No cast member was safe from breaking in these "SNL" sketches. For this list, we’ll be looking at the best sketches from “Saturday Night Live” that were so funny, many or all of the cast members couldn’t keep straight faces.
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00:00 No, you do not interrupt one of Gourmet Stories.
00:02 Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 SNL sketches
00:09 that broke the whole cast. Okay, okay, please. Okay.
00:16 For this list, we'll be looking at the best sketches from Saturday Night Live that were so
00:20 funny many or all of the cast members couldn't keep straight faces. If there's an SNL sketch
00:25 full of character breaks you're broken up didn't make our list, break it to us gently in the comments.
00:30 Number 20. Cast List. This sketch, which was cut for time, sees a group of excited teens awaiting
00:38 the posting of the Bye Bye Birdie cast list by their theater teacher, Will Ferrell's Mr. Koenig.
00:44 I see the sharks are circling the boat. Oh my god, so funny, Mr. Koenig.
00:51 Shut up, Beth. The whole cast's energy perfectly captures the theater kid wanting to know who gets
00:56 which part energy of every high school ever. Mr. Koenig's imperious attitude and vague hints about
01:02 who may or may not have gotten a part are also pitch perfect. Miles, would you kiss a girl with
01:09 tongue if the role required it? I know your family is the difficult kind of Christian. However,
01:14 when Ferrell steps in front of the list to block it from view, practically everyone gets the giggles.
01:19 Back up, please. Back up. Please. What are you doing?
01:26 And they have a hard time shaking them through the rest of the sketch. We were already laughing,
01:30 but seeing everyone lose it never fails to take us out. Number 19. GAP's Girls at the Food Court.
01:38 The GAP girls, played by Chris Farley, David Spade, and Adam Sandler, appear several times
01:43 during the show. You guys have been watching too much court TV. I know. Have you been following
01:48 the Menenendez trial? However, this occasion sees the trio frequently struggling to hide their
01:55 laughter. Their use of 90s Valley Girl speak is hilarious throughout, but there are a few moments
02:00 in particular that cause them to break. The first is after Farley drops the falsetto and tells
02:06 Spade's character, Christy, to lay off of him about eating all the fries. I thought you were
02:10 trying to lose weight. Lay off me, I'm starving. The next major break is when Sandler's Lucy gets
02:17 emotional over Christy's boyfriend treating her badly. I hate to see this happen to you.
02:22 You're my best friend. They may be interested in hot goss, but the GAP girls' giggles are even
02:29 hotter. Number 18. New Military Weapon. The United States military is always looking for the next big
02:36 thing, and this sketch sees a bizarre new asset that they're developing. My orders in heading
02:41 this project were clear. Make America the technological leader in the battlefield.
02:46 Host Simu Liu plays a major who reveals the weapon to a senator and a cabinet secretary,
02:51 Doghead Man. It's literally a dog's head and neck on a man's body. You put a dog's head on a human
02:58 being's body? A dog's head and neck, ma'am. The real pup's adorable, and its shenanigans lead
03:06 everyone, particularly Cecily Strong and Mikey Day, not only would Doghead Man have taken Bin
03:11 Laden out, he would have eaten him too. Who's the scientist in charge of it? To break at some point.
03:17 While the moral and ethical implications are horrifying, as a sketch, the results are
03:21 undeniably cute and funny. Number 17. Cork Soakers. At a winery in Italy, a group of tourists are
03:29 shown around. This is where the final step in the bottling process happens, where we prepare all the
03:35 corks for all the bottles of Brunello that you saw earlier. Any questions? The two owners play
03:41 by Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz, introduce them to a special part of the process, cork soaking.
03:47 The suggestive sounding words are used liberally throughout for one of the most innuendo-laden
03:52 sketches ever made. As we are like to say, cork soakers are born not made. Amazingly, Fallon isn't
04:00 the biggest offender here. Instead, it's host Janet Jackson, who can barely make it through her
04:05 lines without breaking, though she's not alone. And given the elaborate and hysterical puns,
04:16 we really can't blame her. We'd be real cork soakers if we did. Number 16. Scared Straight.
04:23 This recurring sketch always features plenty of actors breaking. It sees Kenan Thompson as Lorenzo
04:28 McIntosh, a criminal attempting to convince others not to engage in big-time offenses,
04:33 usually joined by the episode's host. However, Thompson's up-close-and-personal approach,
04:43 as well as Lorenzo's use of movie plots, frequently leads his audience laughing
04:48 instead of being frightened. Plus,
05:03 some of the hosts being the opposite of hardened criminals makes it hilariously
05:07 tough to take anything they say seriously. The Betty White installment certainly comes to mind.
05:11 Needless to say, the cast breaking always makes the sketch 1,000 times better.
05:27 Number 15. Dr. Beeman's Office. Test Results. One of Will Ferrell's lesser-known characters
05:34 is Dr. Beeman. Here, this bizarre, alleged medical practitioner sees a couple, Tom and Kathy,
05:49 who are eager to hear about their recently-born son. Rather than tell them immediately,
05:54 Beeman rambles on the phone, insults them, and even claims their child is a witch.
