(Published Sept. 9, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
If you witness ethically dubious individuals mistreating others, how would you respond? ABC News’ fascinating “Primetime: What Would You Do?” asks the tough questions, pointing its hidden cameras at manufactured scenarios. Using credible actors, it gets intriguing answers from real people, who react differently to the given situations.
Hosted by veteran journalist John Quiñones, the program tests random “subjects,” presenting them serious quandaries that may lead them to do the right thing, or to ignore the whole incident altogether. The show’s actors are assigned to misbehave at the expense of others, unknown to baffled bystanders.
Each experiment is carefully planned, and sometimes requires the participation of some “regular” people. In various establishments, these scenarios unfold, often prompting vocal civilians to intervene and protect strangers (the actors) from getting victimized or exploited. At a nearby monitor room, the host observes the ongoing potential debacles with behavior experts, who periodically chime in on the body language of certain persons.
In one episode, the show staged a predicament at a pastry shop. A rude store clerk insults and shortchanges a blind woman, which enrages a number of real customers. The more protective witnesses stand up for her, angrily protesting the shamelessness of the clerk. When interviewed by the host minutes after the conflict, the surprised customers thought that it was the natural, immediate reaction to such offensive behavior.
Another segment is inspired by “Wedding Crashers,” about a pair of trespassing freeloaders. Two of the show’s actors pose as friends of the newlyweds, who are aware of the “prank.” During the real reception, the actors flirt with female guests and partake of food and drinks, but they’re inevitably discovered.
Before things truly get out of hand, the host makes an appearance, and explains the test to the unwitting but pleasantly surprised participants. Interestingly, the show sometimes asks tougher questions by changing actors. In similarly disconcerting spots, the race or gender of the “character” is changed to see if people react differently to such factors.
The disparate responses to the staged encounters are often revealing and enlightening. The near-skirmishes are unpredictable, translating as genuine drama that uplifts or discomfits.
“Primetime: What Would You Do?” airs Mondays,
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