The world of Gossip Girl opened our eyes to the true power of social media in high school. As the teens of the wealthy NY families try to deal with school and family, Gossip Girl actively reported on the juiciest stories of the week. Fans continued to tune in for the lavished lifestyles, wild drama, and, of course, their favorite characters. Emerging as one of the most beloved pairs from the show were rich jerk Chuck Bass and snobby socialite Blair Waldorf.
Though the two had very little in common in the beginning, they soon found their common ground in mischief, plotting, and revenge. From there, their attraction grew and soon became a significant focus of the storyline. With their ups and downs of their relationship playing out throughout the course of the show, many fans rooted for “Chair” to make it in the end. Despite being a better fit with Dan, which surprised us all, she still turned him down for Chuck, in the end.
As much as people lived for this couple and even strived to be as great as them, some fans simply cannot look past the very toxic reality of their relationship. Not only were they manipulative of each other, but also physically and emotionally abusive throughout the show. As much as we want to love them, the truth is that they had some pretty awful experiences together.
Let’s see if they are still “goals” after these 20 Things That Make No Sense About Blair nd Chuck’s Relationship.
They Are Abusive To Each Other
The romance between Chuck and Blair seemingly came out of nowhere. Neither of these two had the other on their radar, given that Chuck was friends with Blair’s boyfriend. However, as their constant manipulative games and challenges increased, the two soon became drawn to one another. Initially, fans grew to love the couple for their teamwork and support of one another. However entertaining and angst-ridden their relationship was, there still existed a layer of physical abuse that some fans couldn’t get past.
Several of their moments together included slapping, shoving, and occasional hair-pulling.
Whereas some fans saw this behavior as nothing serious, others recognized the signs of an unhealthy relationship being promoted on TV. Even today, many fans stay divided on whether they were “relationship goals” or a cry for help.
Their Never-ending Mind Games
Couples usually find themselves attracted to one another thanks to their common interests. This commonality could include a shared interest in music, career, life aspirations, etc. However, the one thing that brought Chuck and Blair together was their mutual love for manipulation. The foundation of their relationship together began with their interest in playing mind games and getting their way.
Although this form of control originally extended only to their “victims,” it soon came into play with their actual romantic relationship. Fans watched as the two tried to “one-up” each other on various occasions and made frivolous bets against one another. Their manipulative games even served to keep their relationship interesting in season 3 when they finally got together.
It Took An Entire Season To Say "I Love You"
Audiences loved the back-and-forth between Chuck and Blair. Not only did the coupletry to one-up each other but their devious teamwork made for some great entertainment. However, when they finally crossed the line and became more than co-villains, fans couldn’t wait until they finally got together romantically.
The writers of Gossip Girl decided to take their time to build their feelings for each. This is definitely a smart move to make audiences tune in each week-- except their romantic growth took an entire season.
Just to get Chuck and Blair to say “I love you” to each other took the entirety of the second season.
Granted, we love suspense, but this was too much. Either they were too prideful to be the first to say it or a situation got in the way of the confession.
Their Ridiculous Bets and Wagers
There is nothing like mutual manipulation to make a couple grow closer together. The consequences of Blair and Chuck’s various games usually resulted in someone getting hurt, in the end. The events of “It's a Wonderful Lie” proved once again that they two had little regard for those caught in their webs.
In yet another case of the two not being able to be together, they decide to wager which one of them would bring the best date for the other. For the annual Snowflake Ball, the two former lovers tried to prove how well they knew each other. The prizes for their victory? Blair would get Chuck’s limo for a month or Chuck would get Dorota. Yes, Dorota the housekeeper-- an entire human being.
Blair Didn't Think She Was Worthy of Chuck
Throughout Gossip Girl, Blair often went through several moments of self-reflection that made her question her self-worth. Though usually portrayed as a confident young woman, she still had moments of doubting her ability to be successful. Her self-esteem took a considerable blow when she failed to get into Yale University, her dream school. Also, while trying to find her place in life, she also contended with her feelings of inadequacy with her relationship with Chuck.
As Chuck worked to make his mark in the business world, Blair questioned if she was accomplished enough to be with him.
In fact, by season 4, her main motivation to obtain the W Magazine internship included making herself more worthy to be with Chuck.
Chuck Changed His Identity To Avoid Blair
When faced with the many challenges of pursuing Blair, Chuck has committed some pretty awful acts to either hurt her or avoid commitment. From airing her dirty laundry on Gossip Girl to abandoning her during one of their many grand gestures, he simply cannot seem to do right by her.
