Seinfeld Bloopers: Who Breaks the Most?

Photo: George Lange

Recently I stumbled upon a treasure trove of Seinfeld bloopers on YouTube, and they’re amazing. If you’re a fan of the show, it’s a great way to (a) remember how good it was and (b) see the cast in a new light.

Some of the bloopers are of cast members making mistakes like forgetting their lines or messing up a physical joke (I had forgotten just how physical Kramer’s humor was). But the vast majority of the bloopers are the result of cast members breaking character and laughing.

Which character do you think breaks the most? Before you continue to read, try to guess the order of least likely to break to most likely among George, Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine. You ready? Scroll down for the answer.

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Okay, it was kind of a trick question, because the “character” who breaks the least are the extras. The extras are absolutely amazing at not breaking. Is that a requirement for being an extra? Do they test you to see how likely you are to laugh?

Beyond the extras, here’s the order from least likely to break to most likely:

4. George: Jason Alexander is by far the least likely to break, according to the blooper reels. In fact, he breaks so rarely that the audience claps when he does.

3. Kramer: Michael Richards, despite being the most oddball character, rarely breaks. He seems to mess up his lines more than the other actors, but he retains his composure, even when other actors are laughing.

2. Jerry: Jerry Seinfeld surprised me in the bloopers, because while he does break more than George and Kramer, he still doesn’t seem to break all that often. He does seem to struggle a bit with getting back into character after he starts to laugh.

1. Elaine: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss breaks the most by far among the Seinfeld cast. Somewhere around 70% of all breaks are hers. It’s amusing, and I get it–the cast and script is very funny–but I’m amazed the episodes ever finished based on how often she breaks.

What were your guesses?

4 thoughts on “Seinfeld Bloopers: Who Breaks the Most?”

  1. I’ve watched these several times each, and am served by their ability to take me back to the first time I saw each respective episode. For as brilliant as the scripts are, to see brilliant actors bring them to life is the essence of what makes this show timeless.
    A side note, we all know of Michael Richards’ unfortunate stand up routine that made headlines, but did you know he was considered quite the curmudgeon, and would berate the others when they flubbed lines? If you watch the bloopers again with this trait of his in mind, you can more easily see him get agitated, especially with Julia, which makes the break so much more jarring!

    Reply
    • Jeff: That’s really interesting to hear about Richards! I didn’t know that. I’ll keep an eye on his reactions to the other actors as I finish watching the bloopers.

      Reply
  2. Woo hoo, I got them all right! I haven’t watched any episodes since it stopped airing. I remember it was an amazingly funny show, but that there were also many episodes that were just “meh”. Guess I’ll have to try to watch some again.

    Reply
  3. Jamey,

    I had a feeling that Elaine would break the most, but I really thought Jerry would’ve broken the least. Great little test.

    Cheers,
    Joe

    Reply

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