'The Office' stars unpack the hilarious CPR scene in 'Stress Relief'

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive! Stayin' alive!"
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
'The Office' stars unpack the hilarious CPR scene in 'Stress Relief'

Stanley Hudson is stayin' alive, people.

In the memorable cold open of the Season 5 episode, "Stress Relief," fans saw how Dwight's fake fire drill led to Stanley's collapse. But after the smoke cleared and Stanley returned to work, Michael made it his mission to ensure if Stanley was ever in need of medical assistance again his co-workers could assist.

How? They all had to attend CPR training, which led to one of the funniest scenes in the history of the show.

On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey unpacked that glorious CPR scene, which featured a trainer (played by Robin Lynch), a CPR dummy, and an impromptu sing/dance along to "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.

Here are some glorious tidbits you may not know about the beloved "Stress Relief" CPR scene:

The amazing CPR trainer

"I reached out to Allison Jones [Office casting director] and she said she found Robin through just a general casting call, and that Robin was by far the best person that they saw for the role," Fischer said.

"She just plays it so perfectly straight. She's there to teach CPR. This office goes off the rails and she just tries to stay the course," Kinsey added, explaining she tried to slide into Lynch's Instagram DMs to chat but never heard back.

Pitching a fake CPR scene that helped save real lives

A fan wrote in to ask Fischer and Kinsey if any part of the hilarious scene was improvised, and Fischer said, "No, guys. This whole thing, all the singing, the dancing, it was all scripted. And we followed this scene pretty much as written."

She then explained she found out who pitched the idea: writer Jen Celotta.

"This whole 'Staying Alive' CPR idea came from her. She said that she had heard it was true. She looked it up and cross checked it. She said she cross checked it again because she didn't want to put it on TV unless it was true," Fischer said.

Via Giphy

"And then she shared with me that before The Office she had been a writer's assistant on Home Improvement and that the writers had done an episode where the Jonathan Taylor Thomas' character found a lump on his throat. And it turned out that it was a thyroid issue in the episode. And Jen said that she was later in charge of opening the mail. And they got letters from all of these families that said after watching that episode, it helped save their children's lives because their children had thyroid lumps. And because of the episode, they got it checked out," Fishcer continued.

Since the "Stress Relief" episode aired, there have been reports of people who used CPR skills learned from The Office to save lives.

Dwight vs. the dummy

The scene is all fun and games until Dwight takes things too far and cut's the face off of the CPR dummy and wears it as a mask.

"I know for sure Rainn really did cut into it because we watched him do it," Kinsey said.

Via Giphy

"Randy [Cordray, line producer] said we used three CPR mannequins in total," Fischer added. "Now, in a minute, David Wallace is going to say that they cost thirty five hundred dollars each. But Randy said that was a little exaggerated. He said there are some top-end dummies that come with very sophisticated features like articulating heads and heartbeat simulators. Those cost, at the time, around $1,000 dollars each. But we used one that cost about $750 each."

That may seem like a lot of money, but it's nothing compared to the $12,000 fake cat that Angela tossed into the ceiling during the cold open.

Be sure to listen to the full podcast to learn more delightful behind-the-scenes stories from filming "Stress Relief: Part 1."

You can stream episodes of The Office on Peacock and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

How to watch 'Love Island: All Stars' online for free
Love Island promotional shot


'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' star Tom Vaughan-Lawlor breaks down that phlegm scene
A man sits at a desk in a dark room, eating while he works.

'Bridgerton' Season 4 Part 2 trailer teases a steamy bath scene
Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha in 'Bridgerton.'

More in Entertainment
The Shark FlexStyle is our favorite Dyson Airwrap dupe, and it's $160 off at Amazon right now
The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System against a colorful background.

Amazon's sister site is having a one-day sale, and this Bissell TurboClean deal is too good to skip
A woman using the Bissell TurboClean Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner Mop and Lightweight Wet/Dry Vacuum.

The best smartwatch you've never heard of is on sale for less than $50
Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro in light green with blue and green abstract background

Reddit r/all takes another step into the grave
Reddit logo on phone screen


Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

The Earth is glowing in new Artemis II pictures of home
One half of the Earth is seen floating in space through the open door of the Orion spacecraft.


NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!