What Would You Do? - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss What Would You Do? Here!

[Brian Cronin]

Yay! I am glad that we have a forum now for this dumb but fun show. 

 

Anyhow, as to the latest episode, in Portland, I thought that they did a decent mixture of topics, a couple of "real" topics and then a couple of ridiculous ones.

 

I am totally down with the whole "re-use old themes just in new cities" idea. It works well. The "Would you buy marijuana for underage kids?" one was strong, although I didn't like how it fed into some debunked theories about the effect of marijuana on teenagers. 

The classic bicycle chain one is a classic because it works SO well, as people really do seem to react differently to a black guy breaking a bike chain than a white guy.

 

The homeless guy story was a bit over the top, as they seemed like they had to make the bartender over the top cruel to make sure people reacted the way they wanted them to react. I don't like that. It doesn't really "test" anything. 

 

Then you just get the nonsense ones - what are you really testing by seeing how people respond to people throwing large objects out of their bag out into the street? Or baristas being unbelievably rude? What's the point? 

[CoolMom]

I liked the reuse of old themes in the new city.  Loved the people's reactions to the litterbugs especially the Asian guy at the end. The barista was just kind of silly.

 

I liked that the bicycle theft segment opened the door to a conversation with my teenager about race bias.  I could not believe the guy who helped the woman steal the bike even after she told him it wasn't her bike. 

[Brian Cronin]

I liked that the bicycle theft segment opened the door to a conversation with my teenager about race bias.  I could not believe the guy who helped the woman steal the bike even after she told him it wasn't her bike. 

They've done that a couple of times now and yeah, there's always at least one horndog who will help a hot girl steal a bike. :)

 

Honestly, though, I think a lot of it is them just not believing she's seriously stealing the bike. Like it's some kind of joke. 

[90PercentGravity]

I wish they'd done the stranger danger but with a teen who wasn't a pretty blonde girl. I wonder what people would do if it were a boy or even an average looking girl.

[teebax]

I'm glad I wasn't in the coffee shop when they had the actor pretending to be a rude customer. My reaction would not haven been fit for television. Those folks in Portland seem really nice. The second that woman interrupted my order I'd have been on her like white on rice. And if I heard someone call a barista a moron I'd a have a few choice words for them too.

I hate that so many companies subject their employees to abuse because they really think the customer is always right. One of the joys of having my own business is telling nasty customers to kiss my ass.

[candall]

I don't ordinarily watch this, but I kept on going through Intervention, Intervention:Then & Now, straight into What Would You Do:Intervention.

Good Lord, what is wrong with those people sitting there watching a woman being roofied?!  My friend was roofied, woke up the next day in her own bed, bloody, gang raped, purse gone, half her apartment stolen--no memory of anything after ordering her first drink in a pub and going to the ladies' room.  She and a classmate had stopped by a pub for a beer after a nighttime college class and the other woman stepped outside for a cigarette, started talking to people she knew and just thought my friend had gone on home, since she lived so close.  (The second woman's life is messed up, too, with guilt about being so casual that night.)

 

Do you really have to know someone who went through something that horrible before you step up to stop a woman from being drugged and frog-marched out of a bar between two men?

 

.

Edited June 20, 2016 by candall

[PugLoaf]

I watch these  on hulu and I know they are a bit behind but on last week's episode they were in Voodoo Donuts (with a fat shaming mom). If you looked at the door to the cafe behind the customer's  heads you could see a huge "what would you do" poster on the door. I know they have to inform people a show is being filmed but it seems like it defeats the purpose of getting natural reactions to tell them exactly what show it is?

[Bastet]

I've only seen bits and pieces of this show over the years, so I'm far from the best viewer to evaluate, but I watched most of tonight's episode and had such conflicting emotions.  It was lovely to see an elderly man with physical limitations try (and and self-deprecatingly laugh at the limitations on his efforts) to help a woman with a flat tire who was largely being ignored because of her traditional Muslim dress - ZERO trouble believing that scenario - but then so much of the episode felt staged. 

There was one woman who even said (in another segment) she felt she had to step in because if she didn't, the WWYD? crew was going to pop up and yell at her, and the fact her dining companions didn't bat an eye, just kept on chatting, when she got up, left their table, and went to talk to a purported stranger, had me chalking it up to bullshit.