When he, yet again, disappointed her at the end of season three, he left for Prague and got shot. Thankfully, Eva Coupeau saved his life. However, instead of returning to his terrible life and broken relationship with Blair, he pretended to be someone else to avoid it. He went by the name Henry Price and completely made up a different backstory just to avoid his screw-ups. Who does that?
Chuck Paid People To Beat Him Up To Get Over Blair
Blair finally looked like she would find happiness with an actual Prince Charming in Paris. The thought of losing Blair yet again drove Chuck to take some careless chances with his life. In season 5, we see him get into a motorcycle accident that left with not feeling pain. In reality, he was unable to feel any emotional pain because of Blair. You would think he would seek out a doctor or professional help to work out his issues.
Before he took the right path to recovery, he decided to deal with things Fight Club style.
Chuck hired several men to beat the stuffing out of him to help him get over Blair.
Chuck Publicly Shamed Blair And Then Rejected Her
During the “A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate” episode, Blair discovered she could be pregnant, with the father being either Chuck or Nate. With both relationships hanging in the air, she discovered her pregnancy to be false and chose Nate as her partner.
Once again not being Blair's first choice, Chuck took the opportunity to expose her to Gossip Girl as revenge. The site reported how Blair had been intimate with two different guys in the same week. After being rejected by Nate for her actions, she returned to Chuck in defeated, only to have him state that he was no longer interested in her. Not only did he get what he wanted (their breakup) but he “won” their manipulation game as well. This is how he treats someone he loves.
Chuck Abandoned Blair Because He Was Afraid
Time after time, they kept finding reasons not to be together. As the years progressed, the reasoning became more unsound and eventually involved false pregnancies, faked identities, and a few princes.
During their first chance to be together back in the season 1 finale, Chuck was at fault for running away.
In the episode “Much 'I Do' About Nothing”, the two decided to spend the summer together and finally, officially, be a couple. However, Chuck got last minute cold feet and left Blair waiting for him at the helipad. To get over it, he sought comfort with Bart and Lily’s decorator. Typical Chuck…
Their relationship started with betrayal
In season 1 of Gossip Girl, the introduction to the character of Chuck Bass was less than favorable. Not only did he appear untrustworthy and underhanded but he seemed too focused on carnal activities as well. Think of the many times he tried to hit on someone or force himself on someone.
Even in his friendship with Nate, he encouraged his friend to “seal the deal” with Blair as soon as possible. Ew. However, these creepy ways expanded when he, not only took an interest in his friend’s ex but actually got with her in the back of his limo. Where is the loyalty from either of them?
Chuck Chose Poverty over Blair's help
One of the many traits that Chuck and Blair share-- other than general selfishness and shallowness-- was their nearly unbreakable pride. Both characters usually stuck to their beliefs regardless of the negative consequences on themselves or others. We see this deeply ingrained pride when Chuck came face-to-face with losing his fortune. Upon his father’s miraculous return to life, he successfully reclaimed Bass Industries and kicked his own son out.
Blair comforted Chuck and told him she would do anything to make their relationship work.
She also told him she would use her soon-to-be fortunes from Waldorf Designs to support them both. However, Chuck immediately rejected her and her offer, basically choosing poverty over her support. How touching.
Blair Bartered Chuck Just To Give A Toast
Whether it was to prove their ability to succeed to their peers or each other, the couple would go to any lengths to be victorious in their aspirations. If they had to use each other as potential collateral, they would do it. In an attempt to salvage her broken ego after being rejected by Yale, Blair tried to restore her former title as the queen of her peers. Her sights were set on giving the Freshman Toast at Parents’ Weekend but Vanessa vied for the honor as well. So, she utilized her best weapon to win the spot: her boyfriend Chuck.
By leveraging a kiss from him to the NYU alum Josh Ellis, she managed to secure the coveted toast over Vanessa. She even expressed no remorse for using her own boyfriend for her manipulation. That’s cold, but we've seen colder...
Chuck Traded Blair to His Uncle For A Hotel
The dynamic between Chuck and Blair may seem to be only about games, but there seems to be more to them than that. They constantly try to one-up each other not just for the satisfaction but, occasionally, push the other to achieve more. Although they can seem quite shallow at times, they do try to be there for each other the best that they can. However, in the episode “Inglourious Bassterds”, they face an Indecent Proposal type of dilemma: Uncle Jack will give Chuck the hotel if he can spend the night with Blair. Understandably, anyone else would quickly decline this type of deal.
Although Blair believed she agreed on her own, Chuck actually sold her off to his uncle.
