Rob!

Credits

Digital Video: Agents Corrigan, Todd
Digital Photography: Agents Corrigan, Todd, MRobertson
Mission Idea: Agent Lathan
Starring: Agent Lathan as “Rob”

A group of performers from the UCB Theatre got together to see the Yankees/Tigers game on Wednesday, August 30th. A few weeks before the game, Agent Lathan approached me about doing a favorite prank of his at the stadium. He stumbled onto the prank by accident at Fenway Park back in 2001. After leaving his seat at Fenway to hit the concession stand, he had a difficult time finding his way back. His friends started shouting at him, trying to get his attention, and pretty quickly several strangers in the section began shouting his name as well. Agent Lathan decided to keep it going by pretending he couldn’t hear them and pretty soon the entire section was frantically yelling his name. He did the prank again at Shea Stadium in 2002 (this time on purpose) on a slightly larger scale. For the Yankee Stadium version, the goal would be to spread the prank over many sections, trying to get as many people as possible involved in bringing “Rob” back to his seat.

Unfortunately, Yankee Stadium does not allow any video cameras or backpacks; so smuggling in filming equipment would be nearly impossible. Agent Lathan decided to pull the prank anyway, even if we couldn’t film it. Fortunately several members of our group brought cameras to the game and were able to snap photos and take some footage using their camera’s “movie mode”.

Rob waited until the 6th Inning to begin his journey. After a beautiful sunset, he left our section in the right field upper deck to grab some food. He returned moments later with a large cardboard tray filled with beer and popcorn. Although he was walking in the aisle right by our group, Rob couldn’t seem to locate us. The few of us who were in on the prank from the beginning hopped up and started yelling, “Rob!!!” and waving our hands. Rob just stared past us with a vacant look on his face, neither hearing nor seeing us. The rest of our group started yelling his name as well, but no one could seem to get his attention. As he started walking back down the aisle, strangers started yelling his name as well, but he kept walking down and eventually disappeared through the tunnel.

About five minutes later Rob appeared again, this time two sections to our left.


Rob appears two sections over

Same photo, detail enlarged
Someone from our group spotted him and we all started yelling his name again. There were now two sections in between our group and Rob, so everyone in between got involved and started yelling “Rob!” trying to help out. Although the photos are a little blurry, it was actually very easy to spot Rob. He’s a tall guy, and he was wearing a very recognizable red, white, and blue shirt (much like everyone’s favorite person to spot in a crowd, “Waldo”.) Rob just kept walking up and down the stairs, looking quite pitiful with his huge platter of concessions. He disappeared again into the tunnel, and everyone sat back down. People around us were laughing and trying to figure out what was wrong with him. One guy asked me how much he Rob had had to drink. “One too many, I think,” I told him.

After another five minutes passed, Rob very quickly appeared in the section just to the left of us, the one in the middle of the two sections he had already searched. His head emerged from the tunnel and he looked around for about ten seconds before disappearing again. All three sections in our corner lept to their feet and screamed his name, but he was gone in a flash.


Rob’s quick appearance
At this point the game got pretty interesting. The Yankees had a few people on base and looked like they were about to tie the game. Yankee fans forgot about Rob and got back into the game. Pretty soon, the Tigers decided to change pitchers and this provided a nice lull for Rob to strike again. This time he appeared seven sections away. Agent Kula and I spotted him and started pointing and screaming his name as loud as we could. Very quickly the entire right field section was on their feet trying to get his attention. Rob cocked his head our way as if he could hear something, but once again disappeared into the tunnel.


Rob, seven sections down

Same photo, detail enlarged
At this point enthusiasm for helping Rob had grown so large that other groups of people were even more excited about it than we were. A group of guys sitting directly behind us began leading a series of chants as they waited for Rob to appear again. Several rounds of “WHERE IS ROB? WHERE IS ROB? WHERE IS ROB?” were followed by the somewhat cruel, “ROB’S RETARDED (CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP).” Several sections joined in on the chat as everyone speculated what was going on with Rob.


The leaders of the Rob-related chants
The Yankees ended up scoring three runs in the bottom of the 6th to go ahead 2 – 3. Shortly after the inning ended, Agent Kula spotted Rob on the complete opposite side of the stadium. Rob was so confused that he somehow found himself in the far most section in left field.