This beyond how difficult it is to get releases after the fact, and thus how common it is to put up a notice of general release before entering an establishment in which filming may occur.  I generally don't see a production name included, but even that scenario still notifies patrons something is happening.  Plus the fact that even in the handful of episodes I've seen over the years, I recognize repeat actors (especially that brunette woman, not seen tonight [of what I watched] who frequently appears as a shitty person), so anyone who watches the show with something approaching regularity must be spoiled by their presence if nothing else.

Basically, a nice idea, but one that has long since stopped being believable.

[Tenarife60]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2016 at 2:14 AM, Bastet said:

There was one woman who even said (in another segment) she felt she had to step in because if she didn't, the WWYD? crew was going to pop up and yell at her, and the fact her dining companions didn't bat an eye, just kept on chatting, when she got up, left their table, and went to talk to a purported stranger, had me chalking it up to bullshit.

This beyond how difficult it is to get releases after the fact, and thus how common it is to put up a notice of general release before entering an establishment in which filming may occur.  I generally don't see a production name included, but even that scenario still notifies patrons something is happening.  Plus the fact that even in the handful of episodes I've seen over the years, I recognize repeat actors (especially that brunette woman, not seen tonight [of what I watched] who frequently appears as a shitty person), so anyone who watches the show with something approaching regularity must be spoiled by their presence if nothing else.

Basically, a nice idea, but one that has long since stopped being believable.

People on the old IMDb boards used to say this all the time and I agree.  Especially that one actress (I think she is the same one you are talking about), Traci.  She has been on that show for years and was even on last Fridays' show (July 7th 2017) and yet no one recognizes her but they recognize John right away when he comes out.  That's very suspicious.

What else that is unbelievable is when they film in these small diners or shops where you would think they would have a regular clientele but no one ever questions this new employee that they've never seen before causing all of this trouble by acting like a loud, rude bigot to people.  That would seem to be the first tip off that something is up.

I agree with you, I think most of these people are in on it and the shows real purpose is only to ask viewers 'what would you do?' after seeing these segments.

[sugarbaker design]

11 hours ago, KittyKat94 said:

She has been on that show for years and was even on last Fridays' show (July 7th 2017) and yet no one recognizes her but they recognize John right away when he comes out.  That's very suspicious.

To be fair I don't think they recognize JQ from this show, but from his many years working at ABC.  There have been times JQ says he's from WWYD? and all he gets is a blank stare back.

[rmcrae]

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 8:53 PM, Tenarife60 said:

People on the old IMDb boards used to say this all the time and I agree.  Especially that one actress (I think she is the same one you are talking about), Traci.  She has been on that show for years and was even on last Fridays' show (July 7th 2017) and yet no one recognizes her but they recognize John right away when he comes out.  That's very suspicious.

What else that is unbelievable is when they film in these small diners or shops where you would think they would have a regular clientele but no one ever questions this new employee that they've never seen before causing all of this trouble by acting like a loud, rude bigot to people.  That would seem to be the first tip off that something is up.

I agree with you, I think most of these people are in on it and the shows real purpose is only to ask viewers 'what would you do?' after seeing these segments.

I recently started watching the show again after getting away from it a few years ago and I was surprised to see Traci is still a part of it. If I saw someone who even looked like her out and about I'd think it's her and JQ was just around the corner.

[UniqBlue69]

This show thinks they're slick! They'll produce one new segment and intersperse it with a whole bunch off old-ass segments and pass it off as a new episode. Ain't nobody got time for that, John Quiñones!

[TVJunkee]

Nobody watched this last night?  It was actually pretty good and addressed some interesting social issues. 

[Hpmec]

This doesn't seem to be a popular forum, but I'm checking in anyway and hoping someone else is out there who saw this show last night. It was the usual mishmash of scenarios - grandparents being verbally abusive toward grandkids for looking at cellphones. A bartender with a jealous girlfriend. Considering how long this show has been on the air, and the bad acting of the players, it's amazing people apparently still fall for this stuff. However, the final segment featuring a couple identifying as Catholic publicly and loudly criticizing their daughter's Jewish boyfriend was ridiculous and downright offensive. The "Catholic" parents spewed every vile vulgar stereotype in a way no sane people of any religious background - or no religious background- would ever do. This show has officially jumped the shark. 

