The Office: 5 Embarrassing Things That Happened At The Company Picnic (& The 5 Sweetest)

“Company Picnic” was The Office‘s season 5 finale, and it had as many sweet moments as it did embarrassing. It’s summertime and Dunder Mifflin is having its annual company picnic. Michael and Holly are scheduled to perform, a volleyball match between corporate and Scranton is planned, and the number of awkward moments is tenfold. 

As silly as “Company Picnic” is, this was a huge episode for the couples on the show. Jim and Pam found out big news that impacted their future, Michael came to a realization with Holly, and Angela slowly realized that she still had a thing for Dwight. It was a slew of emotions wrapped in a picnic basket bow.

10 Embarrassing: How Michael Treated A.J.

Michael was planning on telling Holly his feelings for her at the company picnic. But things didn’t go as planned when she showed up with her boyfriend, A.J., who also worked for Dunder Mifflin. Michael immediately treated Holly like she was made of glass and was uncomfortable toward A.J..

He told A.J. to get his own iced tea, he called him fat, and he even told him he can go to hell. Even though Michael speaks sarcastically, it was incredibly awkward for A.J.. Holly understood Michael’s sense of humor, but A.J.? Not so much.

9 Sweet: When Dwight Defended Angela

Angela and Dwight have a dysfunctional relationship, and things became worse when she was dating both him and Andy at the same time. But through all the mud, the two had a small moment of reconciliation at the company picnic. 

Dwight’s friend Rolf was mocking Angela and calling her names. Instead of joining him, Dwight told Rolf to be quiet and defended Angela’s name. Angela was so taken aback by Dwight’s chivalry that she even smiled at him! 

8 Embarrassing: The Closing Of The Buffalo Branch

During Holly and Michael’s sketch, the two revealed a massive secret that wasn’t meant to be said out loud: David Wallace was closing the Buffalo branch. The problem is that those at the Buffalo branch didn’t know the branch was closing.

So, not only did Michael and Holly tell the entire company that a branch was closing but they did it in front of their families. One kid even asked David Wallace if his dad was going to have a job by Christmas… Ouch.

7 Sweet: Michael Was In No Rush With Holly

After a long day of ups and downs, Michael and Holly have a sweet moment together where they talk about doing better at next year’s picnic. Michael wanted to use that time to tell Holly that he was in love with her but opted not to.

He told the cameras that he was in no rush with Holly. He knew they were meant to be together and that when the timing was right, they both would know. It was the most mature viewers have ever seen Michael. 

6 Embarrassing: The Volleyball Game Against Corporate

Charles Miner and the Scranton branch ended on bad terms at the end of season 5. When Charles ran into the group at the company picnic, he had no problems with making them feel small during their volleyball game as payback.

Pam was Scranton’s best player but when she twisted her ankle, things became embarrassing for the branch. Jim had to take Pam to the hospital for an x-ray and Dwight had to stall the game. Dwight kicked the ball out of view and slowly walked to get it and found every way not to play the game against corporate.

5 Sweet: Soup Snakes

At the beginning of the company picnic, Michael tells the camera crew that he has a list of reasons why he and Holly should be together and that he was going to read her the list at the picnic. Michael’s plan changed when he saw A.J. but he still had the list nonetheless. The first bullet on Michael’s list was that he and Holly were “soup snakes.” After a moment of thought, Michael realized he couldn’t read his own writing and meant to say that he and Holly were soulmates. 

4 Embarrassing: Andy’s Anger During The Volleyball Game

Andy has an angry side to him that he didn’t want Erin to see. At this time in the series, Andy and Erin were just friends who crushed on each other. 

During the company volleyball game, Andy tried getting close to Erin but failed. And as the team suffered, his angry side started coming out. Erin missed a ball and Andy screamed “Are your blind?!” Erin looked hurt and confused. Knowing he was messing up his chances with her, Andy pretended he was talking to the man on the other side of the net who was wearing sunglasses. As one can imagine, the guy did not enjoy Andy’s remarks. 

3 Sweet: Brainstorming For The Perfect Sketch

Holly and Michael knew they were going to perform a sketch at the picnic; they just didn’t know what it would be. The two sat on a patch of grass to get away from the noise and snacked on chocolate-covered strawberries as they pitched their ideas. It was adorable to see how their minds worked together because not too many people appreciate or understand the way that Michael’s mind works, but Holly always did.

2 Embarrassing: Michael & Holly’s Sketch

Michael and Holly viewed themselves as true performers. She’s one of the only people in the world who understands Michael’s sense of humor and encourages his characters and alter egos. 

At the company picnic, the two planned to do a sketch for the entire company but they weren’t sure what to do. After brainstorming, they decided on doing a mashup between Dunder Mifflin’s history and the movie Slumdog Millionaire. In short, it was a gong show and all-out tragedy.

1 Sweet: Pam & Jim’s Pregnancy News

During the volleyball match, Pam twists her ankle and is practically forced to go to the hospital for an x-ray. Jim and Pam are trying to rush the appointment along but the nurses need to run a couple of tests before the x-ray, including a pregnancy test. It was then that Pam and Jim realized she was pregnant with their first baby as they hugged each other with tears in their eyes. The couple didn’t make it back to the picnic but they had the best prize of all: future parenthood.

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Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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