Our field of 32 sports broadcasters has been narrowed down to the final two.
Play-by-play icon Al Michaels pulled off a surprising upset in dominant fashion, crushing CBS color commentator Tony Romo with nearly 70 percent of the vote. On the other half of the bracket, sideline top-seed Erin Andrews beat the last remaining pundit, ESPN’s Dan Le Batard.
Which sports broadcaster is the best in the business? That’s for you to decide. Polls for the championship final will close at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 28th.
While we’re all stuck in quarantine and practicing social distancing as the coronavirus pandemic continues, we’re all using video conferencing — like Zoom and Google Hangouts — for socializing and business meetings.
And many, many folks have noticed that when using those services with a bunch of callers in boxes stacked on top of each other on screen, it looks like the iconic opening sequence of The Brady Bunch, in which the two families were all boxed together (and Alice! Don’t forget about Alice!) and “looked” at each other.
I present to you the newest meme we’ve seen everywhere:
From Jim dressing up like Dwight to moving his desk all over, here are our favorite pranks.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
It’s the recurring joke that never got stale in nine seasons: Jim Halpert pulling off some all-time great pranks on his desk-mate, Dwight Schrute. And though sometimes they backfired — see: the snowball war — or were borderline mean, we eventually saw how their mutual respect for each other grew.
So here are 32 of those pranks, ranked.
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32. Posting Dwight’s resume online
We’ll start with one from Halloween: Jim and Pam uploaded Dwight’s faux resume to Monster.com and other sites, but the punchline is Dwight actually gets a call from a place called Cumberland Mills. It’s not Jim’s best work, and the result isn’t all that funny. Whatever! There are so many better ones below. — Charles Curtis
31. Jim tricks Dwight into thinking he murdered someone
This is a highlight of an otherwise forgettable plot line when the office goes to Tallahassee. Jim is used to getting up at 4:15 a.m. with his kids, so in Florida, he uses that extra time to turn his hotel room into a crime scene, including “It was Dwight” written on a door. Props to Jim for making the most of his early morning time. — Michelle Martinelli
30. Jim gets Dwight a gigantic new ID and labels him a security threat
I don’t know what’s better — the use of a humongous piece of lamination, the fact that Dwight’s labeled a “security threat” or turning his middle name into “Fart.” A triple crown of pranks in one shot. — CC
29. Jim and Pam make Dwight believe Jim has telekinetic powers
Jim obviously needed a partner to help him fool Dwight into believing Jim has telekinetic powers, and Pam helps pull this prank off perfectly. Dwight is not only mind blown, but he also attempts to develop his own powers. A prank with lasting effects. — MM
28. Jim convinces Dwight he’s turning into a vampire
This is really the only natural reaction a prankster would have after seeing a bat terrorize the office. Good for Jim for taking advantage of the obvious opportunity. — MM
27. The meatballs
“Are you ready for some meatballs?!”
And the fact that this prank turns out to be Dwight and Stanley scheming against Jim for more meatballs is actually a hilarious twist. Solid pranks from both sides, really. — MM
26. Dwight’s tear-away suit
Maybe this should be higher because of the effort it required. Jim figures out Dwight’s dry cleaner, gets a suit made with Velcro and replaces it. Then, you get a tear-away moment in the parking lot. — CC
25. The holy grail quest
Nothing like setting up an elaborate prank to fool Dwight into thinking the holy grail is hidden in the warehouse and then forgetting about it. Jim says he stayed late every night for a month to pull this one off. Wow. — MM
24. William M. Buttlicker
While putting this list together, I giggled so much at this one because of the fake name Jim puts on to teach Dwight how to be better with customers. But it’s the way Jim escalates the faux phone call that’s amazing. — CC
23. Jim moves Dwight’s desk an inch at a time
We don’t see this prank play out; we only hear about it while Michael is reading off Dwight’s list of complaints against Jim. But it’s still excellent hearing that Dwight’s desk, incrementally, ended up two feet closer to the copier.
