Ted's love life is one of the most prolific themes in How I Met Your Mother. He was desperate to get married and frantically looked for a woman who would fill the role of his wife. There were many stipulations that came with that: she had to like Star Wars, believe in soulmates, and ideally, play bass guitar.

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Ted had a tendency to follow his heart, so he often got caught up in romantic relationships with women who weren't compatible with him at all. Through the course of the show, he had to make many decisions that impacted his love life. While some turned out to be the best in the long run, most weren't thought through at all.

Best: Tracking Down Victoria

Ted and Victoria kiss in How I Met Your Mother.

In season 1, Ted met Victoria at Stuart and Claudia's wedding. She wanted the night to be just perfect, so she disappeared right before they kissed. For once, Ted forgot all about Robin because of the mysterious baker, so he did everything he could to track her down.

While Ted's persistence didn't always come across as charming in his love life, Victoria definitely appreciated it. As soon as she saw him walk through the doors of her bakery, she ran into his arms.

Worst: Dating Karen - Again & Again

How I Met Your Mother: Ted and Karen in college

Karen was without a doubt the least likable of all Ted's girlfriends, but unfortunately, Ted needed to hear "sorry bro" more than once for the realization to set in. She broke his heart more than once and Ted kept letting her back into his life, hoping that she'd changed.

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What they had in common was an appreciation for the finer things in life, which just brought out the worst of Ted. And just like Ted's friends, fans were rooting for their breakup from the first time she appeared.

Best: Breaking Up With Robin

How I Met Your Mother: Robin kisses Ted

How I Met Your Mother started out with Ted locking eyes with Robin across the room and they finally got together in season 2.

But these two made each other's virtues seem like flaws: Ted's romantic gestures made Robin feel trapped, while Robin's avoidant attitude made Ted increasingly more obsessed. They broke up by the end of the season and that's how it should've stayed for the rest of the show.

Worst: Proposing To Stella

Ted Stella HIMYM - Worst TV Weddings

Stella and Ted were doomed from the start. She didn't want to date him in the first place and Ted wouldn't take no for an answer. He tried to make the relationship work, even though she didn't care for Star Wars, lived in New Jersey, and had a complicated relationship with her ex. In order to secure their romance, Ted did the worst thing imaginable: he proposed to her.

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This bad decision led him to be left at the altar. But to look from the bright side, perhaps the wedding sped up the inevitable process of breaking up.

Best: Not Forcing A Relationship With Naomi

Ted and Naomi in HIMYM

It was really refreshing to see Ted learn from his mistakes and not force a relationship with another woman he was mentally pursuing for years: Naomi, the infamous pumpkin from the rooftop Halloween party.

When he finally found her, they realized that they don't have that much in common. For once, Ted saw reality rather than his own projected fantasies, and saved both of them a lot of time and potential emotional pain.

Worst: Dating Victoria For The Second Time

How I Met Your Mother: Ted and Victoria drive into a sunset

Ted thought of himself as a good person, but in reality, he could really pull a nice guy act from time to time. A case in point is helping Victoria escape her wedding and literally driving off into a sunset with her. Then, they gave their romance another chance.

Ted and Victoria's relationship in season 8 felt incredibly forced. Ted eventually proposed to her, but she turned him down because she knew that deep down, he still loved Robin. Re-introducing Victoria was completely unnecessary, regardless of how likable she was.

Best: He Learned His Lesson With Jeanette

Ted and Jeanette in HIMYM

Jeanette was the last girl Ted dated before meeting the mother. For once, he learned how it is to be on the other side. This time, it was him who was relentlessly pursued by somebody who manipulates the circumstances of their environment so it serves their interests.

While it was definitely not a great idea to date her, the experience perhaps contributed to the greater good. After being burned so badly, he was all but done with dating problematic individuals and was therefore finally ready for a mature relationship with his future wife.

Worst: Never Letting Go Of Robin

How I Met Your Mother: Ted holding blue french horn

Throughout the seasons, Ted and Robin went from being partners to friends (with benefits), to ending up together again. Ted never let go of Robin, even though they realized very early on that their lifestyles and values simply weren't compatible.

Ted's on-and-off relationship with Robin understandably made some of his girlfriends insecure and it hurt Barney. He never stopped to consider what he really loved about her so much. It was more of an idea of Robin that he liked rather than her as a person.

Best: Marrying Tracy

Ted proposes to Tracy at a lighthouse in How I Met Your Mother

The expectations couldn't be set higher for the enigmatic mother of Ted's children, yet Tracy still exceeded them. Ted finally found somebody who ticked all the boxes and had genuine chemistry with.

By marrying her, Ted finally learned what love is supposed to feel like. It was loving, soothing, and inspiring, rather than emotionally unstable, intense, and toxic.

Worst: Pursuing Zoey

Ted and Zoey kiss in How I Met Your Mother.

Pursuing Zoey takes the cake when it comes to Ted's worst love life decisions. She was married and worked tirelessly to stymie Ted's career. Additionally, she was one of the most insufferable side characters that How I Met Your Mother ever introduced.

After she divorced the lovable Captain, nothing stood in their way anymore, but since Zoey couldn't let the Arcadian go and they fought a lot, they didn't work out. It was Zoey who ultimately broke up with him and he did him a favor by doing so.

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