Rob’s friends wave at him from across the field
Word traveled quickly through the upper deck. Sections full of strangers started waving their hands at Rob, barely making out his white shirt from across the way.


View across the field

Same photo, enlarged to show Rob walking down the aisle
Rob of course couldn’t hear our yelling from the other side of the stadium. He gave up and ducked back through the tunnel after searching up and down the aisle. The 7th inning stretch provided another break from Rob spotting, but as soon it was over Rob appeared again. This time he was somehow in the lower level, right by the Yankees dugout!


Where’s Rob?

A stranger spots Rob in the lower level

Rob fans
This appearance marked Rob’s 6th attempt at finding his seats. You can track his journey on this map, with his sightings numbered. His original seat was in section 33 in the right-hand corner.

At the halfway point of the 8th inning, Rob appeared again, this time right in front of us. The upper deck erupted with cheers as everyone chanted “Rob! Rob! Rob!” and pointed towards his seat.


The section next to us right before Rob appeared.

Same section, seconds later

Fans point towards Rob’s seat

Same photo, detail enlarged

A fan gives Rob a high-five

Fans a couple of sections over cheer Rob’s return

Fans laugh as Rob finds his friends

Fans take photos of Rob
Many fans wanted a photo of Rob, and some even wanted to meet him and get their photos taken with him personally. Rob was so lost that he somehow reached celebrity status, and folks wanted to remember their encounter with him.

The photos do a good job of showing how happy everyone was to see Rob finally find his seat, but the video truly captures the roar of the crowd upon his return. This was shot by Agent Corrigan with a digital still camera on “movie mode”, the best equipment we were able to get inside the stadium.

Rob took his seat and watched the last two innings. Every few minutes people would walk up to him to say hello and snap a photo. The guys behind us started up another “Rob’s retarded” chant. Rob just smiled and waved.

The Tigers scored three runs in the 9th inning and went on to win the game. As we were leaving the stadium, Yankee fans’ spirits were lifted when they spotted Rob. As he walked down the exit ramp a huge chant broke out in his honor as fans shook his hand and gave him high fives.

So that’s my account from the upper deck. Now enjoy a first-hand account from Rob himself.

Agent Lathan, “Rob”

This mission called for something I specialize in: being LOST. Yankee Stadium promised to be a good place to get a reaction for three reasons: 1) there are tons of people around 2) a baseball game has many lulls 3) people are drunk. Still, I had no clue I would get the reaction that I ended up getting.

I waited until the 6th inning to start the mission (see reason #3). I got out of my seat and ventured to the nearest concession stand to retrieve some refreshments. When I returned to my original aisle holding a tray full of popcorn and a beer, I did my best to appear lost – once again, an easy task for me. I glanced up in the general vicinity of my seats, but did not recognize anyone in my section. Agent Todd led a team of our friends sitting in my section – who were all wildly waving their arms in the air and yelling, “Rob! We’re up here!” But I still continued to glance around them, squinting in their direction and glancing back at my ticket stub. Giving up, I hopelessly retreated from my aisle and continued my search.

I emerged again with tray in hand – this time two aisles over. I was greeted by an enormous reaction. The hysteria created by my friends had quickly spread. As I stumbled up the aisle looking aimless and not unlike a lost puppy, several hundred people who had never met me before began to scream my name and yell in my face: “Your friends are over there! Right over there!! Hey Rob! Where are you going?!” I paid no attention to them and continued looking for my seat.

Next, I briefly appeared in the aisle in between the two aisles from before. I glanced up to my section, heard a loud, “Rob!” and quickly darted out – just a little “tease” to keep my spotters on their toes. I also didn’t want to get tackled or grabbed by a concerned citizen who desperately wanted me to find my seat.

My next strategy was to wait a few minutes before making another appearance until there was a lull in the baseball game. I practiced this strategy throughout. If the Yankees were making a rally or if everybody was standing during the Seventh Inning Stretch, I would stay hidden. Once the commotion to the real game died down, I would then immediately burst through the aisle and make my appearance. After all, it wasn’t about the actual game was it? It was all about looking for me, right? Right.