“I just moved it an inch every time he went to the bathroom. And that’s how I spent my entire day that day.” — MM
22. Jim dupes Dwight into thinking it’s Friday, not Thursday
Another long con by Jim: he figures out that Dwight has the day wrong, so he uses a bunch of mini-pranks to convince Dwight it’s Friday. When Dwight doesn’t come in the next day, the reaction to when he figures it out is an all-timer. — CC
21. Jim forwards Dwight’s phones to his
Jim routes Dwight’s cell phone to his through bluetooth AND forwards his office phone, keeping one step ahead. “Oh hello, Mother. Good news, I have married. Tell Father.” HA! — CC
20. Jim convinces Dwight he was smoking a joint in the parking lot
We love this prank because, much like William M. Buttlicker, the whole thing happens right in front of Dwight. It took Jim only a couple sentences to flip the situation and trick Dwight into believing he was actually the one smoking and being interrogated. — MM
19. The self-aware computer
When Dunder Mifflin launches a website to make sales, Dwight challenges the idea that technology could outsell him. So Jim and Pam send Dwight messages pretending to be the computer that is not only smarter than Dwight, but has also become self-aware and tells Dwight that it’s its job to destroy him in sales. Really, the prank just gets him to do his job faster. But Dwight easily believes it’s real, and Jim and Pam tapping into that is what makes this so good. — MM
18. Jim and Pam learn morse code to silently talk about Dwight
Dwight absolutely deserves to be tortured by them talking about him to his face (and then convincing him Jim is clicking a detonator). Pam just wanted Dwight to stop tapping his foot on the desk, and when she asked him to stop, he responded: “I will when you lose the baby weight.” RUDE. — MM
17. How to throw a garden party
While Dwight attempts to push Schrute Farms toward more high-end events, Jim lends a hand by writing The Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Garden Party book under the pseudonym James Trickington. (Duh, Dwight.) Strictly following every word, Dwight ends up doing some ridiculous party rituals, culminating with a fire baton dance for the closing ceremonies. Jim always said he likes an audience for his pranks, and the garden party might be his largest. — MM
16. Jim puts all of Dwight’s stuff in the vending machine
Oh this is a GOOD one. No only does he put all of Dwight’s desk accessories in there INCLUDING HIS WALLET, but he gives him a bag of nickels — not quarters, not dimes! — to get them out, one by one. — CC
15. Jim gets Dwight to deliver a speech like Mussolini
Why on earth Dwight would trust Jim to give him public speaking tips is beyond us, but he did and ended up imitating mannerisms of Benito Mussolini. It’s actually fairly on-brand for Dwight, but the prank backfires for Jim when the speech captivates the crowd. — MM
14. Jim tricks Dwight into becoming his own assistant to the assistant to to the regional manager
Maybe a little higher than you think, but it’s pretty hilarious that Jim found tests that end up with Dwight finding out that Dwight is the most qualified to become the A.A.R.M. — CC
How did Jim do it? Whatever. Simple and brilliant, with a “hot or cold” game that leads Dwight to the men’s room. A phone call from Jim gets him in his chair and suddenly, Dwight is working at his desk in the bathroom. — CC
The OG of Jim pranks on Dwight from the pilot, but I think it deserves a spot this high because it’s so simple and effective. Look at how angry it makes Dwight! Vastly underrated. — CC
11. Jim tricks Dwight into fighting himself
Dwight tries to get someone in the office to attack him so he can demonstrate his martial arts skills, Jim convinces him he’s the only opponent worthy of himself, and Dwight beats himself up. Do we need more of an explanation for why this is amazing? — MM
10. Jim tells Dwight he can’t be his bestisch mensch
Just before Dwight’s wedding in the series finale, Jim tells Dwight he can’t be the bestisch mensch, or best man, because that role has to be filled by someone older than the groom. And it turns out to be a truly genuine and thoughtful prank because when Dwight turns around to see Michael standing behind him. A touching final prank. — MM
9. Dwight get recruited by the CIA
A sweet gift from Pam to Jim that once again prove they’re the best: Pam informs him at Christmas that she’s been sending fake CIA letters to Dwight and that it’s up to Jim to finish the job. Dwight ends up on the roof of Dunder Mifflin, waiting for a helicopter. — CC
8. Jim convinces Dwight he has magic beans
