What Would You Do? was conceived as a format-based series for ABC's newsmagazine
Primetime, however, all on-air references to the parent program were removed from
What Would You Do? following the discontinuation of
Primetime as a standalone program by the network in 2010, with subject-based formats of the program, such as
Primetime: Family Secrets, airing thereafter during the summer months or as a temporary replacement for entertainment programs
canceled during the fall-to-spring television season. The program features actors acting out scenes of conflict or illegal activity in public settings while hidden cameras record the scene, and the focus is on whether or not bystanders intervene, and how. Variations are usually included, such as changing the genders, the races, or the clothing of the actors performing the scene, to see if bystanders react differently. The situations often pertain to prejudice; race, sex, religious beliefs, physical and mental disabilities, obesity and weight, sexual harassment, vandalism, theft, physical appearance, homelessness, financial trouble, parenting, and social status are common themes. Quiñones appears at the end of each scenario to interview bystanders and witnesses about their reactions. During some of the segments, psychology professors, teachers, or club members watch and discuss the recorded video with Quiñones, explaining and making inferences about the bystanders' reactions. This and similar formats have been criticized for their design, leading to conclusions about the bystanders that fail to account for other possible explanations for their behavior. In 2013, a short-lived spinoff titled
Would You Fall for That? was aired, with three episodes. Filmed entirely in the state of
New York, the show presented a study on human behavior based on hidden camera social experiments performed on complete strangers. ==Episodes==