Two veteran cast members of The Office have spilled the beans on the classic early episode, "Booze Cruise", revealing a true story that includes a major milestone for the series, a real-life celebration, and several series regulars almost getting lost at sea. The Office season 2, episode 11 famously saw the characters of Dunder Mifflin embark on a late-night "motivational" cruise on Lake Wallenpaupack—in the dead of winter. Directed by Ken Kwapis, "Booze Cruise" was an important episode for the cast and crew when it premiered in 2006, marking several key changes that would allow The Office to move past the anxiety-ridden uncertainty of being a young, unproven sitcom in its early years.
The popularity of "Booze Cruise" has endured thanks to its many entertaining plots, both big and small, each amplified by the unique setting of The Office's first on-location shoot. Among the season 2 episode's more memorable scenes are Roy (David Denman) finally setting a date for his wedding with Pam (Jenna Fischer), Jim breaking up with short-term girlfriend Katy (Amy Adams) in a surprisingly cold response, and of course Jim (John Krasinksi) and Pam's uncomfortable 27 seconds of silence on the deck of the ship. Lighter gags include Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) awkward dance, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) fake-steering the boat, and the ship captain—played by actual Marine Corps veteran Rob Riggle—sneaking away to make out with Meredith (Kate Flannery).
While The Office season 2 classic "Booze Cruise" features no shortage of scenes permanently burned into the minds of long-time fans, the behind-the-scenes details might be even more interesting than the episode itself. A new book from Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, is an expansion of the duo's popular podcast and provides some fascinating insight into the early seasons of The Office. This includes an entire chapter dedicated to "Booze Cruise", which Fischer and Kinsey reveal was shot over three long nights aboard a boat "just outside of Long Beach harbor", as the actual Lake Wallenpaupack experiences frigid temperatures in January. In addition to making several cast members seasick, the episode was also a major turning point for The Office and everyone involved.
The Office Cast Members Actually Had A Reason To Party
Due to working every day from 3:00 PM to sunrise, the cast of The Office was understandably exhausted during filming for "Booze Cruise", but an unexpected wave of phone calls quickly turned the environment into a party scene. Prior to and including The Office season 2, episode 11 the majority of the sitcom's actors were still technically considered "guest stars", which according to Jenna Fischer meant that "NBC was under no obligation to include their characters in all the episodes, and they could be written out of the show at any time." The only members of The Office under contract as series regulars were Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, and Fischer herself. However, NBC sent out notice mid-shoot offering The Office's cast members new contracts as full-time series regulars going forward, prompting immediate calls from everyone's representation.
"I was standing on the dance floor of the boat with Kate [Flannery] and Brian [Baumgartner], waiting to do a scene, when suddenly our phones started buzzing," recalls Angela in The Office BFFs book. "Our agents were calling us all at the same time. I immediately wanted to find Jenna and tell her. She would know more than anyone what this meant to me. I saw her standing on the dock outside, and I ran down the gangway toward her hollering and waving my arms. The whole set was one big joyful celebration." Taking on the rest of the show's cast as series regulars represented an important change for The Office, but surprisingly, it wasn't the only milestone that "Booze Cruise" reached in 2006.
"Booze Cruise" Marked A Comedy Milestone For The Office
Prior to The Office season 2, episode 11 the show originally ran during NBC's Tuesday night block in the 9:30 PM timeslot. Jenna Fischer noted that "ratings were a struggle" during those first two seasons, and the timeslot didn't help the perception that the network could cancel the attempted U.S. reboot at any moment. "Booze Cruise" helped change all that, as The Office moved from Tuesday nights to NBC's coveted Thursday night comedy lineup. Fischer added, "Over time, our numbers improved, and with the move to Thursday, it felt like we were hitting the big time. Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, Will and Grace, Scrubs... these are all successful comedies that aired on Thursday nights on NBC. The move indicated to all of us that NBC might just have confidence in our little show."
Jim & Pam's 27 Seconds Of Silence Almost Didn't Happen
"Booze Cruise" is a crucial episode for Jim and Pam early in The Office's run. Until that point their feelings for one another were largely kept to the many flirtatious interactions that took place at Pam's desk. Jim's obviously emotional reaction to her engagement and rather immediate breakup with Katy turned the show's many teases into a full-blown problem for the two that they would have to address. Towards the end of the episode, Jim and Pam meet on the deck of the ship and share a strikingly elongated and awkward moment, lovingly dubbed by fans as the The Office's "27 seconds of silence". However, the famous season 2 scene could have easily turned out differently, as the episode's script only said "they looked at each other", with no further notes.
Showrunner Greg Daniels and the episode's directors had encouraged Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski to take their time filming the scene, and allow it to play out naturally. Fischer reflected on the moment, stating, "There is no dialogue, but a lot goes on in those twenty-seven seconds. You see Jim thinking, but not saying, so many different things. You see Pam trying to signal to him that she wants to hear his feelings, but she doesn't say anything either." Daniels actually had to fight the network to keep the entire scene in the episode as-is, and it ended up becoming one of Pam and Jim's most crucial early moments together.
The Office Cast Nearly Got Lost At Sea During "Booze Cruise"
While the first two nights of shooting for "Booze Cruise" took place with the boat docked in the harbor, the final night saw The Office cast and crew head out to the open seas in order to secure the episode's external boat scenes. The aforementioned awkward silence between Pam and Jim was the last scene on the schedule, meaning that the rest of the cast had already wrapped for the week, but remained on board waiting to go home. In an effort to accommodate the cast, an offer was made to transport people back to land in small boats described as "little dinghies" with small, hand-steered motors. Only four members of The Office actually took up the offer to head back early using the precarious little rafts: Rainn Wilson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, and Angela.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew still aboard the boat, those four stars almost got lost at sea! The whole trip back to land was supposed to take a total of 10 minutes, but about halfway through the dinghy's engine died, leaving The Office actors all stranded. "It was pitch-dark, and the water around us looked like black glass," noted Angela. Funny enough, showrunner Greg Daniels was only aware that Phyllis had gotten on one of the small boats, and had no idea the others were also missing. After drifting for about 20 minutes, huddled together for warmth, a rescue dinghy came to take them all back to the boat, presenting its own set of obstacles as the actors had to carefully fllop from one dinghy to the next without falling into the ocean in the middle of the night. Unfortunately for The Office star Angela Kinsey, her transportation issues didn't end there, as her 12-year-old Chevy Blazer broke down in the middle of an intersection shortly afterward—but at least it all made for a compelling end to a chapter in her book many years later.