05:58 It's incredibly absurd, even for SNL standards. However, it isn't until Tim Meadows comes in as
06:12 consultant Dr. Steven Poop that the actors break. His performance of the robot completely sends
06:18 Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell to the moon. Can you blame them? Chris Parnell keeps it together,
06:33 though. He's no Von Druk, whatever that means. Number 14. Girlfriend's Game Night. In this
06:39 sketch, a group of girlfriends get together for a game night. However, one of them, Jeannie,
06:44 brings her much older elderly husband, Horace, with her. The near-expressionless old coot is
06:55 played to perfection by Bill Hader, and things get extra awkward when his special medication kicks in,
07:01 prompting Jeannie to attempt to capitalize on it right there. Amazingly, the actors largely keep
07:12 it together through all of this. But once Hader has to move Horace's wheelchair around, bumping
07:17 into the table, pretty much everyone breaks. It's the kind of silly thing that can only happen in
07:21 a live performance, and the actors all find it just as funny as we do. Number 13. Career Day.
07:35 There have been several school career day sketches over the years, but only one of them
07:40 has Adam Driver as Abraham H. Parnassus. The ancient oil tycoon gives a stirring speech
07:51 on crushing your enemies to the kids, and repeatedly demanding his son Mordecai to look at
07:56 him. Pete Davidson, who plays Mordecai, often has difficulty fulfilling his request, since he's too
08:07 busy laughing. Some of the rest of the class, and teacher, also seemingly struggle to stay stone
08:12 faced at various points. Driver's towering over-the-top performance is spectacular, so we
08:20 can hardly blame the actors for breaking before they break for Capri Sun. Number 12. Stefan.
08:26 Arguably Bill Hader's most iconic SNL character, Stefan became a frequent weekend update fixture.
08:32 Although ostensibly charged with recommending destinations to tourists,
08:40 Stefan instead lists off wild and often bizarre establishments. Usually scripted by John Mulaney,
08:46 who appears along Stefan on one occasion, these appearances are famous for hater breaking.
09:01 Him hiding his face behind his hands to conceal his laughter never gets old. Mulaney's last-minute
09:06 changes to the script often resulted in Hader hearing jokes for the first time as he said them,
09:10 explaining his frequent laughter. Stefan's appearances may often just feature hater
09:26 breaking, though the anchors aren't immune, but the cumulative breaks are enough to earn him a spot
09:31 on our list. Number 11. Extremely Stupid. This iconic sketch sees host Candace Bergen's Fern
09:38 meet with her friend Lisa, played by Gilda Radner. Fern proceeds to mock Lisa for her malapropisms,
09:46 and decision to pour milk in her purse instead of drink it. However, Bergen then messes up a line
09:51 herself, calling Radner by her own character's name. This makes Bergen lose it entirely,
10:00 unable to contain her laughter as Lisa does a PSA in defense of stupid people. Radner largely does a
10:06 great job staying collected, with Lisa's smile arguably helping her out, but Bergen is half the
10:11 sketch's cast, so it counts. It just goes to show that whether you're extremely stupid or just play
10:29 dumb on TV, you're bound to find this one funny. Number 10. Jeffries with Sean Hayes. This early
10:36 2000s sketch sees Sean Hayes and Jimmy Fallon as two workers at a fashion store called Jeffries.
10:42 Rather than assist their customers, the duo instead spends their time
10:56 lobbing insults at their choice of clothes.
11:06 While Fallon gets the giggles at Horatio Sanz's comebacks,
11:10 both of them lose it when their supervisor, played by Will Ferrell, rolls up.
11:14 And, to be fair to them, if Ferrell pulled up in that outfit and pulled out a cell phone that small,
11:29 we'd have a hard time containing our laughter too. Number 9. The Lovers with Barbara and Dave.
11:36 This entry in the recurring sketches featuring Roger and Virginia Clarvin, better known as the
11:42 Lovers, sees the couple in a hot tub, joined by a man named Dave, and later by their friend,
11:48 Barbara Hernandez. Like most of their scenes,
12:06 this one has the couple speaking in bizarre accents, making wildly sexual small talk with
12:11 a stranger. And, of course, while Jimmy Fallon will laugh at the drop of a hat,
12:15 the fact that Will Ferrell was reportedly doing things with his foot under the water
12:20 probably didn't help Fallon stay in character. His laughter is infectious, and soon enough,
12:35 the Lovers and Barbara are giggling too. And isn't laughter a true expression of love?
12:50 Number 8. Matt Foley, Van, Down by the River. When a father and mother discover their children,
12:58 Brian and Stacey, have been doing drugs, they hire Matt Foley, a motivational speaker,
13:03 to talk to them. Enter Chris Farley at the top of his game. Foley motivates the kids by describing
13:19 how horrible his own life is, with a particular emphasis on how he lives in a van down by the
13:25 river. The larger-than-life Farley's over-the-top performance has both David Spade and Christina
13:38 Applegate struggling not to laugh as he gets in their faces, lifts Spade up, and crashes
13:44 into the coffee table. This sketch is the first of many Matt Foley
13:55 appearances, and it will make you laugh whether you're in it or you live in a van down by the
14:01 river. Number 7. Close Encounter. Another debut of a recurring sketch,
14:06 this one sees a trio of alien abductees interviewed by scientists at the Pentagon.
