Lizzie McGuire has endearing characters who go through everyday life together. At the end of the day, the McGuire family is a strong support system, and the friend trio of Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo is solid. Kate and Claire rule Lizzie's school, and Ethan is the object of every girl's affections.
Matt McGuire's life is both enhanced and complicated by his closest friends, Lanny and Melina. If you know the show, you expect Matt to cause some mischief in each episode. You're also not surprised when Claire and Kate make Lizzie's life miserable. But truth be told, every character on the show messes up at some point. Here are the ten worst things the main characters on Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire have done.
Lizzie: Last Year's Model
Lizzie makes plenty of mistakes when it comes to relationships with her friends and family. The worst one is during her season one modeling stint. When Lizzie has a chance to try her hand at modeling, she is a natural. All the popular kids start to notice her, and Lizzie quickly leaves her friends and family in the dust. She orders them around and expects everyone to bow to her new superstar life. Thankfully, Lizzie comes around with Miranda and Gordo's help, and she decides to hang up her runway attire.
Miranda: My Fair Larry
Miranda is a great friend, but she really hurts Larry Tudgeman's feelings in season two. "My Fair Larry" is about Miranda's huge boy-girl party which does not include the Tudge. It's one thing to have a small gathering and keep it on the down-low. It's another thing to invite everybody in school except for one person. Even worse, Miranda talks about the party in front of Larry! Lizzie and Gordo try to do the right thing and get Larry an invite, but they end up sneaking Larry in with a new look. Miranda takes too long to care about Larry in this episode.
Gordo: Jack of All Trades
It's hard to blame good 'ole Gordo for anything. He's a constant companion to Lizzie and gets along great with Miranda. He's also a model student, a loyal son, and a budding Steven Spielberg. Still, Gordo has a few bumps in the road. The worst one has to be early season one in the "Jack of All Trades" episode. Gordo is frustrated that his science teacher isn't giving him A's on all his work, so Gordo persuades Lizzie to switch projects. He passes off Lizzie's work as his own, and she, his. It all literally blows up in Gordo's face when the brain model he created malfunctions and spews fake brain guts all over the classroom.
Jo: When Moms Attack
Jo is a great mom. She and Lizzie have their ups and downs, and Jo's worst moment is probably in the season one episode "When Moms Attack." It's an early Lizzie classic in which Mrs. McGuire steps in as a last-minute chaperone for Lizzie's middle school camping trip. She really embarrasses Lizzie, slinging around extra toilet paper, being Lizzie's "buddy," and trying to be cool.
Things come to a head when the girls' cabin, in consultation with their fearless leader, decides to tee-pee the boys' cabin. Jo knows she has messed up, and she "takes the rap" for the girls' actions.
Sam: My Dinner with Mr. Dig
It's hard to blame Sam McGuire for anything. When he does goof up, he doesn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings! He's actually very sensitive when Lizzie goes through tough times, and he is hip to Matt's antics more times than not. Sam inadvertently upsets Lizzie at the end of season two after Mr. Dig comes over for dinner. Mr. Dig is Lizzie's favorite substitute teacher, but no one wants their teacher hanging around the house all the time. Sam and Mr. Dig become the best of pals (just for this episode), and Lizzie feels pretty weird about it. It's all resolved when Mr. Dig falls in love with Matt's teacher, Miss Chapman.
Ethan: I Do, I Don't
This one is pretty obvious for Ethan. A social studies project requires the class to partner off so that everyone has a pretend spouse. Lizzie is put with Gordo, but Miranda gets to be with Ethan Craft. Clayton Snyder, who played Ethan, has described his character as "an air-headed sweetheart." With that in mind, it's safe to say that Ethan is duped a little bit when Kate slyly plans to steal Miranda's man. Kate lures Ethan into being her husband instead so that she can embarrass Miranda. Even if Ethan doesn't think of it that way, it's still not the best of his many moments on the series.
Kate: You're a Good Man, Lizzie McGuire
Ethan's worst moment is not nearly the worst for Kate. She is a multi-dimensional character and goes through some special moments with Lizzie, even though the two are no longer friends when the show starts. People don't immediately think of "You're a Good Man, Lizzie McGuire" when they think of the show. This is Kate's worst moment, though. She and Lizzie are tasked with planning the Spring Fling together. It gets personal when Kate knocks over a bust of the school's first principal.
The current principal is livid and suspends all plans for the dance until the culprit comes forward. Kate won't say a word, so Lizzie takes the blame for Kate's actions and is the only one suspended from the Spring Fling. It all comes back to bite Kate, though. Everyone winds up at Lizzie's house to show their support, with Kate left at the school to dance alone.
Claire: The Rise and Fall of the Kate Empire
Claire is meaner than Kate; let's get that right. A Kate and Lizzie bonding moment happens when Kate falls and hurts her arm in cheerleading practice. Claire banishes her from the squad, the popular table, and life as Kate knows it. Lizzie steps in to help restore order and teaches Kate some one-handed gymnastics moves. Kate gets her spot back, but Claire continually taunts her while she is down. In the end, Kate and Claire go back to normal, and it's almost like nothing ever happened between Kate and Lizzie.
Melina: First Kiss
Season two starts off with a first kiss for Lizzie (but not really--doesn't anyone remember Aaron Carter?). Matt has a great subplot in this episode that shows off Melina's dark side. This is her second appearance as a recurring character. She first shows up in "The Untitled Stan Jansen Project" to get Matt in trouble, but that's normal for Melina. In "First Kiss," Melina really takes advantage of Matt when he asks to make a trade with her for one of her baseball cards. She is pretty unreasonable and has him making her brownies and washing her delicates. The episode cements Melina's wily ways and helps develop her as even more of a foil for Matt.
Matt: Magic Train
Where to begin, Matt McGuire? The show is full of his plans and pranks, so it's hard to narrow it down to one worst moment for Jake Thomas's character. A good choice is the "Magic Train" episode. While Miranda and Lizzie are reliving childhood, Matt is busy transforming his house into a dust museum. He likes the occasional get-rich-quick scheme and charges admission for the public to see his home's dust, dirt, grime, and stains. It's pretty gross. His iconic hi-jinks are the comedic relief of the series, and the show wouldn't be the same without Matt McGuire.