Friends: Ross’ Girlfriends, Ranked By Compatibility

Ross Geller is best known as one half of Friends’ most iconic couple. However, Rachel wasn’t the only one of Ross’ girlfriends on the show. Over 10 seasons, Ross dated a total of twelve women, and he even married three of them.

Something of a loveable goofball, Ross’ many trials and tribulations in the world of romance were a major part of what made the show so relatable and rewatchable. While Ross was compatible with many of his girlfriends, there were some that weren’t a good fit. Of course, every fan of the series knows with whom he was most compatible.

Updated on January 6th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: As is the case with many sitcoms of the era, romance and intimate relationships are a huge part of Friends. Every major character had multiple romantic flings both short and long-term, but Ross’ dating life was arguably the most interesting. From a woman who only wanted to manipulate him to his true love, these are all of Ross’ girlfriends listed according to compatibility.

12 Jill

Jill is definitely the least compatible—and potentially the worst—of Ross’ girlfriends. Played by Friends guest star Reese Witherspoon, Jill’s motives when it comes to dating Ross are completely self-serving.

She pretends to be interested in him and even share some of his interests because she wants to get back at her big sister Rachel. Ross doesn’t know the full extent of Jill’s manipulation right away, and it’s really unfair to him to be caught in the middle of an argument between sisters. Ross might make some bad decisions in his dating life, but he never intentionally uses someone.

11 Elizabeth

Elizabeth was a very sweet girl, but this was an incredibly problematic pairing. In fact, she was one of Ross’ students when the pair met during the show’s sixth season. They started dating after the semester ended. However, given the wide age gap and the way they met, this pairing never seemed quite right—and, in the end, that’s what did the relationship in.

Ross was an adult with a career and a young son. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was still a college student. Had Elizabeth been a few years older or not in his class, things might have been different, but, when they met, Elizabeth wasn’t yet mature enough for Ross, and there was a difficult power dynamic at first, making her one of the most ill-fitting of Ross’s girlfriends.

10 Chloe

Chloe and Ross don’t technically date. Rather, they have one night together. Yes, Chloe is the infamous woman from the copy place with the belly button ring that the guys talk about. She’s the person Ross spends the night with while on his “break” from Rachel.

The audience doesn’t really get to know her very well, but, other than the two being attracted to one another, it doesn’t seem like there’s much else there. They don’t try to really date or get to know each other at all. The audience will never know if that’s the right call or if she had the potential to be a fitting match for him.

9 Janie

Throughout Friends, Janice was frequently on-again, off-again with Chandler. But, when she showed up in season 5, it was after hooking up with Ross. Ross was having a hard time after learning his ex-wife Emily was getting remarried, and he actually appreciated Janice’s willingness to lend a sympathetic ear.

Although Ross would have continued to date her, it was Janice who ultimately broke things off. Janice may have been known as a grating, annoying character, but Ross’ whining was so incessant that even she couldn’t put up with it. The two of them would have annoyed one another too much long term.

8 Bonnie

Bonnie was the first girl Ross dated after he and Rachel broke up in Friends’ third season. Phoebe set the duo up, and, to Ross’ surprise, he really liked Bonnie—and it’s no wonder; Bonnie was a lot of fun. She was outgoing, uninhibited, and very unlike Rachel or any of the other women Ross had dated.

However, it was clear from the beginning the relationship wasn’t built to last. Ross still wasn’t completely over Rachel, so, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he broke up with Bonnie to get back together—albeit very briefly—with her.

7 Cheryl

Cheryl had a lot going for her. Not only was she exceptionally attractive, but she was also a paleontologist which made her surprisingly compatible with Ross. There was just one huge problem; she was messy—and not just typical messy. She was apartment-covered-in-trash messy.

Ross attempted to get over it because everything else about Cheryl was pretty fantastic. Unfortunately, Cheryl’s dirty lifestyle ended up being a deal-breaker, and, since Cheryl seemed unwilling to consider the idea of maybe cleaning up a bit, it was probably for the best.

6 Charlie

In many ways, Charlie was a great fit for Ross. She was a fellow paleontology professor and his intellectual equal. Yet, she didn’t really seem to know what she wanted in her personal life.

Ross wanted to ask her out when they first met in season 9, but, instead, she started dating Joey. She then dumped Joey for Ross and eventually dumped Ross to get back together with her ex. If she was more certain about who she wanted to be with, it’s possible things could have worked out—or, at least, Ross could have avoided getting hurt.

5 Emily

Many Friends fans hated Emily, who Ross met and married in season 4. It was so soon after Ross’ breakup with Rachel that jumping into such a serious relationship so fast seemed like a betrayal of what he had with her. Yet, in fairness to Emily, none of that was her fault. Some Friends fans might have wanted the story cut altogether, but others think it should have played out farther down the line.

Emily clearly loved and supported Ross. She even agreed to move to New York to be with him. It’s true that, after Ross said Rachel’s name at their wedding, Emily became controlling, and her requirement that Ross never see Rachel again was unreasonable. Given the circumstances, though, her reaction was understandable.

4 Mona

Ross met Mona at Monica and Chandler’s wedding and managed to win her affections soon afterward. Unfortunately, their relationship also coincided with Ross learning that Rachel was pregnant with his child. Because of everything that was going on in his life, Ross was constantly forgetting about Mona or failing to tell her the truth about what was going on.

After Rachel moved into Ross’ apartment and Ross lied to her about it, Mona finally dumped him. It really was a shame, though; of all Ross’ girlfriends, Mona seemed most tolerant of all his quirky habits. Plus, she enjoyed the inane facts he would periodically spout. If the timing had been different, these two might have really had something.

3 Carol

Carol was Ross’ first wife. When Friends started, they had just broken up because Carol had recently come out as a lesbian. While Carol ended up with Susan, the fact that she was already pregnant with Ross’ baby ensured she stayed a part of his life.

Despite the breakup, the two remained friendly, and, through their interactions over the course of the show, it became clear that, at one time, they probably made a decent couple. In fact, she might even be Ross’ best ex in the entire Friends series. The issue with Carol, however, is that the pair probably never should have been a couple in the first place. They would have been better off as friends from the get-go.

2 Julie

Ross got together with Julie during a business trip to China. What he didn’t know was that, back at home, Rachel had just discovered he’d held a torch for her for years, and Rachel had started to return his feelings. If Rachel wasn’t in the picture, Julie would have been a near-perfect choice amongst Ross’ girlfriends.

The pair was incredibly compatible; Julie was a paleontologist, she was fun and sweet, and she even got along with Ross’ friends. When it came down to it, the only knock against her for Ross and the fans was that she wasn’t Rachel.

1 Rachel

From the beginning of Friends, it was clear that Ross and Rachel were meant to be. They went through their ups and downs, but, ultimately, they ended up together by the end of the show, and it was no surprise.

While Rachel doesn’t seem to have as much in common with Ross as some of the other women he dated, the pair complemented one another well. Plus, they shared a long history that dated back to their childhoods. Even when they were apart, it seemed like their relationship was only temporarily on hold. In the end, there was no one else for Ross but Rachel.

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