The episode received generally mixed reviews from critics . Myles McNutt from review website The A.V. Club gave the episode a B - , saying that it was " a funny episode that managed to be only fitfully satisfying . " IGN reviewer Cindy White commented that " it 's more apparent than ever that ' Goodbye , Michael ' should have ended the season , if not the series , " and that " the show is just spinning its wheels now " . Despite this , she praised the scenes featuring Creed Bratton and James Spader , believing Bratton 's performance consisted of " the funniest scenes of the episode " , and that Spader " was given the meatiest part , gamely channeling his dominating boss role from '' Secretary '' " . White ultimately gave the episode a 6.5 / 10 , calling it " Okay " . TV Squad writer Joel Keller criticized the episode for not featuring a true plot , writing that " this felt like a series of sketches in search of a plot . " '' The Office '' co-creator Ricky Gervais also commented on the outlandishness , particularly Warren Buffett 's appearance , saying " If you 're going to jump a shark , jump a big one . " He also compared the episode to the Chris Martin episode of Gervais 's other series , '' Extras '' . The shark quote was repeated multiple times on other media outlets ; Gervais eventually commented that " I fucking did n't diss '' The Office '' , that 's for sure . " Alan Sepinwall of HitFix referred to the episode as a " bumpy , awkward , great big mess of a finale " and a " very poorly-executed sweeps stunt " . He also wrote that the guest stars " did not fit comfortably into the world of the show " . '' Entertainment Weekly '' writer Hillary Busis called the episode a " major cop out " and criticized the writers for having a whole year to figure out how to end the season , but instead waiting to announce the new manager in the fall . She ultimately concluded that " I do n't love some of the choices the show has made recently " and that " the show has just been spinning its wheels for the past several weeks " . Many critics expressed relief that Erin and Phyllis were not mother and daughter . " Search Committee " was voted the fourth lowest-rated episode out of 24 from the seventh season , according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally ; the episode was rated 6.93 out of 10 . In another poll , " Search Committee " was voted the thirteenth-highest rated episode out of 24 from the seventh season , according to a " Survivor " poll by OfficeTally . Jim Carrey later received a nomination for " Favorite TV Guest Star " at the 38th People 's Choice Awards
38th People 's Choice Awards
38th People's Choice Awards
Search Committee