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The Tenderloins are an American comedy troupe currently composed of Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano. The group stars in the popular television series Impractical Jokers, which premiered on December 15, 2011. The program is currently being aired on Comedy Central in the UK, Ireland, and India, and on truTV in the U.S.
Contents
Members
Brian Michael "Q" Quinn: (Born March 14, 1976) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. An animal lover, Q has three cats, named Brooklyn Cat, Chessie Cat, and Benjamin Cat. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School where he was involved in numerous activities including drama and sports. Following his graduation, he attended Brooklyn College and later went on to join the New York City Fire Department. He is also the third host of the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! on SModcast.com.
James Stephen "Murr" Murray: (Born May 1, 1976) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School there and was also a part of a community theatre. He continued his education at Georgetown University where he received a BA in English. He continues to work at NorthSouth Productions where he is the Senior Vice President of Development.
Salvatore Edward Anthony "Sal" Vulcano: (Born November 6, 1976) is an improvisational and stand-up comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island where he took part in various sports such as hockey, basketball and football. Upon graduation, he attended St. John's University where he earned a degree in finance.
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Gatto, Jr.: (Born June 5, 1976) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School. After graduation, he studied at LIU Post where he received a degree in Accounting. He founded The Tenderloins comedy troupe in 2000 and worked at the baby retail store, Giggle, until January 2011.
Stage
The Tenderloins began in 1999 as a live improv comedy and sketch comedy troupe. The comedians met at Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, where they became interested in drama and improv. They have performed in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, in addition to shows at the San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival and the Miami Improv Festival.
For a time, the troupe consisted of five members, with the addition of Gideon Horowitz.
Internet success
Following years of live shows, in 2006, The Tenderloins redirected their talents to filmed comedic sketches. Brian Quinn subsequently replaced Mike Boccio as the troupe's 4th member.
The Tenderloins comedic sketches have accumulated millions of views on YouTube, MySpace, Metacafe, and other websites. In 2007, the troupe won the $100,000 grand prize in the NBC It’s Your Show competition for the sketch “Time Thugs”.
Television
Following the troupe's online successes, the four were signed to develop a scripted comedy pilot for Spike TV based on their own lives. The pilot was shot on location in 2008 on Staten Island, as well as other locations around New York City. Spike TV ultimately passed on the series. A second pilot starring The Tenderloins was named as an official selection of the 2009 New York Television Festival.
On April 12, 2011, truTV announced the new series Impractical Jokers, starring and executive-produced by the Tenderloins, which premiered on December 15, 2011. Season 1 consisted of 17 half-hour episodes. The first season was watched by over 32 million viewers.
The show's 28-episode second season premiered on December 13, 2012, and its 31-episode third season premiered on January 2, 2014. On April 21, 2014, truTV announced that the series has been renewed for a 26-episode fourth season. With the fourth season renewal, a 6-episode spinoff series, Jokers Wild! was also announced. They were renewed for a fifth season which first aired on February 2016, and on July 22, 2016 announced a sixth season.
Podcast
The group began hosting a podcast in April 2012. It was available on their official website and iTunes. A new podcast, hosted by Sal and Q, called "What Say You" began and is released fairly regularly. This caused a friendly competition, with Joe and Murr releasing a Tenderloins podcast without the other two members, following the increased popularity of "What Say You," which was named Best New Show at the 2013 Stitcher Awards. It was nominated for the Comedy, Entertainment, and Best Produced Podcast Awards at the 10th Annual Podcast Awards in 2015. Q and Sal have stated on their podcast that it is not a replacement of The Tenderloins podcast, but their own side project. The group had cited difficulty coordinating the schedules of all four members outside of work to complete the troupe's official podcast with any regularity.