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Gilmore Girls walking through Fall Festival
Gilmore Girls walking through Fall Festival
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Culture > Entertainment

Rory Gilmore’s Top 4 Boyfriends

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter.

Now that fall has officially begun, it’s time to rewatch the legendary, iconic show Gilmore Girls. I recently discovered this TV show and have been binge-watching it in my free time (only a few episodes left oops). As it’s now seasonally acceptable to write articles about Gilmore Girls, I thought I would use my newfound knowledge and rank the top 4 boyfriends of Rory Gilmore. 

Warning this article contains spoilers from the series 

4. Dean Forester

As much as I love Jared Padalecki (since I am a diehard Supernatural fan), Dean just became too toxic as the seasons progressed. It was cute at first when Dean started to like Rory as he would be overprotective of her and listen to everything she said. It was romantic until it wasn’t as he eventually crossed over into possessive/stalker territory. Like who breaks up with someone because they can’t say “I love you” after dating for 3 months? And not to mention he got married to Lindsdey even when he was still in love with Rory. He could never get over her and would take advantage of their friendship. I’m honestly glad these two didn’t work out as I’d hate to see how toxic their relationship could’ve been. 

3. Tristan Dugray

While he isn’t officially a boyfriend, these two did kiss and had some kind of relationship so I’m counting him as a boyfriend. Tristan was cute and flirty but ultimately couldn’t be trusted. As I was watching season one I got the vibe that he wanted to only be with Rory so he could show her off like a prize. His goal may have changed after they kissed at the party and he started calling her “Mary” but we never get to see what their relationship would have progressed to as he moves away and is never heard from again. In my opinion though, I would’ve wanted Rory to be with Tristan over Dean as he’s less annoying and is intellectually on her level.  

2. Jess Mariano

Jess was Rory’s soulmate and would’ve been number one except after Lorelai and Luke got married, Jess and Rory technically became cousins. The relationship they had before Luke and Lorelai’s wedding though was amazing as they had very similar interests and just instantly clicked. Both being avid readers with opposite personalities allowed them to create a chemistry that none of the other love interests could compete with. Even though Jess ends up leaving Rory to find himself, he comes back a more mature person that Rory relies on in later seasons. Jess was the right boyfriend but at the wrong time and will forever have to live with the what-ifs of the relationship.  

1. Logan Huntzberger

I know he isn’t Jess but he’s the best out of Dean and Tristian for the most part. Logan is Rory’s college boyfriend and the longest-lasting relationship she had besides Dean. The way they met was the typical poor girl-rich boy trope, but as they got to know each other more Rory started to realize there was more to Logan than his money. While they were in their relationship they did have their ups and downs but ultimately Logan cared for Rory and wanted the best for her. He went from not being in committed relationships to wanting to marry Rory if that says anything about his character. 

This was just my take on Rory’s boyfriends. Each one had their pros and cons and to this day is still a highly debated topic. Who do you think Rory should’ve ended up with?  

Chasey Christenson is a senior member of Her Campus at Texas A&M University. She covers the latest music trends, Korean drama recommendations, and the occasional book reviews. She hopes to raise awareness of topics that she is passionate about while being able to show her creative side. Outside of Her Campus she has worked at the VA office helping students continue their education at Texas A&M. Chasey has had a passion for writing ever since she was young and won the 2016 Great Lakes Anthology Award where she became a published author. She is currently a student at Texas A&M University majoring in psychology with dreams of becoming an Applied Behavior Analysis. In her free time, Chasey enjoys listening to music, reading books, writing short stories, watching Netflix, and going on the occasional walk with her friends. She is passionate about helping others and being a voice for those who go unnoticed or unappreciated.