Where’s Rob?

Credits

Still Photos: Katie Sokoler and Chad Nicholson.
Video: Agent Adams, Agent Nicholson, Hello World
Rob: Agent Lathan

For our latest mission, Agent Lathan pretended to get lost during a Knicks game. Throughout the second half he kept appearing further and further away from his assigned seat with a confused look on his face. Of course Knicks fans went crazy trying to help him find his way back. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our report below.

 

Agent Lathan first pulled this stunt for Improv Everywhere back in the summer of 2006. Getting lost at a ball game was a prank he had done spontaneously a couple of times in the past, and we decided to try to organize one for IE at a Yankee game. The mission turned out to be a total blast, but we weren’t able to capture much of it on film. Yankee Stadium did not allow video cameras, so we were limited to using “movie mode” on a couple of point-and-shoot still cameras.


Madison Square Garden
We decided to try the mission again at a Knicks game for two reasons: 1) We wanted to try to get better video footage of the prank and 2) Agent Lathan found a deal on $10 tickets. MSG has a similar camera policy, but technology has advanced quite a bit in the past three years. Flip video cameras are the same size as point-and-shoot still cameras, and some DSLR cameras shoot gorgeous HD video. MSG doesn’t allow professional cameras with detachable lenses, so we had to get a little creative to smuggle in our nicer gear. Agent Sokoler had the best method– she hid her equipment in her bag underneath underwear and tampons. The security guy flinched when he opened her bag and waved her right on through.


Agent Sokoler’s bag
There was a reason the tickets were on special for $10– the seats had an obstructed view and were WAY up at the top of the 400 level. This didn’t matter as we didn’t plan on sitting in them for long. The Knicks have a pretty bad record, so there were plenty of empty seats down below. Right before halftime Agent Lathan and his five friends headed down to a row of $89 seats in the 300 level.


The five IE agents minus Agent Lathan in our upgraded seats
The camera agents sat in the sections next to, below, and above ours, so they’d be able to document from a distance without tipping anyone off.

Agent Lathan:

At halftime I got up out of my seat and headed for the concession stand. I bought a beer, a large popcorn, and a giant bag of cotton candy – the perfect accessory to add to my visibility and helplessness. Even better, the cotton candy came with an orange Knicks stocking cap – something that could add a little pizazz to my “lost sports fan” ensemble later on.

Agent Lathan:

At the next break in action, I stumbled through the gate looking for my seat. I wandered up some steps one aisle over from my original seat when Agent Todd began casually waving his arms and saying my name: “Rob, hey Rob, we’re over here.” A few more agents got into it and yelled out my name as I glanced around in a confused state. Eventually I walked back down the aisle and disappeared back under the gate. By this time several rows of unsuspecting fans were now tipped off that some idiot named Rob couldn’t find his seat.


Rob, upper left. His friends, bottom right.

Agents Todd and Scordelis stand and shout at Rob

A Knicks fan tries to point Rob in the right direction

Laughing at Rob
Agent Scordelis:

He proceeded to walk directly in front of us while we frantically waved our arms and shouted his name to no avail. After Rob disappeared back under the stands, a concerned lady seated in front of me asked, “Is your buddy OK?” It seemed pretty insane that he couldn’t see or hear us from a distance of about 15 feet.


Rob gives up and leaves
Agent Lathan:

By my second appearance, a few rows over, several crowd members now joined in and yelled my name, “Rob! Hey Rob! Your friends are over there!” Some misunderstood my actual name and screamed, “Bob! Bob! Over here, Bob!” – thus creating a perfect blend of chaos and mass hysteria.


Rob’s 2nd appearance, now on the other side of his friends

More people get up and yell “Rob!”
Rob disappeared again through the gate and continued wandering around the arena to more and more absurd places – from the opposite side of the court to the upper deck.