We initially wondered if this should be outside the top 10, but c’mon. At the office’s garage sale, Jim did an extremely convincing job — again, another long con — telling Dwight that he has magic beans and that he doesn’t want to sell them. Jim ends up with a telescope thanks to his effort, and Dwight actually waters the beans. The kicker: Jim wheels in some plants to show that they’re real. — CC
— The Office Clips (@TheOfficeShorts) May 12, 2019
Jim gets so much credit for the amount of time and effort this prank took — not to mention the danger level involved with connecting a 500-foot red wire from Dwight’s computer all the way up a telephone pole outside. — MM
6. Jim’s actor friend pretends to have been Jim the whole time
Randall Park plays Jim and Pam’s actor friend, Steve, and shows up to work in Jim’s place one day convincingly pretending to be Jim. Every time Dwight tries to challenge that, Steve has an answer. He even nails Jim’s quintessential glance at the camera. Steve/”Jim” also gives Dwight credit: “Hey, hats off to you for not seeing race.” Bravo. — MM
5. Jim puts nickels in Dwight’s phone to make it heavier
The whole sequence you see above is one of the best to-camera moments in a show full of them. We don’t get to see Jim’s pranks, but they’re funnier when you imagine them. And this one — Jim added nickels slowly to Dwight’s handset on his phone and then took them out so that Dwight whacked himself in the head with it — is the best of them all. — CC
4. Jim trains Dwight to salivate for an Altoid every time his computer dings
Jim trains Dwight like a Pavlovian, and it works perfectly. When we hear Jim’s computer chime for the final time, Dwight puts his hand out assuming there’s an Altoid on its way, and when Jim looks at him pretending to be confused, Dwight admits his mouth suddenly tastes terrible. It’s brilliant. — MM
3. Jim dresses up as Dwight
Identity theft is not a joke. But it is when it costs a total of (taps into watch calculator) $11. — CC
2. Jim sends Dwight faxes from himself in the future
Absolutely genius. When Jim took a box of Dwight’s stationary before left for Connecticut, maybe he knew how he’d use it. Maybe he didn’t. But having the foresight to take it allowed him to send Dwight faxes from himself in the future and mess with him from afar, and it’s just too good. It also makes you wonder what else Jim faxed Dwight… –MM
1. Jim wrapping Dwight’s desk in wrapping paper
We both concurred this was the greatest prank, and here’s why: It’s elaborate, and it’s a double payoff. Jim had to wrap EVERYTHING, from the tchotchkes on the desk to the chair and, on top of that, he had to balance the seat and the desk precariously to make it look like it was completely intact. We’re lured into thinking it’s a simple wrapping-paper prank, and then Dwight sits down. Brilliant and hilarious. — CC
Four sports broadcasters – play-by-play legend Al Michaels, breakout star Tony Romo, sideline icon Erin Andrews, and beloved ESPN pundit Dan Le Batard – have reached the Final Four of the inaugural Ultimate Sports Broadcaster Bracket. Which on-air talent is the best in the business? That’s for you to decide.
Michaels crushed Doc Emrick in the Elite Eight to emerge from the play-by-play region, and Romo similarly cruised through the analyst region. On the other half of the bracket, Erin Andrews dominated as the No. 1 seed in the sideline region, but the pundit regional final went down to the wire, with Dan Le Batard beating Bomani Jones by fewer than 10 votes.
Polls for the third round will close at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. New matchups will be posted soon after polls close.
March Madness was canceled, but which team would have won it all? Cast your vote to determine which teams advance from the first round!
The coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament and abruptly ended the college careers of many seniors across the country, but which team would have cut down the nets in Atlanta this season? It’s time to find out.
Welcome to the would-be 2020 NCAA Tournament, where fans can vote on every matchup to determine which teams will advance. Using the projected 2020 March Madness bracket from USA TODAY Sports, we’ll be playing out the matchups over the next few weeks to crown a people’s champion. Will No. 1 Kansas, the pre-tournament favorite, win another national championship? Or will a Cinderella team stun the field to take the title? It’s all up to you.
Two No. 1 seeds have fallen, but can anyone stop Tony Romo?
Through two rounds of our Ultimate Sports Broadcaster Bracket, two No. 1 seeds have fallen in surprising upsets. Stephen A. Smith went down to an 8-seed in the first round, and play-by-play legend Al Michaels took out CBS icon Jim Nantz in the Sweet 16.
