March 31, 2011 (2011-03-31) – January 10, 2013 (2013-01-10)
Mobbed is an American hidden camera reality television show based on the use of flash mobs as part of the spectacle for the delivery of an important personal message. The show, created by Howie Mandel, Darryl Trell, and Howard Kitrosser, aired on March 31, 2011, as a one-time special on Fox. It premiered as a series in November 2011. The show is hosted by Mandel and choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo.[1]
Premise
The premise of the show is to use hidden cameras and flash mobs as part of the delivery of an important personal message.[2] Participants are those who would like to reveal something significant to a friend or loved one. This friend or loved one goes through moments of confusion while people around them break out into synchronized dance in front of their eyes. By the end of an episode, they have learned a secret that could be anything from a marriage proposal, news of a pregnancy, the return of a lost family member, or a moment of reconciliation.
History
Mobbed first aired on Fox on March 31, 2011, as a one-time television special following American Idol. After attracting 10.8 million viewers, Fox decided to order another eight episodes.[3]
The second episode aired November 13, 2011, to less than half of its pilot's audience.[4] Four more episodes aired during 2012, two in January[5][6] and two in February.[7][8]
After various public announcements suggesting a return-to-air in July 2012,[9][10][11] on November 15, 2012, FOX announced that new episodes would be aired in January 2013.[12]
A father (Ion) after leaving his wife (Cheryl) and daughter (Meagan) hopes to re-enter his daughter's life and apologize to his wife with the help of a flash mob.
Steve Soboslai of Pittsburgh-based pop-punk band Punchline gets help to reveal his true feelings to his long-distance best friend of five years whom he's never met.
A woman reveals shocking secrets to her family, including news about her marriage and the fact that she has a 6-year-old son who has never met his grandmother.
Tim Jarzabek of the band "NO" attempts to reconcile a feud with his brother/band mate Nick Jarzabek with help from Everclear's Art Alexakis, the dance crew FORMALity, drummer DJ Ravi, and rapper Ace Hood.
A 37-year-old man, Art Siegert, asks the team to help him reunite with his father whom he has never met. Instead of mobbing the father, the team 'flips' the mob and surprises Art by having his father at the center of the mob toward the end of the performance.
A 75 firefighter boss is still devastated after the death of one of his daughters, who died in a car accident. After years of having saved people, his own daughter is the one person who couldn't save. The idea was that he would meet some of the people who received his daughter's donated organs.
Anthony Henry was a good guy with a big heart and big dreams, but he was struggling just to get by. He worked two part-time jobs and was trying to save money for college, but financial difficulties saw him wind up homeless instead. Some days he was struggling to have enough money to eat.
^Rasmusson, Cameron (February 1, 2012). "Family feud lands on national TV show". Bonner County Daily Bee. Retrieved 2013-01-03. To get their family — and their career — back on track, Jarzabek is turning to some unconventional mediators in his quest for forgiveness. The surprise hit TV show "Mobbed," hosted by comedian Howie Mandel, specializes in sending an elaborate message with the help of hidden cameras and flash mobs. On the show's fifth episode, airing tonight on Fox at 9 p.m., Jarzabek aims to craft an apology big enough to settle the feud with his brother.
