‘The Office’ stars share 5 scenes from ‘The Surplus’ episode they could barely get through

It’s time for another look at the funniest moments on The Office set.

If you think watching nine seasons of episodes through your TV screen is hilarious, just imagine how hard it was to keep a straight face on set while filming some of those super awkward, uncomfortable, outrageously funny scenes.

On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey chatted all about an underrated Season 5 episode, “The Surplus,” which was packed with scenes that were almost too funny to successfully shoot.

We’ve talked about scenes in the “Branch Wars,” “Women’s Appreciation,” and “Money” episodes that made cast members break, but as Fischer and Kinsey revealed, “The Surplus” was filled with a seemingly never ending string of comedic gold and actors could barely keep it together in front of the camera.

Here are five scenes from “The Surplus” that were almost too funny to bear.

1. Dwight giving directions to Angela and Andy

For those who need a refresher, Angela, Andy, and Dwight spent the majority of this episode at Schrute Farms doing wedding prep, while the rest of the office tried to decide if Michael should spend leftover cash from the yearly budget on a new copier or new chairs.

It was a fun change of pace to not only see the Andy/Dwight/Angela love triangle thrown together so often, but to also see them away from the office out in the world. For Kinsey, however, the scenes were almost too funny to handle. It all started when Dwight gave them directions to the farm.

“…At 3:56 is a scene, Jenna, that I didn’t think I was going to get through. I didn’t think we would have any usable takes,” Kinsey explained. “Last week you talked about that clown painting on the wall in Jim’s parents’ house that you guys could not get through — you were laughing. This scene with Dwight giving directions to Andy and Angela, that was it for me.”

Ed and I, we could not get through it. Like, truly, we could not stop laughing.

“Ed [Helms] and I, we could not get through it. Like, truly, we could not stop laughing. It’s in the bloopers…” Kinsey continued before playing audio from the scene.

Andy can be heard telling Dwight, “I feel like some of these directions to Schrute Farms are a little weird. I mean, like 156 paces from the light red mailbox, make a left, walk until you hear the beehive, and make a right?” And Kinsey explains that in the script, the only directions listed were the 156 paces from mailbox and one about a bear. The rest are what they call “candy bag alts.”

“Were they just handing [Ed] pieces of paper with, like, funny directions?” Fischer asked.

“They literally did. They handed him a whole paper that were extra directions. And that’s why he was like, ‘I almost had it.'” Kinsey said. “…I watched the scene and all I could see is me sniffling and trying not to laugh.”

2. The butter sculpture scene

In another scene at Schrute Farms, Angela and Dwight wind up arguing over which butter sculpture she should choose for her wedding.

“Lady, this scene was so much longer. It actually started with Andy signing a ton of paperwork, because he was actually signing as a witness to the wedding, but he didn’t know,” Kinsey explained. 

“Dwight said it was all these insurance forms so that they could get married at Schrute Farms. And during this scene, Mose enters and there’s a really awkward moment with Mose where Angela hisses at him. And then Dwight goes, ‘Why do you have to do that? It’s not necessary. He loves you.’ And then Andy’s like, ‘How does he love her? How does he know her?’ And then it’s like, ‘Oh, Mose loves everybody. He’s a people person,'” she said. “And it’s so much longer. And then it ends with us arguing about the butter sculptures. And once again, we could not get through it. We were laughing so hard.”

Luckily, you can find the long version of this scene in the deleted scenes on the Season 5 DVD. And Kinsey also promised to share it on Instagram so everyone could see her break.

“…I had to cover my face. I pull a Mindy,” Kinsey said. “You can see me laughing with my hands over my face. But yes, then they get into this ridiculous argument about the sculpture and that’s what made it in the actual episode.”

3. Andy’s car singing

Another deleted scene from “The Surplus” featured Andy, Angela, and Dwight driving home from the farm.

“This was in the shooting script. It’s not on the DVD. It’s out there somewhere in the world. You guys, it was so amazing,” Kinsey said. “Angela is driving home furious. Dwight’s in the front passenger seat. Andy is in the back leaning between the two of them. And they start out the car ride, and Andy’s like, ‘We did it!’ He’s so happy. And he starts singing at the top of his lungs, [“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes.]”

“I’m telling you, we laughed through this whole episode. Every single thing was funny to me.”

Kinsey explained that Angela was so annoyed by Andy’s singing that she turned off the radio, but in true Nard Dog fashion he kept belting out the song.

