If you’re pranked by your favourite celebrity, does it technically count as a prank? According to Mitchel Musso, absolutely. That’s basically the idea behind Family Channel’s new show, PRANKSTARS, premiering tonight at 7pm ET/PT!
PRANKSTARS is a new hidden camera show where fans get pranked by their favourite celebrities. Some celebrity prankers include Selena Gomez, Debbie Ryan, Adam Hicks, China Anne McClain, and Mitchel Musso himself. Here’s what Musso had to say about hosting the show, pranking his fan, music and much more!
How has it been working on PRANKSTARS?
PRANKSTARS is awesome! I’m finally done with the first season, which is great, it was so exciting. It’s a great show and it’s got a great story behind it and reason that the show came about and every episode just gets better and better!
How did the show come about?
It’s more about the premise of the show, like what was the meaning behind it. Before it was called PRANKSTARS, before it was anything like that, they were like “they’re coming out with a show, it’s going to be like a prank show, where we pull pranks”, and I was like ok cool, that sounds good, who are the stars that we’re going to prank? And they were like “No, no, no, it’s not about pranking the stars, forget about that, it’s about pranking their biggest fan”. As soon as they said that I was like “Oh shoot, what does that mean?” And they said basically we’re going to take these celebrities and find their biggest fans and interact with them and capture that moment on camera… they get to be on TV with their favourite star in the world, I had never heard of anything like that! And we went in production to film the first one and we saw these kids faces, you know… they turn into a little ball of energy after they meet their favourite celebrity, and hanging out with them and playing along or helping them for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the scenario of the prank, but in all it’s about the fan trying to help their idol, do something that the celebrity can’t do so the fan has to do it. And that’s where we come in and make it really funny.
In the pilot episode, you prank a fan yourself! How difficult was it to pull of the prank, and how hard was it to keep a straight face?
In a lot of ways, it’s just like acting. The only thing is that when acting, we do a scene it’s probably like two minutes, if that, sometimes even just thirty seconds in the scene, and then they call cut. Then you do it again, you do it again, and it’s like that. But with PRANKSTARS, you’ve got something in your ear, everyone on the floor has a little ear phone that’s stuck in their ear and all they can hear is what you’re talking about. And you sort of play this character, and there are like 12 different cameras on the floor, 12 different screens where I’m [usually] directing the whole thing from the mobile command center, and I get to watch with the eagle eye everything that’s going on. But it’s a 30 minute to an hour shot, you do not stop! It’s very difficult.
If you could prank anyone else in the world, who would it be?
It would have to be our director’s kids. His kids, they’re just, they know the pranks better than I do. But definitely someone like that because they deserve it!
Has anyone ever tried to prank you before?
You can’t prank me. Maybe you could have before, but now I know way too much. Now, everywhere I go, I’ve got four cameras around me and people don’t even know it!
How involved are you when it comes to thinking up the pranks?
Pretty involved… they’re always coming by asking me these things “what’s cool, what’s cool, should we do this or should we do this… and so I’m glad they’ve given me creative control for the show because I’m really excited about it and we want to talk about it and talk to people about it and see if we can get more things in the show.
Along with PRANKSTARS, you’re also co-starring in PAIR OF KINGS and voicing Jeremy in PHINEAS AND FERB. When you get the chance, what do you do to relax?
Right now is basically what I do! Right now I’m just chilling with my brother in the studio and I’m probably going to go out to dinner tonight with my family. I get to see them for a couple days, and I just did a show too.
You performed and co-wrote the theme song for the show. Are you working on a second album as well?
Yes, ma’am. But you won’t hear another album from me until my brother’s [Mason Musso of Metro Station] on the radio. I don’t want to release too much too fast about his music outbreak but he’s a huge inspiration, he’s a great musician… but they’re both all in the works!
Thank you, Mitchel! Don’t forget to check out the season premier of PRANKSTARS tonight at 7pm ET/PT on Family Channel!
Photo’s courtesy of Family Channel/Astral Media.