The WORST episodes of 8 Simple Rules
Every episode of 8 Simple Rules ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of 8 Simple Rules!
Paul Hennessy has grown accustomed to his stay-at-home wife Cate taking care of their son and two daughters. His job as a sports writer kept him on the road a lot during the kids' formative years. But when Cate decides to return to work as a hospital nurse, Paul takes a job as a columnist and agrees to make the duties of raising the kids a shared experience. Paul fondly remembers the days when his daughters would sit on his lap singing silly songs, and he was their hero for scaring away monsters from under the bed. But those days are long gone.
#1 - Coach
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/2004
Bridget is psyched to join the high school tennis team when she develops a crush on Coach Scott. But her infatuation soon turns to disgust when she learns that Scott has a crush on Cate. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory begin to question the authenticity of Jim's war stories while rummaging through his war chest.
#2 - Closure
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/21/2005
When Cate and C.J. discover that Kerry has been e-mailing Bruno -- the boy she had a fling with in Europe -- they secretly try to snoop in her computer to find out what the two have been up to. But unbeknownst to them, Bruno is in the house and hidden in the attic by Kerry, while Bridget tries her best to talk her little sister out of doing something she may regret. Meanwhile, Jim discovers Rory's clandestine poker game and decides to deal himself in to teach Rory and his friends a lesson about gambling.
#3 - Princetown Girl
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/2004
Bridget is ecstatic when she learns that tennis scouts from Princeton are coming to her school to watch her play for a possible scholarship. But when Bridget's school forbids her to play because of a poor grade, Cate has to decide whether to use her clout as school nurse to help her daughter out. Meanwhile, Jim promises a nervous C.J. that he'll give up his room if he can spend one night alone in the attic.
#4 - Goodbye (2)
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/4/2003
The family finds Paul's last written article, and reads it just before going to sleep.
#5 - The After Party
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/4/2005
After turning down Bridget's request to throw a ""harmless"" after-prom party in a hotel room, Cate decides to throw a school- sanctioned party at the house – which totally embarrasses her kids. Meanwhile, Kerry tries to make a political statement by inviting a girl to the prom, and Rory is overjoyed when a hot senior asks him to the dance.
#6 - Finale Part Deux (2)
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/18/2004
Part 2 of 2. When Cate discovers that Bridget took the fall for Kerry for organizing the school sit-in, she agrees to have coffee with Principal Gibb in order to set the record straight. But the girls are convinced that their mother's innocent coffee meeting with their principal is really a date. Meanwhile, Kerry is furious when Bridget is elected student body president and wins a trip to Washington, D.C. -- because everyone thinks she organized the school sit-in -- C.J. keeps deluding himself that he's been chosen to be a roadie for Aerosmith over the summer, and Jim agrees to let Rory travel with him to Florida -- where he plans to try and win back his wife's affections.
#7 - First Day of School
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2004
Knowing that Kerry is dragging her feet over breaking up with Kyle, Bridget takes it upon herself to do it for her sister, which only makes matters worse for Kerry. Meanwhile, Cate is offered the position of school nurse by Principal Ed Gibb, and Rory's first day of high school proves embarrassing when he has to hit the showers after gym class.
#8 - By the Book
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/5/2002
In an effort to win back the love and respect that his daughters used to show him when they were young, Paul turns to a parenting book for some quick advice. But when Bridget and Kerry discover Paul's teaching tool, they try to use it to their advantage to get their father to let them go to a rock festival.
#9 - YMCA
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/6/2004
Cate decides the family isn't active enough and takes them to join the YMCA where Bridget works. Jim is overprotective of her at the YMCA and doesn't think she should be working there. Meanwhile Rory deals with a coming-of-age issue that keeps ""popping up"" at the worst of times.
#10 - Mother's Day
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/4/2004
After witnessing some strange behavior from Bridget and Kerry, Cate tries to find out what they are up to -- not suspecting that they might be trying to set up a special Mother's Day getaway for her. Meanwhile, C.J. and Rory doubt Jim's ability to put an engine back together after he falls in love with a classic car -- which is in for a wax job at Rory's new detailing service -- and decides to fix a noise in the motor
#11 - School Nurse
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2004
After Cate accepts the position of school nurse from Principal Gibb (Adam Arkin, ""Chicago Hope""), Bridget and Kerry are convinced that she only took the job to spy on them -- while Rory is ecstatic that his mom might be able to protect him from a school bully. Meanwhile, after Bridget inadvertently spills the beans about Kerry losing her virginity in Europe, a shocked Cate accidentally switches on the school's P.A. system and lets the whole student body in on their ensuing conversation.
#12 - Halloween
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/2004
Kerry doubts Bridget's ability to put together the school's Halloween party as part of her Student Body President duties. Meanwhile C.J. is hired as the party's security guard and sets his sights on catching Rory pulling off a prank, and Jim finds himself under attack by the neighborhood kids when he refuses to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.