“In the script, it says, ‘Angela looks like she might drive the car into a tree. Dwight is stealing glances at Angela. Andy, oblivious, is singing 4 Non Blondes,'” she said. 

“Wow. How did you get through that with Ed singing in the backseat, though? How did you keep a straight face?” Fischer asked.

“I’m telling you, we laughed through this whole episode. Every single thing was funny to me,” Kinsey confirmed. 

4. The Hank scene

Another memorable scene to film was the one where Hank — played by actor Hugh Dane, who died at age 75 in 2018 — came up to the office to try and settle the great new copier/new chairs debate.

“This next scene is the one that I could not get through,” Fischer said.

“I don’t know how you did. It’s one of my favorite scenes of the whole episode,” Kinsey revealed, to which Fischer said, “It’s one of my favorite scenes of the whole series.” 

“So Michael, who can’t make a decision, has decided to call Hank from security, who, as he explains, hustled up the stairs because he thought it was an actual emergency,” Fisher said. “So Hank arrives. And I just want to say this was one of those scenes that was set at the reception desk, and I’m in the shot, and I wanted to edge myself out of the shot because I was ruining it, because I was laughing.” 

“From the minute Hugh walks in — the minute he takes a few of the candies and starts eating them — I was like, I wouldn’t make it,” Kinsey said.

“That was an improvisation. And the first time he did it, I laughed because it was so brilliant,” Fischer added.

Once Hank arrives, Michael tells everyone that he’s going to decide between a new copier or new chairs. Hank winds up taking the decision process a bit too seriously though, and Michael banishes him. 

Let’s all take a moment to remember the best of Hank, shall we?

5. Michael trying to prove that the copier and chairs were fine

That leaves Michael — who just learned that any boss who comes in under budget will receive 15 percent of the office’s surplus — to decide. Naturally, he tries to prove to everyone that both the crappy copier and the crappy chairs are fine and don’t need replacing so he can make some bank.

“Michael walks out of his office and he announces that he doesn’t think they need a new copier or new chairs. He demonstrates that the copier works perfectly and then he’s going to demonstrate how great Pam’s chair really is,” Fischer said.

“Two things. First of all, in the bloopers, Jenna, when Steve tries to use the copier, that copier actually was really crappy,” Kinsey said. “It was really old and crappy. And half the time would not work in real life… And it would eat paper. It would like make noises. And he says, ‘This copier works fine,’ and he hits the button. And in real life it went ahhhhhhhhh. And you guys all started laughing.”

“It was so funny,” Fischer said. “[Director] Paul Feig sent us an audio clip because this was one of his favorite memories from shooting this episode.”

Here’s what he had to say:

“There was so many fun things in Season 5, but weirdly, one of my favorite episodes that we did was ‘The Surplus.’ And it’s an episode the people don’t talk about as much. And I just think it’s got some of the funniest stuff in it. I think I laughed hardest during that.

My favorite gag, one of my favorite gags that I ever got to do on The Office was when Michael’s trying to convince everybody that they don’t need a new copier and all the chairs are good. And we have that gag, Jenna, where he comes behind the desk and just tries to prove that your chair is not broken. And I had them rig up this things because the whole joke is supposed to be he sits on your chair and it just sinks down below the desk. And so I worked really hard to have them rigged this chair up that sunk so slowly that Steve just got in it and is just talking like, ‘See, there’s nothing wrong with this.’ And it takes you a few seconds to realize that he’s just very slowly sinking down behind the desk. And Steve just destroyed me. Not only is he down low, but he won’t admit it. And then the way he has to stand up. It’s like, oh it takes such effort for him to get out of the very low chair. So that was a real favorite gag of mine.”

Fischer also shared that every time Steve Carell would get out of the chair, he would make a different hilarious grunting noise that would make her crack up.

“If you watch my face in the scene, I have this really like over-exaggerated furrowed brow. I was having to make a very strong acting choice because I couldn’t do blank. I couldn’t do it. I had to do something with my face,” Fischer explained. 

“Right. I had completely forgotten about this scene. And when I rewatched it, because it has been a long time since I’ve seen this episode, I was like, wait, is his chair sinking? Oh my god, his chair is sinking. And it was so funny. It was so funny and it’s so subtle. It’s such a small moment,” Kinsey said.

Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode for more behind-the-scenes stories from filming “The Surplus.”

You can stream episodes of The Office on Peacock and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.