The Tenderloins of Impractical Jokers: Full Circle Fandom
This story of how I became a fan of The Tenderloins–stars of Impractical Jokers) is a little long…Get yourself a drink or a snack and get comfy.
It started around 13 months ago. (Yes, that’s me. Late to the part. Fashionably late, right?)
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The Tenderloins of Impractical Jokers, 4/15/16, Toledo OH
The spouse and I were in Florida, enjoying Daytona Bike week and visiting family. I get a text from my daughter who is caring for the house and our animals.
Daughter: Do you mind if I buy a series from Amazon? I’ll pay you back when you get home.(It’s linked to my bank account)
Me: Go ahead. Don’t worry about it. You’re taking care of things.
Daughter: Cool. Thanks.
Forward two days. Another Text.
Daughter: Can I buy another season of that show on Amazon? I’ll pay you back.
Me: Of course. Don’t worry about it.
Daughter: Thanks.
Me: Just curious. What show?
Daughter: Impractical Jokers.
Over the next few days, the conversation repeated itself two more times. My interest so piqued, that by the time I got home, I couldn’t wait to check out this treasure she’d found. Yes, I knew it had to be something awesome–because we have very similar tastes when it comes to TV, books, and film.
So where to start, she says when we have some time to binge watch TV together. I know exactly where!
Lawerence Isle.
After watching that episode…I was as hooked as the daughter had become.
The Evolution of Fandom
To say IJ [Impractical Jokers] was a show we watched, doesn’t quite describe it. No, the catch phrases, colloquial one-liners became a running family joke.
Anytime we could turn a conversation to include an IJ reference, we did. And then, we’d giggle. In our ongoing games of Words With Friends, if one of could play a word that had a joker connection, the other would message back something to the effect of “Hehehe….good one.” or “Bonus points!”
Are we easily amused? Maybe. But laughter is oh-so important.
Like when daughter was oh-so-nervous the day of her Graduate Record Exam (GRE). How do I help her shake it off and relax–and kill about 90 minutes? Go into the DVR and play the live IJ Special.
How does she help me to smile when I’m clearly having a bad day? Turn on a favorite episode.
So, it was a no-brainer we would travel the ninety minutes to Cleveland to see their live show last November.
And when another, even closer (Like ten minutes from the house close) date was announced, we were there at the second the on sale started to not only get seats, but the Meet and Greet too.
The Live Show – Don’t Think Just Do
Screen at back of stage, April 15, 2016 — Toledo, OH
I’m not a spoiler kind-of-person. I’m not going to highlight the show. The only thing I will say is if you are a fan, their live show is a MUST SEE. Don’t think about it. Just do it. (Please don’t sue me Nike.)
Needless to say, we were excited about the meet & greet. The weeks leading up to the event, when we’d talk about the show, we’d say we need to do something fun. We have lots of time, let’s do something.
Preparation for a Meet and Greet
A romance author and an English Literature Grad student, we’re both creative people. We can also procrastinate a tiny bit.
As the weeks turned to days, some decisions were made.
T-shirts? Yes! T-shirts!
Lawrence Isle? Maybe…
Plaster them with our favorite one lines? Nah!
Lawrence Isle? Hmm…but how?
A take on the “team” shirts, a twist? No!
…The Aligator that ate the DeLuca boy? (Rolling laughter!)
Three days prior to the show.
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t-shirt mock up
We sent a few texts to friends/fellow fans. Is this funny? Is it too obscure? It’s an old clip. Will they remember it?
Friends assured us we were good.
We made some tweaks…What if there had been another death. What if the t-shirts for the resort had to be updated on short notice.
The day of the show, we finished the t-shirts.
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A few hours later, we were in the front row…waiting for the show to start…waiting to see if our friends who were also coming.
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The Backstage Experience (AKA, Thanks for Being Awesome!)
Sometimes you can get so excited about an upcoming event that there is no way the experience can live up to the imagined fantasy. Let me tell you; this was not the case here.
We were taken back in small groups and given time just to hang out and talk with the guys in a very laid back and warm experience.
As any fan of the show knows, there’s something very personal about the whole thing, and in these moments, you realize there is a reality to the perceived connection.
Handshakes? No, hugs.
Real conversations.
Pictures shared.
And those t-shirts?
Murr: Lawrence isle? Awesome
Joe: Lawerence Isle! The Deluca Boy! Has Q seen these yet? That’s his favorite Joke ever.
Sal: Can I get a picture of these? Has Q seen this?
Q: Lawerence Isle! That is so cool!
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Things I wish I would have asked/said:
I know I’m not the only one who’s left a situation and then been hit with pangs of instant (not really) regret. These thoughts began to bombard me/us in the car on the way home.
Why didn’t I ask or say….
James Murray
So much….
Was still overwhelmed by the surreal moment and all of his energy.
More details about the upcoming punishment that he shared…but man, processing it all was making me dizzy. This detail has been widely posted: The man had his eyebrows shaved off! Beyond that, I can’t say much else. Yes. I’m going to be one of those people because I not a big fan of spoilers. Instead of looking on with a dumbfounded look on my face as he shared some more details, I wish I would have said something.
Interest piqued, I will tune in three weeks (We were told) to see how the punishment played out.
Joe Gatto
Have you heard if you got approval on the third dog you’re trying to adopt? (He’d mentioned it in a periscope the day before.)
I should have mentioned how adorable his kid is….yeah…you’re right. He knows that!
Sal Vulcano
While talking about the What Say You Podcast, he told us some of our favorite podcast stories were being included in his stand-up act.
Why-Oh-Why didn’t I ask:
Are you doing these shows on in NY?
Will you be traveling with your standup?
When is your next show and where can I buy a ticket?
Brian “Q” Quinn
There are times when ten minutes seem to last forever…this was not one of them. So glad we approached Q when we did.
I thoroughly enjoyed every wonderful second of the moments shared, but as with the other three, only moments later I was saying…
Why didn’t we tell Q how much we love the podcast? (as we did with Sal.)
What Next?
Counting down the days to the next new episode. Watching the reruns and enjoying our favorite jokes. Scanning the site for the next, close live date. Treasuring the memories!
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