Digital Spy presents Friends Week - seven days of special features celebrating 20 years of the US sitcom that became a cultural phenomenon.

What would Friends have been without a good romance or two? The six besties might always have moaned about being unlucky in love, but my goodness, they had their fair share of dates. But which of their love interests was the best... and which was the worst?



We had to lay down a few ground rules. First, none of the Friends themselves count. Second, there had to be at least some proper attraction there. There had to be more than just thinking someone was hot (sorry, Denise Richards). They had to be romances that took place during the course of the series - no old flames - and they must be named or have a recognisable nickname, and be seen properly on the show (no off-screen folk).

As for the criteria? Well, it's a not entirely scientific mix of how good they are as people, how memorable they are as characters, how right they are for the main six, how much screen time they got and, well, gut instinct. With that, let's get these love interests ranked - in reverse order from worst to best...

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82. Chloe (Ross - season 3)

NBC



Look, we're sorry, Chloe. Are you objectively the worst love interest on this list? Probably not, no. Does it take two to tango? Of course. But your fling with Ross led to his break-up with Rachel and for that, we can never forgive you. Also, you steal stuff from your conquests... and let's not even talk about your belly button ring.

81. Jim (Phoebe - season 8)

NBC



We wake up terrified after nightmares about dates like this one. Jim's various lines included: "Your breasts! Mmm!", "I write erotic novels for children" and "I have a PhD - pretty huge..." Reports that he was based on a real guy scare us even more.

80. Erika (Joey - season 2)

NBC



She is a mentally unstable stalker who genuinely believes Joey is Drake Ramoray. Nah.

79. Malcolm (Phoebe - season 3)

NBC



Another stalker! This time, it was a guy stalking Phoebe's twin Ursula. But Malcolm was actually a bit less crazy than Erika, which gives him the higher spot on our list. Plus, Phoebe helped him to overcome his night vision goggles obsession (still, so creepy).

78. Jill (Ross - season 6)

NBC



We love Reese WItherspoon. We hate Rachel's spoilt sister Jill. She is the worst, and let's be honest, she was just using Ross to spite Rachel. She even made him think she wanted to see his slides. Too cruel.

77. Ethan (Monica - season 1)

NBC



There's a reason this episode was called 'The One With The Ick Factor'. A senior in high school - Monica is so right, it's "too icky".

76. Mary-Angela (Chandler - season 3)

NBC



For one thing, Chandler, never go for your friends' sisters (unless, um, it's Monica). Mary-Angela can't have been that memorable, either, since he forgot who she was. And we wouldn't want to risk crossing those punch-happy siblings. A bad idea all round.

75. Sandy (Joey - season 1)

NBC



Joey took Sandy to the gang's New Year's Eve party but she a) brought her children and b) ended up kissing another guy while Joey tucked in the sleeping kids. Er, no.

74. Paul the Wine Guy (Monica - season 1)

NBC



The very first Friends douchebag! Not only did Paul pretend he hadn't been able to perform sexually to get Monica into bed, but he fed the exact same line to one of their co-workers. Thank God Monica smashed his watch.

73. Rick (Phoebe - season 4)

NBC



Rick might have been a hot enough massage client for Phoebe to dress up her feet for him, but he also a) turned out to be married and b) basically made Phoebe lose her job by making her boss think she "was a whore". On the other hand Phoebe did bite his behind, so she's not entirely blameless.

72. Roger (Phoebe - season 1)

NBC



"I hate that guy!" You can take your psychological evaluations and stick them where the sun don't shine, Roger (yeah, analyse that). And don't ever besmirch the Central Perk mugs again. "They might as well have nipples on them", indeed.

71. Sarah (Joey - season 10)

NBC



"JOEY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD."

70. Kyle & Whitney (Phoebe and Ross - season 7)

NBC



Our first joint pairing. Phoebe was very happy to be dating Kyle and got Ross to distract his crazy ex Whitney. Except they ended up pitting Ross and Phoebe against each other, then got back together. Plus, Kyle has the nickname "Hums While He Pees", which should have been a warning sign from the beginning.

69. Annabel (Joey - season 2)

NBC



Joey goes to a lot of effort to win a date with Annabel while working as a cologne sprayer at a department store. We're not sure why he bothered. Yawn.

68. Duncan (Phoebe - season 2)

NBC



We think Duncan is a very nice chap and all - who doesn't love an ice dancer - but Phoebe always had feelings for him... and when he finally figured out he was straight, not gay, it was too late. Boo, Duncan, boo.

67. Dr Michael Mitchell and Dr Jeffrey Rosen (Rachel and Monica - season 1)

NBC



Literally only this high because it's George Clooney and Noah Wyle.

66. Hot Girl Jen (Joey and Ross - season 5)

NBC



Jen herself was quite boring, to be honest. On the plus side, it was an unusual case of Ross beating Joey in pursuit of a woman - admittedly only because Joey can't count and couldn't figure out where she lived, but STILL.

65. Ginger (Chandler - season 3)

NBC



We're not happy with Ginger. Not only did she hold a grudge against Joey for throwing her wooden leg in a fire (okay, maybe not unfairly, especially as he then ran away), but Chandler was all willing to get over her artificial limb - and it was Ginger who freaked out over his nubbin. How can you be freaked out over something called a "nubbin"? Even Harry Styles has one, woman.

64. Angela Delveccio (Joey - season 1)

NBC



We only meet Angela on screen once - in the creepy scene where she goes on a double date with Joey and Monica, but Joey has convinced Monica that Angela's boyfriend is actually her brother - but she's this high because she actually snared Joey in a long-term relationship before the series began (and he still wants her back!) We know this because Chandler mentions later in the series that Angela and Joey dated for three years. Keeping Joey interested for that long deserves our respect.

63. Larry (Phoebe - season 5)

NBC



By all means be a food inspector. But try to close down Central Perk and we will ruin you.

62. Kash Ford (Rachel - season 8)

NBC



Sure, he's a soap star. He's also called 'Kash Ford' and freaks out when he finds out Rachel's pregnant. No time for you. Bye.

61. Katie the baby shop saleswoman (Ross - season 8)

NBC



Commits the cardinal sin of leaving Rachel bored at a cash register. (Also, compares Ross to Indiana Jones - i.e. has no shame.)

60. Carl and Michael (Rachel - seasons 1 and 2 respectively)

NBC

NBC



Poor Carl and Michael only made it this high up because we feel so sorry for them; both ended up on dates with Rachel when she was preoccupied with her feelings for Ross. Sorry, lads. You were just pawns.

59. Melanie (Joey - season 1)

NBC



Joey can't sleep with Melanie because he's taking part in a fertility study, but she doesn't keep his interest long enough for him to still enjoy doing 'other stuff' once that's out of the way. She makes a mean fruit basket, though.

58. Cecilia Munroe (Joey - season 7)

NBC



Points for being Susan Sarandon. Further points for teaching Joey how to screen kiss (hold the other person's head so that you're more in view). Minus points for fleeing to Mexico for a telenovela and breaking up with Joey.

57. Ursula (Joey - season 1)

NBC



We all know Ursula is horrible, but she somehow got Joey to fall for her and then dumped him without even giving him the courtesy of telling him. Poor Joey. (On the plus side, this allowed Phoebe to give him a smooch - giving the YouTube shippers of the future just the footage they needed.)

56. Josh (Rachel - season 4)

NBC



Rachel dates Josh to make Ross jealous but a) he's an immature college brat and b) he steals from her. Not ideal, but he did give us the best way to exit a room, with a fist pump and: "I think I'm going to... head."

55. Amanda (Ross - season 4)

NBC



While Rachel's dealing with Josh, Ross tries to date Amanda - who unfortunately sees him only as a babysitter. Still, at least she's not a thief.

54. Hillary (Ross - season 6)

NBC



Alright, so Ross shouldn't have whitened his teeth for his date with Hillary. But we can't help but agree with him: "What's the matter with me? You've got a black light. It's 1999!"

53. Chip Matthews (Monica - season 4)

NBC



Ah, the high school crush (you always have to say their full name). Chip might have taken Rachel to the prom, but Monica got her second chance when he took her out. Unfortunately, he still thought giving wedgies was a reasonable form of entertainment and still had his high school job. At least he probably made Monica feel good about her life choices.

52. Celia (Ross - season 1)

NBC



Celia just wanted a bit of dirty talk to spice things up. Ross came up with: "Vulva." After some advice from Joey, he came up with a rambling erotic plot (complete with villagers) which exhausted them so much they both just cuddled. Bless.

51. Hayley (Joey - season 9)

NBC



Hayley is a bit of a non-event as a character, but she makes it this high for not shooting Joey when he thinks he's slept with her before because he recognises her apartment - only for him to realise it was Hayley's roommate he'd had some fun with when she walked in. Awkward.

50. Jade (Chandler - season 2)

NBC



Jade thinks she's calling her ex Bob; Chandler uses the opportunity to set up a fake date, swoop in to take her out, and sleep with her. Then Jade thinks she's calling Bob back - and tells Chandler about just how "eh" the sex was. Harsh.

49. Marjorie (Chandler - season 4)

NBC



On the plus side, Marjorie chose Chandler over Joey (even if Joey was unconscious). On the negative side, even we were annoyed by her sleep talking. Terrified unconscious screams... no thanks.

48. Robert (Phoebe - season 3)

NBC



Being athletic is no bad thing, Robert, and neither are shorts, but you might want to have a big old think about your sartorial choices when Gunther has to tell you: "Put the mouse back in the house."

47. Elizabeth Hornswoggle (Ross - season 5)

NBC



Elizabeth deserves a relatively high placing just for having to deal with Ross, his leather pants, and the 'paste' he made to try to get them off. Also, for being called Elizabeth Hornswoggle.

46. Aurora (Chandler - season 1)

NBC



Aurora is fascinating. Not only is she Italian, but she fought as an Israeli soldier, and she's polyamorous. Unfortunately, being the bit on the side to the bit on the side was too much for Chandler.

45. Barry (Rachel - seasons 1 and 6)

NBC



Barry is terrible. Not only is he a boring, suburban orthodontist, but he cheated on Rachel with both her best friend and her sister. But he's BARRY, so he needs to be quite high up.

44. Kristen (Ross and Joey - season 7)

NBC



Kristen herself seems like quite a nice girl. Unfortunately, Ross and Joey fight over her to the extent that she ends up just leaving. Pfft, no stamina.

43. Sergei (Phoebe - season 3)

NBC



Sergei seems like a very nice chap, but if you need an interpreter on a date, it's probably not going to go well.

42. Alan (Monica - season 1)

NBC



We're going to put this out there - we love Alan. He's funny and charming and nice. All the Friends love him too... except for Monica, who's the one dating him. Bad Monica ("Honey, you should always feel the thing").

41. Vince and Jason (Phoebe - season 3)

NBC

NBC



You can't really go wrong with a hunky, strong, sensitive firefighter and a hunky, strong, sensitive teacher, can you? Unless you date both of them at the same time and get in a muddle, that is. (For what it's worth, Jason is slightly above Vince for us because he wasn't such a crybaby about having a candle in a wooded area.)

40. Tim (Phoebe - season 8)

NBC



We had to put Tim this high just to make up for him being both dumped and fired on the same day. (He should probably stop being rubbish, though.)

39. Margha (Joey and Chandler - season 3)

NBC



We like Margha's sass. After realising she was basically just a prize to be won for Joey and Chandler, she decided not to have either of them after all and told Chandler: "I now find you shallow and um, a dork. All right, bye." Good for her.

38. Jean-Claude Van Damme (Monica and Rachel - season 2)

NBC



Sure, Jean-Claude is kind of a sleaze who's hoping for a threesome with Monica and Drew Barrymore. He's also Jean-Claude Van Damme.

37. Timothy Burke (Monica - season 4)

NBC



You're not Richard.

36. Russ (Rachel - season 2)

NBC



You're not Ross.

35. Paolo (Rachel - seasons 1-2)

NBC



On the one hand, Paolo is a "crap weasel" who ickily makes a pass at Phoebe. On the other hand, he gave Rachel "meaningless animal sex", so there's that.

34. Katie the puncher (Joey - season 5)

NBC



Even if Katie didn't punch Joey all the time, she would be flat-out annoying (that laugh). We would have kicked her in the ankle too if we were Rachel.

33. Julio (Monica - season 3)

NBC



"Mr Pretentious, you think there's no-one finer, but your poems are unpublished and you work in a diner! You're no God's gift to women, that's all in your head. You are just a buttmunch - no-one likes a buttmunch! - and you're also bad in beeeeeeeed."

32. Tommy (Rachel - season 3)

NBC



The funniest Ben Stiller has ever been? But we can't deal with anyone who shouts at The Chick. Get out.

31. Cheryl (Ross - season 4)

NBC



Seriously, when you're relieved that the animal your date just beat to death in your apartment is a rat - RELIEVED - then it's time to tidy up. Ew.

30. Parker (Phoebe - season 8)

NBC



For the love of God, calm down. He's another one apparently based on a real-life boyfriend - we need a lie down just thinking about it.

29. Joanna (Chandler - seasons 3-4)

NBC



On the plus side, a fan of handcuffs. On the downside, a big dull dud. (Also: "mascara goop".)

28. Rob (Phoebe - season 2)

NBC



We love that Rob is played by Chris Isaak, also known as the 'Wicked Game' singer (incidentally, 'Wicked Game' is the song that soundtracks Ross and Rachel doing it in the planetarium). That's good enough for us, but Rob is also quite sweet.

27. Eric (Phoebe - season 8)

NBC



Eric shoots really high up just for his adorable solar system costume at Halloween. Unfortunately, sleeping with the wrong twin does tend to end a romance pretty quickly.

26. Caitlin (Ross - season 5)

NBC



Caitlin is so lovely that she agrees to go on a date with Ross even after he's babbled at her about gas for what seems like three days. Plus, she delivers pizza, so you'd never go hungry.

25. Danny (Rachel - season 5)

NBC



Rachel spent what felt like months pursuing Danny, only to drop him when he was a bit too friendly with his sister for her liking. Frustrating - but, according to rumours, because Danny was being lined up to replace Ross if David Schwimmer's contract negotiations fell through. EXCUSE ME?

24. Mona (Ross - season 8)

NBC



On one hand, Mona's patience and tolerance while dealing with Ross should probably be congratulated. On the other hand, she is one of the most irritating screen presences ever. It's a tough one.

23. Gary (Phoebe - season 5)

NBC



Gary pressured Phoebe into moving in with him and then shot a bird. Nope.

22. Janine (Joey - season 6)

NBC



Ugh, Janine. We did like her countdown kiss with Joey, but she's also ridiculously patronising and - a big no-no - is rude about Monica and Chandler. How dare she?

21. Elizabeth (Ross - season 6)

NBC



Ross and Elizabeth getting excited about the word "taboo" is amazing, but other than that, she's kind of annoying (even if she does give the rest of the group plenty of opportunities to make jokes). I mean, she chucks a water balloon at Ross when they break up. For goodness' sake.

20. Paul Stevens (Rachel - season 6)

NBC



If it wasn't for the excessive weeping that caused Rachel to break up with him, Paul would be so high up this list. We love him. We love his scorn for Ross. And, of course, we love his pep talks to himself. "You're just a love machine - hurrggggh!"

19. Erin (Joey - season 7)

NBC



Erin is like the ex we can't quite get over. We love her. And so did Joey... but she didn't want him. Sorry, actually, we thought we could talk about this, but we're not quite ready - give us a minute.

18. Gavin (Rachel - season 9)

NBC



Sure, he's a bit of a douche, but he does know how to buy a lovely scarf.

17. Susie Moss (Chandler - season 2)

NBC



We know we shouldn't, but we take SUCH pleasure in Susie getting revenge on Chandler's cruel 'Susie Underpants' trick in grade school. She plays the long game, too, tricking him into thinking she's all over him until he ends up naked but for socks and women's knickers in a bathroom stall. Gutted, Chandler. (Extra points because Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts were dating at the time.)

16. Fun Bobby (Monica - seasons 1-2)

NBC



We don't get it either, but for some reason we're a bit obsessed with Fun Bobby. He's so much fun! Even when he's mourning his grandfather or sober, he's a hoot as Ridiculously Dull Bobby: "There are no hardware shops. Open past midnight. In the Village."

15. Ryan (Phoebe - season 2)

NBC



Not only does he wear uniform, but he caught chickenpox for her. What is more romantic than that?

14. Emily (Ross - seasons 4-5)

NBC



We have a visceral dislike of Emily - maybe because she's so prissy? - but you can't deny the impact she had on the show. We don't know what Ross saw in her, but she did give us the best cliffhanger ever with: "I, Ross, take thee Rachel..."

13. Bonnie (Ross - seasons 3-4)

NBC



Bonnie is so much fun! Shame about the five o'clock shadow on her head.

12. Charlie (Joey and Ross - seasons 9-10)

NBC



We don't blame Charlie for going for Joey first - y'know, he's a charmer - but she was obviously meant to be with Ross. We give her kudos for sticking with him past the "I'm FINE" fajita scandal - enough to outweigh the fact that she ditched him with barely a blink for her ex. She left just in time for Ross to reunite with Rachel, though, so we should thank her for that.

