A Definitive Ranking Of 'The O.C.' Couples

At their core, teen soap operas are all about high drama between couples and shooting your boyfriend's brother during a season finale tussle. The O.C. had both of those things in large, but today we're going to focus more on the former. The thing is, we all have a favorite couple from The O.C., yet, amid all that romantic drama, I haven't take a moment in a long while to weigh which couple reigns supreme in Newport Beach (I mean, beyond heated forum battles back in 2005). So, because both The O.C. and 'ship wars are timeless, I think it's time to re-evaluate which O.C. couple is the best.

Now, as per usual, when we use the word "definitive" in the phrase "definitive ranking," it translates to "utterly, utterly subjective." Do not come at me with pitchforks and torches if you're strongly disagree with the placement of your O.C. OTP. All I'm trying to do is adequately measure the amount of love in all of those relationships, and the truth is that some of these loves are undeniable, and some of these loves end in flames... like, literally, with "Hallelujah" playing in the background. Sob.

So without delay, let's launch into which O.C. couple reigns supreme.

18. Marissa And Volchok

Marissa's vodka-swilling storylines were always the most fun to watch, and Volchok got decidedly involved in many of those endeavors. Ultimately, though, I don't think we should be shipping a relationship that pretty much ends with manslaughter.

17. Julie And Caleb

I'm not saying she's a gold digger. I'm just saying that there was a hot second when she would've totally poisoned her gazillionaire husband.

16. Ryan And Theresa

Independently, you have to give Theresa credit for pulling herself out of a bad situation and becoming a strong, successful, single mom. As far as her relationship with Ryan goes (and how her pregnancy basically broke up him and Marissa for no good reason), she is basically the Vanessa Abrams of this series. So, no to that.

15. Jimmy And Julie

It would've been nice if this had properly worked out, and Lord knows they tried... kinda. At the end of the day, though, a marriage brought about by a teen pregnancy had "doomed" written all over it from the start. Living next to Jimmy's first love probably didn't help, nor did, you know, the whole embezzlement thing.

14. Marissa And Luke

Once upon a time, there was probably a lot of love here, but, by the time we meet Luke, he's every inch the jerky in-the-way boyfriend you see in just about every rom-com ever. He also eventually sleeps with her mom, so you know.

13. Ryan And Lindsay

Almost fell asleep even typing this out, which was sort of my go-to move throughout their relationship.

12. Ryan And Sadie

They rank a bit higher because seeing Nikki Reed on this show greatly amused me, but, let's be real, they're no Ryan and Marissa.

11. Julie And Neil

Remember that hot second when Marissa and Summer could've been stepsisters? Plus one for that possibility, and otherwise no.

10. Marissa And DJ

The story behind this is that there was a hot, hot yard guy in the yard who was hot. That's it. Which is perfectly fine for eye candy purposes; it just wasn't ever going to be more than a Ryan Atwood distraction and an attempt to rile her mom.

9. Julie And Frank

I never know what to think of this relationship except, um... good for them?

8. Seth And Alex

It's always nice to see Seth step out of his Summer obsession and date someone else (well, nice or terrible depending on how deep you ship Seth and Summer), but Olivia Wilde's time on The O.C. is always overshadowed by...

7. Marissa And Alex

Which, ultimately, is a divisive pick. While it is such a treat to see two extraordinarily beautiful women so happy together, as is always the case on such shows, that happiness didn't last.

6. Summer And Zach

Truth be told, Zach is kind of a wonderful boyfriend, as you would imagine Seth Cohen without the neurosis to be. The problem is that, well, being neurosis-free (among other things) makes Zach decidedly not Seth Cohen, so this was never going to work.

5. Ryan And Taylor

I actually really like Ryan and Taylor. Sue me. I always find her quest to drain an "I love you" out of him a rather adorable breath of fresh air. In the end, it was best to leave their relationship open to interpretation, though, because clearly that girl has a looooot to work through.

4. Seth And Anna

Akin to Summer and Zach, Seth and Anna made for a perfectly decent couple, so similar that they start unintentionally dressing the same. For what it's worth, Anna deserves better than being unceremoniously shipped back to Pittsburgh, but I guess these are the sacrifices that needed to be made to keep Seth and Summer alive.

3. Marissa And Ryan

It was an on-again, off-again romance that drove the heart of the series for three seasons, leaving us with iconic image after iconic image (most of them involving cars, speaking of driving). We'll never forget Ryan and Marissa, because when they were good, they were great. And yet they will never match up to...

2. Seth And Summer

They're the couple we all aspire to be, and not just because 95 percent of O.C. fans have a huge love for Seth Cohen. Their entire courtship is a blessing to pop culture, yet, at the same time, it's deeply rooted in like a decade-long obsession. It's why I can't quite give it the number one spot, which instead goes to...

1. Sandy And Kirsten

Honestly, Kirsten's love affair with Chardonnay is the only thing that even compares to this dynamic duo.

Sorry if your OTP didn't rank quite as high, but, let's be real. The greatest thing about The O.C. is that all of these couples still make you feel something — good or bad — every single time you tune in.

Images: Warner Bros. Television (19)