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Live television can be as unpredictable as it is hilarious, especially on SNL! From costume malfunctions and unruly animals to unexpected prop mishaps, the cast often had to think on their feet when sets and props went off-script. Join us as we dive into the most side-splitting moments when the scenery just didn’t cooperate, leaving the performers—and us—in stitches!
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00:00You know what? No.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for those instances
00:12when a prop or piece of set scenery just didn't cooperate with the cast of Saturday Night Live.
00:18And now you return her to us, naked and defeated.
00:23I'll let you make your chickens!
00:27Number 10. Dobby's come undone.
00:30Wardrobe malfunctions can happen to anyone,
00:33but they're doubly funny whenever an SNL cast member happens to also be donning some elaborate makeup.
00:39Oh no. Dobby is millennial cringe!
00:43Oh no!
00:46Bad Dobby! Cringe Dobby! Bad Dobby! Cringe Dobby!
00:50This sort of situation happened to Bo and Yang back on the premiere episode of SNL's 51st season.
00:57Yang was dolled up as Dobby the house elf for a segment centering upon Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling.
01:03And is your master J.K. Rowling?
01:05Why, of course, sir.
01:06Oh, oh no.
01:08Dobby wasn't supposed to say.
01:10Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!
01:12The segment was great, but it was made even more memorable via Yang's costume issues.
01:17The cast member appeared professional throughout it all, and even ad-libbed the line
01:22Oh, Dobby's come undone!
01:24that referenced the snafu.
01:26Number 9. Milk Purse.
01:28An unexpected moment from live television can often be saved by performers with quick enough timing to roll with the
01:35chaos.
01:35You know, we all can't be brainy like Fern here.
01:42Gilda Radner clearly possessed such timing when her host for an episode of SNL, Candace Bergen, accidentally called Radner's character
01:50by the wrong name.
01:51You're not too bright, are you, Fern? I mean, whatever your name was.
01:56The sketch was written to show support for extremely stupid people, but the combination of Bergen's verbal gaffe, combined with
02:04Radner's character pouring milk into a purse, was simply too much for the host.
02:08Bergen broke into hysterics on camera, while Radner's ad-libbed dialogue frankly made what could have been a train wreck
02:15into a classic.
02:16Extremely stupid people are discriminated against all the time, and I should know, and so should Fern, because we are
02:24extremely stupid people.
02:29Number 8. Scared Straight, featuring pencils.
02:33The Scared Straight sketches have been recurring on Saturday Night Live since 2008, with one memorable episode occurring on the
02:40March 12th episode from 2012.
02:42That's why I've invited two representatives from the Scared Straight program to come talk to you punks.
02:48McIntosh, you want to get in here?
02:50All right, all right, all right, on your feet!
02:53Jason Sudeikis' Officer Serkorsky generally serves as the straight man on these sketches,
02:59but the performer couldn't contain the giggles when he accidentally put a little too much weight onto a prop desk.
03:05The desk shifted, causing some pencils to fly off in an unplanned accident.
03:10Kids finally learned your lesson, huh?
03:12No?
03:17Sudeikis did recover his composure, but Bill Hader and Andy Samberg were significantly more surprised by the pencils,
03:24and had a really hard time keeping it together.
03:27How old are you anyway?
03:28Thirty-six?
03:31Thirty-eight.
03:33Forty-five!
03:34Yeah, all right.
03:35Well, we're really gonna start trying you as adults.
03:37Number 7. Dog Court.
03:39The old adage, never work with children or animals, may be largely attributed to comedian W.C. Fields.
03:46But what if they're this cute?
03:48Well, let me tell you something.
03:51Woo!
03:51The dog park is a place for fun and tolerance, okay?
03:57The cast of SNL notably had the impossible task of keeping things together during a sketch called Dog Court.
04:03The pups, perhaps predictably, don't behave the way they're supposed to, acting out in the most adorable of ways and
04:10generally being good dogs.
04:23Meanwhile, the sight of Cecily Strong and Chris Redd acting alongside these adorable creatures, or at least attempting to anyway,
04:31is enough to brighten anyone's day, right?
04:33Sketch artist, did you get everything?
04:39Okay, but looks nothing like me, but yeah, you're a dog, you know?
04:43Number 6. Inside the Beltway.
04:45We in the SNL audience aren't supposed to see how the comedic sausage is made behind the scenes.
04:51Wow, just appalling.
04:53I don't think I've ever heard any man talk like that.
04:56It's revolting.
04:57It feels like a real turning point in the Trump candidacy.
05:01So when the camera cut back to cast member Aidy Bryant and a stagehand in mid-costume change, it was
05:07basically all over but the shouting.
05:10Bryant could barely deliver her lines in between giggles, fighting for composure in what was ultimately a losing battle.
05:16I'll admit that you were onto something back then.
05:22I believe.
05:25At the same time, however, this little chaotic peek behind the scenes arguably made what could have been just another
05:32perhaps forgotten SNL skit into a memorable moment of pure laughter and joy.
05:37I believe that the arc of the moral universe is wrong, but it bends towards justice.
05:46Here, here, here.
05:47Number 5. Whiskers Are We with Tiffany Haddish.
