Top 10 Cringiest Disney Channel Scenes Ever
#10: The Dance-Off “Cadet Kelly” (2002)
Top 20 Cringiest Disney Channel Scenes Ever
Kelly and Captain Jennifer Stone have been butting heads since the moment they met. Kelly is determined to maintain her individuality, which doesn’t go over all that well at military school. Things come to a head between the two after Kelly is sentenced to serve the drill team, but a dance-off helps them put their differences aside. At first, Kelly mocks her senior but eventually, they both realize that they might actually make a great team after all. Kelly learns respect for order and authority, Jennifer learns that individuality isn’t all that bad and the audience learns just how awkward a dance-off can get.
#9: “Nothing’s Wrong with Me”... Except This Dance “Pixel Perfect” (2004)
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One of Disney’s more underrated movies, “Pixel Perfect” focuses on the Zetta Bytes and their new frontwoman, Loretta who is actually a hologram. She’s an instant hit with audiences, at least within the movie. For the rest of us, she’s just a bit too much. Loretta is certainly talented, but her moves are very overstated and just downright unrealistic. We get that she’s meant to be this perfect performer but she might want to rethink that choreography. We first see it in the song “Nothing’s Wrong with Me”, which is kind of ironic given what some audience members may have been thinking at the time.
#8: Caitlyn’s Keyboard Dance “Camp Rock” (2008)
We promise you that we have nothing against dancing…. when it’s done well. Sadly, though this scene isn’t the one. As Caitlyn gets her spotlight during the already cringe-worthily named “Pajama Jam”, she does this odd keyboard dance that begins with some bizarre hand-ography. If that didn’t make you squirm then maybe Mitchie’s somewhat overblown reaction did. Were we not watching the same performance? Luckily, Tess’ misplaced jealousy brings it to a quick conclusion, saving us from any further second-hand embarrassment. Considering that Alyson Stoner is a phenomenal dancer, who’s even performed with the likes of Missy Elliot, she deserved so much better.
#7: Troy Gives Gabriella His Necklace “High School Musical 2” (2007)
After that explosive opening number, Gabriella starts to wonder whether summer vacation will be as fun as the song implied. Somehow, this provides a segue for Troy to take the next step in their very Disney Channel-friendly relationship. It’s a rather saccharine moment as Troy places his necklace around Gabriella’s neck. But the moment that really has us groaning is when she asks him about the “T” on it. Even Troy seems caught off-guard by her question and who can blame him? We thought Gabriella was meant to be some kind of genius. This really wasn’t the finest moment for the pair, or quite frankly for the writers.
#6: Cody Gets Intimate with the Lab “The Suite Life Movie” (2011)
When Disney+ announced that this movie would be available on the streaming platform, one of its stars and co-producers wasn’t exactly thrilled. To be fair, we probably wouldn’t want our most cringe-worthy moments stored on the internet for all to see either. While there are a fair amount of offenders in this film, this is the moment that really gets our skin crawling. When the twins are first shown around the Gemini Lab, Cody gets well-acquainted with the equipment. Perhaps too well-acquainted. This might have gone over your head as a kid, but older audiences probably did a double-take and couldn’t help but grimace.
#5: Lizzie Masters Rhythmic Gymnastics “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-04)
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Lizzie worries that everyone but her has found a niche in which they excel. However, during gym class, she joins the ranks when she finds an activity that she’s apparently amazing at. Now, we’re not sure what everyone else is watching because all we can see is the actress hopping from foot to foot while waving a ribbon. It’s not really what you’d see at the Olympics, is it? We want to look away but we simply can’t. This cringe-fest is even more baffling when you discover that Hilary Duff has previous gymnastics training and can actually do a pretty killer round-off back handspring.
#4: Awkward Sibling Tension “Life with Derek” (2005-09)
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As audiences got to know these characters, they started to pick up on the not strictly family-friendly chemistry between step-siblings, Derek and Casey. In fact, there were many who were rooting for them to get together. At times, the undeniable romantic tension between them was even intensified. Yes, we know that they’re step-siblings and not blood-related. And sure, it’s not like they grew up together. But it’s still weird. Maybe the writers were having fun indulging their audience with this will-they-won’t-they. But clearly, someone at Disney thought it was too much; you might have noticed that the show wasn’t included in the Disney+ line-up.
#3: Luke’s Uncomfortable Crush “Jessie” (2011-15)
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This episode featured as part of Disney Channel’s “Freaky Freakend” marathon. A package, containing a magic bell arrives, unleashing chaos as everyone switches bodies. Jessie and Zuri switch mid-argument, creating this excruciating scene. Fans of the show know that Luke has always had a crush on his nanny. However, in this scene, he’s unaware that Zuri and Jessie have switched bodies. So when he makes this declaration he’s actually talking to his sister. Talk about awkward! As if Debby Ryan acting as Zuri wasn’t already uncomfortable! Much like the premise of this episode, we were all hoping that this was just a painful dream too.
#2: Camp Rock Challenges Camp Star “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” (2010)
With Camp Rock’s future in jeopardy, Mitchie rallies the others as they prepare to take on Camp Star in the Camp Wars. We assume that this weird march/chant that they’re doing is meant to intimidate the competition, but if you ask us Tess and Luke’s faces say it all. They definitely look more confused than intimidated. And we can’t help but feel embarrassed for them, especially when Mitchie smirks at the competition. This scene hilariously became a TikTok trend with users editing it into other scenarios. There’s nothing funnier than watching the Avengers witness this cringe-fest after all. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Mr. Matthews Talks the Birds & the Bees, “Girl Meets World” (2014-17) We’re Sure This Isn’t “The Talk” Riley or Her Father Envisioned Rap Battle, “Adventures in Babysitting” (2016) Maybe They Should Have Left the Rapping to the Professionals Lizzie Finds Her Dark Side, “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-04) Her Bad Girl Phase Was Excruciating; She’s a Good Girl at Heart & Knows It “Steal Your Heart”, “Austin & Ally” (2011-16) There Are Times When a Song & Dance Isn’t Appropriate, This Is One of Them
#1: That Look, You Know the One “Radio Rebel” (2012)
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Based on the novel “Shrinking Violet”, this comedy followed Tara, a shy high schooler who runs a popular podcast in the privacy of her bedroom. When her school’s prom gets canceled she organizes a MORP, which is just Prom spelled backward, as her radio alter-ego. At the Morp, Gavin performs a song inspired by Tara. Her reaction has gone down in infamy as one of the cringiest moments that the Disney Channel has ever put on our screens. Plenty of fans, including Debby Ryan herself, have recreated the moment in their TikTok videos. It might have been a brief moment but it makes us recoil every time.
