Seinfeld's 20 Best Relationship Moments

For the 20th anniversary of Seinfeld, the 20 best relationship moments.

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That was a prett-y, prett-y quick 20 years. All the way back in 1990, a young comedian in a blazer, blue jeans and sneakers teamed up with a crotchety old cuss and produced nine seasons of pop culture gold. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David spun everyday that-happened-to-me-isms into one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. They let us know that the jerk-store wasn't a real comeback, taught us manners regarding a double-dipped chip and taught us that we didn't have to celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza for Festivus was for the rest of us. But the show's real brilliance was in how it treated the relationships of four uptight, self-centered New Yorkers trying to find one person who is just good enough for them. Here are the top twenty Seinfeld relationship moments:

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Man hands. Jerry has a problem with an otherwise perfect woman: man hands.
 

Alcohol. Before Jamie Fox can sing about it, Jerry surmises that nearly all of the population is undateable and we have alcohol to thank for anyone getting together.

"I'm not the one going to hell." Despite nearly scaring a priest to death as a New Jersey Devils fan, David Puddy is, indeed, a Christian, much to Elaine's chagrin. (Click here for vid.)

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Real and spectacular. Rather than leaving well enough alone, Jerry had to know if his lady's were real. They are and they're spectacular. (A little background from this video):

The roommate switch. George helps Jerry concoct a scheme to swap his girlfriend for her roomie. George later uses the same technique as a means to enact a cowardly breakup.

Abstinence makes George smarter. George's lady gets mono(nucleosis) and he's off sex. Somehow it makes him supernaturally smart as he's not preoccupied with making whoopee. It turns out to work backwards for women. (Click here for vid.)  

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Schindler's List. Because he's living with his parents, Jerry and his girlfriend can't get any alone time. They have to make out in the most heart-wrenching film of the last 20 years

"That's it we're back together." Puddy and Elaine have an on-again, off-again relationship. Sometimes on, off and then on, but just for two hours, in the same day. (Enjoy one of many breakups, nobody beats the wiz.)

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Co-stanza! Speaking of catchphrases, George attempts to leave a lasting memory by saying "Costanza" in the same tone as the "By Mennen" jingle. He also introduces the technique of leaving something behind as an excuse to see someone again. (Click here for vid.) 

Yada yada yada. Elaine uses "yada yada yada" as a stand-in for bland, one-time sex. The phrase comes to mean, “One thing led to another but I won't bore you with the details.” 

"Not that there's anything wrong with that." A very close male friendship seems pretty gay to a woman in the man's life… "Not that there's anything wrong with that." (Click here for vid.)

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Hello! In the same episode that Elaine and Puddy their most spastic on-off jag, Jerry has some issues of his own. Jerry decides to split with a woman because she doesn't like a character he does… based on a fictitious voice her stomach may have. 

The Deal. Jerry and Elaine explore friends with benefits and come up with a set of rules and sleeping over is… optional. Jerry explains it to a very skeptical George. (Click here for video.)

Spicy mustard! George attempts to combine his three passions: eating, sex and baseball on the radio and can only manage two at a time. 

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The pick. Jerry claims to be itching his nose but is dumped because his girlfriend thinks he's a nose-picker.

Mulva? Jerry only knows that his girlfriend's name rhymes with a female body part. (Click here for vid.)

Master of your domain. In a plot point arcing many seasons, after George is caught masturbating by his mother, the gang (Kramer, George, Elaine and Jerry) has a contest to see who can refrain from self-abuse the longest. (Click here for video.)

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Low talker. Because Kramer's girlfriend talks very quietly, Jerry agrees to wear a pirate shirt on the Today Show. Communication is key. (Click here for video.)

"It's not you, it's me." George claims to have invented the breakup classic, "It's not you, it's me," and is 100% that, yeah, it is him.

Shrinkage. Yep, the male anatomy is a complex thing. Thank goodness this video let women know about shrinkage. Perhaps a little late for George, however as his shortcoming got him dumped. 

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