My seat-finding odyssey escalated to the point where I was now wandering around at the exact opposite side of the stadium. As I stumbled up the very last aisle in the left field upper deck, I was worried that no one would see me. But sure enough Agents Kula and Todd spotted me out, and the entire section in the right field upper deck erupted in a cheer. Someone announced, “There he is! Look!” And then everybody cheered, “Rob!! Over here! Rob!!”

Amazingly, people who didn’t know me honestly thought I was dumb enough to look for seats on the opposite side of the stadium. Several strangers began a chant in my honor: “Where is Rob?!” This morphed into a more direct chant: “Rob’s retarded!” (CLAP-CLAP, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP) The whole entire upper deck began chanting this – most of whom had no idea who I was – some of those from distant sections might’ve thought I was an opposing player up to bat or something.

There was only one way to heighten the opposite-field upper-deck wandering: a front row sighting by the Yankee dugout. This would be tough since the area is heavily guarded by ushers and the rows are even chained off to those without proper tickets. But once I made my way to the lower level, I waited until a Yankee rally ended and more importantly until a vendor undid the chain to the aisle and followed closely behind him. I slowly tiptoed toward the Yankee dugout and falsely glanced around for my seat. For a brief second I peeked up to the upper deck and out of the corner of my eye I could see hundreds of tiny arms waving around in my direction. Off in the distance I could faintly hear the chant: “Rob’s retarded!” (CLAP-CLAP, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP) All was well.

In the top of the 8th inning and after over an hour of searching for my long, lost seat, I finally staggered back up to my section. When I appeared, the upper deck exploded in a cheer. I’ve never received such an ovation in my entire life. I thought to myself, “Maybe I should try getting lost more often.” Then a troubled usher grabbed my arm and asked, “Are you diabetic?” I nodded yes, even though I’m not. Another usher strenuously informed me, “That is your last beer!” He also made extra sure that I found my way to the proper seat.

Walking up the aisle, some people high-fived me, some asked for a picture to be taken with them, and several shook their heads in dismay, telling me the obvious: “You were really lost.”

After the game, as I strutted down the exit ramp, several people from other sections of the stadium pointed me out and gave me a few shout-outs such as, “Hey look, there’s Rob!” or “Watch out, Rob! Don’t get lost!” I nodded my head and pointed back to them as the Fonze would have done back in the day (I realized I better soak all this up while I can.) Some of my “fans” asked me to pose for photos with them. One guy said he would add it to his MySpace page.

On the way home I rode the subway by myself. Some people on the train, who had been sitting in our section, also recognized me as the lost guy from before. “Hey, it’s Rob!” they announced excitedly. Then they started to get worried that I was still lost: “Wait, weren’t your friends going to some bar on the west-side? This train only goes to the east-side.” Staying in character I replied, “Oh whoops. Oh well…don’t worry… I’ll find them.”

Mission Accomplished.

Check out the sequel to this mission – Where’s Rob?

Rob! Tee

Comments

  1. Fascinating. Can I start a montreal branch of your movement? If you are ok with that idea indeed! If someone of you want to come in here to help, I can garantee the lodging! And a couple of beers, or wine. + canadian breakfast.
    Bests

  13. Really great. I don’t know if I could have kept a straight face if I had been in Rob’s position.

    Anyone interested in setting up something in Washington DC?

  14. HAHA! This is definitely another great mission well executed! Baseball games people are ripe for having fun like this and this is a great mission that helped make everyone’s time there more enjoyable!

  17. GENIUS. This has got to be one of the funniest and most well-executed "pranks" I’ve heard of. And one where no person or property gets hurt only adds to the brilliance.

    I would have loved to be there and, as a baseball fan, I am not surprised at all that the fans there enjoyed it as much as they did.

    I wish you much success in your future pranks; this one was absolutely fantastic.

  18. right before you got back to your seat, you should’ve spilled all that food and beer, and turned around to get more.

    • As a diabetic, I can tell you that if you are having a bad insulin reaction (too much insulin, not enough sugar), you can become confused and inattentive, almost like a walking coma.

  20. Getting my e-mail update describing this event in it made my day! I really needed a laugh.
    Awesome. Keep it up.
    I would love to head the Oklahoma branch of improveverywhere!

