diff --git a/combo/apps/search/models.py b/combo/apps/search/models.py
index f35e0867..4859c4a6 100644
--- a/combo/apps/search/models.py
+++ b/combo/apps/search/models.py
@@ -157,7 +157,13 @@ class SearchCell(CellBase):
         kwargs['without_user'] = True
         # don't send error traces on HTTP errors
         kwargs['log_errors'] = 'warn'
-        results = requests.get(url, **kwargs).json()
+
+        response = requests.get(url, **kwargs)
+        try:
+            results = response.json()
+        except ValueError:
+            return render_response(service)
+
         if service.get('data_key'):
             results['data'] = results.get(service['data_key']) or []
         hit_templates = {}
diff --git a/tests/test_search.py b/tests/test_search.py
index 2ee67ebd..d1105961 100644
--- a/tests/test_search.py
+++ b/tests/test_search.py
@@ -113,6 +113,21 @@ def test_search_cell(app):
             assert resp.text.count('<li>') == 1
             assert '<li><a href="http://test">barbarbar</a>' in resp.text
 
+            # search engine does not return valid JSON
+            class FakedResponse(mock.Mock):
+                def json(self):
+                    return json.loads(self.content)
+            requests_get.return_value = FakedResponse(content='notjson', status_code=200)
+            resp = app.get('/ajax/search/%s/search_alternate_key/?q=bar' % cell.pk, status=200)
+            assert requests_get.call_args[0][0] == 'http://www.example.net/search/?q=bar'
+            assert '<li>' not in resp.text
+            assert 'no result found' in resp.text
+            requests_get.return_value = FakedResponse(content='500withbadjson', status_code=500)
+            resp = app.get('/ajax/search/%s/search_alternate_key/?q=foo' % cell.pk, status=200)
+            assert requests_get.call_args[0][0] == 'http://www.example.net/search/?q=foo'
+            assert '<li>' not in resp.text
+            assert 'no result found' in resp.text
+
         with override_settings(TEMPLATE_VARS=TEMPLATE_VARS):
             cell._search_services = {'data': ['search_tmpl']}
             cell.save()