Top 10 Times Mr Schue Was the Worst on Glee

The fifth episode of Glee’s second season begins with a very angry Dr. Carl Howell storming into Glee club rehearsal and claiming Mr. Schue is attempting to get his girlfriend, Emma. But hitting on a woman in a committed relationship is far from the worst thing Will does while putting on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” In tried and true Mr. Schue fashion, he casts himself in the titular role. Not only does he take the part away from a student, but he does so knowing he’ll have to perform songs of a risque nature with underage members of the cast. Touch a, Touch a, Touch a, Touch Me? Please don’t.

Coach Beiste’s arrival at McKinley immediately poses a threat to Mr. Schue. After Principal Figgins is convinced to cut funding for the cheer squad and the Glee club, the football team now has more money. Mr. Schue could have handled this like an adult, but where’s the fun in that? He joins forces with Sue and proceeds to bully Beiste to quit. But the worst part about his behavior is that most of the pranks he and Sue pull have to do with Coach Beiste’s looks. When they order pizzas for Beiste, it’s clearly a weight comment . You’d think a teacher would be more sensitive to the effects of bullying, but Mr. Schue is anything but.

Appropriation is the name of the game for this entry. In addition to an egregiously offensive performance of “A Little Less Conversation” where Mr. Schue dresses up as a torero, this episode opens with one of the most insulting Glee performances ever. Mr. Schue has the brilliant idea to sing “La Cucaracha” to his Spanish class while dressed in stereotypical garb. He tries to pass these two off as actual lessons, but Santana ultimately calls him out. He eventually admits he only took the job because it was the last position open. For someone who talks a big game about following your passions, it’s obvious he has none for the Spanish language. That’s a failing grade in our book.

When they said Viva la Revolution, we're not sure this is what they meant. When Sue - now Principal - bans twerking at McKinley, Mr. Schue takes it upon himself to retaliate. He, along with a plethora of high schoolers, protest by twerking their way down the halls. This is just one of many examples of Mr. Schue’s unfortunate habit of dancing inappropriately with his students. But the song choice here makes it worse than those other times. Encouraging your students to sing a controversial song, especially considering the topic? Yeah, that’s not the best look as an educator.

Sue is far from the nicest character on Glee. But even she doesn’t deserve the humiliation Mr. Schue inflicts on her in the show’s 21st episode. In the wake of his divorce, Mr. Schue decides he’s had enough of Sue’s rude remarks and pretends he has a crush on her. After a performance of “Tell Me Something Good” and a lot of painful hip thrusting, Will asks Sue out on a date. But when the night comes, he doesn’t show and leaves her alone and embarrassed. Not only is this whole thing downright mean, but also Will doesn’t even apologize until he realizes how her shame affects the cheerleaders who perform in his Glee club. Selfish until the very end.

If you needed evidence that Mr. Schue would make a terrible boyfriend, look no further. When Will gets the opportunity to go to Washington for a job, he asks Emma to go with him. She very clearly says she doesn’t want to go – she has a job and a life in Lima, and doesn’t want to end up resenting Will for asking her to leave. Will gaslights her and basically calls her unsupportive. She stands her ground for as long as she can, but eventually breaks down and agrees. Mr. Schue may find Emma unsupportive, but by not taking her needs into account, he ends up proving his own failings as a support system.

From “Gold Digger” to “Thong Song,” Mr. Schue’s questionable rapping skills and misplaced desire to relate to his students was often on full display. An impromptu Mr. Schue rap could be considered a staple of “Glee”, although not a very good one. For six years, audiences everywhere were subjected to a multitude of cringeworthy performances that were never better than the original. Honestly, every performance of his should probably come with a disclaimer. He may be a good singer, but he should leave the rapping to the pros. And if you don’t know, now you know.

What’s the opposite of enforcing a school dress code? During a performance of Lady Gaga’s “Applause,” Marley opts for a Katy Perry-inspired look in lieu of a more scandalous Gaga costume. Her fellow students are upset with her, but she maintains that the revealing outfit made her uncomfortable. Any regular teacher would come to her aid, but Mr. Schue is anything but normal. He accuses Marley of putting her “personal agenda” above the rest of the team and suspends her for the week. If Marley’s “personal agenda” is wearing clothes that make her feel good, then we’re all for it. But here, Mr. Schue proves he has little regard for a teenage girl’s feelings. We don’t think Katy or Lady Gaga would approve.

This is almost the worst thing Mr. Schue does, and it happens in the very first episode of the series. Desperately searching for kids for his new Glee club, Mr. Schue overhears Finn singing in the shower and hatches a plot to force him to join. He plants weed in Finn’s locker and gives him an ultimatum – detention or Glee club. Right away, we know how far Mr. Schue is willing to go. And the worst part? He never faces any consequences. When he tells Finn later on, Finn responds with, “You’re so much cooler than I ever thought you were.” Yeah, drugs and blackmail. Real cool, Finn!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The “Toxic” Performance, “Britney/Brittany”
This Performance Should Come with a Warning

That Noise During “Kiss”, “Sexy”
You Can Never Unhear It

“You’re All Minorities,” “Throwdown”
This Is Just Factually Inaccurate

Mistreating Finn After He Confesses to Kissing Emma, “Feud”
Mr. Schue Turns Holding a Grudge Into an Olympic Sport

Did you know that Finn and Rachel aren’t the only members of Glee club? You could be forgiven for thinking they were, because for the first few seasons, they are seemingly the only two on Mr. Schue’s radar. Despite the amazing talents of Santana, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina and all the other students, Mr. Schue has to be called out before he starts to give anyone else a solo with regularity. Even after the call out, he still favors Rachel and Finn. His obsession with the two is a little creepy at times – he even asks Finn to be his best man. Talk about taking favoritism to a whole new level.