The WORST episodes of Switched at Birth
Every episode of Switched at Birth ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Switched at Birth!
Switched at Birth, a one-hour scripted drama, tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a working-class neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls.
#1 - The Good Samaritan
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/24/2013
When she sees that Toby is overwhelmed by the demands of work and planning a wedding on a budget, Bay looks to lighten the mood and books his band to perform at the local carnival. Angelo is frustrated by Regina and Bay's messiness, while Adrianna's frequent visits has Kathryn on edge. Meanwhile, Jace introduces Daphne to geocaching.
#2 - Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/17/2012
As Angelo makes Regina a business offer, Daphne finally confronts him about the reason he left. Meanwhile, Melody's opinion of Bay and Emmett's relationship doesn't improve when he gets in trouble. And the Kennish's entire case against the hospital is put in jeopardy when they learn some new disheartening information about their lawyer.
#3 - American Gothic
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/13/2011
The Kennish family invites Regina, Daphne and Adrianna over to breakfast, but since they’re in the middle of unpacking their new home, only Daphne goes. She is quickly overwhelmed with how fast they speak and has difficulty understanding. Meanwhile, Kathryn suggests Daphne and her family come to their weekly grill night, but she and John are secretly upset when Daphne gets a ride to school on Emmett’s motorcycle. John and Kathryn see their attorney about filing a lawsuit against the hospital. And Regina tells Bay about her time in AA and that alcoholism runs in their family. Kathryn and John talk to Regina about joining the lawsuit and also how they don’t like Daphne riding on a motorcycle. The three adults all get into a big fight about their parenting styles at grill night. Later, Kathryn, John and Regina all agree they can’t control each other’s parenting styles. Then Regina tells the Kennishes she’s not interested in pursuing a lawsuit. Bay escapes the madness to hang out with Ty, while Daphne escapes to hang out with Liam. While together, Liam and Daphne run into Liam’s friends who make fun of Daphne’s disability – and Liam does not stick up for her.
#4 - Portrait of My Father
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/20/2011
When attempting to figure out a way to answer questions about their newfound living situation, Kathryn encourages her family and Regina’s family to give a vague version of the truth. She’s not yet ready for the “switch” details to be made public. Liam tries to make up with Daphne, but she won’t have it. And when Daphne and Emmett are talking about the Liam situation, Emmett tells Daphne he would rather date a deaf girl -- and describes his ideal girl as someone who sounds a lot like Daphne. Later, John meets Melody, Daphne’s basketball coach, Regina’s friend and Emmett’s mom. John and Daphne bond over basketball, but he takes practicing a little too far. However, with John’s words of encouragement about basketball, Daphne decides to make up with Liam. Meanwhile, Bay is curious and asks Regina about her biological father but Regina and Adrianna both refuse to talk about him. Ty shows Bay around his neighborhood, where she could have potentially been raised. And Bay confides in Ty about wanting to know her biological father. Later, Daphne gives Bay a photo of Regina when she was pregnant with her – and it was taken by Bay’s biological father. Elsewhere, Kathryn gets Regina a job at her hair salon. Regina’s first client is Kathryn’s nosey friend Denise. Later, Kathryn reveals the switched at birth story to her friend Denise.
#5 - This Is Not a Pipe
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/6/2011
Bay Kennish discovers during a biology class that she has a rare blood type which is different from her parents. Intrigued by her new discovery, Bay convinces her parents, Kathryn and John, to visit a genetic testing facility where it’s confirmed that Bay is not their biological daughter. There was a mix up at the hospital and both families took home the wrong babies. Days later, the Kennishes are introduced to their biological daughter Daphne and her mother Regina Vasquez. The Kennishes are surprised to see that Daphne is deaf. John and Kathryn immediately research ways to help Daphne and suggest the possibility of Daphne attending Bay’s private school, which doesn’t sit well with Bay. Regina is against Daphne attending the school but agrees to move her family into the Kennish house to deal with their new family situation.