Rob on the opposite side of the arena
I kept an eye out for him throughout the game, leaping to my feet to point and scream whenever I saw him appear. Often other fans in the section found him before I did. Of course spotting Rob across the way was all the more hilarious since his red and white shirt made him look at bit like Waldo. With each appearance there were tons of people screaming, “Rob!” and waving their hands, trying to get his attention from across the arena.

Agent Lathan:

After receiving a text from Agent Todd, I made a move towards my next appearance – a few sections directly under my original seat – an ideal spot to get maximum exposure. It was time to put on the orange Knicks stocking cap.


Rob in front of section 112
Rob’s next entrance was perfect. He was directly below all of the sections who were looking for him and he entered right when a time-out started. The crowd went absolutely nuts screaming for him.

Agent Janowitz:

What was at once the most remarkable and puzzling aspect of the stunt was the sustained patience of the crowd. We spent the last 3/8ths of the game distracting everyone within ear- and eye-shot by trying to get the attention of our aimlessly wandering friend. From both a cost and a value standpoint, the price of Knicks tickets is unconscionable. But no one got mad. No one took matters into their own hands (except one good-spirited fellow in a Cowboys jacket, who walked down two sections to point out to Rob where his friends were sitting, and then remained jolly when Rob still walked the wrong way). Rather, our section—and the section next to us, and the section in front of us—embraced Rob, and our efforts to get him back. If only the Knicks displayed that kind of teamwork.

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At the height of this hysteria, Knicks cheerleaders started shooting t-shirts into the crowd. Amazingly, one landed right at Rob’s feet. Everyone laughed their asses off as he immediately put it on.

Agent Scordelis:

Seeing Rob catch a cannon-propelled t-shirt during a fourth quarter timeout was easily the funniest moment of the mission. I’ve been to dozens of sporting events where t-shirt cannons launch shirts into the crowd, but I’ve never come close to catching one. The fact that Rob caught a t-shirt while holding a massive concessions tray only adds to his legend.


Laughing at Rob’s new shirt
At this point Rob had been standing in the same spot for over a minute, and people sitting near us started shouting at me, “Just go get him! He’s right there! Go get him!” I hadn’t anticipated this happening, but I knew I had to do something. Why wouldn’t I just go get him? I got up and slowly started walking down the steps to get from the 300 level to the 100 level, making sure Rob saw me coming. I knew there was no way he would let me reach him.

Rob disappeared again just before I could get to him, and I returned to my seat, defeated. “I tried chasing him in the hallway, but he must have walked the opposite direction!”

Agent Lathan:

I figured the only way to heighten my next appearance was by getting as close to the floor as possible – on the exact opposite side of the court. I figured I’d get stopped by the ushers, but amazingly they let me through. I made it all the way down to the floor – right behind the Hawks bench – and close enough to make a brief appearance on TV.


Rob on the television broadcast

Yelling at Rob as he walks behind the Hawk’s bench

A fan pointing out Rob to her friend
At this point the crowd around us was way more interested in Rob than the Knicks. Although they were ahead at halftime, by the fourth quarter the Hawks had a large lead. A group of kids seated behind us kept yelling about Rob, and eventually got a pretty big “Where is Rob?” chant going. The kids would also try to trick me, by screaming that they saw him across the court. I’d jump up and say, “Where?” and they’d laugh at me. “Your friend is an idiot,” they kept yelling at me. I just kept agreeing. “Yeah, he’s an idiot.”

The downside of the Knicks getting blown out was that fans started leaving the game early. The plan was for Rob to return right as the game ended, but this wouldn’t work if everyone in our area was already gone.

Agent Lathan:

My seats were on the opposite side of the arena and I had to travel up two escalators. I broke into a jog. At one point I made a wrong turn and went up a staircase the led to a locked door. So while I was trying to get “fake” lost, I actually got really lost.

Finally I made my triumphant return. The entire section greeted me with a loud cheer.


