Why Did These Friends Couples Breakup?

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One of the most enjoyable bits of Friends was to watch their various relationships grow and then die. It was rare for any couple to breakup in a reasonable way. Rather, most of the partnerships ended in a fiery blaze. Since we became so used to seeing the group together and in their own elements, it was often through their relationships with others that we got to see just how dysfunctional they really were. They may have been attractive and successful people in their own ways, but they were not very good at being boyfriends and girlfriends. Then again, maybe no one really is?

So, in the spirit of relationships ending badly, we wanted to go through and see if you could remember how each of these partnerships died. Every one of the stars of Friends dated numerous people during the 10 glorious seasons. You may remember who each of the partners are and how each of them met, but do you remember all the bad stuff? After all, outside of Ross and Rachel, Chandler and Monica, Phoebe and Mike, every relationship on the show ended for one reason or another. That is a lot of breakups to keep track of.

Let’s see if you can answer the question, Why Did This Friends Couple Breakup?

Question 1

Ross and Jill

Jill is Rachel's youngest sister. When she comes to town, Rachel seizes the opportunity to take her under her wing, trying to transform her little sister from spoiled to independent just as she herself had transformed. Jill doesn't take to Rachel's guidance though. She even ends up dating Ross to bother Rachel. Obviously, this works. They don't really get going too hot and heavy, however, and the relationship ends in the early stages. Why was it that Jill and Ross broke up?

Question 2

Joey and Ginger

We never get to see Joey and Ginger together as a couple, but we do hear about their relationship. When Joey realizes that Chandler is dating Ginger, he tells the group about his former relationship with her and that things ended badly with her. Luckily for Joey, things don't go well between Ginger and Chandler either. She leaves his apartment after seeing his nubbin. But do you remember what the reason was for Joey and Ginger breaking up in the first place?

Question 3

Monica and Pete

We don't need to spend a whole lot time describing Pete. He was one of Monica's more memorable beaus. He was filthy rich and wasn't shy about throwing his money around. Though they started off slow and had a few too many hiccups along the way, Pete and Monica were kind of good together. There was some confusion about exactly how fast they were moving, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little heart to heart. Why is that they eventually broke up?

Question 4

Monica and Fun Bobby

When Monica reveals to the group that Fun Bobby is coming to their party, the group is overjoyed. They love fun Bobby because he's so fun. Well, when he shows up Fun Bobby is no fun. He's sad Bobby because his grandfather passed away. Later in the show, Monica ends up dating Fun Bobby. Once again, she finds that Bobby is no longer the fun guy she used to know. This time for a different reason. When Bobby breaks up with Monica, what is the reason given?

Question 5

Chandler and Joanna

Chandler and Joanna, Rachel's boss, dated briefly for a time in season three, but Chandler found her too annoying to stay with. They ended things and that was that. Then, in season four, they reunited for an episode, but things took a bad turn when Joanna left Chandler handcuffed to the chair in her office while she went to a meeting. Rachel found him in this vulnerable position, let him go temporarily, and then re-handcuffed him to the filing cabinet. Eventually he was freed, but soon after we found out that Chandler and Joanna had split. What was the reasoning?

Question 6

Joey and Janine

Janine starts off as Joey's new roommate, a roommate he picked very strategically. Since she was so beautiful, Joey could see no better person to shack up with. At first, they just hang out as friends, but after a New Years party, their relationship gets more serious. They date for a while but Joey decides that he has to end it with Janine, a big step for him because of how much he liked her. What was it about her that made him decide to break up with her?

Question 7

Chandler and Julie Graff

Since Ross also dated a Julie, this might be confusing, but Chandler had his own Julie. We first meet her when she overhears Monica talking about marrying Chandler. Because Chandler is such a unique name, Julie figures it's the same guy. When she wishes Monica a sarcastic "good luck," the future bride probes Chandler about her and why they broke up. He then tells Monica that they dated when they were teenagers and he gives her the reasoning for their breakup. Can you remember what he said?

