"Beach Games" was one of the most memorable episodes to come out of The Office season 3, but the cast doesn't have the best memories when it comes to filming. The installment, written by Jennifer Celotta and Greg Daniels, served as the penultimate episode of the season. It was also notably directed by the late Harold Ramis, who worked on a total of four episodes of the NBC sitcom. Here's what happened during "Beach Games" and why it was no surprise that Rainn Wilson was involved in a specific incident.
The 2007 episode sees the employees of Dunder Mifflin head to Lake Scranton for an event cooked up boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Believing he's in the running to become the new CFO at the company's New York City corporate office, Michael organizes a set of beach games to find his successor as Scranton's regional manager. Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Andy (Ed Helms) are the two main contenders vying for the position. The episode is also significant for Pam (Jenna Fischer) as she confronts her coworkers about their mistreatment of her and how she truly misses her friendship with Jim (John Krasinski).
Since the series was filmed in California and not Pennsylvania, the crew was required to find a body of water that resembled Lake Scranton. Instead, they went with the "bleakest lake" they could find according to details revealed in Andy Greene's novel, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s. In the book, the cast and crew broke down the hardships they encountered while filming. Helms hauntingly recalled the eating contest which required "eating tons of hot dogs and spitting them in buckets." Temperatures were also extremely high during the day shoots, requiring air conditioner-pumped tents before the crew switch to heaters since the area got so cold at night. To make matters worse, a few characters like Jim, Dwight, Andy, and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) were required to wear heavy sumo suits. While shooting the sumo wrestling sequence, Baker acquired a real injury.
Leslie David Baker Suffered An Injury Requiring A Hospital Visit
While filming "Beach Games," Wilson accidentally kicked sand in the direction of Baker. As a result, the sand hit Baker in the face and got into his eyes. The crew then took Baker to the hospital so his eyes could be properly flushed out. He was officially diagnosed with a scratched cornea but the actor was able to return to finish the episode. Interestingly enough, this was not the first time that Wilson injured Baker on set. In the season 2 cold open during "Dwight's Speech," Michael was throwing around a football in the office. At one point, Dwight got a hold of the football and rushes around the desks. Wilson crashed into Baker, causing him to pummel to the ground unexpectedly. Though Baker wasn't seriously injured, he had to sit out for a few scenes following the incident.
Wilson was a fan favorite for portraying Dwight on The Office but he sure had a knack for accidentally injuring co-stars. Later in the series, Wilson wound up throwing a mini barbell during a scene with Craig Robinson. The piece of exercise equipment went flying in the air before it hit Robinson right in the forehead, leaving a large bump. Even years later, Wilson still feels terrible for the incident but he was forgiven for the mistake. The jury is still out of Baker's injuries but Baker doesn't seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge.