Top 10 Worst Things The Gang Did on The Big Bang Theory
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the worst things members of the “Big Bang” gang have done, usually to each other. Are there any moments on this list that you would deem unforgivable? Let us know in the comments.
#10: Bye-Bye, Bitcoin
Top 10 Worst Things That Were Done to Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory
“The Bitcoin Entanglement”
Remember in Season 11 when the gang gets rich from selling Bitcoin? Oh no wait, that never happens. In the episode “The Bitcoin Entanglement,” through a series of flashbacks, we learn that yes, they had mined Bitcoin years earlier. And yes, the price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed. But also, Sheldon - in an act of selfish jealousy - took the Bitcoin and hid it from the other guys. An act that Sheldon sees as a teachable moment as he gleefully tells Leonard that he put all the Bitcoin on the latter’s Batman flash drive. An act that could have probably been forgiven if Leonard still possessed the keychain it was on. But alas, no! From a teachable moment to a worst thing.
#9: Howard’s Demands of Sheldon to Meet Stephen Hawking
The Big Bang Theory's Howard Impressions vs the Actual Person
“The Hawking Excitation”
Look, we get it. If you have something that someone else really really wants, then you do have great power to make certain demands of said person. But as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility, and making your friend wear a French maid’s uniform to work isn’t very responsible. That’s just one of the things Howard makes Sheldon do to get his paper in front of the great Stephen Hawking. Sheldon’s arrogance and history of meanness aimed at Howard make it understandable that Howard would want to use this opportunity to get some revenge. But when they go low, we should go high, and making Sheldon polish Howard’s urine-spotted belt buckles is most definitely not going high!
#8: Howard’s Background Check
Top 10 Times Howard was the Best on The Big Bang Theory
“The Apology Insufficiency”
In the Season 4 episode “The Apology Insufficiency,” Howard gets a job with the military that requires him to get security clearance from the FBI. Which leads to a beautiful federal agent speaking with his friends. Which leads to Raj getting tipsy on rum cake, Leonard awkwardly hitting on her and Sheldon revealing that Howard crashed the Mars rover. Oooops! Yes, to be fair Sheldon blurts that one out without thinking, and regrets it right away. But, his regret and subsequent apology doesn’t change the damage he’s done to his friend’s career.
#7: The Rats
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“The Expedition Approximation”
In “The Expedition Approximation,” Sheldon and Raj spend time in the university’s steam pipe tunnels to see if they’d be able to handle the conditions of doing dark matter research in salt mines. The short answer is… they can’t. But it isn’t the darkness or the heat that gets them - it’s the rats. Well, actually the rats don’t get Sheldon because he rushes out the second he spots one behind Raj’s head. On the way out, Sheldon makes no effort to save or help his friend, even going so far as to close the hatch door behind him. Needless to say, Raj later shows up at the apartment pretty ticked off.
#6: Making Penny & Leonard Lab Rats
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“The Comic Book Store Regeneration”
The fact that Amy and Sheldon are giving Penny and Leonard puzzle tests to compare their results to those of lab monkeys isn’t bad on the surface. However, the fact that they’re doing it without their friends’ knowledge or consent, that’s what takes it from not bad to worse. Putting scissors together, sorting coins, getting a banana out of a box… treating their best friends like lab rats might be good for science, but it certainly isn’t good for their friendship, as Penny’s “gift box” response makes it quite obvious.
#5: The Itchy Sweater
Top 10 Worst Things Sheldon Has Ever Done
“The Itchy Brain Simulation”
When Leonard admits to Sheldon that he forgot to return a DVD many years ago, he begs Sheldon not to make a big deal about it. And while Sheldon agrees to that, he also points out that Leonard doesn’t understand how things like that bother him. He then asks his best friend to wear a super itchy sweater until the problem is resolved as a way of simulating his discomfort. Look, we totally understand that Leonard agrees to the terms. However, what he doesn’t know is that the video store closed down and Sheldon paid the late fee years ago. Pure evil? Maybe. How about if we throw in the times he secretly put bugs in Leonard’s food?
#4: Making Fun of Raj
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Various
Yes, friends rag on each other and make fun of each other. But when it comes to Raj, the jokes are too often in regards to his culture, his accent or how in touch he is with his feminine side. While the rest of the gang get in a few good ones every now and then, most of the jabs come from his bestie Howard. Sometimes Raj is able to let it roll off his back, but there are multiple occasions when the constant barrage of put-downs take their toll. To the point where he even ends his friendship with Howard for a while due to how all the mocking has eroded his sense of confidence and self-worth.
#3: Sheldon Works With the Military Behind His Friends’ Back
Top 10 Times Sheldon Was a Savage on The Big Bang Theory
“The Tesla Recoil”
When it comes to the guidance system, Howard, Leonard and Sheldon are a team… at least at first. But after the military uses them and kicks them aside, Sheldon has an idea for a communications system using said guidance system. Does he do the right thing and talk to the guys about it? Nope! He goes to the military behind his friends’ backs. A move that, when they find out about it… well, let’s just say they aren’t very happy. And we’re with them. There might not be an “i” in “team,” but there is one in “Edison.”
#2: Falsifying Data
“The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation”
It’s not hard to imagine that being alone in a research base in the arctic with Sheldon would be a less than enjoyable experience. Especially if the research he was doing was not giving him the results he wanted. And that’s exactly the situation the other guys found themselves in when they made the decision to do something pretty terrible. Sheldon’s friends, fellow scientists at that, used an electric can opener to fool the research equipment and create false positive data results. The situation was, as Howard and Raj described it, pretty unbearable - but what they did was almost unforgivable.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Bernadette Shames Penny for Not Wanting Kids, “The Procreation Calculation”
Even Worse Because Just a Few Years Back, Bernadette Was Saying How She Didn’t Want Kids
Secret Cleaning, “The Big Bran Hypothesis”
Cleaning Penny’s Apartment - Nice. Breaking In & Doing It While She Sleeps - Naughty!
Non-Alcoholic Beer, “The Terminator Decoupling”
Top 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Big Bang Theory
Howard Purposely Ruins Raj’s Chance With Summer Glau
Dumbledore Reveal, “The Spoiler Alert Segmentation”
Sheldon Forgets to Say “Spoiler Alert!”
Making Fun of Zack, “The Justice League Recombination”
The Guys Become the Mean Kids
#1: Howard’s Overall Treatment of Penny in the Early Seasons
Top 10 Best Howard & Bernadette Moments on The Big Bang Theory
Various
We’re not faulting Howard for hitting on Penny. She’s a beautiful woman and Howard taking a shot is pretty understandable. No, it isn’t hitting on her that’s the worst thing; it’s hitting on her over and over again - after she’s made it abundantly clear that she isn’t interested. As if not hearing “no” isn’t bad enough, giving her a teddy bear with a web camera in it - that is next-level awful. Howard doesn’t just focus his creepiness on Penny, either. Let’s not forget about the time he - and Raj - use satellite images to locate the “Top Model” house and lie their way into it.
