Cringiest TBBT Episode Fans Can't Help but Skip on Rewatch
Second-hand embarrassment for Sheldon is so strong in one of the Big Bang Theory episodes that fans won't ever rewatch it.
The Big Bang Theory is a great sitcom beloved by millions of fans who enjoy watching genius physicist Sheldon Cooper and his friends get into funny, slightly embarrassing situations. However, sometimes the embarrassment of those situations is so strong that viewers find them hard to watch.
Thus, when asked on Reddit what episode they always skip, some fans remembered Episode 18 of Season 3 titled The Pants Alternative.
"The one with Sheldon being drunk while doing a speech. I don't handle second-hand embarrassment so I actually never even watched that one," one of the fans wrote in the thread.
Indeed, if any episode could trigger second-hand embarrassment, it would definitely be The Pants Alternative. According to the plot, Sheldon wins the Chancellor's Award for Science but hesitates to accept the award because it entails him making a speech in front of a crowd which is his biggest phobia. His friends then take it upon themselves to help Sheldon overcome his stage fright and try different practices on him. However, nothing helps until Sheldon gets drunk at the banquet and fearlessly takes on the stage to give a highly embarrassing speech.
The next morning, Sheldon walks out of his room with no pants on and finds out that not only he dropped his pants and mooned the audience while saying, "And HERE'S URANUS!" during his drunk speech but also the video of him doing so was published on YouTube under Physicist Melts Down.
"Imagine waking up without pants and on asking your friends say search YouTube," one of the commenters wrote under the episode recap on YouTube.
This is exactly why this scene is so embarrassing and hard to watch. It is easy to imagine oneself in a similar situation, and let's be honest, it is a phobia of many nowadays.
"I am so glad my drinking days happened before youtube existed," another commenter wrote.
However, some fans think that the episode is hilarious and one of the funniest in the show. These people must have never suffered from second-hand embarrassment. Some of them even found reasons other than mooning a room full of people for Sheldon to be embarrassed about.
"If I were Sheldon I'd be embarrassed too. Less than 82,000 views? Worldwide web indeed," a commenter wrote referring to the fictional YouTube video.