The Beloved Deleted Scene From The Office You Might Not Have Seen

"The Office" is full of comedy gold, despite its mundane setting in a paper company office. The diverse array of personalities among the characters creates an endless capacity for humor, which the series captures through sharp writing, some improvisation, and even by including would-be-bloopers in the network-ready episodes. However, this means there's a lot of extra material floating around for fans to enjoy. Despite 201 episodes over nine seasons of the sitcom (via The Verge), some scenes never made it to the final cut.

A few of the series' deleted scenes actually reveal previously unknown details, like the identity of the father of Jan's (Melora Hardin) baby, while others are simply little jokes that didn't make it through editing, like Kevin's (Brian Baumgartner) clever prank. However, since most people aren't in the habit of buying DVDs these days, fans have to rely on the internet to watch these coveted scenes. Fortunately, some Reddit users posted an amusing one in r/DunderMifflin that's hard to come by elsewhere.

In the deleted scene (via Redditor u/titilandus), which appears to be a cold open from Season 2, Michael (Steve Carell) is showing off his new phone to Pam (Jenna Fischer). Keep in mind, this was filmed sometime around 2005, so his new cell is no more than a little flip phone. He says he bought it for $400 because he liked the ringtone — Pam is shocked at the price — but has realized he can change it to something else.

While trying to pick one, Michael plays a few that are easily recognizable as little ditties from the bygone era of handpicked, catchy ringtones, including a version of Beethoven's "Für Elise." Jim (John Krasinski) comes around to "assist" in picking, but he and Pam are really just encouraging Michael to pick whichever is playing currently. Michael, however, is taking this very seriously and hasn't settled on one yet.

Then, to kick off the punchline, he says, "You know which one I want? There's one that sounds like a jackhammer. It just really grabs your attention," and proceeds to make a buzzing sound with his mouth. Anyone living in 2021 will recognize this for what it is, but Jim is the one who voices it: vibrate. Even if it's a little dated, the joke still lands as it makes Michael look absolutely ridiculous. Plus, we still turn our phones on vibrate these days even if they don't flip closed with such theatrics.

Reddit users had some creative ideas of their own. "If Michael's impression of vibrate isn't everyones ringtone by the time I wake up I'll be rather disappointed," u/dave8814 commented, reacting to another Redditor's share of the deleted scene. In truth, it's a pretty good impression that evokes the exact sound of a phone buzzing against a table. That could be Jim's next prank.