13 Most Shocking TV Moments Of 2013!

Well, it’s that time of year again when we make our list and check it twice – of TV’s best moments, that is.

You can’t do a list of TV’s most scandalous and shocking moments without including some spoilers. So, if you haven’t quite caught up on your must-see TV watching, you might want to hit print and save this one for later.

13. Kimmel vs. Kanye:
It came as no surprise in 2013 that Kanye West can’t take a joke. After Jimmy Kimmel spoofed Kanye’s BBC interview where he boasted about being bigger than Michael Jackson, among other things, Kanye took to twitter to slam the late night talk show host. He Tweeted in all caps with several gems like this one. “You can’t put yourself in my shoes. Your face looks crazy. Is that funny? Or if I had a kid say it would it be funny?” The dueling didn’t last long, however. Kanye went on Jimmy’s show the next week and they mended fences. The bottom line — Jimmy’s still funny and Kanye still needs to lighten up.

12. Adam Levine Loses His ‘Voice’:
In what can only be called a giant “sore loser/foot in mouth” moment back in May, People magazine’s sexiest man alive showed his not-so-sexy side during “The Voice” Season 4. In an unfortunate moment, as he watched not one but two of his artist’s be sent home on the same night, Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons, Adam blurted out “I hate this country.” Unfortunately, his microphone was open and all of the THAT country’s faithful watching at home heard it. Adam took a beating on Twitter but did his best to cool the controversy by apologizing and letting everyone know he was only joking. Clearly, America forgave him… or least People magazine did.

11. Piper’s Final ‘OITNB’ Blow:
Netflix has proven they’ve got game in the TV space thanks to two phenomenal entries “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” The good news is you can binge watch the whole series at once. The bad news is you have to wait forever for the next season because well, they have to finish filming an entire season first. “OITNB” fans are chomping at the bit to know what consequences Piper’s beat down of meth head Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) will lead to. Hopefully, she’s not dead because she’s just so cringe worthy to watch…but at the very least we hope Piper knocked those meth mangled teeth out.

10. Mariah vs. Minaj:
It’s no secret that some people who work together on television don’t like each other. Typically they smile and act all buddy buddy when the cameras roll and then talk about each other behind their back when filming ends. Not Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. They made their disdain for one another readily apparent each and every night at the “American Idol” judging table with rolling eyes and subtle insults. The tumultuousness turned off much of the singing behemoth’s audience resulting in the show’s lowest ratings ever, but giving bloggers plenty to write about other than the contestants. Poor Candice Glover. She won the show this year, in case you forgot amidst all the mayhem.

9. From ‘Idol’ to ‘Loser’:
“American Idol” did have one bright spot this year, but it didn’t come from Season 12. Instead it was Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, who shocked fans by announcing he was going on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” to shed some much needed pounds, becoming the first celebrity to go on the show. Watching his journey reminded us why the velvet teddy bear stole our hearts in the first place on “Idol” with his warmth and humor. While he didn’t win this show, he did win something else – his life back. To date, the singer has lost 112 pounds with a goal of losing 100 more before the February “Biggest Loser” finale.

8. ‘The Sound’ Of Carrie Underwood:
NBC took a gamble and it paid off in viewers. 18.5 million people tuned in for the three-hour “Sound of Music Live” extravaganza. The whole experiment was a love/hate battle on social media. While some people thought it was adorable, fun and sweet, others took to trashing Carrie Underwood’s performance as Maria and lampooning “True Blood’s” Stephen Moyer for going from Vamp to Von Trapp. Either way, NBC is laughing all the way to the bank. They have already announced they will stage another live musical for next year.

7. Carrie’s Crazy Twist:
“Homeland” viewers have learned to embrace the extraordinary, superspy highs and painful, ugly cry lows of mentally fragile CIA agent Carrie Mathison (played to perfection by Claire Danes). But the big reveal in Episode 4 of Season 3 – aptly titled “Game On” — that Carrie being thrown under the governmental bus by her mentor & boss Saul (Mandy Patinkin), along with her latest lockdown in the psych ward was all a ploy (?!?!?!?) to lure a powerful Iranian terrorist out of hiding, had millions of viewers being the ones to yell “That’s crazy!” at their TV screens. Yes, the finale was jaw-dropping (we won’t spoil it in case you’re behind on this season)… but Carrie’s moment was certifiably insane.

6. We Finally Met ‘The Mother’!
“Dad, seriously how freaking long is this story?” That’s what Ted Mosby’s kids must be thinking as he continued to yammer on for eight seasons about how he met his betrothed. Well, finally in the Season 8 finale back in May, we got a glimpse of her. The show’s ninth and final season continues to tell the story of how they met and also where their future is heading. Fans should not be too sad when the show ends its run in May 2014. The show’s creators already have a spin-off in the works “How I Met Your Father.” No. That’s not a joke.

5. Keep On ‘Walking Dead’:
In a show full of blood-spurting, flesh-devouring moments, one emotional scene stuck out this year. After four seasons with Carol (Melissa McBride) – watching her transformation from battered wife to zombie-hunting badass – fans saw the resilient mom make her exit, but not at the ever-grasping hands of walkers! Sheriff Rick (Andrew Lincoln) sent Carol packing after learning she’d killed two ailing members of their camp, in attempt to protect the others from contracting a fatal illness. Will she survive outside on her own (and hopefully return)?!?

4. Twerk You!
Miley Cyrus bid farewell for good to her “Hannah Montana” good girl days with the first in a series of displays of “artistry” at the MTV VMAs. While most fans were turned off by her twerking and tongue wagging, it did also put Miley on the list of Barbara Walters’ “Most Fascinating” figures, and of course, the best Halloween Costume of 2013. So there’s that.

3. Olivia Pope’s Daddy Issues:
ABC’s “Scandal” is 2013’s most-buzzed about show and it’s chock full of water cooler moments each week. However, one word in the Season 2 finale last May set off a cascade of “WTF!” moments for Season 3. That word… “Dad?” Olivia Pope has been named as the President’s mistress and in swoops that guy who is the head of the spy organization B613 to whisk her away from the prying media. When Olivia hops into the waiting car, the spy guy who greets her also just happens to be her father.

2. He Did A ‘Bad’, ‘Bad’ Thing:
Walter White’s “chemistry is the study of change” lesson finally came to a stunning conclusion. In a series full of shocking moments, “Breaking Bad’s” “Ozymandias” episode was the show’s darkest hour. (SPOILERS ahead. “Tread lightly.”) Walt’s bad deeds finally caught up with him as his DEA Agent brother-in-law, Hank, was gunned down at his feet. Then, not only did Walt give up his long-time partner, Jesse, to the assailants, but he also uttered a chilling line about watching Pinkman’s girlfriend die. And if that wasn’t dark enough for you, fans were aghast as Walt, caught in a moment of desperation, kidnaped his infant daughter, leaving his wife in the dust. After that episode, the man also known as Heisenberg, secured his place as one of the most despised (but watchable) characters on TV.

1. The Red Wedding:
OK yes, we understand that if you read the books, this “Game of Thrones” game changer was no big surprise to you. And if you were one of the people who set up a camera to capture your friends’ unsuspecting reactions, bravo. However, a very large population of “GOT” watchers have never read nor plan to read the books. So when this butchering began, much of us had no clue we were about to witness the slaughtering of the King in the North, his bride, their unborn baby and his mother… pivotal main characters we had grown to love. The Twitterverse went into overdrive with cries of shock and anger. Clearly, we have learned our lesson. This is not our game to play. We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

… Happy TV watching in 2014!

— Laura Saltman, with Erin O’Sullivan, Eric Anderson & Keith Freshwater