Top 10 Times Sheldon Was Wrong on The Big Bang Theory
#10: Moving to Bozeman, Montana “The Bozeman Reaction”
After the guys’ apartment is broken into, Sheldon goes into overdrive trying to make his home feel safe again. But after the high-tech security system Howard installs turns on him, he decides there’s nothing left to do but leave Pasadena. After a thorough process of elimination, he settles on Bozeman, Montana, believing he’ll be much safer there. And hey, a bit of cold weather is a small price to pay to live among the friendly Bozites on the safe streets of Bozeman, right? Wrong. Sheldon doesn’t exactly get the warm welcome he had hoped for. In fact, he gets robbed before he can even leave the station. One ticket back to Pasadena, please!
#9: Losing at Game Night “The Re-Entry Minimisation”
While choosing teams for game night, Sheldon confidently declares. However, throughout the evening, we learn that the opposite is actually true. Sheldon's unique way of thinking has a tendency to put his team at a disadvantage. This is perhaps most evident when they play Pictionary, and well, if you could figure out Sheldon’s clues, we applaud you. He’s not much better at guessing, either. Does quark-gluon plasma really look like a chocolate chip cookie? Arguably though, his most humiliating loss comes when he fails to differentiate between a capital P and a small one. At least he accepts defeat gracefully. Well, what are friends for if not to share the blame?
#8: Sheldon & Howard’s Cricket Bet “The Jiminy Conjecture”
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In this episode, Sheldon and Howard make a bet over what kind of cricket they can hear in the apartment. The pair go to great lengths to find the mysterious insect, including sending Sheldon down the vacant elevator shaft. When even an encyclopedia of cricket species can't solve the argument, they turn to an expert. And even then, Sheldon needs some convincing before he's willing to admit he was wrong. But we imagine the bigger sting was losing a bet to Howard Wolowitz. Well, at least Dr. Crawley agreed that Toby is a ridiculous name for a cricket. Hey, you gotta take wins where you can get 'em.
#7: Making Promises He Can’t Keep “The Military Miniaturization” & “The Dependence Transcendence”
Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard meet Air Force Officer Colonel Williams to discuss the military’s interest in their gyroscope. They’ve forbidden Sheldon from speaking because, well, you know, Sheldon. Of course, he can’t stay silent for long and…. In the following episode, Sheldon starts to feel the burden of his rash decision. To deal with the stress, he convinces himself that he’s developed a caffeine dependency and obsesses over it instead of doing any work. After Leonard snaps, Sheldon reveals that he’s overwhelmed by the pressures he inflicted on the group. And the big ol’ slice of humble pie he’s forced to eat proves to be the perfect antidote to his caffeine problem.
#6: Not Conceding That Raj Wasn’t Wrong (Yes, You Heard That Correctly) “The Pirate Solution”
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When Raj faces deportation, Sheldon suggests he come work with him. Sorry for him. With him, for him, it doesn’t really matter; Sheldon proves to be insufferable either way. Things get heated when they disagree over the math in an equation. Sheldon refuses to listen, causing Raj to rage quit. Only, he soon realizes that Raj was right, and with his tail between his legs, he pays him a visit to tell him so. The way he avoids admitting to his error is a skill in itself. Sheldon excels in many ways, but accepting when he’s wrong isn’t one of them. Neither is doing this.
#5: Sheldon Learns about the Gradations of Wrongness “The Hofstadter Isotope”
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Did you know that there were different levels of being wrong? Sheldon didn’t until this season two episode. Always oblivious to social cues, Sheldon crashes the end of Penny and Stuart’s date to ask some comic book-related questions. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get the answer he hoped for, and he’s baffled by the concept that being wrong isn’t absolute. He tries to educate Stuart but ends up getting schooled by the comic book store owner. It’s not often we see Sheldon at a loss for words, but it’s hard to argue with Stuart’s logic here. Too bad no one taught either one of them appropriate date night etiquette.
#4: Whiteboard Inaccuracies “The Hamburger Postulate”
You don’t need to be a genius to know that being proven wrong is one of Sheldon’s biggest pet peeves. And touching his whiteboards, even to correct an error, is perhaps one of the biggest faux pas someone can make. Leslie Winkle learns this quickly when Sheldon freaks out after she fixes one of his equations. Sure, her input helped him overcome a roadblock, but that’s not the point— how dare she touch his board! She’s just so, so, so; what’s the word we’re looking for, Sheldon? It could be worse; he could have his mistakes pointed out to him by, say, a 15-year-old kid genius; oh wait….
#3: Sheldon Finds the Element... By Mistake “The Romance Resonance”
Sheldon’s delighted when he makes a discovery that could lead him to a Nobel Prize. However, the celebrations are cut short when he realizes that he made an error in his calculations and his discovery was just a fluke. Now, most of us might be thrilled to learn we’d stumbled upon such a happy accident, but most of us aren’t Sheldon Cooper. He’s primarily upset that his victory is based on luck rather than intellect. So you’d think that Leonard disproving the element would come as happy news. But you’d be wrong. Turns out the only thing worse than Sheldon proving himself wrong is literally anyone else proving him wrong.
#2: Presenting a Boo Boo to Stephen Hawking “The Hawking Excitation”
When Howard’s asked to work with Stephen Hawking, he uses the opportunity as leverage to get back at Sheldon for all the times he’s been mean or condescending. He puts him through a grueling series of tasks, including polishing his belt buckles, doing his laundry, and wearing a French maid costume. Howard keeps up his end of the deal, presenting Sheldon’s paper to the renowned physicist and even setting up a meeting. But perhaps if Sheldon hadn’t been so busy cleaning Howard’s delicates, he would’ve had more time to proofread his work. Unfortunately, he learns he’s made a boo-boo from his idol. And he does not take the news well.
#1: Choosing His Ego over Victory at the Physics Bowl “The Bat Jar Conjecture”
Sheldon always thinks he is the smartest person in the room. On this occasion, it gets him kicked out of the guys’ physics bowl team. Although he believes he can single-handedly defeat his friends, the rules compel him to find new teammates. His plan to answer all the questions while his team sits there silently works perfectly until one equation leaves him stumped. Fortunately, his teammate knows the answer. But Sheldon refuses to accept it since he’s trying to make a point, and his stubbornness causes his team to lose. Later, Penny sets the guys a new challenge, this time focusing on popular culture. Looks like Sheldon could’ve used the Janitor’s help here, too.
