Glee: 10 Most Cringeworthy Parts, According To Reddit

With Glee being a product of the late 2000s, it had its fair share of awkward moments ranging from questionable storylines to uncomfortable serenades. At the time, fans may have laughed them off, but in the year 2022, there’s no way it can hide from those grave mistakes now.

It’s hard to believe its fandom remains loyal, but Gleeks are not afraid to pick it apart and discuss on Reddit the numerous moments they found cringeworthy. The moments they had to either fast forward through or cover their eyes in utter discomfort. Glee, many times, seemed to thrive on its problematic and uncomfortable moments.

10 Finn Serenading Quinn And Her Parents

Back in season 1, during Quinn’s unexpected pregnancy, one scene that was even more shameful than Finn believing he had gotten Quinn pregnant in the hot tub was when Finn sang ‘Having My Baby’ to Quinn in front of her parents.

Finn’s intentions may have been pure and innocent, but watching him serenade the family at an already stilted dinner, was a scene full of secondhand embarrassment. One that Redditor Gold_Abbreviations33 said, “Makes me want to curl in a ball and die.” Quinn may have warmed up to his performance by the end, but fans certainly didn’t.

9 Finn’s Love Proclamation

Finn and Rachel’s relationship was always back and forth and turbulent. Most of the time Rachel’s feelings for Finn proved stronger, yet, the moment she found Jesse St. James and left Finn hanging on by a thread, he became instantly territorial.

The love triangle made for the perfect use of “Jessie’s Girl,” and though it was a great performance and song choice, Reddit user rsherbats found the scene “gross.” They went on to say, “Rachel is clearly so uncomfortable. And then Will is like ‘wow that was so soul exposing!'”

8 Tina’s Tearful Performance

Although Tina is a background cast member, she’s undoubtedly one of the more emotional characters. So, when the club was tasked with singing a love ballad for their significant others for Valentine’s Day episode, she dedicated “My Funny Valentine,” to Mike.

What started as a soulful expression of her love quickly turned into an awkward sobfest. Redditor ameliadoesstuff found the scene “really awkward” and added “I don’t like watching it. Everyone’s reactions are funny at least, but ooof it pains me to watch.”

7 Quinn’s Pregnancy Musical Number

Quinn’s “It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” is a musical number that aged poorly. Her pregnancy storyline overall was empowering for her character, but when she brought in a group full of other pregnant women as backup dancers Reddit user bingely777 found the dance number super cringey.  They said, “I’m not sure I “like it” still because the dance is still weird and it’s audibly quite clear where it could have been done better, but it’s fine to listen to.”

Another Reddit user Gold_Abbreviations33 included that “the whole thing is already cringe, but…the Lamaze breathing sends me off so much.”

6 Blaine’s Gap Attack

Before Blaine and Kurt’s relationship, Blaine had an intense crush on a boy named Jeremiah. To express his feelings, he did what all the characters do best. He sang about it. Blaine decided to flash mob the poor boy at his place of work in what he dubbed a “Gap Attack.”

Reddit user Eric_Cartman69 said, “It’s so cringy and embarrassing that I can’t watch the scene anymore. Literally Blaine outing a guy with a song about sex toys.” Needless to say, Jeremiah found it equally as mortifying.

5 Tina Taking Care Of Blaine

The subplot between Tina and Blaine’s friendship turning into an unrequited love situation was easily unexpected and unnecessary. It made for a humiliating moment for Tina, especially since she knew he was gay.

When Blaine comes down with a cold, Tina stays with him to try and take care of him. For Reddit user zaloofness, the instant Tina rubbed Vaporub on his chest was one they, “physically, mentally, emotionally cannot get through.” And while they usually don’t have to skip through scenes, “this is the one thing I do skip.”

4 Santana Spreading Mono

Easily one of the most honest and brutal characters on the show, Santana’s actions, and quotes are pretty savage. For Reddit user m1b2c3, they found Santana “kissing a total stranger just to get germs to give Finn and Quinn mono endangering them to prove a point” one of her cringiest behaviors.

RELATED: The Retro-Cast Of Glee If It Was Made In The 1990s

In season 2 “Silly Love Songs,” Santana walked into the nurse’s office and kissed a total stranger just so she could confirm Quinn and Finn were cheating together. Whichever writer decided that was a good storyline highly misjudged it.

3 Rachel’s Gift To Santana

The hostility between Rachel and Santana was abundantly clear from the very beginning. However, in season 3, “Dance With Somebody,” an unexpected thing happened after the duet between the frenemies. Rachel offered an olive branch to Santana in the form of her school portrait to hang in her locker. 

What was intended to be an endearing exchange, Redditor bingley777 found weird, noting that “the photos inside everyone else’s lockers, they’re candid or showing friends together. Not some formal one-person, stare-at-rachel-until-you’re-crazy photo.” This was surely a Rachel moment that aged poorly for fans. 

2 The Grilled Cheesus

Reddit user functioninghermit didn’t hold back in saying “there are SO MANY” cringeworthy moments, but committed to naming season 2 “Grilled Cheesus” as one of the messiest episodes. 

In an attempt to address religion when Kurt’s father is in the hospital, everyone shoved their prayers down his throat “and insist on singing him Jesus songs” even after he declined and said he didn’t believe in God. The actions were disrespectful to Kurt making the episode was upsetting. “That whole episode pissed me off so much,” they said.

1 ‘Like A Virgin’ Performance

It wasn’t necessarily the performance that was difficult to digest, rather the editing. Any sexual scenes on the show were pretty unbearable, but add in Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” performed between the three couples all mashed together, and Glee’s making viewers cringe.

NEXT: 10 Recent Songs We Would Want To See Performed On Glee Today

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