High fiving Rob as he finally returned to his seat
Agent Lathan:

Finally I made it back just before the end of the game. The entire section erupted in applause. Some youngsters seated directly behind the agents were especially excited to see my return, “Rob! Where were you?” I just shook my head and responded, “Aw man, I’ve been looking all over for you guys.” The entire section chanted, “We found Rob!” CLAP-CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP. “We found Rob!”


Cheering for Rob in the back
Agent Scordelis:

Rob received a thunderous standing ovation when he finally found his seat, and the scene that ensued was total bedlam. More than one hundred Knicks fans mobbed Rob after the game clock wound down. They hugged him, high-fived him, and asked for his autograph. It was like something out of A Hard Day’s Night. Rob posed for dozens of pictures while fans chanted his name. I guess rooting for Rob to find his seat is a lot like rooting for the Knicks to win – it’s a hopeless cause, but you can’t help cheering for the underdog anyway.

There was a group of European exchange students in the section right next to ours. Of everyone in the area, they loved Rob the most. It was their first sporting event in America, and they were simply amazed somebody could get that lost. One kid from Spain with a hoarse voice kept yelling, “Listen to my voice Rob! My voice is not for the Knicks. My voice is for you!” (I think he meant he was hoarse from yelling at Rob the whole game.) The group’s teacher asked Rob if he would pose for a photo with all of them.

The mission was tons of fun for everyone involved. It really did seem like everyone cheering for Rob legitimately thought he was lost. Of course the point wasn’t to fool people, the point was to make people laugh and smile at something ridiculous. It’s so awesome to see a crowd unite and experience something crazy together. Whether these Knicks fans ever see this page or not, hopefully they’ll always remember the night they helped some idiot find his seat.

Mission Accomplished.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Here’s the MSG seating chart matched up with Rob’s six main appearances:


We were sitting in Section 314

– Many more photos in higher resolution:
– Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
– Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
– Rob at Yankee Stadium
– Rob Wants To Give You a High Five

Comments

  1. SO glad to see this mission repeated! When I first discovered Improv Everywhere, I thought it was awesome. Then I found the first Where’s Rob mission and I simply died laughing! I’ve followed you guys ever since, and love that you pretty much had the same reaction this time – tons of fans getting into it and loving it! Keep up the good work!

    • How ’bout Room 314 from Buffy? I suspected a hidden fan there.

      Seriously, the mission was great, and I too love Rob (I watch high five escalator almost every week, just to put a smile on my face)!
      It’s so awesome how you can unite an entire section of sports fans.
      (Btw, I would have loved to see the reactions of the other sections who weren’t in on the search for Rob… “What the hell are those Knicks fans cheering about? Don’t they know they’ve lost the game?”)
      Love you guys!

  5. Watching the enthusiasum and energy of all involved is quite lovely. I love what you guys do–it brightens my day and I’m glad the chants were more positive this time around. “We found Rob!” *clapclapclap* :D

    The orange hat was a nice touch. Well done Improv Everywhere. :D

  9. Nice one! Its great to see that a simple mission can be redone and still be a big hit. And the fact that the Knicks lost just adds to the effect. Those fans will be talking about the ‘lost idiot’ not the lost game.

    Its a shame you cant do something like this down in Texas. Guess I just have to wait till I move to New York City. If you ever need Lighting Tech help, feel free to ask me if you find me. Its my life.

  10. It’s amazing the Knicks didn’t win this time. They probably never get so much cheering in the stands (no matter who it was the cheering for!)
    We love you, Rob! You, and all the Special Needs agents! GO ROB!

  11. Brilliant mission as always – you’ve gotta wonder what the players and cheerleaders thought when the cheering and the playing didn’t match up. And the ‘Where is Rob’ chant? Priceless!

  12. Great one! The original was brilliant and it was a great idea to do it for video footage. The crowd obviously loved it – that’s exactly what IE is great for.

  17. I WAS THEEERE! It was hysterical. I recognized one of the agents from previous movies but being a secret agent on the agents – I did not go over and ruin it for all.

