Modern Family: Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Goofy Street Dance Surprised The Producers

With the number of hijinks that go on in "Modern Family," it shouldn't come as a surprise that the cast had quite a bit of fun on set, even surprising the crew. In fact, one moment that stands out to the producers was by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell Pritchett. In an interview with Futoncritic, executive producer Danny Zuker was asked if the cast still surprised him well into, what was at the time, the show's third season. He spoke about a scene in "Leap Day," with Mitch and Cam, when the former is trying to distract his partner. In the episode, Mitch plans an elaborate "Wizard of Oz" surprise party for Cam (Eric Stonestreet), but a tornado in Cam's hometown spoils the theme. In an effort to come up with a new party, Mitch tries to stall Cam — and this plan includes an improvised, hilarious dance.

"I'm watching [Mitchell] in the driveway of that house distracting Cameron and he starts doing this dance, it's the goofiest dance, and probably we have like 30 minutes of footage. Well, it was the funniest thing but it was utterly surprising." Zuker said. He added that Ferguson is known for being funny on set, but as Zuker wrote the episode and the dance wasn't specifically scripted, it caught him off guard. the dance caught him off guard. "...it's one of my favorite moments in the series even. Because he's so...there's so much joy in that stuff.

The sudden dance is even funnier, given that Mitch is known to be the more stuffy one in the relationship. As a result, his spontaneity can appear out of character. Though he did join a flash mob in the prior season, Mitch's uptight attitude makes it seem like a one-time deal, and it's surprising that he would ever break out into dance again. 

However, seeing his cute and panic-induced effort to distract Cam actually makes him more relatable. Not many people can say that've participated in a flash mob, but they can probably admit that they've done something incredibly goofy, particularly when faced with a stressful situation. As a result, Ferguson's spur-of-the-moment jig works to make Mitch more real. Though he has a certain Type-A personality, circumstances can bring a new layer to him — and, therefore, make him an even more hilarious, relatable member of the extended Pritchett family.