“WHEN ONE MAN CAN BREAK A WHOLE STAGE WITH JUST A LOOK.”  There’s something wickedly funny about watching Tim Conway decide, out of nowhere, that he’s going to ruin a perfectly normal sketch. He doesn’t shout or make a big move — he just… pauses. Stares. Coughs at the worst time. And suddenly Carol Burnett is standing next to him, shaking like someone trying not to laugh in church. You can see it in her eyes — she’s begging him to behave. But Tim keeps nudging, pushing, testing her with every tiny “mistake.” By the end, the audience is howling, Carol’s wiping tears, and Tim sits there calm as ever… like he didn’t just blow up the entire scene on purpose.

Comedy Sabotage — Tim Conway Turns Disaster Into Gold as “The World’s Worst Scene Partner”

When it comes to breaking his castmates, no one did it better — or more diabolically — than Tim Conway. In The Carol Burnett Show’s infamous “World’s Worst Scene Partner” sketch, Conway transforms a simple rehearsal into an unforgettable meltdown of laughter and chaos.

The setup is classic: Carol Burnett is trying to deliver a heartfelt dramatic scene. Tim, her “partner,” is supposed to respond seriously — but instead, he’s living in a completely different sketch. He forgets lines, interrupts with bizarre ad-libs, and drags out awkward pauses so long that even the silence becomes a punchline.

Harvey Korman’s shoulders are the first to shake. Carol bites her lip, trying desperately not to break as Tim coughs mid-line, misreads his cue, or stares blankly into space like he’s forgotten where he is entirely. Every tactic is intentional — and every one is hilarious.

By the end, the scene is no longer a scene at all. It’s a free-fall into uncontrollable laughter, the audience roaring as Carol completely gives up trying to act through Tim’s comedic sabotage.

It’s a perfect showcase of Conway’s quiet genius — the way he could turn one missed cue into a masterpiece of live comedy. No one in television history derailed a sketch more beautifully, or made failure feel so gloriously funny.

Tim Conway wasn’t just the world’s worst scene partner — he was everyone’s favorite one to lose control around.