I’m an avid FRIENDS trivia geek, having watched all 236 episodes so many times I couldn’t possibly count. There are certain things that just do not make sense to me, though – from general banter to specific situations. This is my list of the ten most unrealistic FRIENDS moments.

  1. The couch at Central Perk is almost always “theirs.” I do realize that in certain scenes in certain episodes, you can view a “RESERVED” sign, but it’s just so unrealistic that they would always have the same couch and chair upon every visit. 
  2. Phoebe is on the phone with customer service for two entire days. Really? 
  3. The apartment is so small, yet they somehow manage to have private conversations just 10 feet away from each other. 
  4. A chick and a duck could never feasibly live and/or survive in a NYC apartment. Absolutely never.
  5. Ross – seriously, an intelligent paleontologist – is not smart enough to turn around as soon as the spray tan starts spraying his front side again? Four times? C’mon Ross. 
  6. Rachel is the maid of honor in her ex-fiance’s wedding to her previous best friend who was cheating with (and on) her? Everything about this is wrong.
  7. The adoption agency calls Monica and Chandler on Thanksgiving Day to let them know they have been chosen by a mother in Ohio. Government agencies do not work holidays.
  8. As much as I love the episode where Joey speaks French, it actually hurts my brain that he is that stupid as to not be able to repeat a 4-syllable sound. Like, multiple times. Get real.
  9. Chandler pretends to be moving to Yemen to avoid dating Janice. This entire storyline is just ridiculous. Mostly because he actually follows through and purchases an airline ticket for over $2,000 just to avoid dating her. No one would do that, it’s just so… UNREALISTIC!
  10. And here is my #1 (THIS IRKS ME TO NO END, IT IS THE MOST IRRITATINGLY UNREALISTIC MOMENT FOR ME). The jeweler doesn’t hold the engagement ring for Chandler (which, they absolutely would). But then it would just so happen that the ring is sold to someone else, which Phoebe would have known about if she were able to recall where he is proposing. Anyway… moving on to Chandler and Phoebe actually approaching the poor guy about to propose, and ask him to swap rings? And then he does? OMG I just can’t. I’d rather talk about pig sex.

Those are mine, what are yours?