11. Kate (Joey - season 3)

NBC



See, Joey can have serious feelings! Admittedly Kate could be a bit of a meanie, but there's no denying she and Joey fell for each other until she cruelly got a job in LA. Even though they had the night.

10. Joshua (Rachel - season 4)

NBC



Josh-ooh-ah. Joshua. Josh-ooh-ah. Yes, Joshua "scares easy" (and is also weirdly terrified of farmyard birds) but he also sits through a dinner with his parents with Rachel dressed only in lingerie, and for that we salute him. (Plus, we adore Tate Donovan.)

9. Mark (Rachel - seasons 3-10)

NBC



Yes, Ross hated him - with reason - but Mark is actually a very nice chap. He has an amazing line when Rachel says she's just dating him to get back at Ross ("I'll just go home and get back at him by myself," - oo-er), and years later he's still a nice enough guy to get Rachel a job at Louis Vuitton. He's married with twins by the end of it all, so good for him.

8. Julie (Ross - seasons 1-2)

NBC



It would be easy to hate Julie, given that she gets in the way of Ross and Rachel, but she's cool and nice, to be honest. They did that to make it hard for us, the meanies. Anyway it all works out well for Julie in the end because she falls for Russ (someone had to).

7. Mike (Phoebe - seasons 9-10)

NBC



We do resent Mike because we're not happy Phoebe chose him over David, but to be fair, he's quite a decent chap. He puts up with all of Phoebe's nonsense (the rat babies, Princess Consuela) and stands up for her against his snotty parents. So we'll accept him if we have to.

6. Tag (Rachel - seasons 7-8)



Tag may have been too young for Rachel (hell, if his biggest crime is giving her a scooter for her birthday, we'd kindly point to all the businessmen riding past our office on them), but he was brilliant while he lasted. We particularly liked the game of folder-tennis he played with Rachel (she was wrong!) and how he stood up for her over the joke evaluation that was accidentally sent to her boss. Also, we can't help but love his baffled horror when Rachel tells him she's pregnant (the jumper moment was also fantastic.)

5. Pete (Monica - season 3)

NBC



We're still smarting over Pete's stupid Ultimate Fighting Champion-related exit, but he's a fabulous love interest for Monica. The slow realisation that she liked him! His extravagant dating style! The fact that he's an all-round nice guy! We like Pete very much.

4. Janice (Chandler and Ross - seasons 1-10)



Obviously, Janice is one of the most irritating characters ever to be invented. She's also one of the best. From her trademark catchphrase ("Oh, my, gaaaaawd") to her ability to turn up at the worst possible time (hi, Rachel in labour!) she remains endlessly entertaining. And while she was often a figure of fun, don't doubt that her romance with Chandler was real - after all, we still get upset when she breaks up with him and he sings 'Endless Love' with Phoebe (the pain!) It was extra fun that she also slept with Ross - then dumped him for being a whiner. Janice Litman Goralnik, we salute you.

3. David (Phoebe - seasons 1-9)

NBC



David was only in five episodes of Friends, but he's our third favourite love interest - proving his impact. We don't understand why Phoebe ended up choosing Mike over him; hell, we would have moved to Minsk for David, who was bumbling, charming, and utterly romantic. The moment when Phoebe has to say goodbye to him after a visit remains one of Friends' most heartbreaking moments ever.

2. Kathy (Joey and Chandler - season 4)

NBC



Again, Kathy's visit to Friends was short but sweet - six episodes - but golly she had an impact. We adore her relationship with Chandler - beginning with his unrequited love and moving into the sweetest, most perfect romance. And we like that Joey genuinely had feelings for her too (hell, he stuck Chandler in a box for ages because he was so mad). There's a reason - Kathy was special, and interesting, and funny. There was so much pain and warmth to her story arc that we wish she'd stuck around longer - oh, and we wish she hadn't slept with stupid Nick (and his rock-hard pecs and giant man-nipples, the cad).

1. Richard (Monica - seasons 2-6)

NBC



Could it be anyone else? There might have been an age gap, but Richard was so perfect for Monica - aside from his decision not to have more children. He was smart, caring, intelligent and loving, and he has a fantastic moustache. Of course Monica had to end up with Chandler in the end and not the "big tree", but in a world where London had never happened, we would have been furious if Richard hadn't ended up walking Monica down the aisle. What a man.

Fans of Friends in the UK can watch the show on Comedy Central.

Who was your favourite Friends love interest? Let us know below!

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