As an extreme binge-watcher and self-proclaimed mega-fan of The Office, I pride myself on my trivial knowledge of this show. Los Angeles Comic Con held a reunion panel in October. What an incredible panel! The cast included Brian Baumgartner (Kevin), Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Phyllis Smith (Phyllis), Leslie David Baker (Stanley), Kate Flannery (Meredith), and Creed Bratton (Creed). They gave us some great insight into behind the scenes, their feelings about certain episodes, and some fun trivia!
Here are 5 things you may not know about The Office:
- “Office Olympics” (Season 2, Episode 3) as we all remember is when Jim “dies of boredom” and finds out that his coworkers have different games they play to keep themselves “alive.” At the end of the episode, Michael comes back to the office after signing closing papers on his condo. Jim gives him a gold medal and performs the closing ceremonies. Apparently, Steve Carell did not know this was going to take place! So, his reaction was completely pure!
Photo Credit NBC - “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” (Season 2, Episode 18) was written by Mindy Kaling. According to Leslie David Baker, she wrote in the script that Stanley was to yell at Ryan. “BOY, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? ‘CAUSE I’LL HELP YOU FIND IT!” was improvised! They tried a few different things before, but they ended in hysterical laughter. This iconic moment was what stuck.
Photo Credit NBC - “Gay Witch Hunt” (Season 3, Episode 1) is when Michael offends and ultimately outs Oscar as being gay. Michael kissing Oscar was not scripted! Oscar Nunez told us at LA Comic Con:
He [Steve Carell] did it because the scene was falling flat. Kissing someone is weird but kind of okay. So, Carell made it an inappropriate, classic Office scene. And I almost laughed, but I didn’t, and we were able to use the first and only take, and that’s why it looked so good. Because everyone was genuinely shocked.
GIF from Video, Credit NBC - “Casual Friday” (Season 5, Episode 26) opens with the most tragic event ever: Kevin spilling his huge pot of homemade chili. After all, it is the one thing he does best! According to Brian Baumgartner, the set crew had 3 pieces of carpet squares for him to spill the chili. These were to go over the actual set carpet. So, he had 3 tries. And guess what? In his words, “Daddy got it on the first try!
GIF from Video, Credit NBC - “Michael’s Last Dundies” (Season 7, Episode 21) is such a fun, sweet, and slightly sad episode. During this episode, just like the medal Michael received during the “Office Olympics” episode, Carell did not know the cast was going to sing to him. The reaction he had to his cast-mates singing to him and tears were incredibly real! This makes it even sadder!
Photo Credit NBC Are there any items here on this list that surprised you? Did you already know these and are actually a super-mega-ultra fan? Let us know! I definitely need to sit down and ask you all of the questions about all things The Office.
Check out our other lists of facts and tips other fandoms below.
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