The WORST episodes of The Love Boat
Every episode of The Love Boat ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Love Boat!
Passengers find romance aboard a cruise ship.
#1 - The Shipshape Cruise
Season 10 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/21/1986
Doc marries a younger woman only to run into his ex-wife while on his honeymoon. Meanwhile, a voluptuous diet doctor hires a svelte fitness instructor to impersonate her, and a man has to tell his partner their relationship may be over.
#2 - Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?
Season 10 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/27/1987
After secretly gifting six strangers a cruise, a billionaire goes missing, and Ace suspects one of the six is a murderer. Meanwhile, Mrs. Stubing wants to feel she's more than just the captain's wife.
#3 - Abby's Maiden Voyage/He Ain't Heavy/I Like to Be in America
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/26/1983
An inexperienced young woman contemplates getting physical; a rude man discovers the man he has been harassing is actually his long-lost older brother; April Lopez is too nervous to take her U.S. citizenship test.
#4 - The Christmas Cruise (2)
Season 10 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/25/1986
While the new Mrs. Stubing wonders what to get the captain for Christmas, a comedic Santa suffers from depression. Then, a couple reunite after a long time apart, and a mother-daughter con-artist duo prey on passengers.
#5 - Hippies and Yuppies/ Frat Wars/ Return of the Lambdas
Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/25/1986
Two rival college fraternities wage war during a reunion held on the ship. At the same time, two old college buddies reunite and discover one of them hasn't moved beyond their hippie days.
#6 - Dreamboat/Gopher, Isaac & the Starlet/The Parents/The Importance of Being Johnny/Julie and the Producer (1)
Season 7 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/5/1984
A movie director (Ben Vereen) filming a musical aboard the ship tries to keep his star (Juliet Prowse) happy at Doc's expense; Julie is pursued by the lookalike brother (Dean Jones) of a man she almost married; the Captain falls for the mother (Alexis Smith) of a self-doubting rock star (Jimmy Osmond) on his first acting job.
#7 - No More Alimony/How Do I Love Thee/Authoress Authoress
Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/7/1984
A man bound by alimony wants to make sure his ex (Michelle Phillips) goes through with her marriage; Julie's Aunt Sylvia and her pal Betsy try to interest a publisher in Betsy's memoirs. Carol Channing, Betty White, Cesar Romero, Rue McClanahan, Dick Van Patten.
#8 - Instinct/Unmade for Each Other/BOS
Season 8 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/5/1985
Two older men, Leslie and Shelley, paired up by a confused blind dating service, chase the same woman; instead of meeting her fiance, a young woman gets a "present" of her fiance's friend to console her because her fiance has dumped her; Isaac chases a passenger who follows a silly, cult-like philosophy "Being Of Self", and in the process alienates the crew and almost gets fired.
#9 - Aerobic April/The Wager/Story of the Century
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/3/1984
April Lopez (Charo) returns and makes it her mission to get the crew in ship shape, while two wealthy brothers make wagers which one of them can avoid falling in love with a pair of fetching females. Plus, a reporter thinks he's on the trail of a career-making scoop.
Watch Now:Apple TV#10 - And One to Grow On/Seems Like Old Times/I'll Never Forget What's Her Name
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/27/1984
On her 18th birthday, Vicki is surprised to learn that her father is a recovering alcoholic. Meanwhile, a widow hires a private detective to track down her college sweetheart. Plus, a man faking amnesia boards with his ex-fiancee who's trying to help him regain his memories.
#11 - Only The Good Die Young/ Honey Beats The Odds/Light Of Another Day
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/1984
Isaac tries to comfort a recent widow and her young son, while a blind woman is convinced another passenger is her former idol. A mild-mannered man befriends a woman to try and get information on her traveling companions.
#12 - Mothers Don't Do That/Marrying for Money/Substitute Lover
Season 5 - Episode 29 - Aired 5/15/1982
Divorced Marian reunites with her son Danny, who reads her diary and avoids her. Gopher and Isaac think Lola is trying to kill husband Orville to inherit his money. Bert is taken with Marla and pretends to be her pen pal.
#13 - The Fountain of Youth/Bad Luck Cabin/Uncle Daddy
Season 6 - Episode 29 - Aired 5/7/1983
Aged Dwight bilked Henry years ago and wants to see the fountain of youth that keeps Henry young. Newlyweds Cora and Ed are booked into Fiesta Cabin 213, a bad luck cabin for newlyweds. Isaac's widowed friend Gayle has marriage in mind.