    I played along the entire time and you can even see me in some of the pictures. After the game, I was talking to some of the players outside MSG (which stands for Must Stop Going) and they even commented on “that Rob guy.”

    Funny stuff all around and what are the chances of me being in the middle of a mission without even being invited?

    Priceless.

  19. Nice to see my favorite mission repeated!
    Easily one of the most hilarious missions on the site.
    Keep it up and keep it coming!

  21. Something I noticed from the video that no one commented on:
    A bunch of the kids behind you guys used their giant orange Knicks fingers to point at the agents. An attempt to aid Rob in locating them.
    Hilarious.
    Thank you.

  24. I’m always trying to explain to non-new-yorkers the great human spirit found randomly in the chaos of New York City. This mission depicts that spirit so well! A real winner!

  26. You have no idea how happy I am that you repeated this mission! It’s always been one of my favorites even though there wasn’t a ton of video of it. Just reading about it then had me laughing, and now every time I’m at a game I think of that mission and get an itch to try it out myself. It’s as hilarious as ever seeing it again! Love the shirt!

  27. Hello. I am portuguese and i follow this blog at long time ago. It happens something like this where in portugal, in a summer festival. Someone loose her friend ( Elsa ) and start to scream his name. After maybe, one concerto or two, alost 20000 people were screaming is name.. and that thing keep for more two or three summer festivals….

  28. Wow. Hilarious. My friend and I were at the end of the row you guys moved to. We didn’t get into the act as much as everyone else (too busy sulking at the Knicks’ performance, as we are both long-time Knicks fans), but we still found time to laugh at and continuously spot Rob. A bright spot on an otherwise dull night.

  30. This is so good. Many IE missions rely on New York City to provide a crowd of spectators, which is hard to duplicate in other cities, but anyone could try this one!

    I can’t believe he caught a shirt.

  33. At first I thought, “Great, a repeat,” but man I laughed just as hard. I don’t know what makes this so hysterical, but it really is. Kudos.

  35. Who says we’re not good samaritans? You guys a so lucky not to have gotten thrown out for causing a disturbance. Obviously, Rob was the hightlight of the eve. Did anyone watch the game?? LOL

  38. This is the most EPIC thing in the world!! Great job! I wish I was there, it seemed like so much fun! This has to be your best mission so far!

  40. Love everything you do. I’m from Australia and am going to be in New York from the 23rd through to the 28th of January 2010. It’s my dream to visit New York, but my dream would be even further realised if I got the chance to participate in a mission! Do you do missions in the middle of winter? Please Please Please -help fulfill the dream of an aussie traveller!

  42. Another instant classic. ^_^ I’m glad you guys did this again. The footage is more telling about how fun that mission is. Congrats on getting on TV, Rob!

  43. I was there at this game and I am the woman in the picture which is titled “Laughing at Rob’s new T shirt”!!! I have never laughed so much in my life and it was a prank! This was my first Knicks game as I am from London. I thought this would stay in my memory forever but now it is documented! Thank you for making me laugh. You guys were brilliant.

  44. Heard your interview on NPR today and became so enthralled with your comic wit that we could not risk getting out of the car once home. It was way too funny to risk missing any part of it.
    We then looked up your site and had to tell you how fantastic the ‘Where’s Rob’ bit is. The very first shot of his slack jaw open mouth with the confused roving eyes was spot on! We are all guilty of sporting that stupid lost look – some things are just so universal. We applaud the subtle and brilliantly executed handling of the well meaning helpful man, so much so that we watched that part three times (great camera work getting that taped by the way). And really, what are the odds of nailing the t-shirt launch and court side television appearance?! Great work agents…we love the genius of your simplicity and truth of your humor. Well played!