  21. Absolutely HILARIOUS! Next time this prank is attempted, you should have Rob say loudly: (as he is finally finding his seat) "Rob?, who’s Rob? My name is Mike!" Maybe set it up like it’s a blind date or a business outing and Rob/Mike’s "friends" know him only casually. All the time the crowd who’s been trying to get Rob’s attention has been calling the wrong name!

  23. man i love ucb and all these improv anywere gigs… this one though i thought was particularly hilarious, too bad you couldnt get more video of it… if you ever decide to do a gig in southern california i am in…

  25. Well done Rob. William loved it when you did it in Boston. I saw you on the stilts on the Today Show. Too funny! I don’t think they "got" the Electric Slide, but I was howling.

  27. Once again, I laughed all alone in front of my computer today ! This goes to show that the simplest acts are often the most effective. Wish we still had a baseball team in Montreal to try the same thing…

    Big thanks again to all the Agents involved.

    (Alexis, log on the IE forum if you’d like to be part of something in Mtl…)

  28. We were a couple of sections away and were wondering what was going on! We finally figured it otu when Rob made his final return, but a lot of people in my section thought you guys may have been confused and yelling for the Tigers or something since we couldn’t hear the rob chanting very well…although the yelling in teh section was very loud – I think people on the field heard it!

  31. Is that what that weird chant was? I could hear something over the TV but it wasn’t making too much sense. Now I know! Great job. Wish I was there. Maybe we can add ROB to the roll call the fans do at the beginning of every game!

  35. Who do I send my dry cleaning bill to. I just soiled my pants from laughing too hard.

    One other enhancement to this one: Just as Rob is getting back to his seat, he trips and spills everything, then has to go back to the concession stand again.

  36. I was at the stadium the night this happened sitting in section 33 tier reserve. People kept waving every once in a while and chanting something that I could not understand. Now I stumble across this website on nyyfans.com and have better clarification as to what was actually going on. I saw a guy walking up the steps in the 8th inning and my bf and other friends that I was with thought that this guy was lost during the enitre game. It turns out Rob was only lost for 2 innings. Well mission accomplished. PS- It was a shame that the Yanks ended up losing that game in the 9th inning 5-2.

  39. Once again, a great prank. It offers a fun perspective, too, to read comments from people who were there but not in on the prank. And to address this comment –"Posted by: Agent Fedora
    Why did he care if Rob was diabetic?"– It’s because a diabetic whose blood sugar is too low can become very, very disoriented, and may quickly fall into a coma or worse. I’m surprised the usher didn’t offer "Rob" a sugary drink. Just a little FYI.

  41. I would love to like this prank but from a ethical/philosophical point of view this was a bad thing to do. People will become suspicious in the future eventually.
    Playing with peoples ‘real’ feelings/reactions can be deadly dangerous, if they take it for real. Gives you a ‘kick’ but can give you a ‘beat-up’ too… Improve needs a ‘safe’ (and recongnizable) ground.

  42. Dear Censor:

    Has it occurred to you that if you censor select posts, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to being considered as the "moderator" of the discussions on this website? Aren’t you concerned that taking such a position would leave you vulnerable to suit-happy lawyers who might object to the website’s content?

    For example, if someone snuck on this website and suggested that the site’s "agents" engage in an illegal activity — and you left the suggestion up without deleting it — you would be an accessory to the crime.

    The one defense you might otherwise have had in this hypothetical situation would be that you have no control over what people post on the website. However, because you insist on maintaining control of what is said in the comments section through censorship, you are effectively acting as a moderator. By deleting select posts that offend your delicate sensibilities, you are tacitly endorsing the others.

    Does that make you think, funny boy?

    Lovin’ life at the Dakota,

    Yoko Ono

  43. Wow- you guys totally ripped off the Tom Hanks/Rachel Dratch/Fred Armisen sketch "Ma!" from last year’s SNL. The two guys are waiting in line at an amusement park and direct their mother to various locations in the park. GREAT WORK! Maybe next time you should do an improv music video. How about "Chronic of Narnia"?

  44. You know, Scott, in this world, almost everything has already happened at least once. Even the best ideas are inspired by something similar that already happened. I think it was pure genius to take that SNL skit and make it happen in real life.

    Anyway, thank you Improv Everywhere for making me literally laugh out loud (llol) with every new thing you do.

