The odds are not in Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox’s favor in the new season of Defy Media’s series Prank it FWD.
In a clip from the show’s upcoming fourth season, provided exclusively to Mashable (above), Jennifer Lawrence and her Hunger Games co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth team up with a SMOSH superfan Dylan Miceli-Nelson (who is in a wheelchair living with muscular dystrophy) to turn the cameras –- and the joke — on the digital superstars.
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Defy Media launched Prank it FWD in April of 2014 with the goal of doing “pranks” for good causes. Since then, its videos have racked up more than 100 million total views. The series partners with DoSomething.org to donate $1 for every 1,000 views, as well as $1 for every social mention and share tagged #PrankItFWD.
“Anthony and Ian thought they were interviewing Jennifer Lawrence during the Hunger Games junket and pranking her. But in true Prank It FWD fashion, we collaborated with Lionsgate, had Dylan join forces with the film’s stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, and turned the cameras on Anthony and Ian,” Barry Blumberg, Defy Media’s Chief Content Officer, told Mashable in an email.
Season 4 of the series, which debuts Monday, also features a prank with animal shelter owner Sherri Stankewitz. Barefoot Wine & Bubbly sponsored the video as part of its digital efforts to market to Millennials.
Other episodes include “Entourage for the Day,” in which an aspiring teen singer gets sent to New York City and lands on The Today Show, “Homeless Shelter Makeovers,” which features Prank It FWD host Greg Benson delivering “pampering” surprises to the homeless, and “Senior Prom,” in which senior citizens are treated to a special dinner at their community center and surprised with a live musical act.
Last season featured pranks by First Lady Michelle Obama and L.A Clippers Glen Davis and DeAndre Jordan.
“We aimed to turn the online prank trend on its head,” Blumberg said of the series. “Viewers like to see content that is upbeat and hopeful, and we felt we could create something larger around this idea by spreading positivity through pranks for good.”
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