The play-by-play region has been turned upside down, as the undisputed voice of the NHL, Doc Emrick, has stormed to the Elite Eight. Emrick beat Gus Johnson in the Sweet 16, but can he continue his Cinderella run to the Final Four? In the Analyst Region, Tony Romo has been unstoppable thus far, but now faces a tough matchup with another highly respected NFL color commentator in Cris Collinsworth.
Polls for the third round will close at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. New matchups will be posted soon after polls close.
In a series filled with awkwardness, these were the most cringeworthy.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
For all its laughs or heartwarming moments, The Office is built on cringeworthy moments. Those impossibly awkward exchanges or silences can make the show painful to watch — sometimes simply because of the situation and other times because several episodes haven’t aged particularly well.
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So we’re here to address one aspect from The Office that remains regularly debated on the internet: Which episode is the cringiest? Here’s our ranking of the top 10.
10. “Crime Aid” — Season 5, Episode 5
This is not close to the worst thing Michael pretends to have — more on that later — but it’s awkward nonetheless when he fakes having Bruce Springsteen tickets to auction off. He drags it on and on only to then lie about them being stolen. — Michelle Martinelli
9. “Company Picnic” — Season 5, Episode 28
Michael accidentally letting it slip during a skit that the Buffalo branch of Dunder Mifflin would be closing down — IN FRONT OF THE BUFFALO EMPLOYEES — due to the recession is just the worst. THE. WORST. Just thinking about it makes my stomach do flips. — Charles Curtis
8. Every single episode with Robert California — Season 8
Robert California’s first appearance in the Season 7 finale was weird but fine in that small dose. And then he came back the next season, and every scene he’s in is just uncomfortable. James Spader’s performance is obviously next-level to elicit such feelings, but oh my god is it cringey. — MM
7. “Double Date” — Season 6, Episode 9
Michael dating Pam’s mother Helene was awkward enough. But then he finds out her age and BREAKS UP WITH HER IN THE MIDDLE OF HER BIRTHDAY. GAHHHHH!!! — CC
6. “Andy’s Ancestry” — Season 9, Episode 3
When Andy believes he’s distantly related to Michelle Obama, he’s beaming with pride about it, but everyone in the office then presumes that means his ancestors enslaved people. And when he asks his mom about it, he then makes the distinction that they transported enslaved people, which is better in absolutely zero ways. — MM
5. “Phyllis’ Wedding” — Season 3, Episode 15
I wanted to dig myself into a hole and live in it during Michael’s speech, but at least he was redeemed when he “found” Uncle Al after Bob Vance kicked Michael out. — CC
4. “Gay Witch Hunt” — Season 3, Episode 1
Michael is such an insensitive idiot throughout the show, but one of the worst consequences of his actions is when he outs Oscar. He uses a homophobic slur and is too dense and ignorant to appreciate why it’s offensive, and after he’s reprimanded for being so obtuse, he outs Oscar. And then he finds new ways to make it worse, culminating in him kissing Oscar in front of everyone in the conference room — a moment which Steve Carell improvised. It’s so painful. — MM
3. “Diversity Day” — Season 1, Episode 2
Yeesh. All sorts of awkward and problematic, top to bottom, right up until the moment Kelly (Mindy Kaling) slaps Michael for his extremely racist impersonation. It was cringeworthy then and 10 times more so now, and it’s a reminder that early Michael Scott was more of a jerk than a lovable buffoon. — CC
2. “Dinner Party” — Season 4, Episode 9
Oh, believe us. It wasn’t easy choosing between this and the next ep on this list to be No. 1.
But one of the wonderful things about The Office is they figured out a way to make some cringeworthy moments and episodes HILARIOUS while also making us watch through our palms over our faces.
And that’s “Dinner Party.” Jan dancing to the song from her former assistant, Hunter, that’s clearly about “that one night” they spent together. The “snip-snap-snip-snap!” quote about getting (and un-getting) a vasectomy. The fact that Pam is starving and there’s no food to be seen. The teeny flatscreen!
It makes you want to crawl into a ball. But you’ll be shaking with laughter while in a ball. And that’s why it’s No. 2 — CC
1. “Scott’s Tots” — Season 6, Episode 12
“I’ve made some empty promises in my life, but, hands down, that was the most generous.”