Question 8

Rachel and Joshua

Rachel first meets Joshua when she's working at Bloomingdale's as a personal shopper. Joshua has lost all his clothes in his divorce, so Rachel helps him pick out a new wardrobe. She quickly falls for him and, eventually, after a few missed opportunities, they date. Well, kind of. He invites her to a club he's opening and she can't even get in. But they do spend time together. Rachel certainly never puts her best forward in the relationship because of some other factors, but there's one very clear reason why they break up. What was it?

Question 9

Phoebe and Vince

When Phoebe and Vince started dating, she was torn between him and another guy, Jason. Both Vince and Jason seemed like great guys, so Phoebe had to weigh their strengths and weaknesses. The problem for her was that neither guy really had any weaknesses. By the end of the episode, however, Phoebe had lost the chance to pick either one of the guys because they both broke up with her around the same time. What was Vince's reason for ending things with Phoebe?

Question 10

Ross and Janice

After the first few seasons of Chandler and Janice's on-again-off-again relationship, we figured she was gone for good. But she wasn't. Even more surprisingly, she came back and dated Ross. Understandably, everyone is a bit bothered by Ross and Janice's relationship. Janice argues that she is not in the wrong for dating Chandler's friend because he is in Yemen (at least she believes he is). Ross argues that Janice is a caring partner and he needs that after hearing about Emily getting remarried. They do breakup though. Why?

Question 11

Phoebe and Tony

Tony is an ex-boyfriend of Phoebe's who didn't get a lot of fanfare. In the episode, "The One With The East German Laundry Detergent," Chandler feels that he has to break up with Janice, but he is too nervous to do it. Phoebe says that she will break up with Tony at the same time to make things easier for Chandler. According to Phoebe, Tony was a nice guy, but she just wasn't having fun anymore. Phoebe then says that she's not sure if it's just her or this other thing. What was the other thing?

Question 12

Rachel and Danny

At first, Rachel is completely freaked out by Danny. She confuses him for a yeti because his long and unkempt hair. After he shaves and gets a haircut, Rachel finds him attractive, but he shockingly isn’t into her. At least, that's the impression he gives off. Bothered by this, Rachel complains to Monica, who in turn asks Danny out on Rachel's behalf. They go out and have fun, but there's something about Danny that Rachel cannot get over. It results in her breaking it off with him. What is it?

Question 13

Monica and Ethan

Monica and Ethan seemed great together. They laughed and had a lot of fun. On their first night together, Ethan drops a big piece of news on Monica. He tells her that he's a virgin. This is not such bad news for Monica. She's still into it. After they do their business, Monica decides to get honest with Ethan as well. Because he was a senior in college, she lied and said she was 22. She was actually 26. This isn't why they break up though. What was the real reason?

Question 14

Joey and Katie

Katie is a very giddy character played by Soleil Moon Frye. She and Joey date over the course of one episode but Joey never seems to be enjoying himself very much. Katie's energy was overbearing and it really affected Joey. He changed the way he acts around people. He even changed the way he dressed. It wasn't hard to see that Joey and Katie were not going to last, but what was it exactly that caused them to split up?

Question 15

Joey and Sarah

Sarah and Joey went on two dates together and neither one went very well. Sarah was Phoebe's friend and Joey asked her to set them up. Phoebe was quite reluctant about this because Joey sleeps with women and never calls them back, but he promised he wouldn't do that, so Phoebe set it up. After the first date, Joey called it off. Angry, Phoebe demanded that he give her another chance. After the second date, however, it was clear they were over. What was the reason Joey wanted to end it?

Question 16

Rachel and Tag

Tag was Rachel's assistant who she ended up dating. He was in several episodes and was even one of the possibilities when they were trying to determine who the father of her baby was. They had fun when they were dating but it wasn't meant to be. Rachel saw that Tag was too immature for her and she broke up with him because of it. Though this was the reason, there was something that finally triggered this realization. What was it?

