Top 10 Zoey & Chase Moments on Zoey 101

Chase Matthews may be funny, charming, and sweet, but a dancer he is not. Still, when he found out how much winning the PCA dance competition meant to Zoey, he trained nonstop with Logan and Michael in order to help her win, maybe pushing himself a little bit too hard. Even though Chase ends up sleeping through the competition on account of his rigorous training, Zoey was just as moved by Chase’s dedication as we were. Good friends will go above and beyond for one another, but come on Zoey, here Chase made it pretty clear that his dedication went far beyond simple friendship.

Right from the get-go, Zoey 101 made it very explicit that Chase had a serious thing for Zoey. A number of the show’s first episodes dealt with his feelings for her and the comedy of errors that defined their relationship. For example, when Chase writes a play for himself and Zoey to star in, only for Logan to steal his part. This doesn’t sit well with Chase, especially once Zoey starts to think that Logan might not be as much of a jerk as she thought. Eventually Zoey realizes that she had been right about Logan to begin with and tells him off on stage in typical Zoey Brooks fashion, much to Chase’s amusement.

When PCA hosts its first school dance since becoming co-ed, the dance committee uses a personality test in order to pair students together. Chase, not wanting to miss his opportunity to take Zoey to the dance, tricks her into giving him her answers to the personality quiz, ensuring their pairing. Karma comes back to bite Chase though, as another boy had the same idea and Zoey goes with him instead. Eventually Zoey figures out what both of the boys did and reems them out for acting like jerks, but makes up with Chase in the end when he apologizes for being a bit of a creep.

The “fake dating” trope is a staple of romantic comedy writing, as it’s an easy way to force a “will they / won’t they” couple into tense romantic situations. In one season 2 episode, Zoey and Chase have to pretend to be a couple in order to get an obnoxious girl (played by Jennette McCurdy) to stop pursuing Chase. Chase loves this plan, as it gives him an excuse to live out his fantasy. He’s even more excited when McCurdy’s character demands that the fake couple kiss in order to prove the legitimacy of their relationship. The smooch comes so close to happening but is broken up by Zoey’s brother Dustin at the last second. Poor Chase, he could never seem to catch a break.

Zoey and Chase meet just minutes after Zoey’s arrival at Pacific Coast Academy, and it’s a shining example of a TV “meet cute.” Chase is so taken by Zoey that he rides his bike right into a flagpole, prompting their first conversation. As soon as the two start chatting it’s obvious that there’s potential there for something more than just friendship, as the two quickly develop a comfortable rapport that more closely resembles awkward flirting. Zoey and Chase’s first interaction in the first episode of Zoey 101 set the stage for one of the longest, most captivating, and sometimes most infuriating love stories of our childhoods, and it’s absolutely iconic.

When Chase is working so hard on an essay that he can’t make time to celebrate his own birthday, Zoey thoughtfully invites his grandma to come visit him at PCA in order to cheer him up. Chase is super excited to see his Grandma, who shares his birthday, and he’s pretty torn up when she cancels because she isn’t feeling well. Later, it’s revealed that Chase’s grandma was more than just a little sick, as she passes away on their birthday. Zoey finds Chase sitting in the rain after hearing the news, and stays to comfort him, giving him her shoulder to lean on. This was an uncharacteristically somber scene for Zoey 101, and a defining moment in Zoey and Chase’s story.

Because it was so obvious that Chase and Zoey were more than just friends, it was infuriating to continuously watch them almost get together only for something ridiculous to screw it all up. Like how it took Zoey transferring to a school in England for Chase to finally come clean about his feelings. This was frustrating enough, but when Zoey returned to PCA in order to confess to Chase only to find that he’d followed her to England without telling her, we felt like pulling our hair out. It was great to finally have everyone’s feelings out in the open, but this absurd twist of fate postponed these two lovebirds’ happy ending for an entire final season. Still, it made for some must-watch TV.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Zoey_101_episodes#Season_3_(2006%E2%80%9308)

When Chase finds out that Zoey buried a secret video journal along with their class’s time capsule, his Zoey neuroses are pushed to the limit. Unable to sleep because he can’t stop wondering what Zoey may have said about him, Chase convinces Michael to help him dig up the time capsule in the pouring rain. When Chase finally gets back to his dorm with Zoey’s DVD however, his sense of morality gets the better of him. He decides not to breach Zoey’s privacy and returns the DVD back to the time capsule without watching it. Good man, Chase! This moment was so iconic that in 2015 some of the cast of Zoey 101 reunited to make a follow up video short.*

This moment is the first thing that many people think of when Zoey 101 is brought up. At the end of an extremely dramatic 2 part episode that tested the strength of their friendship, Chase musters up the courage to send Zoey a text wherein he admits his true feelings for her. While Chase watches Zoey to see her react to his text, we see that her phone is precariously placed on the edge of a fountain. All of us watched in horror as Chase’s text causes Zoey’s tekmate to vibrate right into the fountain, erasing Chase’s admission from history. To this day, it still drives us crazy thinking about it, even knowing that it all works out in the end.

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

Chase Saves Zoey from a Ghost
Chase Rescues an Injured Zoey From a Vengeful Spirit.

Video Date
Zoey and Chase Are Forced to Have Their First Date Over Video Chat, but It’s Still Pretty Cute.

Dropping Out of the Election
The Pair Decide That Their Friendship Is More Important Than Winning a Student Election.

Not a Date
Chase Is Crushed When Zoey Brings Dana and Nicole to What He Thought Was a Date.

Having transferred to England, Chase is absent for the bulk of Zoey 101’s final season. In his absence, Zoey starts a relationship with a new PCA student named James but breaks it off with him right before PCA’s senior prom, leaving her date-less. On the night of the dance, Zoey walks around the PCA grounds and runs into none other than Chase Matthews. In a callback to their first encounter, Chase immediately falls down a flight of stairs before the two finally share their first kiss. Later, Zoey asks Chase if he’d like to spend the summer with her in Hawaii, which he gladly accepts. After years of misunderstandings and missed opportunities, it was so rewarding to finally see these two get their happy ending.