14:20 While the first two, played by Cecily Strong and host Ryan Gosling, describe a wonderful experience,
14:26 the third, played by Kate McKinnon, had a different kind of abduction.
14:29 Her description of urinating in front of a bunch of grey aliens and the weird things they do to her
14:40 has to be heard to be believed. Gosling especially is smiling throughout, though even the scientists,
14:46 played by Aidy Bryant and Bobby Moynihan, are less than government professionals.
14:51 McKinnon's character may not have been dealing with the best of the best,
14:58 but her performance here gives us a transcendent experience.
15:01 Number 6. Lisa from Temecula. At a birthday dinner for Shaina,
15:07 the spotlight is quickly stolen by her sister, Lisa from Temecula.
15:11 Along with her insistence that Paul, Pedro Pascal's character, is hoping for some butt,
15:23 her order of an extra, extra well-done steak proves distracting for everyone. As actress
15:30 Ago Wodum saws on a piece of meat, the table cartoonishly jumps around, spilling food and drink
15:37 alike. Pascal breaks first, as his character has a story to tell, but the rest of the table
15:48 isn't far behind, including Wodum. Much like Lisa's steak, the comedy here is extra well-done,
15:59 so they couldn't help but laugh. Number 5. Super Showcase spokesmodels.
16:05 On this fake game show, a contestant, played by Vanessa Bayer, loses out on showcase prizes
16:11 when she gets a question wrong. Bill Hader's host has the showcase models Shonda and Vonda,
16:25 played by Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, show her what she didn't win.
16:29 Shonda and Vonda's absurd accents make it difficult for Wiig and Rudolph to get through
16:45 their displays of various products made by ridiculous generic names with straight faces.
16:50 Wiig having to drive a golf cart around adds even more hilarity, and Hader gets the giggles.
17:05 Only Bayer keeps it together. Sounds like she could use some laughs by Laugh Guy.
17:17 Number 4. Gus Chiggins, Old Prospector. At a military briefing for the Afghanistan conflict,
17:24 the soldiers are all puzzled during roll call when it becomes clear that one of them is an
17:29 old prospector. The prospector, Gus Chiggins, proves distracting, given his old-timey sayings
17:38 and numerous noisy pans. Eventually, their commanding officer reveals that Gus is really
17:57 a character actor, but that just raises more questions. Will Ferrell's goofy old-man voice
18:03 is too much for even this gathering of comedic actors, and practically everyone breaks at some
18:08 point during the sketch. Gus doesn't need to do any panning, because this sketch is straight-up gold.
18:27 Number 3. More Cowbell. Speaking of Will Ferrell breaking everyone, this is one of the most famous
18:34 SNL sketches of all time for just that reason. In a recording session for Blue Oyster Cult's
18:50 Don't Fear the Reaper, fictional band member Gene Frenkel, played by Ferrell, goes ham on playing
18:56 the cowbell during the song. Far from being upset about it, producer Bruce Dickinson,
19:01 played by Christopher Walken, just wants to hear more of it. Ferrell's enthusiastic performance
19:12 and tight t-shirt, as well as Walken's deadpan delivery of increasingly ridiculous lines,
19:17 leave everyone else struggling to keep the laughter in. And, for the record, we've tried
19:29 to get doctors to prescribe more cowbell for fevers, but no luck. They think they know better
19:34 than THE Bruce Dickinson? Number 2. Debbie Downer, Disney World. The very first appearance of the
19:41 eponymous Debbie Downer, this sketch sees the character join a family reunion at Disney World.
19:47 Despite the happy surroundings, Debbie can't help but bring the mood down,
20:00 with dire commentary on world events.
20:16 However, in contrast to Debbie's grim remarks, actress Rachel Dratch and everyone else in the
20:23 scene can't stop breaking. Part of this was due to Dratch messing up a line early,
20:29 setting everyone off, but the frequent "wah-wah" sound effects were used for the first time in the
20:35 live show, catching the actors all off guard. Host Lindsay Lohan claims she ran off stage
20:57 because she couldn't keep it together. We can't blame her.
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21:14 Number 1. The Californians. This recurring soap opera sketch
21:20 is guaranteed to have multiple actors break character.
21:24 Devin? What are you doing here?
21:29 The over-the-top drama of soap operas, paired with dialogue mostly centered on Southern California's
21:36 roads and freeways, which is delivered with nearly incomprehensible Valley Girl accents,
21:41 is a recipe for hilarity. I tried to go through to Westwood, but my GPS put me on Beverly Glen,
21:47 and I didn't want to end up in Encino. The sketch's most recurring actors,
21:52 Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen, are the most frequent cast to break,
21:57 though they're far from the only ones. And everyone, just help yourself to some dried...
22:01 Just seeing them make goofy faces in the mirror is enough to get us rolling,
22:08 so it's impressive they make it through any of the dialogue.
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