#14 - The Prize Winner/Dee Dee's Dilemma/Julie's Blind Date
Season 7 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/3/1983
Julie's blind date turns out to be an overweight, uncouth misfit whose advances drive her crazy, that is, until he rejects her; a woman travelling incognito to avoid testifying at a trial falls in love with a man on board, while when disguised in a wig and a childs' dress she tries to avoid that same man's flirting son; a prize-winning author is blackmailed for love by his secretary, who is travelling with him and his jealous wife.
#15 - The Christmas Cruise (1)
Season 10 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/25/1986
While the new Mrs. Stubing wonders what to get the captain for Christmas, a comedic Santa suffers from depression. Then, a couple reunite after a long time apart, and a mother-daughter con-artist duo prey on passengers.
#16 - The Family Plan/The Promoter/May the Best Man Win/Forever Engaged/The Judges (2)
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/1/1980
Vicki tries to play matchmaker for Capt. Stubing and Emily, whose husband still plans on winning her back. Gopher lands in a Curacao jail after Doc sends him on a wild goose chase so that he can get cozy with the marriage-a-thon judges. Carl and Mary Ann decide that they were wrong to interfere with their kids' wedding plans; Mary considers calling it quits with Tom. Emily accuses Marv of treachery after her fiancé suddenly reappears in Curacao and denies that he planned to leave her.
#17 - Message for Maureen/The Acapulco Connection/Gotcha
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/1977
A wheelchair-ridden tennis star rekindles a romance with a critical sportswriter. A Mexican woman with singing aspirations stows away on the ship. A man annoys his wife and other passengers with his incessant practical jokes.
#18 - Scandinavia Cruise: Girl of the Midnight Sun/There'll Be Some Changes Made/Mr. Smith Goes to Stockholm (1)
Season 8 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/2/1985
An American woman pretends to be Swedish when she meets an executive who's searching for a company spokesperson. Meanwhile, a woman mistakenly believes a man (Jack Klugman) has undergone a sex change. Plus, an untrustworthy scientist (Terry Savalas) uses an actress (Janet Jackson) in a scheme to stage a heist. Finally, Gopher finds romance with an affluent socialite.
#19 - The Christmas Presence
Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/18/1982
A con man schemes to get his gold past the custom's agents by using a pair of traveling nuns. A young married couple consider separating. A mysterious stranger seems to be able to help people at just the right moment.
#20 - Lost and Found/The Understudy/Married Singles
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/1977
A boy befriends a couple who recently lost a young son. A trainee schemes to steal Julie's job. A bickering married couple takes the cruise and stays in separate cabins.
#21 - The Baby Alarm/Tell Her She's Great/Matchmaker, Matchmaker Times Two
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/29/1980
An unwed mother's infant son has an unusual way of showing his disapproval to men who try to romance her. Isaac gets the crew to bolster his stagestruck aunt's ego, which turns her into an outrageous prima donna and upsets his uncle. Two sets of parents go overboard trying to spark a romance between their respective children.
#22 - A Dress to Remember
Season 5 - Episode 28 - Aired 5/8/1982
One dress affects three people. Model Donna is to wear it to display her diet success. Poor flower vendor Rose's daughter Carol thinks her mom is rich. Norman dodges his ex-wife Nancy's homicidal father Tom.
#23 - The Mallory Quest/Julie, the Vamp/The Offer (2)
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/15/1980
As the search for Mallory's nephew continues, a mysterious man begins following Gopher, Marvin, Peter, and Marcia and trying to thwart their efforts. Peter grows suspicious and forces Mallory to come clean about his real reasons for wanting to track down his nephew. A suddenly repentant Mallory tries to make amends with his wife. Peter and his brother's fiancé grow attracted to each other. Capt. Stubing considers taking the job offer so that he can set aside more money for Vicki's college education. Julie's college friend and his crazy girlfriend continue to make her life difficult.
#24 - The Spoonmaker Diamond/Papa Doc/The Role Model/Julie's Tycoon (2)
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/13/1982
Julie's old friend and new love interest pops the question; the secret association between two passengers is revealed; the photographer who tricked his ex-wife to come aboard rekindles the old flame; Vicki contemplates a modeling career; the famous diamond ends up in the ocean.
#25 - Paroled to Love/First Impressions/Love Finds Florence Nightingale
Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/8/1983
A man confesses his guilt to the lawyer who defended him. Two women impersonate celebrities after a booking mix-up. An actress finds love with a man who doesn't think much of her business.