  49. That was kind of funny , but……why do you do this? You distract safety personnel, in this case ushers and security, for no reason other than for your own personal entertainment. You’re like the boy who cried wolf.

    The part about the whole upper stand chanting "Rob’s retarded", well that wasn’t very cool of them. For all they know, "Rob" could really have a mental handicap.

  50. why do you like distracting me so much? you made the baseball game so unsafe… you are taking safety away from everyone. ask bemused, the wet towel, obviously he knows everything about this.

  51. When I first found Improv Everywhere I checked out all the missions so now I pop back every month or so to see what’s going on. This had me in stitches. Big up yourselves.

  53. Mission complete, well executed… however this exact same thing has been happening in Australia for the last 25-odd years. At one day international cricket matches, we had virtually the same thing happen a few times in every match, thanks to a slightly drunk and boisterous crowd. except, in australia, we say "bob" instead!
    well done though, not taking anything away from the success of your work here. just that every summer, 100,000 people would pack the melbourne cricket ground and do the same thing :)

  54. man rob, one of the few things that can actually make me laugh out loud just reading about it. wish this could happen in boston. too bad it was a ynakes game too ;) keep up the good work

  58. About 20 years ago at a Texas Rangers game we got our entire section involved in looking for the "fat lady" cuz as soon as she sang it was over! (It ain’t over till the fat lady sings) This is so much funnier, but it was fun!

  59. I accidentally stumbled across this site looking at a video on youtube of your slomo home depot stunt, this website is pure genius! and to have gotten a whole stadium screaming your name? i bet you loved that one didnt you rob :D

  60. Hey I was at that game, just a few sections over from you. The prank was great and gave everyone there a good laugh. Keep it up!
    Yankees 07 see you there

  61. The only thing that would have made this one even better is if you could have involved the bleacher area into this mix, due to the infamous Bleacher Creatures and what they would have done or chanted. However, I know that it would be impossible to incorporate the bleacher section in this mission because of the way Yankee Stadium is set up, where the bleacher section is actually cut off from the rest of the ballpark, and there is no access to and from that area. Actually, you should have sat at Main Level, section 35. You might have been able to incorporate the bleacher section in the chants, although the way the Bleacher Creatures are, they would make "Rob’s Retarted" seem tame and acceptable.

  62. I found this through someone’s LJ. Let me tell you, I saw this mission and nearly broke a rib from all the laughing! To those who are wanting to set up something similar. Jump on the Global Agents HQ. Head to the FAQ and follow the link. Still, the Rob’s Retarded Chant will forever be seared into my brain! Clap clap clapclapclap!

  63. 9/13/06
    Posted by: Franklin
    Who do I send my dry cleaning bill to. I just soiled my pants from laughing too hard.

    One other enhancement to this one: Just as Rob is getting back to his seat, he trips and spills everything, then has to go back to the concession stand again.

    That would have been hilarious! Bravo for that thought!

    Har Har!

  64. I thought the Best Buy gig was funny but this one had me laughing so loudly I think I woke my neighbors! Great stuff!

  65. LMAO! I found you guys last night using the Stumbleupon plugin for Firefox. I have been laughing SO HARD at all of this great material. Keep it up!

  66. After reading this blog I think I have discovered my lifes mission. I look forward to recreating this mission at my next sporting event.

  67. Where do I send my dry cleaning bill, you guys? I just soiled my pants from laughing so hard! Ha ha! Just kidding!

    I gotta great idea for the next time you guys do this. I can’t believe no one has mentioned it before! Right before Rob got back to his seat, he should’ve spilled all that food and beer, and then turned around to get more! Wouldn’t that have been hilarious?

    Dare I say, a home run? I crack me up. Best prank ever since Best Gig Ever! Keep it up!

    P.S.: Why did the security guy care if Rob was diabetic?

  69. hey man that rob guy should have his own book dude were he smokes hella reefer and gets lost in a whore house and gets to bang hella whores while tryn to find his sack of weed and being discrated by kung fu moneys with freakin lasers on there back

  70. I have an idea…make it two people..the first being Rob and the other person being the one that is suppose to be looking for Rob, which would make it interesting. Double the fun.

  71. Scott : Wow- you guys totally ripped off the Tom Hanks/Rachel Dratch/Fred Armisen sketch “Ma!” from last year’s SNL.

    Derek Jeter : The bit had nothing to do with any SNL sketch. The bit was originally done in 2001 (read above).

