Joke? I think not. These kids were up to more than laughs. Maybe a thrill, but look deeper in to their backgrounds. Could be even more.
They were theatre students. Not to be too stereotyping, but I wonder if this has something to do with Baptists' stands on gay issues?
Ed
On another article it was said that two of the students (aspiring actors) were in a documentary. It might be educational to know what kind of documentary and what was the subject matter.
The "joke" excuse is a transparent lie.