Bloopers That Make Us Love The Anchorman Movies Even More

Good evening, San Diego! Fans of Will Ferrell, or just laughing in general, will often tell you that two movies cause them to break out into a fit of hysteria every time they watch them: "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and its beloved sequel "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues." About a local newsman who overcomes misogyny and self-righteousness in order to deliver the evening news to San Diego, the "Anchorman" films are loaded with laughs thanks to a cast of standout comedians.

Any movie with Ferrell is enough to enjoy a couple of hours of side-splitting humor, but the "Anchorman" movies take it to another level, filling the main cast out with Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Steve Carell. With that much comedic power in one room, it is no wonder there have been a plethora of outtakes and bloopers that have followed the release of the comedy hits. If you haven't seen any of the improvised jokes, gut-busting gags, or ridiculous moments caught on film during the making of the "Anchorman" duology, prepare your ribs. Keep reading to discover some of the most hilarious moments that never made it into the final cuts but make the movies even more lovable than they already were.

Ferrell and the rest of the onscreen performers deserve most of the credit for making the "Anchorman" movies monumental comedic achievements. However, one person you don't see is responsible for a significant portion of the hilarity: Adam McKay. The writer-director of both "Anchorman" entries boasts a long history with star Ferrell, as they collaborated throughout much of the comedian's time on "Saturday Night Live." The pair's relationship would blossom beyond the first "Anchorman," developing classic comedies such as "Talladega Nights," "Step Brothers," and "The Other Guys" together.

Co-writing the script for both "Anchorman" movies alongside Ferrell, McKay's humor is peppered throughout the stories. However, the director had just as much influence on the improvisational humor as some of the stars. Throughout many of the bloopers and outtakes, McKay can be heard hollering lines and jokes from behind the camera. The best example of McKay's cleverness comes in an "Anchorman 2" scene between Ferrell and Rudd. Discussing breast implants, Ferrell makes the crack that they now use taco meat as the filler. Rudd retorts with some quick ideas of his own, like pudding and whipped cream. However, when McKay yells "Nickels" from off-screen, both actors get a quick chuckle at the idea of a breast being synthetically filled with a bunch of loose change.

While the first "Anchorman's" assortment of comedians helped make the movie a success, "Anchorman 2" brought in so many well-known actors the film struggled to fit them all in. Cleverly, the sequel doubled down on a famous scene from the first movie where the Channel 4 News team got into a tussle with a rival group of anchors. However, in "Anchorman 2," the fight got much bigger, involving news teams from all over the world. Each group features some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Marion Cotillard, Liam Neeson, Vince Vaughn, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, and Kanye West.

With so many funny people in one place, shooting the fight scene was understandably a rambunctious occasion. And the "Anchorman 2" bloopers do not disappoint in showing off the chaos. One outtake shows how difficult it was for Carrey to remember his Canadian news anchor name. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler obviously had an entertaining time as they couldn't help but laugh when they pulled up in a dune buggy. The entire event must have been too much for everyone, as comedy veteran Will Smith wound up crying, likely from laughing far too much.

In an unforgettable scene from the first "Anchorman," Rudd's Brian Fantana shares his secret to success with women, revealing his off-brand cologne "Sex Panther." The scene is responsible for one of the most quotable lines from either film: "Sixty percent of the time it works 100 percent of the time." So, obviously, when it came to making a sequel to "Anchorman," the writers wanted to develop a similar scene in hopes of recreating the magic.

For "Anchorman 2," Fantana's cupboard gets much larger than holding one bottle of cologne. Rather, he has an entire shrine of condoms and lubrications that he shares with the rest of the Channel 4 News team. The scene is a hysterical moment during the finalized film, but the bloopers take it up another notch. Analyzing different condoms, the actors improvise an assortment of lines around their individual purposes. The day of filming must have been an entire laugh-fest, as the performers clearly enjoyed their time exploring Fantana's special cupboard.

