No one expected one of the most iconic The Office episodes from Season 3, Beach Games, to turn into ‘Survivor: Hot Dog Edition’. But what was supposed to be Michael Scott’s chaotic competition for choosing his next Branch Manager, turned into a nauseating behind-the-scenes experience for Ed Helms.
While fans laughed at Andy’s unfortunate floatie fiasco and Dwight’s intensity, Ed Helms claimed to be facing a different nightmare. Picture this: a bucket filled with chewed-up hot dogs. Gross, right? Thanks to his overactive gag reflex, Helms endured a real-life Fear Factor moment while shooting Beach Games. And now, we can’t decide what’s worse—losing the manager race or surviving that puke-inducing experience.
Ed Helms’ behind-the-scenes experience from Beach Games
If you thought Andy Bernard’s The Office journey would hit rock bottom when he floated away in the Beach Games episode, then you should learn about his horrifying behind-the-scenes. On The Office DVD commentary for the episode (via CBR), Ed Helms, the actor behind the role of Nard Dog, reflected on the difficulties he faced while filming.
In the episode where fans were busy giggling at Michael Scott’s ridiculous manager auditions, Ed Helms claimed to be fighting for his dignity—and his lunch. Considering how one of the tasks in the episode involved an intense hot dog-eating contest, Helms noted how things went on behind the scenes.
When such eating competitions and devouring scenes happened on the show, actors would chew the food for the sake of a few takes and then spit it out in a bucket. Otherwise, by the end of multiple retakes, actors would feel bloated and sick from all the heavy eating. So similarly even in the Beach Games episode, actors chewed the hot dogs and spat it in a bucket.
What I remember about this scene is eating tons of hot dogs and spitting them into a bucket because we had to do take after take, after take, and, for me, the act of spitting chewed food out of my mouth—it activates my gag reflex. It is so upsetting to me.
But thanks to Ed Helms’ gag reflex, the actor had a nightmarish experience, repeatedly biting into hot dogs and spitting them out in a bucket. So it seems that while Andy was busy begging for approval from Steve Carell‘s Michael Scott, Helms was out here fighting for his stomach’s approval.
Ed Helms expanded on his puke-inducing experience from The Office
If you thought that was bad, wait till you hear the rest. Because as every seasoned Dunder Mifflin fan knows—things can always get worse. According to Ed Helms, the real horror came when after a few takes, the prop guys appeared with a communal spit bucket, instead of their respective buckets for spitting out chewed-up hot dogs.
You might not need a spoiler warning to proceed after this point but you surely need to train your gag reflex. Because, according to Ed Helms, while he assumed that there would be a separate bucket per actor, to throw up the hot dogs, The Office crew offered a shared bucket for every actor to spit out their share of chewed-up food.
It’s so horrible. The worst part, too, is that the prop folks are walking around with a big plastic bucket, and like four people are spitting in it. You have to spit out, but you’re looking at other people’s—it’s just disgusting.
Now imagine trying to act normal while glancing at a stew of soggy, chewed-up hot dogs swirling in a shared bucket. At this point, you might even consider Kevin’s famous chili spill as fine dining. Honestly, this sounds like a punishment straight out of Schrute Farms boot camp. No wonder Andy didn’t win that manager gig—he was probably too busy trying not to puke.
So it seems that while Steve Carell was delivering a comedic masterclass as Michael Scott, Ed Helms was stuck in his version of Fear Factor. And frankly, we can’t decide what’s more impressive—Helms’ commitment to the scene or his stomach’s resilience. But one thing’s for sure—the next time you’re watching Beach Games, it won’t feel the same.
The Office is available to watch on Peacock.
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