The Non-Fat Yogurt

"The Non-Fat Yogurt"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 7
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Written by	Larry David
Production code	507
Original air date	November 4, 1993
Guest stars
Rudy Giuliani & Peter Keleghan
Season 5 episodes
September 1993 – May 1994 "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, Part 1" "The Raincoats, Part 2" "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
List of Seinfeld episodes

"The Non-Fat Yogurt" is the 71st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the seventh episode of the fifth season, and first aired on November 4, 1993.

Plot

Jerry, Elaine and George eat at a non-fat frozen yogurt shop in which Kramer has invested. The yogurt is delicious, and they (along with Newman) indulge, as it is "non-fat." When Kramer notices that Jerry and Elaine have gained weight, they become suspicious of the yogurt's contents. Elaine decides to send the yogurt to a laboratory for testing.

Meanwhile, Jerry accidentally uses the word "fuck" (which is censored) near the shop owner's son Matthew, who then starts to use the word frequently. When he tries to apologize, the boy ruins a cassette tape, (intentionally), of one of his stand-up routines, causing Jerry to curse yet again. Elaine's new beau and George's nemesis, Lloyd Braun, works as an aide to the mayor of New York City, David Dinkins, currently up for re-election against Rudy Giuliani. Elaine suggests that everyone in the city wear name tags, so that they can greet each other. Lloyd takes the idea to Dinkins, much to everyone else's ridicule. Braun eventually breaks up with Elaine; she claims that it is the fault of her weight gain from eating the yogurt.

Kramer, fearful of losing his investment, tries to sway a lab technician to falsify the analysis of the yogurt. In the process, they kiss passionately, and a sample of blood with high cholesterol falls into a test tube belonging to Rudy Giuliani. In the end, though, the lab reveals that the yogurt does, indeed, contain fat. Business plummets, especially when Giuliani receives the results of a physical claiming that he has high cholesterol. Giuliani reveals that he, too, has eaten a great deal of frozen yogurt lately, and vows to eliminate false advertising in the city. The yogurt shop now serves real non-fat yogurt which isn't as good, leaving Newman furious. The episode ends with the main characters watching Giuliani deliver his victory speech over Dinkins; the "name tag fiasco" cost him the election.

Series continuity

This is the first appearance by Lloyd Braun. He was played by Peter Keleghan. Matt McCoy would reappear as Lloyd Braun in "The Gum" and "The Serenity Now."

Production notes

As the episode was to air just days after the New York City mayoral election, the production crew's solution was to produce two different versions of the episode: one in which Dinkins won, and another in which Giuliani won. The cast would record a line mentioning Dinkins, followed by the same line, with Dinkins' name substituted with Giuliani's. After Giuliani was declared the winner, the corresponding version aired on television. Giuliani's cameo was filmed on the morning after his victory. Both versions of the episode were included on the Season Five DVD.

If Dinkins had emerged as the winner, the character of Jackie Chiles, according to Seinfeld, might not have existed. As Dinkins declined to appear in person, actor Phil Morris, who was later cast as Chiles in the seventh season, was going to be used as a spokesman for Dinkins in this episode. The table reading for "The Non-Fat Yogurt" was held on October 20, 1993.