    Does this mean at this years game
    we get to yell “Scott is a retard!!” ?

    JL

  72. this was so funny ,i can’t belive it …and i go to many games im surprised i was not there that night

  73. In addition to a great mission, you got that beautiful picture of Yankee stadium at sunset! Well played “Rob”.
    Yankees 2007!

  74. This is by far the funniest IE mission I’ve read about.
    I heard about u guys from a magazine and I’ve visted your website a couple of times.
    It would be so cool to see this kind of thing were I am (Melb, Australia) like Andrew said. U should start a base here.

  75. Rob!

    I came across this page randomly and I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time. This is hilarious, thanks for brightening my day.

    Long live Rob!

    Shy LaLa

  77. Holy crap! I actually got a stich in my side from laughing so hard!! that was HILARIOUS!!! ^-^

  80. i think when Rob returns to his seat, all of his buddies should say “Larry, did you not see us?” And if anyone asks, they say his name is Larry, and “why do you ask?”

  82. WOOT that was the best, you got so many people involved and put smiles on many people!! I wish I was there ;D

  85. Oh my goodness. This is probably one of the funniest pranks I have read about in quite some time….. Thank you for giving New York City something to smile about. Keep it up, guys!

  87. “Oh whoops. Oh well…don’t worry… I’ll find them.”

    Oh man, out of everything IE has done, this has got to be one of my favorites of all time. The whole crowd is so excited to spot Rob, LMAO! This is side-splittingly funny to read, and even more so to watch.

  89. Oh man. Sitting at my desy in my office LMFAO. (Getting very strange looks from my co-workers)

    You’ve made my day.

    I’ll be back!

  90. I love it. Can there be a Calgary branch of improveverywhere? it would be great to participate in something liek this

  91. You guys are my heroes! You are so awesome! I would love to do an improv everywhere if I was ever in the city, I live several hours away.

  97. Only just discovered you and looked through most of your performances today. So many awesome ones but this one is my absolute favorite because you got such a huge number of people to participate unwittingly! Very powerful. I laughed so hard I cried! Really shows the heroic beauty and absurdity of people’s social/herd instincts and desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. Also truly loved Aspen ‘meet a black person.’ And Grand Central Freeze.

    Am going to think about starting something like this in the SF Bay area. As an MBA student in sustainability it could be awesome to figure out how we can incorporate a social or environmental sustainability angle and get hoards of people to participate. Thank you SOOOOO much for what you’re doing!

  98. this one has to have been the funniest one I’ve seen
    so great

    you guys should really think about coming to Portland, OR
    there are a ton of strange people up here
    you could get a huge crowd almost anywhere
    we’re all willing to join in for a laugh

  99. almost 2 years later…and it’s still a knee-slapper! props to you Rob for making your chant move nation-wide. don’t be surprised if you come to Toronto and people spontaneously start yelling out “rob”. this gag’ll never get old =)=)=)

  101. very very good IDEA !!! almost saw all your bigger missions…
    You should read the book Mathias Faldbaken from Norway, he represented his country 2006 at the Venice Biennal – the book is called : Macht&Rebel – 2006
    keep going !

  104. that was great! and they made a SHIRT with rob on it! you know you’ve succeeded when they make a shirt about it! i wished i lived in ny to experience such great things as this.

  105. Seriously this is the best prank I’ve ever heard of. I might even consider doing it myself/get someone else to do it

  107. Thanks for the hilarious story to go with my breakfast and coffee. :)
    Glad the fans were (by and large) so good-natured, and i never realized how amazing the video setting on a digital film camera is! I didn’t even notice that i wasn’t watching an actual video. Great job, Rob & co.! i salute your bravery ;)

  109. Found you on my daily URL calendar (from Sunday), this is the best URL on the calendar so far!

    I will look for you, Rob, when I go to the Atlanta Braves game this Saturday!

  110. Good thing his name was Rob! Somehow AKMED! or Heinrich! just doesn’t have the same ring. ;-)

  111. i just wanna tell u gusy tht ur awesome!…me an my friends do D.I. destination imagination an we have to do improv so this is really fun/ny to watch..we all wanna do sometin just like u guys do!

