What Would You Do? (season 16)

The sixteenth season of the American situational hidden camera television series What Would You Do? premiered on July 7, 2020, and concluded on September 8, 2020. Presented by news correspondent John Quiñones, this season was broadcast on Tuesday nights in the United States on ABC.

What Would You Do?
Season 16
Presented by	John Quiñones Gio Benitez (guest host)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	9 (+1 special)
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	July 7 – September 8, 2020
Season chronology

A special, titled "Would You Lie For Me?" premiered as part of the season's two-hour finale on September 8, 2020, featuring Gio Benitez as the special's host.[1][2] The special was based on the "Fill-In Boyfriend" scenario from season 10.[3]

Production

Intertitle for the WWYD? special, Would You Lie For Me?

Development

On June 24, 2020, the official What Would You Do? Facebook account announced a new season expected to air in July.[4] On July 2, 2020, ABC confirmed the statement via a press release, confirming that the show had been renewed a sixteenth season.[5] Additionally, the report stated that this season would feature guest appearances from actress Sutton Foster, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, professional WWE wrestler Nia Jax and "GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke" co-host Sara Haines.[6]

Filming

Filming for the season took place before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Because of this, no face-covering mandates or social distancing were present in the season.[7]

Most of the scenarios presented in the season were filmed in New Jersey and New York.[8][9][10] From the premiere episode, the "No Free Food" scenario was filmed in the city of St. Louis, and the "Confederate Jacket" scenario was filmed in both Brooklyn, New York, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.[11][12] From episode 2, the "TBI Veteran" scenario was filmed in Indianapolis, and the "Discounted Goods" scenario was filmed in Picayune, Mississippi.[13] From episode 3, the "Immigrant Child" scenario was filmed in El Paso, Texas, and the "Grandpa Zipliner" scenario was filmed in Campton, Kentucky.[14][15] From episode 4, the "No Address" scenario was filmed in St. Louis, while the "Unattended Birthday" scenario was filmed in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.[16] The "Crying in Public" scenario from episode 5 was filmed in Town and Country, Missouri,[17] the "Gay Football Fans" scenario from episode 6 was filmed in Birmingham, Alabama,[18] and the "Alligator Scare" scenario from episode 7 was filmed in Gibson, Louisiana.[19] Additionally, the "Border Wall" scenario from episode 8 was filmed in El Paso, Texas,[20][21] and the "Bisexual Friend" scenario from episode 9 was filmed at the Steer-In Diner in Indianapolis.[22]

Episodes

No. overall	Title	Original air date	Guest(s)	U.S. viewers (millions)
138	"Episode 1"	July 7, 2020	N/A	2.89[23]
A black man tells a white man to take off his Confederate jacket. A coffee shop employee gives free food to a homeless man, angering the manager. Two young men talk about sharing risqué photos of one of their exes. A mom tells her son (who is wearing a superhero costume) to stop being childish.
139	"Episode 2"	July 14, 2020	Adam Rippon	2.68[24]
An athlete comes out as gay, but is told to stay in the closet by his coach. A waitress argues with a veteran suffering from a traumatic brain injury. Wanting to reorganize a store, a woman begins to remove items from shelves and throw them on the floor. A father asks his son for gambling money. A woman is criticized for using buying discounted goods.
140	"Episode 3"	July 21, 2020	Sara Haines	2.36[25]
A woman is criticized for helping immigrant children instead of American children. A woman reveals she's been suffering from postpartum depression. Two college sorority members reject another with Down syndrome. An old man with a heart condition tells his granddaughter not to worry when they go ziplining.
141	"Episode 4"	July 28, 2020	N/A	3.04[26]
A young woman applying for a job is criticized for not having a secure home address. A woman begins to make stereotypical jokes about her date. At a bar, a man's wife pressures him to drink while he's trying to remain sober. A bride-to-be tells her friend she's no longer her bridesmaid. No one shows up to a kid's birthday party.
142	"Episode 5"	August 4, 2020	N/A	2.13[27]
A school student tells their friend they want to become a sugar baby to pay for college. A woman begins to cry when the dress she wants is not available in her size. Two women criticize a stay-at-home dad. A babysitter brings kids to a bar and begins to drink.
143	"Episode 6"	August 11, 2020	Sutton Foster	2.06[28]
A middle-aged woman applying for a job is denied for being too old. Two women criticize an overweight and an underweight woman at a gym for wearing workout leggings. A shopper criticizes a gay couple for buying football apparel. A mother forces her kids to eat their vegetables at a restaurant.
144	"Episode 7"	August 18, 2020	N/A	1.77[29]
A teenager begs his anti-vax mom to let him get a vaccine. A woman steals money from a cash register when the cashier steps away. A pageant coach is berating her contestant and harshly criticizing her appearance. A child at an alligator farm tells his father he's scared of alligators. An elderly man eats alone at a restaurant after his friend passes away.
145	"Episode 8"	August 25, 2020	Nia Jax	2.17[30]
At a restaurant, a customer rants on why there should be a border wall between the US and Mexico. A group of girls verbally abuse another girl at a park. A woman talks bad about her ex-husband in front of her child. Multiple people fall asleep in public places.
146	"Episode 9"	September 8, 2020	N/A	2.00[31]
A young man comes out to his friends as bisexual. A father shames his daughter for wanting to play baseball. A recently engaged woman shows her new ring to her friend, who becomes appalled at the sight of a small diamond. Two grandmothers embarrass their granddaughters by posing for photos and selfies at a diner.
147	"Would You Lie For Me?"	September 8, 2020	Gio Benitez	1.69[31]
A young boy begs strangers to pose as his karate instructor to fend off bullies. Later, the same kid asks strangers to lie while he attempts to steal a bike. A focus group is encouraged to lie about a product's effectiveness to multiple customers. A married salesman begs strangers to pose as his marriage coach in front of his wife.