  46. That was great! I wish I lived in a major city so I can have things like this happen around me. I love Improv Everywhere…

  47. When seeing the picture of “Rob”, looking so helplessly, the first thing I thought was, “Poor guy”. If I had been at the stadium, chances had been high that I had just gone to him and shown him his seat. Nevertheless, a good idea – a little effort which created a lot of fun.

  48. Kind of glad to see that there were no rude fans yelling “Rob’s retarded” this time… That got on my nerves last time, haha.

  52. Hello, My name is Jair, I live in the city of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz in Mexico, I love what they do and I really do it someday gsutaria here .. are always events in Mexico D.F. but never to those who live far from the capital, looking for ways to bring something different to my city, which is free and they can use to make them laugh, and that insecurity because violence is very hard every time … I realia MP3 experiment? I need to do it? grant me that permission?

    postscript: I love this mission with ROB lost …

  53. Wow this is halirous!! I really really wish I could have been there, sounds like it worked out great though! If I was Rob, then I would have been cracking up the whole time!!Good job/acting Agent!

  55. I want to do improv like this! Or at least watch something like this happen. This was so funny! MY whole family died laughing at this. Keep up the good work!

  56. I just saw this on mental_floss.com and I’ve spent the last 30 minutes or so sifting through your site and after watching the musicals I have to say THANK YOU! I have always wanted to burst into song like in a musical. These are all hilarious and very well planned. Thanks for making this world a bit more spontaneous and letting people vicariously live through you.

  57. Ahh! It’s like a living Where’s Waldo, with the stripey shirt and hat with a puff ball on it! That was amazing!

  58. lol.

    So much fun. We brought an exchange student to a Dayton Dragon’s Game. He said the best part was the little tricks and funny antics that the employee’s did during the game, not so much the game itself.

    Honestly, people just want to enjoy themselves and those fans really did.

    Great job.

  60. HAHA!!! I love you guys, and this mission!

    He does look like Waldo with that long hat, and the striped shirt!

    Good work!

    *Gives Rob a high five*

  62. . . . And I’m in Love- I just discovered Improv Everywhere today and I’ve spent the majority of my work day watching the videos, which is probably the most efficient use of my time. for sure. This is my favorite so far!

  63. Those people had more fun calling for Rob than watching the game.

    I think I would have expected a few people helping, but that many….well, that’s proof of social proof.

    Keep up the good work everybody

  68. Haha! I am making it a resolution to become an agent this year (2010). I am missing out on too many halarious stunts. GOOD JOB!!

  69. Wow! What an amazing website and such hilarious stunts. I’d love to do the above or something similar here in New Zealand, especially next year when we host the rugby world cup.

  70. While putting off researching something for the improv club at my school, I dicovered this. This is hysterical!

  71. Hah! This is hilarious!

    Im from Sweden and im one of the exchangestudents, actually the one thats laughing at Rob in a close up. (nice picture by the way…)

    I just want to thank you. I had so much fun that night, and i know everyone else did too. Ill defenetly follow your blog, you guys are awesome!!

  72. Rob i’m one of the exchange students who were there that day
    and it was just great. I actually thought it was real until i saw ur
    website. U gotta do this prank again ;)

    • Yeah, Sofie and Exchange Student, that’s way cool that you guys posted here. You were all amazing that night. Glad you enjoyed it.

      Oh yeah, and where’s my seat again? I can’t seem to find anyone. Where is everybody? I guess I’ll just go this way…Yeah this seems right….

  75. This is BRILLIANT! I LOVE it!
    WEEEEELLLLLLL DONE, guys!

    It’s so lovely, what you guys do, just to bring smiles to our faces! :D
    Reminds us that, “Hey! The world is not so bad after all!”

    GREAT JOB!
    Keep doing what you guys do best!
    Making the world a happier place!

    • And an edit: I’m glad there were no Rob’s-Retarded chanters this time. These guys had a lot more fun :D

  77. Ridiculously brilliant…..laughter-induced tears do not come easily, but this had me straight-up crying. I love when the beautiful side of NYC comes out!

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