Many know and love Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) from the hit sitcom, New Girl. Part of the show’s charm is her questionable dating history. There is a lot of fun to be had in apartment 4D, especially for Jess in the love department. Jess’ love interests range from major nerd to total hottie. Even though there is one relationship in particular that everyone’s rooting for, her other relationships still furthered her growth and are worth noting. Those terrible Dice dates, non-stop Dirty Dancing pity parties, and Taylor Swift sob fests all helped her in her journey to find true love.

The show’s seven-season run led to many boyfriends and while we can’t include them all, here is a list of Jess’ recurring boyfriends ranked.

7. Robby McFerrin

New-Girl-Robby-Season-6
Image Via Fox

Many of Jess’ friends pushed for her and Robby (Nelson Franklin) to get together after they co-founded a “Single and Sufficient” club. Jess’ resistance foreshadowed that the relationship would be short-lived. Although Robby was kind and supportive as a boyfriend, Jess said it herself: there was no spark. While Robby and Jess were somewhat compatible, they did end up finding out they were cousins – third cousins – but still, that alone is enough for us to put him at the bottom of our list.

Not only were they related, Robby was also Jess’ best friend’s (Hannah Simone) ex, another questionable factor. Robby may have struck out with both CeCe and Jess and gotten a weight dropped on his face in the process, but at least he got a long-lasting friendship with Schmidt (Max Greenfield) out of the deal.

6. Spencer

Spencer-New-Girl
Image Via Fox

If Robby and Jess weren’t cousins, Spencer (Ian Wolterstorff) would definitely rank last on the boyfriend list. Spencer was introduced as Jess’ longtime boyfriend in the pilot, where we learned he cheated on her. His affair abruptly ended their relationship and left her heartbroken for most of the season. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Spencer cheated on her, he also later refused to let her remove her belongings from their home.

He even made her drive his new girlfriend to the airport where she had to suffer through their love of bikes and rendition of “Bust a Move.” We may never understand what Jess saw in him other than his beautiful hair, but losing Spencer was her biggest gain. We do have Spencer to thank for leaving Jess without a roommate, which led her to live with the boys in apartment 4D. Other than that, however, there were no positives in his and Jess’ relationship.

5. Paul Genzlinger

New-Girl-Paul
Image Via Fox

Mr. Genzlinger (Justin Long) worked with Jess at Coolidge Middle School. This awkward music teacher brought a lot of comedy to the show with his several cameos throughout its run. Jess and Paul were into each other “big time,” but the two of them together would be too much energy to handle for more than a few episodes.

Paul fell for Jess quicker than she did, and it overwhelmed her. His unreciprocated declaration of love is what brought their relationship to an end until later in the season when she backslid. Jess eventually discovered that Paul was to be engaged when they slept together, which definitely docked some points for him. The fact that his fiancé was just another version of Jess gave off an unconsciously obsessive vibe. Genzlinger was a nice and quirky guy, but in the end, he was too similar to Jess for them to work out romantically. He may not have gotten a romantic ending with Jess, but on his way out he did get to give an iconic musical performance with her, Bearclaw (Josh Gad), and May (Meaghan Rath).

4. Russell Schiller

russell-schiller-new-girl
Image Via Fox

Russell (Dermot Mulroney), also known as Fancyman, was Jess’ first “adult” boyfriend. In the beginning of the show, many of Jess’ relationships were not as mature as the one she shared with Russell. The divorced father of one of Jess’ students was quite the gentleman and was a good fit for Jess for a short period of time.

Jess realized she wanted more passion in her relationship, similar to what she saw Russell have with his first wife. Russell and Jess just weren’t looking for the same thing, and to be honest, they were pretty boring as a couple. He also lost major points for trying to break up Jess’ wedding in the final season. This relationship definitely helped show Jess what she was really looking for, it just wasn’t Russell. However, her roommate did find that Russell was the role model he was looking for – the only man they both loved.

3. Sam Sweeney

sam-new-girl
Image Via Fox

It was hard not to fall in love with Sam (David Walton) for his good looks alone, but when paired with his job as a pediatrician, it was game over. When Sam first met Jess, he thought she was someone he matched with on a dating app. Instead of correcting his mistake, Jess played along, and the two hooked up. Sam eventually found out that Jess lied about who she was but didn't mind, and they began a no-strings-attached relationship.

Jess quickly grew attached to Dr. Sam, as did fans, and wanted more out of their relationship. Sam initially did not like this idea but came around to it, just in time for Jess to be kissed by someone else. The two definitely had chemistry, but they each learned they had someone in their lives that was a better fit. Jess was able to find someone who didn’t want to fist bump first thing in the morning, and Sam was able to find someone he didn’t need to file a restraining order against.

2. Ryan Geauxinue

ryan-new-girl
Image Via Fox

If Jess wasn’t going to be with pick number one, Mr. Geauxinue (Julian Morris) was the clear next best choice. Ryan was definitely the dreamiest of Jess’ boyfriends with his British accent, kind heart, and charming personality. Jess was the new vice-principal when Ryan began as a teacher, putting Jess in a difficult situation; the two were not allowed to date since she was his boss, making them want to date even more. Despite the school’s rule, they completely failed to shut it down.

With Coach’s (Damon Wayans Jr.) help, the pair finally got together. Taking Ryan off the market allowed Coach to regain his status as the hot single teacher, and things were going great until Ryan was offered his dream job in London. While the relationship lasted, it was nice to see Jess with someone as kind as she was. Their relationship was wholesome and fun to watch but nothing extraordinary like what Jess had with pick number one.

1. Nick Miller

Zooey Deschanel as Jess and Jake Johnson as Nick smiling and sitting at a table in a restaurant in New Girl
Image Via Fox

“Nick Miller, Nick Miller from the streets of Chicago” was the obvious first choice. His awkward and unique charm won us all over, beer gurgling and all. Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess were meant to be from the very beginning, their chemistry was undeniable. Nick himself admitted he fell for her the day they met. Audiences were rooting for this slow-burn romance since Season one, and finally, after seven seasons, it paid off.

That kiss that ruined Jess and Sam’s relationship was from none other than Nick. Although it took her some time to realize, Jess was totally in love with him. Sam and Russell both knew Jess and Nick were meant to be before either of them could admit it. The roommates ended up being the perfect fit, and the actors’ chemistry furthered the fans’ love of this pairing. Their relationship was full of passion and they pushed each other to grow. They finally came to the agreement that banks are just paper bags with fancier walls and found their way back to each other for a very happy ending in Season 7.