[Tenarife60]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 1:20 PM, Hpmec said:

This doesn't seem to be a popular forum, but I'm checking in anyway and hoping someone else is out there who saw this show last night. It was the usual mishmash of scenarios - grandparents being verbally abusive toward grandkids for looking at cellphones. A bartender with a jealous girlfriend. Considering how long this show has been on the air, and the bad acting of the players, it's amazing people apparently still fall for this stuff. However, the final segment featuring a couple identifying as Catholic publicly and loudly criticizing their daughter's Jewish boyfriend was ridiculous and downright offensive. The "Catholic" parents spewed every vile vulgar stereotype in a way no sane people of any religious background - or no religious background- would ever do. This show has officially jumped the shark. 

I wasn't even aware this show was still on but I noticed they've been running adverts for tomorrows show (June 15,).  Don't know if it's new or a re-run.  I nearly always turn the channel when I see that it's on because, it's true, it jumped the shark a long time ago. 

[rmcrae]

On June 14, 2018 at 11:04 AM, Tenarife60 said:

I wasn't even aware this show was still on but I noticed they've been running adverts for tomorrows show (June 15,).  Don't know if it's new or a re-run.  I nearly always turn the channel when I see that it's on because, it's true, it jumped the shark a long time ago. 

I watched it and although it was new, it might as we'll have been a rerun. The "baker refuses to make gay wedding cake" and "rich kids bullying a poor kid" scenarios have been done to death. 

[Bringonthedrama]

On 5/25/2018 at 2:20 PM, Hpmec said:

This doesn't seem to be a popular forum, but I'm checking in anyway and hoping someone else is out there who saw this show last night. It was the usual mishmash of scenarios - grandparents being verbally abusive toward grandkids for looking at cellphones. A bartender with a jealous girlfriend. Considering how long this show has been on the air, and the bad acting of the players, it's amazing people apparently still fall for this stuff. However, the final segment featuring a couple identifying as Catholic publicly and loudly criticizing their daughter's Jewish boyfriend was ridiculous and downright offensive. The "Catholic" parents spewed every vile vulgar stereotype in a way no sane people of any religious background - or no religious background- would ever do. This show has officially jumped the shark. 

I saw it and unfortunately, there are still "sane" people who behave that way.  I used to be friends with (but now just Facebook friends with) a woman who was raised Conservative Catholic in Pa.  The first time I went "Wait, what?" was when we were in a salon because I really wanted a haircut. She was considering a cut, and I gestured that there were others free to work on her hair. One of them appeared to be flamboyantly gay, and her reaction was "Ugh, he's not touching me." She has also publicly criticized inter-faith marriages that involved Catholics (because Catholics are supposed to be superior!), and recently criticized parents on social media for not forcing their children to dress as boys v. girls because that's the way they were born. A right-wing (in my opinion, extremist) pro-life group hired her to be in charge of their public relations a few months ago. 

My point is, just because something seems ridiculous and downright offensive doesn't inherently mean it's fake. 

[Hpmec]

Quote

My point is, just because something seems ridiculous and downright offensive doesn't inherently mean it's fake.

I agree. There is plenty in the current political world, for example, that is ridiculous, offensive and all too real. And I know there are members of religious groups who display their ignorance by being intolerant toward others. The episode of the show in question, however, had a supposedly Catholic couple loudly spewing anti-semitic crap, including vulgar stereotypes, in a public place in front of a daughter's Jewish boyfriend they were meeting for the first time.  I can easily imagine that after being introduced to a boyfriend of a different religious background, conservative Catholic parents might air their misgivings behind closed doors at home. But to portray Catholics as overt and loud anti-semites is, IMO, a bit much, even for this show. 

[hoosiermom]

This show never fails to make me me cry happy tears for all the people that step up to protect people in these truly horrible situations.

[iMonrey]

I'm surprised there is no thread for this. Is nobody watching this show?

I wonder how they manage to find all these diners across the country that seem to have the exact same layout. 

It doesn't seem like anyone ever recognizes John Quiñones when he pops in. 

The latest episode (8/18/20) had a good segment with a customer in line at a grocery store stealing money out of the register. But when they have situations like that I always wonder how many people said nothing and the show just didn't include that part. Also, I don't know where that grocery store is but the cash register looked like something out of the 1970s. 

Anyway, I prefer those setups to the numerous "diners overhear conversation at the next table" type scenarios. 

[patty1h]

ABC decided to bring this show back -- new season started on 10/07.

[iMonrey]

Yeah but one of the setups (I think the one with the gay teenagers at the rock climbing place) had a guy saying it was 2022. So these episodes are two years old.