Cheating happens in real life, unfortunately. But, given the way cheating is handled on television, one would expect that everyone is cheating. Television loves to use infidelity and affairs as a dramatic incentive. It’s hard to find a show out there that doesn’t involve cheating in some capacity.
It’s bad enough to watch your favorite couples split up over an affair, but it’s even worse when it plays out in a really cringe-worthy manner. The following list details some of the most embarrassing cheating revelations on television.
Meredith And Derek On Grey’s Anatomy
Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd first began hooking up in the pilot episode of the series. The two would go on to have one of the most influential and important relationships on the series. Even those who didn’t watch Grey’s Anatomy probably heard about Meredith and Derek. More than that, they might have realized that the two began their hookups
While Derek was still married. The infamous scene at the end of season one where Addison Montgomery shows up and introduces herself to Meredith knowing full well she’s been sleeping with her husband is still iconic and super embarrassing to this day.
Dean And Rory On Gilmore Girls
For those of us who love Gilmore Girls, it can be tough to realize that Rory Gilmore had a bit of a reputation for cheating. It all began when she hooked up with Dean Forrester while he was married to Lindsay.
The two had been broken up for some time but started to bond again in the fourth season. This culminated in them sleeping together in Rory’s room, and, to make matters worse, Lorelai caught them. Watching Rory and Lorelai get into a fight over the infidelity was rough to watch.
George and Izzie on Grey’s Anatomy
You’d be hardpressed to find fans of the series who genuinely liked the romantic relationship between George and Izzie. They were a great example of why not every male and female friendship needs to become amorous.
People liked George and Izzie’s friendship, but not so much when they started sleeping together, especially since George was married to Callie, another weird pairing. The George/Izzie/Callie triangle was one of the most cringe-worthy and awkward ones on the entire series.
Gaby And John On Desperate Housewives
Gabrielle Solis began having an affair with John, the Solis’s gardener, even before the series began. It was already suspect, to begin with, considering John was still a teenager while they were together. But it got even worse when Carlos started to catch on to the fact his wife was cheating, although he didn’t know who with.
Carlos wound up getting arrested for gay-bashing because he mistakenly threw punches at a guy he suspected who turned out to be innocent. Finally, John admitted the affair, and, when Carlos went to attack him, he missed and hit the same gay guy as before. Super cringe.
Hanna And Caleb On Pretty Little Liars
Not many people were happy about Caleb and Spencer getting together when Pretty Little Liars jumped several years into the future. Diehard fans of Hanna and Caleb were super upset to see their favorite couple split up.
That said, the two still had feelings for each other and wound up kissing behind Spencer’s back, which made things awkward between best friends Hanna and Spencer. The entire thing was a mess and no one was exactly happy about how complicated things got between the three and Toby, too.
Arizona And Lauren On Grey’s Anatomy
For a medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy had a lot of cheating subplots. One of the most memorable, and heartbreaking, happened in the ninth season when Hilarie Burton guest-starred as the attractive surgeon named Lauren Boswell. Lauren and Arizona had instant chemistry and the two wound up sleeping together.
Callie noticed Arizona’s wedding ring pinned to Lauren’s top, realizing they must have swapped scrubs and knowing what happened. It was terrible to watch Callie get cheated on for the second time on the show.
Lucas And Peyton On One Tree Hill
In season one of One Tree Hill, Lucas and Peyton had an instantaneous attraction to one another—ut then Lucas started dating Peyton’s best friend, Brooke.
Eventually, Peyton and Lucas began a secret relationship behind Brooke’s back and she happened to see them together on Peyton’s webcam. It was only the beginning of the now-infamous Peyton/Brooke/Lucas love triangle that lasted for several seasons.
Blair And Chuck On Gossip Girl
Blair and Chuck were always cheating together, or on each other, you name it. Their relationship was extremely complicated and dramatic, to say the least. One particularly memorable incident saw Blair and Chuck making out while Blair was dating Marcus.
He wound up walking in on the two of them together and took out his frustrations on Chuck. It was a rough moment to watch, as it’s always difficult to see someone get their heartbroken by watching the person they love cheating on them with someone else.
Jeremy and Anna On The Vampire Diaries
Remember the early days of The Vampire Diaries when the biggest worry they had was a few stray ghosts? Well, Jeremy certainly remembered since he wound up cheating on his girlfriend, Bonnie Bennett, with Anna, after she died.
Jeremy kissed her ghost and Bonnie found out. Even though Anna was dead, it became clear that Jeremy still had feelings for her, ending their relationship pretty quickly. It doesn’t get much more cringe-worthy than learning your significant other is cheating on you with a ghost.
Olivia And Fitz On Scandal
Olivia Pope cheated with the President of the United States on Scandal. The tempestuous and complicated relationship between Fitzgerald Grant III and Olivia was one of the most notable in the series. Fitz cheated on his wife, Mellie Grant, with Olivia for a long time.
The pair was on-again and off-again throughout the majority of the show and it resulted in a lot of awkward and embarrassing moments. The pair has its fans, but most people see them as toxic, and even abusive.