#6 - Girl with Death Mask (She Plays Alone)
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 7/21/2014
When John starts feeling a sense of built-up anxiety in Bay and Daphne, he suggests that a trip to Chicago to find Bay’s second cousin is a perfect opportunity for her to become more in touch with her roots and give Daphne a chance to tour prospective colleges. But the trip goes south when Daphne uses the opportunity to act out, and Bay discovers alarming news about Angelo’s family past. Meanwhile, Kathryn tries to kindle a spark between two love-seeking candidates looking for something missing in their lives.
#7 - We Were So Close That Nothing Used to Stand Between Us
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/27/2015
Bay feels pressured to maximize her short time with Emmett when he comes for a surprise visit. Daphne is mortified when she does poorly on her midterm exam. Melody and John clash when John encourages Travis to try out for the UMKC baseball team. Meanwhile, Kathryn asks Toby to help out with her new project.
#8 - Duel of Two Women
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/21/2013
Bay finds herself on the wrong end of Natalie's wrath, forcing Melody to take everyone on a Tolerance Retreat to help bridge the divide between them. Meanwhile, Kathryn possibly hurts John's campaign during a radio interview. Regina gets bad news about her health. Toby and Lana bond.
#9 - Dance Amongst Daggers
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/27/2011
Kathryn host the annual benefit for the school at the house and soon the newly mixed family become the subject of Mission Hills gossip. And things don't get better for them all personally when Kathryn becomes jealous of John's new friendship with Melody. Also, Regina accepts an invite for dinner with one of Kathryn's best-friends ex husbands and Bay becomes finds it hard to accept that Daphne has started hanging around with Liam.
#10 - Mother and Child Divided
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/10/2013
While Regina has been away at rehab, Daphne has grown closer to the Kennish family, spending her days at their country club and her nights in their guest room. This new family dynamic does not sit well with Regina, who unexpectedly returns home early in hopes of spending more time with Daphne. Bay begrudgingly starts working at her dad's office and, when her car breaks down near a local carnival, runs into her ex-boyfriend, Ty, who has returned from serving in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Travis talks Emmett into bringing some girls over to the house while Melody is out of town, and Kathryn's elaborate ideas for Toby and Nikki's rehearsal dinner rubs Nikki the wrong way.
#11 - The Shock of Being Seen
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/17/2012
Daphne feels like she's a minute away from being fired after she causes a major accident at the restaurant. But things take a turn when her new boss, handsome Chef Jeff, asks her to stay late one night. Meanwhile, Bay uses Angelo as her excuse to get around John's rules. And Kathryn is upset when Regina gets all of the attention in her interview for the new book.
#12 - Bracing the Waves
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/13/2015
Daphne struggles with the speed and depth of her coursework, which is made more difficult when her interpreter, Josh, picks and chooses what he will interpret for her. Bay tries to balance her long-distance relationship with Emmett and fulfilling her sentence, all while dealing with an aggressive person on her team. Meanwhile, Kathryn has a meeting with a movie producer about her book.
#13 - It Isn't What You Think
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 7/28/2014
When Bay offers to be moral support for Tank as he meets his father for dinner, she finds that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Toby continues to stir things up with Lily, yet a conflict regarding a make-up test for Sharee raises unwanted confrontation between the two. Meanwhile, Daphne and Travis make life-changing decisions when they find out their admission results from Gallaudet University.
#14 - Expulsion From the Garden of Eden
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/31/2012
Angelo attends a dinner at the Kennishs' home; Emmett goes to live with his father where a nervous Bay prepares to meet Emmett's father and is high on nerves due to her disastrous relationship with Melody. Meanwhile, Wilke has some shocking news for Daphne and a woman who has a history with John shows up. Also during one of the aired commercials it is shown that Bay and Emmett might take their relationship to the physical level. It shows Emmett asking if Bay wants to quote "stay over, stay over."