After seeing this episode for the first time, I refused to rewatch it until recently, when I had to for this ranking to remind myself why I refuse to rewatch it. It was absolutely just as cringey, awkward and torturous to get through as I remember. Every time Michael delays breaking the promise he made to a bunch of kids — he told third graders if they graduated from high school, he’d pay for college, assuming he’d be a millionaire by then — the episode dives down to a new level of uncomfortable. He has so many opportunities to deliver the bad news to the now-high school seniors — who are wearing “Scott’s Tots” t-shirts and perform a song and dance celebrating him — but he keeps his brutal charade going. And when he finally, finally owns up to it, his consolation prize for them is a computer… battery.
I don’t know if it’s Michael crushing kids’ dreams, the agonizing anticipation building throughout the episode or the realism of the crushing price of college — or some combination of all of the above — but there is no doubt that this episode is The Office‘s cringiest. And I’m never watching these 22 minutes again. — MM
Our field of sports broadcasters has been cut to 16, and there were some massive upsets in the first round. Lead Fox play-by-play man Joe Buck fell to hockey legend Doc Emrick in the play-by-play division, and former First Take partners Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless both lost.
Former High Noon co-host Bomani Jones took out Bayless in a blowout win, while Stephen A. Smith fell to No. 8 seed Colin Cowherd. Each of our top four seeds in the pundit region lost, as Jalen Rose and Shannon Sharpe were both ousted as well.
A definitive ranking of some of The Office’s best moments turned GIFs, which are all over the internet.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Whether you’re a diehard Office fan or have never really watched the show, if you spend any time on Twitter, you probably know The Office is ubiquitous. It seems like there is an Office GIF for every situation or mood — good, bad, goofy, clumsy, irked, terrible, embarrassed, angry, delighted, melancholy, distraught, annoyed, ecstatic and on and on. And that’s especially true when it comes to sports.
So we decided to rank our top 36 favorite GIFs from The Office. Obviously, this entire list is subjective, but the ranking is based on the character(s) and the moment, along with how funny and applicable to real-life situations they are.
Obviously, Michael utters these four words so many times throughout the show. But no moment stands out quite like when he yells it at Jan during the painfully awkward “Dinner Party” episode.
The Office’s super awkward “Dinner Party” episode could have been so much worse.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
The Office hasn’t been on the air since 2013, but fans really haven’t stopped talking about the classic show. But just because you’ve rewatched it 100 times doesn’t mean you’ve done extra research for behind-the-scenes details or quirky stories.
So that’s what we’re here for.
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If you’re a super intense, extra diehard Office fan who reads anything and everything on the internet about the sitcom, yes, perhaps you do know these fun facts. But we here are For The Win are pretty big fans of the show, and we didn’t know most of these details.
So here are eight things you might not know about The Office and its characters.
1. The Office cast voted on the theme song
In 2018 while Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet did an interview with IndieWire about their performances in the film Beautiful Boy, Chalamet explained he had to actively make sure he didn’t scare his co-star away with his Office fandom. And at one point, Carell chimed in with this little detail:
“Incidentally, we all voted on the theme song.” Chalamet’s eyes lit up.
“We had four different versions of the theme song from different artists, and Greg Daniels, the producer, sent us all versions,” Carell said. “And as a cast, we voted on what was going to be our theme song. It’s kind of cool.”
2. Jim and Pam’s proposal scene was ridiculously expensive
At the beginning of Season 5, Jim and Pam finally get engaged. And after previously teasing the moment several times with fans (and Pam) wondering when and how it would happen, Jim got down on one knee in the rain at a rest stop somewhere between Scranton and New York, where Pam was for art school.
The writers, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, had written the scene to take place in the rain, with lots of traffic going by to obstruct the view. On our show, the feeling of not being able to see the whole thing helps make it less Hollywood and more realistic.
We decided to fly the cast and director Paul Feig to shoot at the actual Merritt Parkway. But it turned out to be $100,000, and we couldn’t use fake rain there. So we decided we would re-create it in Los Angeles. We found a gigantic parking lot behind a Best Buy, and our production team built a replica of the rest stop.
It ended up costing twice as much, it was, like, a $250,000 shot or something. It’s the most expensive and elaborate shot we’ve ever done, but it’s also sort of the highlight of five years of storytelling.
3. John Krasinski wore a wig during Season 3
Krasinski said in an interview promoting the 2008 film Leatherheads that he was wearing a wig in the last six episodes of Season 3.
