The relationship between a husband and wife can often fluctuate between happiness and outrage, with the latter emotions sometimes leading to extreme actions on the part of one spouse toward another.
Using that longstanding premise as the basis for an elaborate practical joke, the Canadian television program, Just for Laughs, decided to test the reactions of well-meaning individuals toward an elderly woman who appears to simply be doing some gardening on a sunny day.
The video lasts barely more than a minute and begins with the woman pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt toward a hole that’s been dug out in preparation for the joke. At the bottom of a hole is a mannequin that’s meant to resemble the woman’s alleged husband.
After a short period of time pushing the wheelbarrow, the woman stops and appears winded. Continually clutching her lower back in apparent pain, her supposed plight is noticed by a series of people. Each of them take the time to push the wheelbarrow forward as their offering of help.
The woman eventually reaches the alleged garden and begins her planting. With a pair of men’s dress shoes clearly visible in the ground, the hidden camera captures the reaction of each individual when they catch sight of the shoes.
All of the good Samaritans have stunned looks on their faces, which is then followed by each of them looking at the woman. In contrast to their horror and shock, she maintains no reaction and merely goes about continuing to throw dirt into the hole.
As some of them begin to slowly move away, undoubtedly in an attempt to contact authorities, the elderly woman makes sure to stop them and explain the ruse. That leads to laughter and relief from each of the individuals who had helped the woman.
The show Just For Laughs has been compared to Candid Camera, which first began in the late 1940’s and lasted for close to two decades before being brought back on a periodic basis. The individuals that make up the pranksters on Just For Laughs are part of a comedy troupe that’s based in Quebec.
First premiering in December 2000, Just for Laughs has the flexibility to be shown in virtually any country in the world, with the rights also purchased by some airlines and airports in order to entertain fliers waiting to take off. That’s because almost no one speaks in the comic videos, since the reactions of others is what helps elicit the humor. Therefore, there’s no need to take the time to dub the videos.
Since being posted online in August 2014, this video has been viewed more that 2.1 million times.