#15 - The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 7/15/2013
Daphne is torn between her obligation to her family and her desire to spend time with Jace. John must face the reality of his situation. Angelo offers to help Regina bring in business. Meanwhile, Bay is intimidated when she meets a cool, confident Army medic who served with Ty in Afghanistan.
#16 - The Door to Freedom
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/7/2013
In the second-season opener, a newly wealthy Angelo buys expensive presents for everyone. Meanwhile, John and Kathryn contemplate entering the political arena; Bay faces cheating accusations; and Daphne lands in hot water because of Jeff.
#17 - Las Dos Fridas
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/7/2012
We meet Monica, a teenage Latina who Daphne knew from her old neighborhood. She's on a track team that practices at Buckner Hall. Monica and Simone clash when Simone suspects Monica stole her watch.
#18 - Game On
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/6/2012
Bay becomes involved with Emmet's custody battle. Elsewhere, Daphne's two schools play each other in a basketball game
#19 - I Lock the Door Upon Myself
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/20/2015
Bay gets an interview for a long-awaited submission with the Kansas City Artist Showcase to have her art be part of a public display but realizes her current status may prevent her from qualifying. When a dorm resident continues to prank the deaf students, Daphne challenges him to a dorm triathlon. Regina finds herself drawn to an East Riverside coffee house and its owner. A birthday milestone gets John thinking about the next chapter in his life. Meanwhile, Emmett makes a new friend at film school who gets him a gig on a real production.
#20 - Starry Night
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/3/2012
Kathryn finds a nurse who may have known that Bay and Daphne were switched. Bay crashes a festival where Guitar Face (Toby, Wilke, and Emmett) is playing because she hears that Daphne is there; Emmett doesn't want a jealous girlfriend. Bay's friend and Wilke's ex-girlfriend Simone flirts with Toby.
#21 - The Player's Choice
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/3/2015
Iris urges Daphne to broaden her college experience by rushing a sorority. Bay inserts herself when Travis's popularity as a UMKC baseball player starts to affect his relationship with Mary Beth. Meanwhile, Toby plans to ask Lily to move in with him.
#22 - To the Victor Belong the Spoils
Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 10/5/2015
With Mingo’s help, Daphne holds a fundraiser to help support a sign-language school in Mexico. Bay is livid when a student starts using her art to sell crude t-shirts. Regina deals with the repercussions of digging through Eric’s past. Meanwhile, Toby and Lily have to make difficult decisions about their future.
#23 - We Are the Kraken of Our Own Sinking Ships
Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 10/8/2012
Kathryn and John are concerned about Bay's friendship with Zarra so they invite Bay's ex-boyfriend Alex and his parents over for dinner. But during the meal, Zarra calls and begs Bay to come rescue her from a sticky situation. Meanwhile, Scuba pressures Daphne into lying to Chef Jeff for him. Plus, Toby bonds with Nikki, and Regina tries to reconnect with Patrick.
#24 - Write a Lonely Soldier
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/28/2012
Kathryn and her lawyer meet with Angelo's lawyer, who reveals the hospital plans to argue that Regina switched the babies on purpose. Regina meets with a mother whose daughter lost her hearing. Daphne is playing basketball at the Carlton School for the Deaf; she doesn't get along with a boy named Theo.
#25 - Drowning Girl
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/13/2014
Senior year means big changes for Bay and Daphne, as the Carlton School for the Deaf receives an influx of hearing students who are not happy to be there. Daphne begins working at a free clinic as part of her probation from the Senator Coto blackmail scandal, and bonds with a pre-med student with a spinal injury. Bay is inspired by her art teacher and surprised by her jock classmate, when she takes an art class at a local college. Toby tries to unite a divided Carlton by coaching girls' field hockey, and Kathryn dips her toes into new territory when she makes friends with a gregarious tap dancer.