The Stall

"**The Stall**"
"The Stall"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 12
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry Charles
Production code	512
Original air date	January 6, 1994
Guest appearances
	Jami Gertz as Jane; Dan Cortese as Tony;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Conversion"	Next →; "The Dinner Party"
	Seinfeld season 5
	List of episodes

Last updated November 19, 2025

"The Stall" is the 76th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld . It is the 12th episode of the fifth season, and first aired on January 6, 1994.^[1] In this episode, Jerry's girlfriend Jane refuses to share toilet paper with Elaine from the next stall over; Kramer suspects Jane is a phone sex operator; and Elaine dates a "mimbo" who gets injured while rock climbing with George and Kramer.

Plot

Elaine and Jerry, at a movie with their respective dates Tony and Jane, fail to meet up. Elaine and Jane sit in neighboring bathroom stalls. Elaine has no toilet paper, but Jane refuses her pleadings to "spare a square" or even one ply, and leaves Elaine to her fate. After hearing both Jane and Elaine vent over the incident, Jerry connects the dots. He realizes Elaine will recognize Jane's "flinty" voice if they all go on a double date they planned.

Meanwhile, Kramer uses Jerry's phone to prank call a phone sex line as "Andre". As he confuses the operator, "Erica", Jerry listens in and thinks she sounds familiar. Jerry is perturbed when Kramer calls Jane's voice "flinty" as well.

Elaine denies that she is superficial for dating Tony, who is an airheaded hunk—a "mimbo"—and an adrenaline junkie. George has become Tony's groupie, copying his backwards baseball cap and looking for any excuse to hang out. He eagerly offers to make sandwiches to go rock climbing together, but becomes jealous when Kramer also gets invited. George gushes over being friends with a "cool guy", and takes offense when Kramer suggests he is in love.

Halfway up a rock face, Kramer fearlessly rappels around George, who is frozen in terror and clings to Kramer's leg. Kramer makes George yodel for comfort, and also secure Tony's belay rope, but George lets go while getting a sandwich for Tony. Tony falls and lands face-first on a rock.

At Jerry's, Jane refuses to spare a napkin for him while eating. Elaine arrives, and Jerry urgently disguises Jane's voice by making her chew too many pieces of gum. He claims that this makes her too eccentric for the double date. Kramer and George arrive sheepishly to break the bad news. Elaine finds Tony's face heavily bandaged, and desperately probes whether he will suffer deformities. Elaine does not let George in to apologize, and Tony cuts him loose. Conveniently for Jerry, the double date is called off.

Kramer meets Jane, and is immediately sure that her voice is "Erica"'s. At Monk's, Elaine admits that she only cares about Tony's looks, but wonders if she can learn the true meaning of love. Kramer asks "Erica" to meet at Monk's, and Jane arrives, causing Jerry to jump to conclusions. Jane takes offense, but Elaine recognizes her voice when she refuses to spare any tissue. Elaine beats Jane to the bathroom and steals all the toilet paper, then refuses Jane's begging from the next stall.

After extricating herself, Jane dumps Jerry and also Kramer—in "Erica"'s voice.

Production

Larry Charles got the idea for the toilet paper argument from a Dear Abby letter.^[2] Actor Michael Richards said the episode contained one of his biggest regrets from Seinfeld. Immediately after filming, he realized that the rock climbing scene had great potential for physical comedy, which his performance neglected to tap into.^[2]

The resolution to Tony's story was deleted before broadcast: Elaine is relieved that Tony's face came through unscathed, but, while rock climbing, he notices a pimple on her face and dumps her, then leaves. Unable to descend by herself, Elaine begins desperately yodeling.^[3]

References

↑ "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 2, 2021.
1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Stall" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
↑ Seinfeld The Complete Series Season 5 (Blu-ray). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2024.

External links

"The Stall" at IMDb

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 5 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[InsLook-2] 1 2 Seinfeld Season 5: Inside Look - "The Stall" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[BD-3] Seinfeld The Complete Series Season 5 (Blu-ray). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2024.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode

The Stall

Contents

Plot

Production

References

External links