The Office did many things well (will they, won’t they relationships / song choices / making working at a Pennsylvania paper company seem kinda fun), but the thing it did best was cold opens. There’s Asian Jim, the George Foreman grill, “nooooooooooooo” — I don’t even have to describe them for you to know what I’m referring to. They’re that good. Let’s all agree that the fire drill is The Office‘s greatest cold open (Michael Schur agrees), but a strong contender for second place is Kevin’s famous chili.
If you’ve somehow never seen it:
That scene kicks off the season five episode “Casual Friday,” and before the credits kick in, Kevin is seen desperately trying to scoop his chili back into the pot. That’s not how it originally concluded, though. Andy Greene, who interviewed show’s cast and crew for his new book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, shared the “original draft of the famous scene in Casual Friday (written by Anthony Farrell) where Kevin spills chili everywhere. This particular part was written by Aaron Shure, who provided it to me. As you can see, the scene originally had more to it.” Some of the small details are different — like Kevin noting that he doesn’t use a lot of spice because “I’ve got a sexy pot of chili” — but the big change is the ending. Have a look.
It's the original draft of the famous scene in Casual Friday (written by Anthony Farrell) where Kevin spills chili everywhere. This particular part was written by Aaron Shure, who provided it to me. As you can see, the scene originally had more to it. pic.twitter.com/vleMv6MZTb
— Andy Greene (@greeneandy) March 18, 2020
In the version that made it to air, Kevin brings the pot into the office, falls, and ends up covered in chili. But in the original draft, he throws the pot into a trash can as his co-workers arrive for the day. Erin notes the stains, Andy smells something weird, and Jim even accurately guesses that it’s “Kevin’s famous chili.” It’s somehow even more tragic.
(Via Twitter)