05:50Aside from their increasingly hilarious backstories and precious little faces, these cats totally stole the show in this sketch.
06:08Kate McKinnon and Tiffany Haddish handle each fluffy feline with care, but the little actors want to play by their
06:15own rules.
06:17Toby the Sphinx seemed to get pretty riled up when being held.
06:21We guess he didn't like his personal life being discussed on air.
06:24You won't have to worry about shedding with Toby.
06:27He shaved everything off for a gay circuit party.
06:32The unexpected hiccups are taken in stride by McKinnon and Haddish, and seeing their live reactions to the cats makes
06:39the sketch even funnier.
06:41That said, we won't be expecting any cats added to the SNL cast.
06:45Nobody likes a scene stealer.
06:48Bye, Toby. Thank you for coming.
06:50Number 4. Bill Hader's Motorized Wheelchair.
06:53This sketch may have been officially titled Girlfriend's Game Night, but who are we kidding?
06:58The real star of this show was Bill Hader's motorized wheelchair.
07:01Horace, can you move me closer to the table?
07:05Slow, Horace. Slow, slow.
07:09The overall effect was similar to that time when Melissa McCarthy first debuted her wheelchair podium during her impersonation of
07:16former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer.
07:19In other words, there was no way this sketch was going to go off without a hitch.
07:23Come on, Horace.
07:29Slow, slow, slow, chorus.
07:35Hader notably goofs while attempting to use the wheelchair, accidentally bumping into co-star Melissa Villasenor.
07:41The sight of the latter taking a tumble was enough for basically everyone involved to lose their marbles.
07:46You used to be ashamed of yourselves.
07:49This woman is...
07:54This woman is your friend.
07:56Number 3. Adam Driver's Fake Bird.
07:59One has to commend SNL guest host Adam Driver's commitment to his ruthless oil baron character here on this career
08:06day sketch.
08:07One man came close to breaking me, H.R. Pickens.
08:10He did not succeed.
08:12For I crushed him into the ground!
08:15Who is H.R. Pickens?
08:18Exactly!
08:18He arrives on set with a prop bird that's presumably there to emphasize the amorality of Driver's Abraham H. Parnassus,
08:26of his habitual crushing of all enemies in his path.
08:30Unfortunately, Driver is a bit too committed, and hits the bird with such force that Pete Davidson, who's playing Parnassus'
08:36son, Mordecai, just can't keep a straight face.
08:40Luckily, I've brought a visual aid, which will illuminate the ins and outs of the oil industry.
08:47The sight of Davidson's face as Driver goes ham on the bird and the bag is that of a comedian
08:53who knows this sketch is about to go off the rails.
08:56I'll lift you myself, Piggens!
08:59I'll thrust you into the ground!
09:02And now your bones tend to oil beneath my living feet!
09:07Number 2. Space Thanksgiving
09:09Some of the greatest and quirkiest SNL skits are those with premises as patently ridiculous as Space Thanksgiving.
09:16Yes, our kern is much like your corn. It has lots of tiny delicious cornels on it.
09:21Oh, you mean kernels?
09:22No, your corn has kernels, but our kern has cornels.
09:26The gag here is how Kenan Thompson and Melissa Villasenor's alien serve their Earthling guests food that screams.
09:33Food they call kern that's, how do we say this? Alive.
09:37What most fans remember from the Space Thanksgiving sketch isn't so much the kern on the cob, but rather the
09:43prop alien space gun that falls off the table during dinner.
09:46Oh, look! It's the clerks.
09:50Greetings.
09:52Greetings, people from Earth.
09:54This unexpected incident causes the cast to burst out into giggles, while guest host Steve Carell does a little ad
10:00-libbing to extremely humorous effect.
10:03Follow my lead.
10:04I have a plan.
10:05Ruler tank!
10:06More kern, Captain.
10:07Oh, hell yes!
10:09Who cares about some kern?
10:11Let's enjoy this Thanksgiving!
10:22Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia, Songs from Iran, reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock,
10:30metal, and pop songs.
10:32Check out the full track and album below.
10:34My heart belongs to you.
10:50We're ending this list with a little bit of nostalgia, while also celebrating the comedic joy that Chris Farley brought
10:56into the lives of all who knew him or saw him perform.
10:59I don't look comfortable on camera.
11:03I'm not savvy.
11:05I don't understand what's going on in the news.
11:09Farley's Bennett Brower is in the middle of a rant and about to take flight in a pre-planned segment
11:14that saw the comedian wearing some stage wiring.
11:17Unfortunately, said wiring wound up getting caught on some of the SNL lighting rig, requiring stagehands and even Weekend Update
11:24anchor Kevin Nealon to try and untangle Farley.
11:27But I'm doing something!
11:30Please!
11:31I have a weight problem!
11:33Can't take my teeth!
11:34The good news is that this eventually happened, and Chris flew above the SNL faithful, ad-libbing all the way.
11:41Maybe the cables didn't clear the light, ladies and gentlemen.
11:44What's your all-time favorite SNL moment?
11:47Let us know in the comments.
11:48Let us know in the comments.
11:50Let us know in the comments.
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