Looking Back on 10 Best ‘Nathan for You’ Moments Ahead of ‘The Rehearsal’ (VIDEO)
After a five-year hiatus, a new Nathan Fielder series is coming to our TV screens. In HBO‘s The Rehearsal, premiering July 15, his classic cringe comedy goes metaphysical.
The show’s premise is quite similar to Nathan For You, the Comedy Central docuseries in which Fielder helped struggling businesses out in not-so-practical ways. In The Rehearsal, Fielder lends a helping hand once again, but this time he does so by making his clients a plan and, well, rehearsing it. Given that the shows seems to follow a nearly identical formula — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — we thought we’d take a look back at some of Nathan for You’s most entertaining moments as we prepare for the laughs, tears, and cringeworthy moments The Rehearsal will undoubtedly bring.
Unconventionally Flavored Frozen Yogurt
It just feels right to begin this list with one of the most quintessential Nathan for You moments. In the first half of the series premiere, Fielder helps a frozen yogurt shop by introducing a realistic poop flavor. (Makes sense.) From when Fielder first has the flavor taste-tested to when it’s introduced and people actually try it, the poop fro-yo incident is a Nathan For You classic.
Tender Moment With a Drunk Man
One of the best things about Fielder’s approach to comedy is that, somehow, it always seems to lead to unexpectedly real and tender moments. In a ploy to reduce drunk driving by using close-up magic, Fielder ends up having one of those emotional moments with a very inebriated man he helps home from the bar and tucks into bed.
Job Interview
Although the trailer for The Rehearsal didn’t show any kids, there were more than a couple Nathan For You episodes that required children either for a plan or because they were the target customers. In this case, Fielder lets a seven-year-old with a lot of confidence — a trait he lacks — tell him what to say during a job interview. Spoiler alert: He doesn’t land the job.
Bad Bill Gates Impersonator
Fielder is unmatched when it comes to finding folks with extremely niche talents, a strength that will undoubtedly appear on The Rehearsal. One of the most fun people to make a guest appearance on Nathan For You is a not-so-accurate Bill Gates impersonator that Fielder hires to entertain a party. Unfortunately, his audience is quite small, as only Nathan and one other person show up to the gathering.
Viral Petting Zoo
Fielder’s antics, as you may expect, have led to some very viral moments. In a ploy to help a struggling petting zoo, the comedian goes to the extreme to fake a cute animal stunt — and it pays off. This success leads to this telling nugget of wisdom from Fielder: “For a moment I felt bad because it wasn’t real. But then I realized that that didn’t matter.”
The Funeral Ringer
If you’ve never seen The Wedding Ringer, it’s a movie about a man (Kevin Hart) that friendless people can hire to be in their wedding party. In an unforgettable episode, Fielder takes this idea and applies it to funerals. (Yes, funerals.) The trial run for the funeral ringers spirals out of control, ending with a musical number written by Fielder himself.
Mall Santa
In an unexpectedly emotional moment, Fielder gets kicked out of a mall for illegally setting up a meet and greet with Santa Claus in the middle of the summer. Because of course he did.
Dumb Starbucks
In this episode, instead of a cute animal video, Fielder goes viral for his unconventional use of parody law. What begins with the comedian attempting to help out a small café ends with him opening up a parody Starbucks, which he ever-so-creatively names “Dumb Starbucks.” Now one of his most well-known — and infamous — stunts, Dumb Starbucks was an international sensation.
The Diarrhea Times
A hallmark of Fielder’s comedy is getting so deep into one of his “plans” that both he and the audience lose sight of the original goal. This is one of those times. In this episode, Fielder starts a newspaper called The Diarrhea Times because… it’s a long story. You’ll just have to watch to see why:
Claw of Shame
While the infamous “Claw of Shame” episode strays the most from Nathan For You’s format, it is perhaps the stunt Fielder is most known for. He risks becoming a sex offender — yes, you read that right — in one of the most stupid but also most hilarious TV events of all time.
Nathan for You, Streaming Now, HBO Max, Hulu & Paramount+
The Rehearsal, Series Premiere, Friday, July 15, HBO
Nathan for You where to stream