#13 - Old Flame
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/2005
After sending an email to former college flame Matt (Ed O'Neill) to see how he's been doing over the years, Cate becomes fed up with the unreasonable demands of her family and locks herself in her room for some alone time. But she's shocked when Matt shows up at her window and whisks her off to re-live some adventurous, old times - then she begins to question if his rebel lifestyle is just a front.
#14 - Volleybrawl
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/28/2005
Cate's alleged antics at Kerry's volleyball game threaten to make her team forfeit the match. Meanwhile, C.J. has a crush on Kerry's volleyball coach (former Pro Beach volleyball player Gabrielle Reece), and Bridget becomes upset when one of her friends begins dating her ex-boyfriend.
#15 - Torn Between Two Lovers
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/11/2005
Valentine's Day finds C.J. in a predicament when he commits to two different Valentine's Day dates - Principal Gibb's ex-girlfriend, Cheryl (Pamela Anderson), and Bridget and Kerry's uptight math teacher, Mrs. Krupp. Meanwhile, Bridget's excitement over being elected to the court of the Valentine's Day dance -- with a chance to be crowned Queen of Hearts -- quickly turns to shock when she discovers that Cheryl is also in the running.
#16 - Bridget's First Job
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/1/2002
After seeing how much money Bridget spends on keeping up with the latest fashions, Paul tells her to go out and get a job to learn how to be fiscally responsible. But when she lands a job at a trendy mall clothing store that offers its workers a 40% discount, Paul and Cate begin to worry that she may not be learning the true value of a dollar.
#17 - Vanity Unfair
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/2004
After Bridget is turned down for a role in a sports car commercial, Jim discovers that the head of the modeling agency who rejected her is his old flame Jackie (Raquel Welch). When he tries to persuade her to reconsider his granddaughter, Jim soon finds himself reminiscing over old times -- and possibly rekindling their romance. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory discover a secret about C.J.'s past modeling experiences.
#18 - Drummer Boy (1)
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/4/2003
Bridget defies the rules of the house after Paul forbids her from going out on a date with Ben (Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter) -- her college-age drum instructor. Meanwhile, Kerry is mad at Cate when her ex-boyfriend confesses that he thinks her mother is pretty.
#19 - Cool Parent
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/18/2003
When Paul has to pick up Bridget and Kerry from a party that's been broken up by the police -- and "supervised" by co-worker Tommy (Larry Miller) -- Paul chastises his friend and unwittingly volunteers to host the next one. But when Paul falls asleep during the party and it gets out of control too, the kids think of him as a "cool parent," while the neighborhood parents think he's just as unreliable as Tommy.
#20 - Bake Sale
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/29/2003
Bridget begrudgingly becomes a mother when she is assigned to take care of a baby made out of a sack full of flour for school. When Kerry and Rory bake cookies for the Great American Bake Sale to help put an end to childhood hunger in America, Bridget begins to notice that her baby is developing a mysterious loss of weight.
#21 - Donny Goes AWOL
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/2003
When Fred and Mary Ellen Doyle ask Bridget to be a part of a video message they are sending to Donny at the Naval Academy, they are shocked to discover that Bridget has broken up with their son on the tape - and Donny goes AWOL to try and patch things up. Meanwhile, Paul is asked to help give a nickname to a neighborhood prankster who has been terrorizing the block, not realizing that the culprit may be living under his own roof.
#22 - The Story of Anne Frank and Skeevy
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/23/2003
After Cate encourages Bridget to participate in extracurricular activities to beef up her college resume, Bridget shocks the family by landing the lead in the high school production of the story of Anne Frank. But after reading Anne Frank's diary, she doubts her own ability to play the role. Meanwhile, Rory's obsession with a dummy named Skeevy becomes a little unnerving for the Hennessy clan.
#23 - Opposites Attract (2)
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/17/2004
Bridget decides to make a move on her brainy tutor, Jeremy, but discovers that he may have his sights set on her debate team opponent. Meanwhile, after accidentally setting fire to C.J.'s van, Jim is not-so-thrilled when Cate forces him to share his basement room with his now homeless nephew.
#24 - Let's Keep Going (1)
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/30/2004
Cate sends Bridget and Kerry to their grandmother's house for a visit after the Hennessys decide against vacationing at the family cabin. But while on their road trip to grandma's, the girls are shocked to find Cate at their father's favorite saloon with a mysterious stranger. Meanwhile, Kerry makes Rory's life miserable when she discovers that he has a crush on her friend, Rachel.
#25 - C.J.'s Party
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/20/2004
Cate banishes C.J. and grounds Bridget for going to C.J.'s college keg party; Jim has to take a written drivers exam after being pulled over with an expired license.