'Glee' is one of the most culture-shaping shows of the last two decades.
The Emmy-winning teen musical series left an indelible mark on Hollywood, television, and music and helped usher in a whole new era of LGBTQ+ representation in media.
With that being said, it was also one of the wildest, most ridiculous, and most unbelievable shows to ever air. It seemed like almost every week there was one performance in each episode that left viewers with our jaws on the floor. But still, no matter how much we hate it, we can't deny how much it's influenced us.
From terrible song choices, to terrible concepts, from Will Schuester rapping, to Sue Sylvester donning a Nicki Minaj wig, here are 15 of Glee's absolute worst musical sins that, no matter how much time passes, still haunt our nightmares.
"Young Girl/Don't Stand So Close to Me"
This is BONKERS. The faces Will, Rachel, and Emma are making at each other while he sings about how Rachel is too young to be crushing on him are demented and operatic. It highlights exactly how bad at their jobs Will and Emma are.
"Gangnam Style"
An example of some of Glee's classic "ironic racism" that keeps aging worse and worse. Tina barely ever got solos, and when she finally did, it had to be this K-pop hit because she's the "Asian one."
"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
Yes, Glee actually had two storylines about straight girls falling in love with gay boys. As Tina sings to Blaine, her crush, the entire glee club makes the exact same face that I made while watching: pure confusion and disbelief.
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
After outing Santana to the whole school, her family, and everyone in Ohio, Finn had the gall to sing this slowed-down version of this Cyndi Lauper classic straight to her face in one of the most straight-privileged, sanctimonious performances in the show's history.
"Blurred Lines"
Really there was no reason to include this song on the show, and despite the fun dancing the glee club does, there's nothing fun about a bunch of teens singing 'I know you want it.' It's especially tasteless when Will decides to join in.
"Creep"
Radiohead's "Creep" is one of the most covered songs in history and somehow, Glee managed to make one of the worst covers of it ever. Now that's talent.
"Gold Digger"
Every instance of Will Schuester rapping could be on this list of Glee's worst musical sins, but this one in particular stands out because the song is just completely inappropriate for someone as white as Will to perform. Who thought this was a good idea???
"A Little Less Conversation"
Offensive is the main word that comes to mind when I think of this performance. Yes, it was meant to show off just how bad Will was at being a Spanish teacher, but wow, there had to be a better way to show it than this.
"Poker Face"
I honestly love this performance. It's a great duet between two great vocalists. But as the first song Rachel sings with her mom? It's insane! I don't know about you, but when I think of mother-daughter bonding, I definitely do not think of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."
"I Still Believe/Super Bass"
I don't even know what to say about this. Sue Sylvester rapping Nicki Minaj in leopard print and a wig makes me feel like it's 2017 and I'm back in the mental hospital.
"Let's Have a Kiki/Turkey Lurkey Time"
This is one of the greatest camp moments of the 21st Century. This mashup is so terrible that it circles back around and becomes terrific. Featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Shangela, Kurt shouting "mother," Rachel saying "hunty," and everything else you could imagine, plus a few things you couldn't.
"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say)"
Puppets, weird animal sounds, a bad song...this number has everything a classic Glee nightmare has.
"The Thong Song"
This instance of Will Schuester rapping is especially egregious as he was also grinding on Emma Pillsbury while doing it under the pretense of helping her learn to dance for her wedding. This is something I wish I never would have witnessed.
"It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World"
God, this was Glee at its wildest. A bunch of hugely pregnant high school girls dancing and singing all around Quinn, the pregnant cheerleader. These girls are so wildly pregnant and dancing as if they're not at all, and it is perfectly unhinged.
"What It Feels Like For a Girl"
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caption="" photo_credit=""]Will teaches the boys how to respect women by singing this Madonna song with them. It's a nonsense scene in a nonsense show.
