'The Office': Sadly, that was not a Steve Carell cameo in 'Trivia'

It sounded almost too good to be true: Steve Carell, who left "The Office" last year, may have sneaked his way into last week's episode virtually unnoticed.

Some fans of the show noticed that a hirsute gentleman in the Jan. 12 episode, "Trivia," looked rather like Carell wearing a big fake beard. The New York Post and others then picked up on the idea. (The guy in question is the green plaid shirt in the photo; he was a member of the "Queerenstein Bears" trivia team.)

Alas, like lots of things that seem too good to be true, this wasn't. A rep for "The Office" confirms to Zap2it that the man is not Carell. Whoever it is does, however, bear more than a passing likeness to him.

If (or when) "The Office" decides the time is right for Carell to make a return appearance, we kind of like the idea of an unannounced cameo. That probably wouldn't happen -- there's no way NBC lets such an easy promotional opportunity go by -- but it would be rather fun.