The grand search for the love of Ted Mosby’s life began fourteen years ago when How I Met Your Mother first debuted. The series took the tried and true Friends concept and added to it, creating a mosaic that spanned from all of our characters’ younger days all the way into their retirements. Over the course of the nine-year show, there was all kinds of goofiness and endearing heartfelt moments, too.
Thanks to serial dater, Ted, philander Barney, and single Robin; there was plenty of dating and relationships going on the show. Some had great chemistry, others not so much, and some provided some good laughs just for an episode or two. Here are 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (And 5 They Rejected) from How I Met Your Mother.
Behind - Lily And Marshall
Despite the antics of sitcomland (shaving a giant line in the middle of your hair before your wedding, demanding you meet your friend’s doppelgänger before trying to have a baby), Lily and Marshall weren’t just the quintessential couple on the show, but of our lives as well. College sweethearts who were madly in love with each other even after a decade-plus of having to deal with each other’s faces! Despite facing some of the toughest lows two people could endure, their highs both professionally, personally, and as a couple were some of the most heartwarming of the series.
Rejected - Stella And Ted
At first it seemed like Stella and Ted could be a great match, and the two minute date is still one of the most romantic scenes on the show. But as their relationship went forward, it not only wasn’t clicking - Ted was conforming to Stella’s ideals instead of the couple growing together.
Robin of all people said it best - he was disappearing into someone else’s house and life and not the amazing ending that Ted deserved. Scherbatsky was right - Stella would up leaving him at the altar to reunite with her ex.
Behind - Victoria And Ted
During the show’s first season, it was clear that Ted pined for Robin, until he met Victoria. Had the series not be renewed for season two, Ted and Victoria being together might have been the ending to the show. The sweet coupling ended when Victoria went to Germany to learn how to make sweets and they would break up over long distance. Years later, they rekindled the flames, and for a fleeting moment the magic was back. But by then, it was obvious that Victoria and Ted were two different people than when they first met.
Rejected - Robin And Don
Similar to Ted and Stella, Don and Robin seemed good at first, and Don seemed like a good guy at first. His reluctance for Robin hanging out constantly with not one but two exes was understandable, but it also meant we didn’t get to see Robin for a few episodes. However, he turned out to be a bit of a cad. Robin has turned down a great opportunity to be with Don, she chose love over a career. Don wound up getting offered the same job and took it instead.
Behind - Tracy And Ted
After waiting for years to finally see her, the moment fans got to meet her as she asks for a ticket to Farhampton was pitch-perfect. We’d have to wait a whole year for Ted to meet Tracy, fans had already fallen for Christine Milioti, who played Tracy; and just waiting with bated breath for this moment.
Meeting under the iconic yellow umbrella and hearing Ted finally (seriously) utters the words “and that kids, is how I met your mother,” lived up to the nine years of hype building to it.
Rejected - Zoey And The Captain
The Captain was completely bonkers. Zoey sought to destroy the very thing Ted worked his entire professional career for - having his own building in the New York City skyline. The Captain wound up having some good moments, helping Lily during the final season. But he was also just an obstacle in Ted’s way. The two of them together made absolutely no sense. While that could happen in real life, it doesn’t help a TV show out in the slightest.
Behind - Robin And Barney
Even during their very first time hanging out as bros, smoking cigars and playing laser tag, it was obvious that Robin and Barney had a lot of chemistry together. It all came to a head when Barney and Robin finally hooked up, despite Ted’s initial protest. Not only did he come around, but years later, he eventually brought Robin right to meet Barney on the rooftop so that Barney could propose. The final seasons of the show all centered around the reveal of them getting married and their wedding weekend, how could you not pull for them?!
Rejected - Quinn And Barney
Quinn having Barney’s number was a nice touch to the relationship. But by this time, it was already known how Robin felt about Barney. Not to mention both Barney’s antics and Quinn’s distrustful nature spelled doom for the couple. We did get a wild proposal from Barney that nearly saw him arrested at the airport, but other than that, once it was revealed that Robin was the bride, this relationship was even more doomed.
Behind - Robin And Ted (The First Time)
Right from the first episode, we knew Robin wasn’t the mother. But current Ted didn’t know that, nor did he care. The hopeless romantic never stopped pining for her and did all he could to win her, including making it rain.
When he finally won her over, the two became a great couple. But unfortunately, they never could get past wanting the things they wanted as individuals and they made the very adult decision to call it quits, despite it breaking both of their (and fans’) hearts.
Rejected - Robin And Ted (The Finale)
Conversely to the first time Ted and Robin got together, a lot of fans were not fans at how whole series ended. However long after Tracy passed away, Ted regaled his children with what they (and we) thought was this epic love story was all about he met their mother and not how he was looking for permission to date “aunt” Robin.
Next: How I Met Your Mother: 10 Of Barney’s Most Inappropriate Pickup Lines