Question 17

Phoebe and Gary

Gary was the cop that Phoebe dated for a while. Their relationship started when Phoebe found his badge and was posing as a police officer. When Gary confronted Phoebe, he fell for her. Not long after, they were dating and things were moving fast, a little too fast for Phoebe. When Gary asked her to move in with him, Phoebe resisted. It wasn't until Gary explained how much Phoebe meant to him that she agreed to move in. That never lasted though. Why?

Question 18

Rachel and Paolo

Remember Paolo? He was the guy that Rachel met when she was looking for a cat's owner. The cat was the one that jumped on Ross' back, interrupting him while he was in the middle of professing his love to Rachel. Rachel then met the cat's owner, Paolo, brought him back to Monica's apartment and started dating him soon after. Even though Rachel sleeps with Paolo again later on, we won't be counting that as dating. So why did they break up in the first place?

Question 19

Chandler and Marjorie

When Chandler first meets Marjorie, he's got some competition for her affections. Both he and Joey spot her at the sleep clinic. The guys are there because Joey's snoring is out of control. Marjorie chooses Chandler in the end because Joey is half asleep and he basically hits on everyone in the room. She and Chandler hit it off and even sleep together. Even though we never actually see them break up, we do see reasoning why Chandler would want to leave her. What is that reason?

Question 20

Phoebe and David

The first time Phoebe and David got together, it had to end because he was moving to Minsk. Though the show writers had a plan to have David return and he and Phoebe end up together, it didn't exactly work out like that. David returned a few times throughout the years and he and Phoebe always had a connection, but we know they don't end up together. Do you remember what caused them to split up for the final time?

Question 21

Ross and Elizabeth

Elizabeth first caught Ross' attention when she handed in her teacher evaluation and called him a hottie. Ross, ever the sucker for compliments, decided to go out with Elizabeth despite the fact it was against school policy. Still, they kept their relationship secret. Then, when Elizabeth's dad threatened to have Ross fired, they still kept on going out. It wasn't until Ross realized that she was too immature for him that he ended things. What was it that confirmed he was right?

Question 22

Ross and Elizabeth Hornswoggle

Ross dated two Elizabeth's. The one we're referring to here is Elizabeth Hornswoggle. You'll remember that Chandler had made a bet that he couldn't go a week without making fun of his friends, so Elizabeth's interesting last name really gave him a hard time. Eventually, he just gave up on the bet to make a pretty average Fraggle Rock joke. When Ross goes over to Elizabeth's place, he has a nightmare wardrobe malfunction. But why was it that these two split up?

Question 23

Ross and Celia

Ross was always looking for a woman who shared interests with him. So, naturally, when he started dating Celia, a museum colleague, he was ecstatic. They really work well together and she's beautiful. After their date, things get moving pretty quickly and the two start making out. Celia is rather naughty and gets into the dirty talk. Ross tries to join in, but the only word he can think of is vulva. Ross then dedicates himself to the craft of dirty talk. He practices with Joey and in order to impress Celia. Now, technically, we don't know why Ross and Celia never see each other again, but we know that at the end of their next date, they simply cuddled. This probably disappointed Celia. What was the reason they only cuddled?

Question 24

Monica and Paul

We honestly don't know a whole lot about Paul the Wine Guy except that he worked with Monica in a restaurant. We don't even know why they call him the Wine Guy, and it doesn't appear that any in the group know either. Even though Monica insists that she isn't going on a date with Paul, the two go out for dinner. During the evening, Monica falls for Paul and the two end up going to bed together. Later, Monica breaks up with Paul for a very specific reason. What was it?

Question 25

Monica and Timothy

When Monica broke up with Richard, she avoided going to the eye doctor at all costs. Then she got ice in her eye and she was forced to face her fears. She went to the doctor fully expecting to see Richard, but she was pleasantly surprised when there was a handsome younger doctor in his place. Turns out, that handsome young doctor was Richard's son, Timothy. There was an immediate attraction between the two. Monica invited Timothy over and the two even kissed that night. They decided it couldn’t work though. Do you know why Monica broke it off with Timothy?

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