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26 Controversial TV Cheating Plots That Almost Caused People To Stop Watching Their Favorite Shows

"Shoulda known a cheater stays a cheater."

Kelly Martinez
by Kelly Martinez

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV cheating plots made them really angry. Here are some of their responses:

Spoilers ahead!

1. First, when Blaine cheated on Kurt on Glee.

Blaine tells Kurt he needed him and was lonely, Kurt: "You don't think that I've been lonely?"
Fox

"It was SO out of character and totally unnecessary."

—sksouthwick

2. When Alex left Jo for Izzie on Grey's Anatomy.

Alex's note to Jo: "I love you, but I'm in love with Izzie"
ABC

"I don’t know if it's classified as cheating since it’s so complicated, but I've never been so mad about a TV storyline before. They completely ruined Alex's character and all his development just because the writers needed to write him off. It made no sense at all."

—aljr02

3. When Rory and Dean had an affair while he was married on Gilmore Girls.

Lorelai to Rory: "He's not your Dean, he's Lindsay's Dean, you're the other woman"
The WB

"Dean cheating on his wife and Rory refusing to admit any wrongdoing made me so mad."

—chaaaaaaaaaaazy

4. When Archie and Betty kissed and had an emotional affair while they were still dating Veronica and Jughead on Riverdale.

Betty tells Archie she loves Jughead and knows he loves Veronica, so it has to end between them
The CW

"It was pointless, came out of nowhere, and angered a lot of people."

—carolinebecker05

5. When Arizona cheated on Callie with Lauren after the plane crash on Grey's Anatomy.

ABC

"It was so out of character for Arizona, especially since she and Callie had strengthened their relationship a lot after the crash."

—patsfan10

6. When Carrie cheated on Aidan with Big on Sex and the City.

HBO

"She cheated on Aidan with Big, then decided she wanted Aidan back, and then she invited Big to their couples retreat!"

—taylora4e62a0521

7. When Owen cheated on Cristina after she had an abortion on Grey's Anatomy.

Owen tells Cristina he's not cheating on her with Emily but that he did cheat on her
ABC

"His character was at least bearable before, but after that, I lost all respect for Owen. He already knew Cristina didn't want children. He just cheated because he was a piece of garbage."

—zarinat3

8. When Dylan cheated on Brenda with Kelly on Beverly Hills, 90210.

Brenda sees Dylan and Kelly kissing: "Oh my god"
Fox

"It's been years and it still makes me mad."

—rachelsporyh

9. When Callie caught her boyfriend AJ kissing another girl on The Fosters.

Callie watches from a distance as AJ and girl kiss on basketball court
Freeform

"I always thought he was such a good guy, but that plot totally changed my view of his character."

—opalsocean

10. When Ted cheated on Victoria with Robin while she was away in Europe on How I Met Your Mother.

Ted and Robin kissing and about to hook up
CBS

"Ted could justify it all he liked by saying Robin was the ‘one,’ but it was still a dick move."

—cbrodon

11. When Andie cheated on Pacey while she was away at the treatment center on Dawson's Creek.

Andie says she knew immediately after hooking up with Marc that it was wrong
The WB

"The writers really tried to ruin her character before her send-off."

—garretta467a83be1

12. When Omar cheated on Ander with his sister's boyfriend, all while Ander was going through chemotherapy on Elite.

Omar asks Malick to hook up, "Ander isn't here"
Netflix

"It's probably like beating a dead horse at this point, but I absolutely hate the whole storyline. Omar and Ander were great together and it just felt unnecessary to add that drama on top of everything."

—mo2758

13. When Lucas cheated on Brooke with Peyton twice on One Tree Hill.

Lucas lets it slip that he and Peyton kissed again during the school shooting
The WB

"The first time was awful, but the second time was worse because Brooke and Lucas had really developed their relationship by that point and he had made a big deal of saying he was 'the guy for her.'"

—lindsaycasey

14. When Hyde slept with someone else just because he thought Jackie still had feelings for Kelso on That '70s Show.

Fox

"It was such a heartbreaking and infuriating episode. Their relationship wasn't the same for a long time after that."

—colleend9

15. When Rory and Logan had an affair while she had a boyfriend and he was engaged on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Lorelai says she thought Logan was engaged to a French heiress and Rory casually replies that he is
Netflix

"I never liked Logan anyway, but that whole affair was awful. Every time I watch the revival, I'm like, 'Damn girl, have some self-respect and leave Logan already.'"

—s463b03bd4

16. When Xander and Willow cheated on Cordelia and Oz with each other on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Xander and Willow make out as they believe they're about to die, Cordelia and Oz walk in on them
The WB

"Xander ruined everything and broke Cordelia's heart for no good reason. That dude has been dead to me ever since."

—alicatlongbottom

17. When Wade cheated on Zoe on Hart of Dixie.

Wade says it meant nothing and asks Zoe to please say something, she responds, "What do you want me to say?"
The CW

"I absolutely loved that show, but I stopped watching entirely when that happened. The drama was so unnecessary and it just felt like lazy writing."

—meganmckenney

18. When Cory had a thing with another girl on the ski lodge trip on Boy Meets World.

Cory and Linda kiss
ABC

"I know the girl technically kissed him and Cory chose Topanga in the end, but the way it was written still made it feel like cheating. It just tainted Cory and Topanga's connection for me — they already had enough drama as a couple."

—hiitsnicetomeetyou

19. When Emily and Gabriel developed feelings for each other and eventually hooked up even though Gabriel had been dating her friend Camille on Emily in Paris.

Netflix

"Camille was such a nice person and didn't deserve that."

—e40aafdf8b

20. When Craig cheated on Ashley with Manny on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Ashley confronts Craig after finding out he slept with Manny
CTV

"He made me feel bad for ASHLEY, and I don't know how anyone could feel bad for Ashley."

—emihaha13

21. When Serena slept with two of Blair's boyfriends on Gossip Girl.

The CW

"She slept with her best friend's boyfriend not once, but twice! I know she and Nate were drunk when they hooked up, but then she slept with Dan just to hurt Blair. I really lost the little respect I had for Serena's character after that."

—olivia354300

22. When Jane cheated on Spinner with Declan on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Jane kisses Declan
CTV

"It was so unnecessary and completely out of character for Jane."

—emily2605

23. When Zeek had an affair on Parenthood.

Camille says Zeek cheated because he looked at her and couldn't see her anymore
NBC

"It happened in the first season before we were even emotionally invested in Zeek and Camille's relationship and it was difficult to care about. It was never even brought up again after this season and made no damn sense."

—marchsunshine100

24. When Spencer cheated on Teddy on Good Luck Charlie.

Disney

"Honestly, I’m still pissed about this. He cheated and tried to cover his tracks by telling both girls that the other one was his cousin?! And then Teddy still took him back? Yeah, it’s a no from me."

—missk101km

25. When Madeline cheated on Ed with Joseph on Big Little Lies.

Madeline says her cheating was about her, not Ed
HBO

"It wasn't in the book, and it was so unnecessary to add to the show. I stopped watching because of it."

—wgolden130

26. And finally, the whole "We were on a BREAK" mess between Ross and Rachel on Friends.

NBC

"Were they on a break? Yes. Was it still messed up to sleep with someone else immediately after? Also yes."

—mandelam

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.