Glee is a lifestyle. Glee is a culture. It is a satirical phenomenon in modern society, and its iconic scenes live forever in the minds of all Gleeks. What about this show gives it a chokehold on America’s youth to this day? Probably the fact that every plotline could get Ryan Murphy canceled. We have taken a deep dive into the Top 10 gleekiest* moments throughout the seasons.

#10. Happily Wedded Sue

Wedding sequences always make us shed a tear or two, but when we saw Sue marrying the love of her life, we shed three. Watching her walk down the aisle in her Adidas tracksuit wedding dress showed us the true power of love. The lack of guests in attendance was the true crime of the episode, with the truly inspirational part being that this was a one-woman show in which Susan Rodham Sylvester married herself. 

#9. A Vegetarian’s Worst Nightmare

Anyone would give their firstborn child to be a member of The Cheerios, Mckinley’s high school’s pride and joy. This cheer team’s rigorous demands push them to a new level, notably with the use of corporal punishment. Had any other coach forced their team members to hit themselves and their friends across the face with a raw chicken cutlet, someone might have looked twice. But on the Cheerios, any and all raw meats are accepted. 

#8. The End Of Twerk

Will Schuester’s dancing never fails to inspire audiences to utilize barf buckets. Alas, his choreography was always missing something: booty. So it only makes sense that the New Directions’ second national appearance should feature some cheekage. Some junk in the trunk, if you may. Obviously, the only possible way to lead students to victory is through demonstration. Should Mr. Schue have been permanently fired? Probably. But at least his students know how to shake butt!

#7. Female Rage in Film

A blur of red darts down the hallway of Mckinley high school. It’s Sue Sylvester! Her inner beast was unleashed countless times throughout the series for many reasons, ranging from budget cuts to elderly school nurses. Watching her push someone down the stairs, not once, but twice, allowed us to understand the range of emotions present in the female frame. 

#6. You’re a mean one, Sue Sylvester

The story of the Grinch who stole Christmas has forever lived in the hearts of America’s children. But after Sue’s revamp of the traditional plotline, the green fuzzy man is old news. With Sue’s overdone “kill the glee club” plotline getting cold, we suppose Ryan Murphy wanted to infuse her with some holiday hatred. What screams Christmas more than trudging around a high school being pulled by a student dressed in a dog costume?

#5. Glee takes on Working Mothers

Quinn Fabray’s season one pregnancy plotline was bad enough, from watching the father of her baby sing to her sonogram to her position as the president of the celibacy club. However, when a troop of pregnant teens marched into a Glee Club meeting and jumped into their rendition of This Is A Man’s World, we were flabbergasted. This entire plotline embodied a theme we would continue to see, in which Ryan Murphy skimmed past an opportunity to shed light on an actual social issue and instead turned it into a joke. We applaud his comedic timing, but we frown upon his manish ignorance. 

#4. Walking on Pharmaceuticals

Terry Schuester, the wife of Mr. Buttchin himself, was not qualified to give ibuprofen, pick bugs out of hair, or be a school nurse at all. When hiring medical professionals, perhaps Principal Figgins should look longer at resumes. Terry’s administration of anti-congestants added a complex (and illegal) layer to the glee club performances. Nothing screams GLEE more than students bouncing off the walls. Perhaps the secret to having talent like Rachel Berry’s is popping a Sudafed or two.

#3. Romeo, oh Romeo, Kurt and Blaine Locked in an Elevator

No matter how many fans are dedicated to Klaine, none of them are as passionate about these two lovebirds as our favorite ally, Sue Sylvester. During Kurt and Blaine’s heart-wrenching break up in season 6, Sue took matters into her own hands, crafting her very own restraining order-worthy shrine and installing a brand new fake elevator in the hallway of Mckinley High. After locking the two together in her elevator for 24 hours, in which she talked to them through a puppet of herself that wheeled around on a tricycle, it was clear that her devotion to the cause was strikingly admirable. 

#2. Man or Muppet?

The male ego is a fragile thing. Even Blaine Anderson is susceptible to the hallucinations of man, with his mind turning all of his fellow glee club members into muppet versions of themselves after they stopped listening to him. As if watching a typical glee episode isn’t enough of a fever dream, this plotline took it to a whole new level. In retrospect, we wouldn’t be surprised if the gas leak that caused these hallucinations infected us as well, as we sat through this entire episode without question. Was this a crossover episode Ryan? What other reason could there be to Kermit this crime?

#1. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Cheddar 

Signs from above come in many different forms. Your course of life could be permanently altered by any earthly coincidence. But after Finn Hudson, ditzy high school quarterback, burned his grilled cheese in the shape of Jesus Christ, he might have taken the message a little too close to heart. We can only assume that after being carried around and prayed to for multiple days, Finn’s grilled Cheesus might have been a tad bit expired. What’s that smell, Finn? Divine Intervention. 

To truly talk about every glee moment that was either clinically insane or a crime against the show choir community, we would have to publish an entire book. If we have missed any of your favorite moments, let us know, as all Gleeks deserve a voice in our Enloe Community.