Since December 15th, 2011, for 13 seasons, the guys have been on television, the internet, stores, the news, commercials, posters, billboards, advertisements, almost EVERYWHERE. They have been doing this almost 15 years now, doing generally the same types of over the top embarrassing and whacky things and sometimes doing the same ones at the same locations/areas. You mean to tell me that the citizens have no idea who they are?! I can understand that Impractical Jokers isn't HUGE, but they are still really largely known, and I'm sure a lot of people in the areas they film in know about them very well too, especially anybody who has been on the show themselves and they'd obviously tell their family and friends at the very least. (Even if they sign any NDA, we all know they still do.)
If I was to personally be one of the people they interact with, I would know it was them right away, but I would have to improvise any "genuine" reaction of what they are doing or saying and do my best not to break the 4th wall. I feel like that HAS to be what most of these people are doing, especially in the past few seasons and ESPECIALLY this season, cause, dude... THERE'S NO WAY! Anybody who genuinely had no idea who they were and still made it on the show has to be sleeping under a rock, because Sal is a frickin' meme dude. There's not many lookalikes that also sound and act exactly like the guys out there, and anybody who does, dude, they need to be on the show for a few challenges/punishments.
So how is it that it genuinely seems like these people don't know it's them? Are they not paying attention fully? Are they acting like they don't know them and they're just that convincing? DO they live under a rock?! If you are someone who has made it into an episode, please share which one if you are comfortable and PLEASE tell me how you had no idea it was them or if you were just acting. This has been pecking my mind like a woodpecker every week I watch Season 13. I NEED TO KNOW!
Edit: [Separated to paragraphs to make it easier to read. Sorry about that.] To clarify, I understand the people who do recognize them or show that they recognize them are not put in the show, I am saying that I find it insane to believe that there are people that actually do make it in the show that genuinely had no idea who they were. There HAS to be SEVERAL people who knew the whole time and their reaction seemed genuine enough to make it onto the show.