Tonight, Howie Mandel, the eccentric host of Deal or No Deal, leaves the babes and briefcases behind (for a little while at least) to take the helm of a new hidden camera show, Howie Do It. But those looking for impromptu hilarity should look elsewhere. Howie Do It is nothing but a Candid Camera knock-off with lame jokes.
Just like Candid, Mandel targets real people, and these people are put in odd and embarrassing situations while cameras roll. There is one slight twist though: Mandel - well-known for being a germaphobe and being averse to handshaking - bases some of the material on his battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In one segment, a man who believes he is participating in a magic trick is made to stick his fingers up his nose to retrieve a piece of candy that Howie (in a wig, pretending to be a magician) has convinced him might be there. Then another man, a shill, retrieves from his underwear another piece of candy that the first is asked to put in his mouth. Yup, it's that bad. (8 tonight, WBAL-Channel 11)