In the end, Jack only took a kiss as payment and advised Blair of the truth behind Chuck’s deal with him.
They Got Married To Avoid Jail Time
Revenge, jealousy, evil uncles, faked amnesia, and more ridiculous circumstances have stood in the way of their relationship. And yet, each time, they seem to move past them and come together once again. So when faced with being implicated in a crime, the two find a way to, yet again, survive.
During a confrontation with his father, Bart, on a rooftop, Bart tried to punch Chuck and instead launched himself over the edge. Chuck watched as he struggled but did not offer to help him. Blair showed up as Chuck’s father fell to his end. What do they do? Have a quickie marriage to ensure “spousal privilege” was in place so she wouldn’t have to testify against him. Isn’t love grand?
The Actors Criticize Their Relationship
Whether fans discovered their dislike for the couple during the original airing or in reruns, the toxic relationship between Blair and Chuck can’t be denied. From manipulation to covering up crimes, their time together was nothing close to a fairytale.
The actors who play Chuck and Blair were all too aware of their relationship issues.
According to Hollywood Life, actor Ed Westwick admitted that Dan loved Blair more than Chuck did. Even actress Leighton Meester feared the consequences of displaying such a problematic relationship on TV. She stated, "I hope that young women aren't looking at this [Chuck and Blair] and thinking 'I should model my relationships after this' because there was some domestic violence in there."
Chuck Attacked Two Girls
The pilot episode of Gossip Girl laid the foundations for the audience to get to know each character. We see Serena return home after being MIA for several months. We are introduced to newcomer Dan and his family. Moreover, we learn that Chuck is a complete creep who tried to assault not one, but two characters.
Although fans may have pushed aside this wicked part of the character’s history, we can’t shake how awful Chuck used to be. Not only did Chuck try to take advantage of Serena earlier in the episode but he also preyed on Jenny as well. In fact, Serena was with Dan when he got the worrisome text from his sister about Chuck’s aggressiveness.
Chuck Cheated On Blair And Blamed Her For It
In yet another crossroads moment in their relationship, Chuck and Blair decided another grand gesture for their relationship would be the way to repair things. The season 3 finale had the couple meeting at the top of the Empire State building if they wanted to be together. Initially, Blair refused but found herself heading to the location in “Last Tango, Then Paris”. However, Chuck had already waited for a few minutes before giving up.
Having suffered yet another broken heart thanks to Blair, Chuck decided the best way to get over Blair was getting with someone else. His target? Jenny, who he'd attacked in the pilot. Although she came looking for Nate, she decided to use Chuck to cure her loneliness instead. Even better, Chuck later blamed Blair for his decision to sleep with Jenny. Classy!
They Became Their Parents in the end
Growing up, many teenagers find themselves doing whatever they can to not become their parents. Whether it is said in rebellion to them being too strict or not supporting their interests, teens often lash out stating they hope never to grow up to be their parents. This familiar aspect of adolescent life became a repetitive theme in Gossip Girl, especially for Chuck and Blair.
Seeing their parents become cold-hearted in the business world made the couple focus on following their own paths-- at first.
This agenda changed, however when their life plans changed drastically. With Chuck setting his sights on being a success at business and Blair trying to find her purpose (but noting her eye for fashion), in the end, Chuck ran Bass Industries, and Blair started her own fashion line, just like their parents.
They Put Individual Success Over Their Relationship
The constant need to prove themselves to their friends, family, and each other often came at the expense of their own happiness. They never learned to accept each other as they were and continued to focus on being a success before anything else. They both went through their phases during the course of their relationship of trying to be “the best version of themselves. Even though they loved each other and wanted to be together, they still kept their relationship on hold just succeed in their respective careers.
In fact, this mindset became their focus in the final season of the show. Despite being engaged, they still wanted to hold off on their relationship until they are both successes in their own right.
Their Most Controversial Moment
Along with being an abusive relationship, their time together became more strained with possessive tendencies. Some of the worst aspects of their bad relationship came to a head during the season 4 episode “The Princesses and the Frog. After failing to win back Blair from Prince Louis, Chuck found himself desperate to get back his Blair.
When she confronted him in his home, he even uttered the lines, “You’ll never marry anyone else. You’re mine! You’re mine, Blair!”
However, the real controversy of this encounter started after Blair advised him that she would be with Louis and not him. Chuck lost his temper and punched a window near Blair, causing the broken glass to fall and cut her cheek. The episode led to many reviewers pointed out the damaging repercussions of promoting such a violent relationship as love.
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Did we miss any other issues with Chuck and Blair's relationship in Gossip Girl? Let us know in the comments!