He had to cut his hair for the movie directed by George Clooney, and shooting that overlapped with shooting the end of The Office‘s third season. So that’s why Jim appears on screen with a new haircut before his job interview in New York in that season finale.
4. Seth Rogen auditioned to be Dwight, and he was among the many now-stars to try out
In 2013, audition footage of actors who weren’t cast was released with the Season 9 DVD set, per the Los Angeles Times, and that included Seth Rogen auditioning for Dwight, Adam Scott and John Cho auditioning for Jim, Kathryn Hahn auditioning for Pam, Bob Odenkirk auditioning for Michael and Eric Stonestreet auditioning for Kevin.
5. The Office characters learning CPR actually saved someone’s life
It’s hard to forget the extended “Stress Relief” episode, and CPR scene, in the middle of the fifth season. Dwight fakes a fire in the office, Stanley has a heart attack and, when the staff attempts to learn CPR, Dwight cuts the face off the manikin.
But the CPR scene also offers some practical advice. When performing CPR, chest compressions are supposed to be at a rate of 100 beats per minute, which is fairly fast, and it can be challenging to keep pace. So in the episode, the CPR instructor tells them to perform compression to the tune of the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive — which Michael initially mistakes for I Will Survive.
This all helped one man save a woman’s life in 2019. According to the Arizona Daily Star, then-21-year-old Cross Scott stopped to help a car on the side of the road with its hazard lights on when he found an unconscious woman.
“I’ve never prepared myself for CPR in my life,” Scott said. “I had no idea what I was doing.”
But he actually did because of The Office, and he said paramedics who eventually arrived told him if he hand’t helped the woman, she might not have been OK. More from the Arizona Daily Star:
What popped into Scott’s head was an episode of the television show “The Office” in which character Michael Scott (actor Steve Carell) sings the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” while doing chest compressions on a dummy. …
As Scott straddled the woman and began chest compressions, he sang the song out loud. All he was thinking about was Michael Scott’s face, singing “Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.”
7. The “Dinner Party” episode was the only one not rewritten
Unquestionably one of the most cringey episodes on the show built on cringe, the “Dinner Party” was the only one that didn’t require a rewrite, according to one of the writers, Gene Stupnitsky. In Rolling Stone‘s 2018 oral history about this episode — we highly recommend reading it — he says:
“Most scripts get rewritten, and I think this was the only one ever done that didn’t. The only thing that was changed was that in our first draft Jan hits the neighbor’s dog and kills it on purpose.”
It’s hard to imagine that episode getting any more painful, but Jan killing the neighbor’s dog “was going too far,” writer Lee Eisenberg said. Eisenberg elaborated on this process and NBC executives’ reactions to it.
‘So the writers got called in to the office to hear the notes. Greg [Daniels] gets on the phone and the executives are on the other line, on speakerphone. Only the writers have read the scripts so far and this is, you know, before the table read, and they get on the phone, and they go, “This script is really, really dark.” And Greg said, “Yeah.” And there’s a pause and they said, “It’s really dark.” And Greg said, “Yeah. It is.” And they go, “It’s really dark.” And he goes, “Yup.” And then he goes, “OK, anything else, guys?” And they said, “Uh . . . nope.” They hung up and that was it. They didn’t offer any other notes.’
Wow.
8. The woman who played Phyllis was an NFL cheerleader in the 1970s
Phyllis Smith, the woman who plays Phyllis Vance, is from St. Louis, and she was a cheerleader for the Cardinals before the franchise moved to Arizona. In a 2012 interview with Yahoo, Smith clarified, however, that a popular photo of a cheerleader circulating on the internet, which was assumed to be her, is not actually her.
But she did explain how she became an NFL fan and cheerleader, and it started with her dad being a season-ticket holder. Smith told Yahoo at the time:
“He had season tickets, but how it came about [was] that I auditioned for the Municipal Opera of St. Louis. Out of that audition the lady, who was also the choreographer for the St. Louis Cardinal cheerleaders, asked me to audition for the cheerleading squad — and I made it! It was just the perfect job for me at the time. I really enjoyed it because I loved football, so I was able to watch the game, dance, and be there and look at the cute guys across the field. So it was the triple threat there (laughs).”