"Anchorman" may be one of the most beloved comedy films of the last 20 years, but it is also responsible for putting one comedic legend on the map, Carell. He joined the cast of "Anchorman" as a relatively unknown actor, as his most iconic role, Michael Scott in "The Office," wouldn't hit television screens until a year after the movie opened. Unsurprisingly, the comedian credits McKay and Ferrell for giving him a shot. "They took a chance," Carell said in a 2013 interview with The Guardian. "From there I met Judd Apatow, one of the producers, and we wrote 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' together. That led to other things, so it was an incredibly important time in my career."

Undoubtedly, Carell made the most of the opportunity, as his weatherman character Brick Tamland quickly became a fan favorite and delivered some of the film's most quotable lines. Rudd admitted in an interview with GQ that one scene with Carell made him "laugh the hardest." The moment in question involved Carell's character eating a wrap for lunch. However, the meal consisted of a used coffee filter wrapped around a cigarette butt and loose change. Not only did the bit make everyone continuously break into laughter, but the bloopers also showed Carell's difficulty choking down the makeshift wrap.

Koechner is an underrated addition to the "Anchorman" news team, his rough and raucous energy perfectly suited to being the Channel 4 sports anchor. And while the character actor has a long list of credits to his name, audiences love his role in the "Anchorman" movies the most. Koechner's performance as Champ Kind rounded out the fantastic four of Channel 4, as he uttered some of the crew's most obscene comments.

Surely, Koechner enjoyed playing the role, as Champ resembles other characters he has played. However, when it came to returning to do the "Anchorman" sequel, the actor may have gotten a little too excited. In a scene where Champ Kind embraces his old friend Ron Burgundy, the hug gets awkward and a tad aggressive. The moment is even funnier in the outtakes, as Koechner takes the uncomfortable moment further, refusing to "break the huddle" past Burgundy's comfort level and then past Ferrell's. The actor struggles to keep a straight face, especially as Koechner tells him, "Don't be weird."

The hilarity continued in the "Anchorman 2" scene in which the Channel 4 News team arrived at Burgundy's house to cheer him up. " Wrapped in a blanket and suffering from depression, Ferrell's character is completely over-the-top with his self-depreciation, much to the frustration of his friends. However, for the actors, it was easily one of the most entertaining days of filming for either of the movies.

During one outtake from the scene, Burgundy compares his torture to that of what the Elephant Man suffered. Ferrell's impression of "Do I amuse you?" instantly breaks Rudd, who can be seen laughing before Ferrell finishes delivering the line. The entire cast breaks out in laughter and struggles to get the scene back on track. Even some simple moaning and groaning prompts  Rudd, Carell, and Koechner to crack up. Director McKay can be heard offscreen joining in the fun, feeding Ferrell the famous "Elephant Man" movie line "I'm a human thing!" Of all the bloopers, Ferrell's animated imitation has his castmates laughing the loudest, and it is an outtake worth watching.

One of the funniest gags from "Anchorman 2," involved Koechner's Champ Kind leaving the anchorman business behind and opening a fried chicken restaurant. The movie explains how Kind faked an accident at work and used the settlement money to open his joint. However, in an effort to save money, Koechner's character explains that he uses bats instead of poultry, and how you can barely tell the difference.

Amusingly, Koechner was on top of using his character's situation and improvised many jokes about using other possible meats. One outtake finds Ferrell cracking up after Koechner delivers the line, "I figure after it's been in a deep fryer, it's no longer human." Even more entertaining is another collection of adlibs from the actor where he insinuates using previously deceased cats as his next fowl replacement. His improvised line, "Chicken of the freeway underpass," compelled co-stars Ferrell and Rudd to break character for multiple takes.

A blooper that consistently pops up in movie outtakes involves an actor using the wrong name during a conversation. Whether calling a co-star by their actual name or by another character's title, the slip of the tongue quickly – and often amusingly – ruins the scene. However, when on a movie set loaded with comedy geniuses like in the "Anchorman" duology, a clumsy mistake like referring to a character by the wrong name will certainly backfire.

