Top 10 The Big Bang Theory Love Interests

In season five, Penny introduces Raj to Emily, a woman with a hearing impairment from her spin class. Given Raj's selective mutism, she figured they could be a good match. Sure, they need Howard to third-wheel their dates to help them communicate at first, but soon enough, they’re pretty inseparable. However, the gang soon realizes it’s not just Raj’s companionship that Emily might be after. And unfortunately, they’re not wrong. When Raj tells Emily he can’t shower her with gifts anymore, she dumps him. We see her one last time when she joins Raj’s ex-girlfriends focus group, where she further elaborates on what went wrong between them.

After breaking up with Sheldon, Amy meets Dave, a tall, British academic who just happens to be Sheldon’s number one fan. We really liked Dave; he was sweet and funny, but we can see why his obsession with her ex might be somewhat of a turn-off. Somehow, she’s able to push past it— until Sheldon crashes their next meet-up. We’d say that watching your current paramour get back with their ex is a sign of a pretty bad date— but Dave seems perfectly happy. We only wish he’d stuck around longer so we could see where this relationship was headed. We, of course, are referring to his untapped bromance with Sheldon.

We first meet Dr. Stephanie when Howard invites her to drive the Mars Rover but gets it stuck in a ditch. Leonard drives her home, and they quickly hit it off. She seems like a great match for him, and their chemistry is pretty fire. Sheldon’s a fan, too, and goes overboard trying to keep this relationship afloat. Unfortunately, Leonard realizes that their relationship is moving much too fast and contemplates breaking up with her. Eventually, he tries to cool things off via text, but Stephanie has other ideas. Perhaps this is her way of saying farewell because we never saw her again.

Leslie was one of the show’s best recurring characters, and we only wish she had received more screen time. She’s a badass, empowered, intelligent woman who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. When Leonard first asks her out, she approaches the situation practically. Why waste time if there’s no spark, right? Eventually, the pair do date, and she’s very clear on her relationship goals and dealbreakers. Leslie also has a more casual fling with Howard. And while we can't condone using intimacy to manipulate someone, we admire her confidence. Plus, the way she eventually breaks things off with him is brutal.

We were so rooting for this relationship… until Lucy broke Raj’s heart. Given his own difficulties, Raj often struggled to make romantic connections. But then he met Lucy, a woman with debilitating social anxiety, at a singles party at the Comic Book store. The pair bond over their respective struggles and are actually super sweet together most of the time. Sure, Raj tried too hard to push Lucy out of her comfort zone. But she was clearly into him enough to try and stop crawling out of bathroom windows. When she becomes too overwhelmed by anxiety, she breaks things off. Still, she’ll always be the woman who helped Raj overcome his selective mutism.

After years of dating, Raj decides he’s ready to be set up in an arranged marriage: enter Anu. They say opposites attract, and if that’s true, Raj may have just met his dream woman. She’s confident, authoritative, and practical and helps Raj become more self-assured, too. Their pair end their engagement due to his insecurities but decide to start over and slow things down. We loved their dynamic! But it was hard to believe that a man so besotted with romance could give it all up so easily. So, as much as we wanted this to work out, we’re glad he didn’t get on that plane.

We were so for this relationship when it began that we didn’t even register that technically Leonard broke the bro code. Priya is beautiful, smart, and genuinely seems to care for Leonard. But soon, we discovered her controlling and manipulative side, and she basically wanted to mold Leonard into her dream man. Plus, that whole not wanting him to be friends with Penny thing? Come on, that would never last. Eventually, we just saw her as the obstacle keeping Lenny apart. After Priya returns to India, they continue the relationship long-distance. But then Leonard meets someone else. And although it was very brief, we have to admit we were team Alice.

For most of the series, Stuart’s unlucky in many ways, including in the love department. His brief thing with Penny ends when she says Leonard’s name during a make-out session. And Amy agrees to be Sheldon’s girlfriend during her date with him. However, his luck changes after Denise starts working at the comic book store. He wins her heart with his impressive “Star Wars” knowledge, and they soon begin dating. Sure, they hit a few bumps along the way, especially when Stuart gets cold feet. But it was clear that these two were meant for each other, and we were thrilled to see Stuart so happy.

Things get off to a rocky start when Raj sends Amy to suss out this woman he met online. Yet, she gives him a second chance, and they hit it off. Emily’s funny and smart, with an obscure taste for the macabre. Raj is able to look past her morbid penchant and grows to care for her almost as much as he does for his dog. She also got on excellently with his friends— mostly. It seemed like this couple had everything going for it— until Raj met Claire. We were definitely intrigued by this new love interest, but we were also mad at Raj for throwing away what he had with Emily.

Aw, Zack, how can you not love Zack? He was Penny’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and, as we later found out, husband. He was the sweetest guy, and while he might be built like a brick house, he was also about as smart as one. We can’t say much about their chemistry, and Penny often used him as a rebound whenever she didn’t want to be alone. And we get it; he’s like an adorable puppy chasing his own tail. Plus, he did genuinely try to fit in with her friends. The guy’s a total sweetheart and, for many reasons, one of the most memorable love interests on the show.