Growing up with Gilmore Girls as a teen or adolescent (or, hey, maybe revisiting them in our 20s), it was easy to pick which guys were meant to be with Lorelai and Rory and which didn’t stack up. Over seven seasons (although the last one was a disappointment to say the least), we go to see these characters grow, fall in love, and maybe find the love that was in front of them all along.
For Rory Gilmore especially, fans are divided into three camps (Team Jess, Team Dean, and Team Logan), while it seems there was really only one man Lorelai was meant to be with. But what about the other characters on the show, and the guys they fell for? We’re ranking all the GG boyfriends from worst to best (but we’re leaving out the revival, because it’s best ignored). Agree or disagree?
15 Marty Lied To Lucy
When Marty was just “The Naked Guy” Rory found outside her dorm hallway and when they bonded over the Marx brothers, he was great! Cut to later when he’s dating Rory’s friend Lucy and pretending he doesn’t know who Rory is, and we have a problem. Hiding his friendship with Rory from Lucy because he still had feelings for the former is a crappy move.
14 Asher Was A Creep
Sorry, but there’s no way Professor Asher Fleming wasn’t a total skeeze. Not only was he hitting on Paris – who, by the way, was just 19 at the time they got together and a freshman to boot – but he allegedly had done so with numerous other young coeds prior! Their relationship was mired in secrecy that saw Paris cheat on Jamie, and we can’t forgive it.
13 Logan Had Zero Personal Growth
Sorry #TeamLogan fans, but this guy was the definition of a gross frat boy who refuses to grow up. He did everything with a smirk and spiked hair and really went out of his way to treat Rory like crap, especially in the beginning. He was a bad influence who didn’t defend Rory to his family and he didn’t grow up when we revisited him in 2016.
12 Christopher Never Made Up His Mind
Like Logan, Christopher was a total man-child. He could never seem to decide if he wanted to be in Rory’s life or not and only showed up long enough to mess with Lorelai’s head before running off again. The wedding in Paris was a bit of poor writing and we never really understood Lorelai’s attachment to him.
11 Zach Lacked Chemistry With Lane
To his credit, Zach did grow up in the later seasons from a partying guitarist to a husband and father who seemed really psyched about his situation. However, he just wasn’t good enough for Lane, especially after Dave Rygalski. Zach was fine, but he wasn’t nearly as special (and it’s hard not to compare).
10 Dean Tried To Change Rory
Dean started out as a sweet boyfriend, going to Rory’s school dances and building her a car, but then he became needy and controlling. Sure, he knew that Rory was slipping away, but he just held on tighter. If a girl is always worried about making her boyfriend upset in any conversation, it is not a healthy relationship.
9 Alex Was Fine, But Forgettable
If you’ve forgotten about Alex, a character who kind of faded out of Lorelai’s life, you’re forgiven. He was a nice guy and the couple bonded over coffee and Lorelai even tried to learn to fish for him, but it wasn’t enough spark for a lengthy TV romance. He was nice, but unexciting.
8 Jason Understood The Gilmore World
Jason was a weird dude with a weird dog who was very particular about things, but he understood Lorelai’s world and got her references. These two had a fun, banter-y relationship, and it was unfortunate that it was cut short when Jason was essentially forced to sue Richard. Had that not happened, these two might have gone the distance!
7 Jess Gave Us Excellent Bad Boy Vibes
The character with the most growth between the show and the revival had to be Jess, but we’ll discuss the former. He challenged Rory intellectually and got her back on her feet not once but twice! He had his jerky moments, but he seemed to genuinely love and care about her without trying to make her into someone she wasn’t.
6 Jamie Wasn’t Enough For Paris
Paris is a strong, confident woman and most guys would be afraid of that – but not Jamie. Jamie wooed Paris with planned dinners (using the Zagat guide!) and she ended up tossing him aside for old Asher. Jamie was nothing but sweet and thoughtful and he deserved better than how he was treated.
5 Max Was A Hopeless Romantic
Dating a woman with a kid comes with its own set of responsibilities and Max was more than willing. He bonded with Rory, Dean, Lane, and Lorelai in a way none of Lorelai’s other boyfriends did. Proposing with 1000 yellow daisies was such a grand romantic gesture! It’s only because Lorelai knew her heart belonged elsewhere that these two didn’t work, because Max was great.
4 Doyle Appreciated Paris
If Jamie could handle Paris, then Doyle was there to give back as good as he got. Despite the fact that he made Paris editor of the paper (which in hindsight was not a smart decision), Doyle never tried to make Paris less than who she was. We were sad to see them divorcing in the revival.
3 Luke Loved Lorelai No Matter What
Luke watched boyfriends come and go and still stuck around. He was a father figure to Rory more than her actual dad was and was able to provide Lorelai with unconditional love and support. He even resorted to self-help books to finally get the girl! The April storyline aside, Luke slowly but surely won Lorelai over (the audience was already there).
2 Jackson Complemented Sookie Perfectly
Sookie may not have had many relationships (as Lorelai meanly pointed out), but it’s just because the universe was holding out to give her Jackson. Silly and appreciative of her interests, Jackson was a gold-star of a boyfriend who was always all in with Sookie when it came to their life and future together.
1 Dave Was Meant To Be With Lane
It’s the greatest tragedy of Gilmore Girls that Adam Brody had to leave for The O.C. and deprive us of Lane’s obvious future with Dave Rygalski. From posing as a Christian singer to staying up all night reading the Bible, Dave did whatever it took to win Lane’s mom over. That level of dedication earns him the #1 spot.
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