The Impractical Jokers Prank That Gets Worse Every Time You Watch It
Considering the fact that the core concept behind "Impractical Jokers" is to put people into the most uncomfortable situations imaginable, it's no wonder that there are so many moments throughout the series that are difficult to watch. Most of these cringeworthy moments revolve around one of the main cast members (Sal Vulcano, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Joe Gatto) doing something outrageously stupid or rude in public.
A few notable examples include the time when Q has to teach an art class to a group of children and is forced to draw large red Xs over their hard work when they're all finished, and the time when Q visited an autograph signing for New York Yankees legend Tino Martinez and had to ruin fans' autographs right in front of them. There are so many moments throughout the series that are tough to sit through because they make the audience (and sometimes even the jokers themselves) so exceptionally uncomfortable –- though perhaps the most cringeworthy prank in the entire series is Sal's punishment from one Season 8 episode.
Fans say Sal's Tipping Point punishment is hard to watch more than once
In the Season 8 episode "Tipping Point," Sal is forced to pose as a delivery man and complain about every single tip he receives — directly to the person who tips him. Though it may not sound as severe as some of the aforementioned punishments and pranks, there's something so profoundly uncomfortable about watching Sal confront these people about perfectly reasonable tips, especially because Sal doesn't break at all during the entire scene. One particularly brutal part of the prank is when Sal guilts one of the customers into giving him a $5 tip, then proceeds to ask the guy for $2 more because it still isn't enough.
As the prank goes on, Sal actually starts getting even ruder, telling one woman, "This is a terrible tip," and telling another man, "This tip is s***." From the looks that these two customers gave him, Sal might as well have smacked them in the face, and it gets worse when the man is inadvertently locked out of his office, forcing him and Sal to stand in awkward silence in the hallway.
According to fans on Reddit, this particular punishment is one of the hardest to watch in the entire series, and actually worse the more you watch it. "I just watched this one and every time it just get [sic] worse," wrote u/breakingbanjomin. "That was agonizing lmao," echoed u/JollyRancher29.
As hard as the scene is to watch, Sal makes it clear that it was even worse to experience in person: collapsing onto the floor when the punishment is finally over, before promptly running out of the building.