zone. But the obstacle course was far more physically involved than the tightrope stunt and after Q’s fairly serious injuries, one would think someone would have reconsidered the idea. However, the event went on as scheduled… and more chaos ensued on the day.
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. Sal could’ve also been seriously injured during his punishment, which involved him being swung through the air at a giant cake that didn’t appear to have much padding. Luckily, he escaped unharmed (although that obviously wasn’t the way he wanted to celebrate his birthday).
This special episode, while great in theory, was a terrible idea. With two stars injured and a third in position to be hurt, this stunt could have stopped production of Impractical Jokers at the time, and it gave Q permanent side effects. On top of that, the episode’s regular challenges were quickly rushed through for a Nitro Circus event that just happened to involve the Jokers. At least the “Live Punishment Spectacular” felt like an episode of Impractical Jokers that simply had an extra-intense punishment. The “Nitro Cirus Spectacular” hasn’t been rerun on TruTV since it aired (though you can find it on HBO Max) and that’s probably the only smart thing about it.