In "Anchorman 2," Ferrell is guilty of blurting out the wrong cast member's name when sharing a scene with Koechner. Ferrell incidentally calls Koechner "Brick," a fitting name for the boisterous character, but it happens to be the first name of Carell's character. Where most actors would take the simple mistake in stride, Koechner hilariously punishes Ferrell by continuing the scene in his own improvised fashion. Koechner's character Champ Kind retorts back by exclaiming "Brick's dead!" Quick on his feet, Koechner throws Ferrell off his game and the aftermath has the entire crew splitting their sides.

By the time "Anchorman 2" rolled around in 2013, Carell was a comedy superstar. As opposed to being seen as a newcomer, Carell was at the top of his game. By 2013 he had already wrapped up his time on "The Office," led comedy films such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Evan Almighty," proved his acting chops in movies like "Little Miss Sunshine," and become an icon to children across the country as Gru in the "Despicable Me" films. Still, the A-list actor was not squeamish about reprising his role as dim-witted Brick Tamland, which started it all for him.

Entertainingly, Carell gave his return performance as the Channel 4 weatherman the same amount of ridiculousness as his first time around. Between delivering a eulogy at his own funeral to getting married to the love of his life, Brick had a far more significant role in the sequel. However, that did not mean that he was not up to his old gags. Sure, Carell's character doesn't eat another coffee filter, but the bloopers show he had just as many struggles chowing down food. One outtake shows him unable to swallow a swig of beer and spitting it all over himself, while another shows how difficult it was to eat all that fat during his Golden Star Butter commercial.

The biggest shame about bloopers is how many good jokes become unusable because an actor can't keep their composure. Sometimes a funny impromptu moment is even better than what ends up in the final film. Returning to Koechner's character Champ Kind and his unorthodox fried chicken restaurant, the actor had another scene diving into potential meats to use in place of the usual farm animal. However, this time around, Koechner gets beaten by his own joke when Rudd delivers a line that completely catches the hardened comedian off guard.

In one outtake, Champ Kind discusses his new restaurant with co-news anchor Brian Fantana. Propositioning that all food tastes the same after being deep-fried, Koechner's character asks his friend to "Name a meat." In the most Rudd response possible, Fantana replies quickly with "chicken." Out of all the many potential answers, Koechner was obviously not expecting that one. Much to our pleasure, the actor instantaneously bursts into laughter and struggles to pull it together, not only because of the outrageous answer but also thanks to Rudd's sincere delivery.

Not many performers can match Carell's level of hilarity; seven seasons on "The Office" proved that. However, when seeking someone to play opposite Carell's halfwit character Brick for "Anchorman 2," McKay knocked it out of the park by hiring "Saturday Night Live" alum Kristen Wiig. Wiig and Carell delivered an onscreen connection that was perfect, and better described as pure awkwardness. What makes their off-beat romance even more entertaining is the fact that much of their time onscreen together was completely improvised.

The bloopers released for "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" are packed to the brim with outtakes featuring Carell and Wiig making each other laugh. Like a duel of professionals at the top of their game, both Hollywood jokesters struggle to keep the scene together. Asking what each others' favorites are goes off the rails when Carell mentions his favorite food is pee and from there the laughs never stop. It would not be surprising if the short exchange took an entire day to shoot, as the performers spend as much time apologizing for their laughter as they do delivering lines.

There is another "Anchorman" star that does not get enough credit: Burgundy's loyal pet pup Baxter. Surprisingly, this furry actor was almost the reason the beloved comedy film received a more mature rating than the PG-13 version that hit theatres. Baxter appears in much of the first film, whether serving as a counseling voice for Burgundy during some of his emotional moments or being kicked off a bridge during a Jack Black cameo. The dog plays a pivotal role in the plot and in Burgundy's heart.

However, McKay revealed in the director's commentary that Baxter nearly earned "Anchorman" an R rating. The pup had a habit of revealing its genitalia, and his parts can be seen throughout the film. Apparently, the Motion Picture Association of America abides by a strict rule stating that a movie will get an instant R for more than five seconds of close-up images of male genitalia — and that includes animals! Amusingly, McKay was forced to edit out several shots of the cute, fluffy pup and his overly apparent parts.