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of What Would You Do?

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Episode 1"	July 7, 2020	0.4/2	2.89[23]	0.2	0.79	0.6	3.68[32]
2	"Episode 2"	July 14, 2020	0.4/2	2.68[24]	0.1	0.64	0.5	3.31[33]
3	"Episode 3"	July 21, 2020	0.3/2	2.36[25]	0.1	0.67	0.5	3.03[34]
4	"Episode 4"	July 28, 2020	0.5/3	3.04[26]	0.1	0.39	0.6	3.43[35]
5	"Episode 5"	August 4, 2020	0.4/2	2.13[27]	0.1	0.53	0.5	2.67[36]
6	"Episode 6"	August 11, 2020	0.4/2	2.06[28]	0.1	0.63	0.5	2.69[37]
7	"Episode 7"	August 18, 2020	0.3/1	1.77[29]	0.1	0.45	0.4	2.22[38]
8	"Episode 8"	August 25, 2020	0.4/2	2.17[30]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
9	"Episode 9"	September 8, 2020	0.3/2	2.00[31]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
10	"Would You Lie For Me?"	September 8, 2020	0.3/2	1.69[31]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

References

1. "ABC Presents A Two-Hour WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Event With The Season Finale". BroadwayWorld. September 5, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
2. Regina Avalos (September 8, 2020). "What Would You Do?: Season 16 Ends Tonight with Special Episode on ABC". TV Series Finale. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
3. "'WWYD' special edition: 'Would You Lie For Me?': Fill-in boyfriend". ABC News. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
4. WWYD New Season Starts July 7: 2 Weeks. Facebook. June 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
5. Regina Avalos (July 2, 2020). "What Would You Do?: Season 16; ABC News Series Renewed, Returns in July (Updated)". TV Series Finale. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
6. "New Season of Hit ABC Show "What Would You Do?" with Anchor John Quinones Returns This Summer with Brand-New Scenarios". The Futon Critic. July 2, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
7. "TV Show "What Would You Do" Filming in Pearl River". Rockland Report. July 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
8. Brian Mezerski (July 14, 2020). "Olympic star Adam Rippon joins 'What Would You Do?' scenario about coming out". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
9. Ayanna Sinclair (July 21, 2020). "A new mom with postpartum depression: 'What Would You Do?'". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
10. Brian Mezerski (August 25, 2020). "Wrestling superstar Nia Jax slams teen bullying in new 'What Would You Do?' scenario". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
11. Ayanna Sinclair (July 7, 2020). "Patron wears Confederate Flag in public: 'What Would You Do?'". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
12. Brooke Cain (July 7, 2020). "What to Watch Tuesday: New season of 'What Would You Do?' tackles Confederate flag". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
13. "'What Would You Do?': Waitress insults veteran living with brain injury". ABC News. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
14. "Scoop: Coming Up on a New Episode of WHAT WOULD YOU DO? on ABC - Tuesday, July 21, 2020". BroadwayWorld. July 18, 2020. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
15. "'What Would You Do?': Diner shocked to learn woman sponsored immigrant child". ABC News. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
16. "'What Would You Do?': Strangers surprise boy after no one shows to birthday party". ABC News. July 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
17. "'What Would You Do?': How customers react to a woman vs. man crying in public". ABC News. August 5, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
18. "'What Would You Do?': Football fans harassed for being gay". ABC News. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
19. "'What Would You Do?': Dad tells son to 'toughen up' about fear of reptiles". ABC News. August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
20. "'What Would You Do?' explores debate over border wall". ABC News. August 26, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
21. "San Antonio native John Quiñones takes us behind the scenes of 'What Would You Do?'". My SA. July 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
22. "'What Would You Do?': Friends reject young man for coming out as bisexual". ABC News. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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32. Douglas Pucci (July 13, 2020). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'What Would You Do?' On ABC Reaches Two-Year High in Total Viewers with 16th Season Premiere". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
33. Douglas Pucci (July 18, 2020). "Tuesday Final Ratings: Univision Continues Summer Streak as Runner-Up Network Among Adults 18-49 with 'Médicos, Linea de Vida' Series Premiere". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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External links

• What Would You Do? – official site
• What Would You Do? at TV Guide
• What Would You Do? – list of episodes at IMDb