  112. U GUYS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    As you can tell from my name, I LOVE improv. I took a broadway classroom class and have been doing it as often as possible. A great (and easy) one is getting a small group of people to look up in a crowded street or room and not get distracted. If you concentrate hard enough, several others will look up too. Especially good in NYC. Another is having a teen “get lost” and ask to borrow cell phones from passers-by.

  113. A similar thing happens at concerts and festivals in England. In this case someone yells ‘Dave’ and everyone follows suit. I have no idea how this started.

    Anoying, as everyone knows someone called Dave, so many Daves must have been woken from slumber in a tent in pissing rain.

  114. gosh, i wish i would have thought to do something like this at the CWS. that would have been wonderful!!!

  115. That’s a pretty adorable idea. I love the way they banded together to help poor, lost Rob. I get lost all the time, but thankfully nobody’s ever started a chant calling me retarded.

  116. i’ve been on your site all day (slow day at the office!) and this is my favourite one so far.

    rooooob! over heeeeeere!

  117. I think my favorites are the ones with unsuspecting individuals – however, I really like the unsuspecting CROWD, that’s great! It would have been a bummer if no one joined in though. I’m glad it worked out! Go Rob!

    This might be my favorite after Ted’s Birthday.

  118. This is awesome! I love how your missions bring people together. It’s amazing and I want to participate some day!!

  121. I would’ve drank the beer in between each appearance. Then by the final appearance I would’ve really been lost haha

  124. OMG i have never laughed so hard i had tears coming out of my eyes and i almost peed on myself. this was the funniest one.

  125. Rob, are you the Rob that was at the 53rd and Lex subway stop escalator this morning collecting high-fives? I gave you one! Put a smile on my face, man!

  126. Rob……

    Robbb……

    ROB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  128. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading about this IE report; it really embodies what IE is about. To which, reading through some of the replies, that embodiment went COMPLETELY over some people’s heads

    Rob and the IE Agents: Thanks for bringing a smile to people’s faces

  130. i just have to say i love reading about these missions and watching these videos it just makes me so and it makes me smile…i love seeing a bunch of randomly strangers do something good together and i love seeing people randomly laugh and smile…keep doing what u guys do you’re awesome!

  133. I coudln’t stop laughing while I was reading this and that “Oh whoops. Oh well…don’t worry… I’ll find them.” part cracked me up :D
    Great job!

  134. Hahah. I would’ve loved to just grab you and just drag you into your seat.

    It’s cool how you got the idea by accident. That was just freaking hilarious.

    I love the Waldo reference, too. :3

    -Xanny

  136. omg. totally awesome! you guys are crazy!!! plus you have some reallllyyy good narrations! felt like i was watching rob on video the entire time i was reading! the crowd was hilarious! if they only know that the joke was on them! keep it up guys! you rock rob!

  137. My favorite part is the peeka-a-boo appearance, then quickly ducking away. Reminds me of whack-a-mole where you’ll miss it if you’re not quick! :)

  141. LMAO! I can’t stop laughing! I wasn’t even there! It’s just that funny!
    Bah! Why can’t we have a group like you in Seattle? We have Starbucks…woohoo. Sigh, ah well, at least I can get a good laugh out of it.

  142. You guys from IE are brilliant to get a giant baseball crowd involved in a prank started by a single actor in the person of Rob. Reading about your missions makes me laugh hard all the time . Keep up the good work. You guys rock!! You too Rob!!

  144. I”ve been laughing all day since I heard you guys on bob’s show. Boston really, really needs a chapter – they do not laugh enough in this city!
    (OH, they probably asked him if he was diabetic b/c you get disoriented when you are having an attack I believe…)

    We want more Rob!

  145. RE: Agent Fedora “Why did he care if Rob was diabetic?”

    Someone wandering around so obviously in a daze, and seemingly unable to hear people right next to them yelling to get their attention could seem like more than just a standard wandering drunk fan. He would have been concerned that he was a diabetic with low blood sugar, which can make people appear “drunk” and unresponsive.

  150. Great dun – all except saying “yes” to the question about diabetes! This is not something to joke about. Having a low blood sugar can definitely cause confusion. I’m glad the usher was alert enough to ask that question, but with your (fake) response, he should have escorted you to the first aid station.

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