Top 10 Unforgettable High School Musical Moments
#10: Coach Bolton's Locker Room Speech “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008)
What team? Wildcats! What team? Wildcats! Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you can definitely get on board with the many inspirational sports moments in the “High School Musical” series. In “High School Musical 3: Senior Year,” Coach Bolton gives the team a pep talk before the last 16 minutes of their game, reminding them that, for the seniors at least, this might be their last 16 minutes as Wildcats. Speaking of basketball, we couldn’t possibly leave out the song (xref) “Get'cha Head in the Game” from the first movie, which outlines Troy’s major character conflict.
#9: Troy Offering to Sing with Sharpay “High School Musical 2” (2007)
In “High School Musical 2,” Sharpay is doing everything in her power to make sure Troy and Gabriella stay apart so she can sink her claws into him. All of her efforts are thwarted, however, and she manages to make Troy completely turn on her. When it comes time for the big performance, though, she’s in her dressing room sobbing and anxious when Troy comes to save the day. Despite all their differences, he still offers to sing with her, and shows what friendship is really all about. They truly are all in this together!
#8: The Secret Garden “High School Musical” (2006)
Top 10 Troy & Gabriella High School Musical Moments
In the very first “High School Musical” movie, when Troy and Gabriella’s relationship is just budding, he takes her to his “secret hideout” in the school - a garden on the building’s rooftop. She marvels at the beautiful space, and he tells her that his friends don’t know it exists so he can come here and be himself. They have a conversation where she lets him know that she thinks there’s much more to him than just being a star basketball player and reveals some of her own experiences with her identity.
#7: Troy & Gabriella's First Kiss “High School Musical 2” (2007)
Because this is a Disney Channel franchise, our two star-crossed lovers didn’t actually share a kiss in the first movie, even though they came close. Fans and shippers had to wait all the way until the end of “High School Musical 2” to see these two finally lock lips. There are floating lanterns, there are fireworks, there are sprinklers spraying them with water, and Troy delivers a line reminding Gabriella to live in the moment. Is this scene cheese? Absolutely. Do we love it anyway? You betcha!
#6: Gabriella & Troy Meet “High School Musical” (2006)
This is where it all started. It’s New Year’s Eve and both Troy and Gabriella are celebrating at a party at a ski lodge. They both randomly get dragged up to do karaoke as a duet and are both understandably a bit embarrassed at first. As the song goes on, though, they get more comfortable singing with each other, and by the end of the song they’re belting out the lyrics and staring into each other’s eyes. The rest, as we know, is history! That guy was right, he really did deserve to be thanked one day!
#5: Delaying the Basketball Game “High School Musical” (2006)
In the first movie, Sharpay will do anything to stop Troy and Gabriella from auditioning for the school musical. She even goes as far as changing the time of the callbacks so that both of them are otherwise occupied and unable to make it to the auditions. But Troy and Gabriella have a plan, and hack into the school’s computers to get control of the power in the gym and triggering a reaction that causes everyone to have to leave during the decathlon. They manage to make it just in time and nail the audition, but more on that later.
#4: “Senior Year Spring Musical” “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008)
It’s the seniors’ last chance to stage a big musical at East High, and they pull out all the stops to make it the best one ever. The production value is seriously high for this musical, and we’ve got to wonder where the drama department gets their budget from! The Senior Year Spring Musical features a little bit of everything: a Troy and Gabriella duet, the Wildcats and cheerleaders taking part, Sharpay getting stabbed in the back and then getting her revenge; what more could you want? Knowing it was the last show was bittersweet, but that just made us love it even more.
#3: “We're All in This Together” “High School Musical” (2006)
ALL the High School Musical Songs Ranked from Worst to Best
The first “High School Musical” movie has an all-around happy ending, with Troy winning his big game and Gabriella bringing home a victory as well. All of the East High students end up performing a huge musical number in the gym, celebrating their two team victories. It’s an upbeat and uplifting song that brings everyone together, and celebrates teamwork and putting aside differences to work together. It also just so happens to be one of the catchiest songs in the whole series. We challenge you to not let it get stuck in your head!
#2: Troy's Graduation Speech “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008)
Top 10 Troy Bolton Moments
Speaking of “We're All in This Together,” the song gets a reprise in “High School Musical 3” when it’s sung by the choir as Troy gives his graduation speech at the big outdoor ceremony, where we get to see the entire senior class in their caps and gowns. His speech is touching and emotional, singling out individual East High students who broke the mold and upended expectations. Knowing how close this scene is to the end of the series, it always brings a tear to our eye! Once a Wildcat, always a wildcat! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Troy & Chad in a Tree “High School Musical” (2006) All of Sharpay & Ryan’s Warm Ups Various Sharpay Confesses to Zeke “High School Musical” (2006) “Bet on It” “High School Musical 2” (2007) Sharpay's Screams Various
#1: “Breaking Free” “High School Musical” (2006)
Top 10 Unanswered Questions in El Camino A Breaking Bad Movie
The entire first movie is leading up to Troy and Gabriella’s big audition, and when the moment finally comes, it’s just as epic as we expected it to be. The song they chose, “Breaking Free,” perfectly encompasses all the themes of the movie, and the series, and manages to be both emotional and inspirational. It cemented their ability to do great duets together and sets up the action of the films that are to come. Of course, they got the lead roles based on this performance! No one else had a chance.
