The Office: What really happened behind Kevin’s chili scene

The Office is an entire mood when it comes to TV shows that make regular life feel super funny. The show takes you into the little world of Dunder Mifflin. It is a paper company where even everyday moments are worth a watch. With its documentary-style filming and super relatable moments, The Office stands out as one of the most loved comedies of all time. And once you’re in, there’s no getting out. You just have to keep watching.

The Office is special because of how it turns small, ordinary moments into an absolute laughter riot. Michael Scott’s never-ending need to be liked, Dwight Schrute’s beet-farming wisdom, or Jim’s classic pranks on Dwight, and every other character brings their own brand of weird and wonderful to the table.

But one of the most unforgettable moments in The Office doesn’t come from any prank. It comes from a big pot of chili, and one very unlucky man named Kevin Malone. The “Kevin’s Famous Chili” scene is short but messy, and it’s unexpectedly emotional. It’s also one of the funniest cold opens in TV history. But there’s a whole lot more to that scene than just the spill. Let’s get into the behind the scenes facts of Kevin’s chili catastrophe.

The Office: Behind Kevin’s chili catastrophe

First off, here’s a quick refresher in case you somehow missed it (how?!). In the cold open of Season 5’s episode “Casual Friday,” Kevin walks into the office carrying a giant pot of chili. He’s glowing with pride. This isn’t just any chili; it’s “Kevin’s Famous Chili”! And he says it’s probably the thing he does best. But in the most tragic and hilarious turn of events, he slips and spills the entire pot all over the carpet. The worst part is that he tries desperately to scoop it back up using office supplies. The scene went on to become one of the most popular in the show.

But what you see on screen is only a small part of the story. Behind the scenes, there was a lot of planning that went into this one-minute masterpiece. To begin with, the pot Kevin carries doesn’t even have real chili in it when he’s walking from the car to the door. To avoid any accidental messes, it was filled with sandbags and had a fake bottom to reduce the weight. A full pot of chili would’ve weighed around 40 to 50 pounds, which would’ve been a nightmare to carry and clean up if dropped too early.

When it came time to shoot the actual spill, the crew didn’t mess around. They only had three carpet pieces to work with, so they had to get it just right. There were several rehearsals to block out Kevin’s steps and make sure the camera angles captured every bit of the disaster. This The Office scene was so messy that it was filmed last to avoid messing up the rest of the day’s shoot.

And Brian Baumgartner, the actor who plays Kevin in The Office, improvised most of the cleanup mess. Once the chili hit the ground, he went all in, grabbing folders and papers and slopping it all back into the pot like his life depended on it. The raw footage lasted nearly five to seven minutes! They eventually trimmed it down for the final cut, but the commitment was so real.

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But one thing they did not plan for was: how to clean up Brian himself. After the scene, they had to rush him to an on-set shower while a bunch of people helped peel off his chili-soaked clothes.

Nobody would've thought a spilled pot of chili could become one of the most iconic moments in TV history. And yet, Kevin’s hilarious disaster lives on. It is meme’d, quoted, and forever in the hearts of The Office fans everywhere.

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