On Grey's Anatomy, romance is as common as anything medical, and even more common than the accidents and natural disasters that always seem to find the staff at Grey-Sloan Memorial. With a bunch of attractive doctors spending most of their time in the same hospital, these things are bound to happen.
The show is often known for the great romances: Meredith and Derek, Alex and Izzie, Callie and Arizona, Mark and Lexie. But, for every romance fans root for, there are at least two they root against. The couples who either seem doomed from the start or that fans don't want to see together.
Meredith And Finn
Finn was the veterinarian Derek and Meredith took their sick dog to while they were broken up and he was trying to make things work with Addison. Meredith and Finn started going out, and things became serious. It might've worked out if Meredith and Derek weren't still in love.
She cheated on Finn with Derek, but Finn was willing to forgive her. Derek ended things with Addison and began to compete with Finn for Meredith's affection. She chose Derek, and, though fans had nothing against the kind vet, they were happy to see him go, as he was really just a roadblock in the Derek-and-Meredith love story.
Alex And Ava/Rebecca
Alex saved Rebecca's life when she was involved in the ferry accident. She suffered from amnesia and became very attached to Alex during her healing process. Once she was well enough to be discharged, she returned and she and Alex had sex, which she claimed resulted in her being pregnant. Alex was prepared to be committed and start a family, but Izzie discovered that Ava (now going by the name Alex gave her when she couldn't remember who she was) was lying about being pregnant.
She was suffering from an extreme case of borderline personality disorder, which, coupled with all of the trauma she'd been through, had made her lose her grip on reality.
Cristina And Owen
Cristina was immediately smitten with Owen because of his bravery and skill as a surgeon. He later begins to work full-time at Grey-Sloan Memorial, and they start a relationship. Things are complicated when Owen's PTSD makes him behave violently towards Cristina when he wakes up from a nightmare and can't remember where he is. They break up but get back together when Owen saves Cristina's life from a shooter.
They get married after this, and Cristina gets pregnant. She never wanted kids and chooses not to keep the baby, which puts a rift between her and Owen. He cheats on her and they get a divorce but reconcile soon after. They break up for good when Cristina realizes that Owen will always want children, and she never will. It was often too much for the fans.
Jackson And Lexie
There really wasn't anything wrong with Jackson, Catherine's son, and Lexie's relationship and fans might have been able to root for them if their relationship didn't come after Lexie had already fallen in love with Mark.
Since Lexie and Mark were a fan favorite couple on the show, it was difficult to root for either of them with anyone but each other.
Derek And Addison
Derek's marriage to Addison was irrevocably altered when she slept with his best friend. He moved to Seattle and fell in love with Meredith. Addison later followed him, wanting to give the marriage another shot, and they got back together.
This broke the heart of many fans who wanted Derek to stay with Meredith. Luckily, Derek realized that his marriage with Addison was over, and he and Meredith got back together.
George And Callie
This couple was painful to watch from the start, as George was never really that into Callie to begin with. They broke up because of their friendships with Izzie and Mark, which caused jealousy.
They got back together after George's father died, and he clung to Callie in his grief. They married quickly and privately, and it was clear that he soon regretted it. They divorced after George cheated on her with Izzie.
Cristina And Burke
Cristina wasn't looking for anything serious, but she couldn't help but develop feelings for Burke. They started hooking up, and she hid her pregnancy from him. He chose his career over her and they kept their relationship a secret. Despite a number of differences, they fell in love and started a real relationship.
Their romance was dysfunctional from the start and only got worse when Burke was shot in the arm and began to rely on Cristina to cover for him during surgery. Despite this, they still got engaged. He left her at the altar, breaking her heart, but it was really for the best for Cristina.
Owen And Amelia
Amelia is the first person Owen has feelings for after Cristina leaves. Fans thought the pairing was a bit awkward, and that their chemistry didn't compare to what Owen had with Cristina. They basically both bonded over their struggles and, while it was nice for them to have someone to talk to, the romantic part of their relationship came off as forced.
They got married really quickly (as people on this show often do), but divorced after they found out Amelia had a brain tumor that was affecting her decision-making. They've broken up and reconciled so many times that fans are generally over this pairing.
George And Izzie
George and Izzie were great as friends, but fans didn't like it when the writers made their relationship more complicated by writing them to develop romantic feelings for each other. George hurt Callie by cheating on her with Izzie, which really put fans against the pairing.
George did eventually leave Callie, but a romantic relationship between these two didn't work out because they had no chemistry and realized that they were much better off as friends.
Derek And Rose
When Meredith was going through some rough stuff, Derek started seeing Rose, a nurse at the hospital. Nobody could root for these two, since it was clear that Derek still very much loved Meredith.
As soon as Meredith told Derek she was ready for a proper relationship, he broke things off with Rose. Rose turned out to be a bit unstable, stabbing Derek with a scalpel in the aftermath of their breakup.