Friends saw many weird relationships, among those Rachel and Joshua's – and the reason for its awkwardness came from behind the scenes.

Friends saw the main group go through many relationships, some weirder than others, and one of Rachel’s worst was the one with Joshua, whom she met at work – and the reason for its awkwardness comes from behind the scenes. Over the course of ten seasons, Friends saw many guest actors, of which some stayed for more than one episode and had an impact on the arcs of the main characters, especially those who were romantically involved with them.

Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Joey, Chandler and Ross eventually found their partners (except Joey, who settled down until the end of his spinoff series), but it took many trials and errors to find – as Phoebe would say – their lobsters. Before Rachel and Ross settled down, and after the whole “we were on a break” issue, Rachel began to date one of her clients at Bloomingdale's, but everything about it, including the behind the scenes context of it, was very weird.

Rachel didn’t rest until she finally got to go out with Joshua, and every phase of their brief relationship was very awkward to watch, and that was most likely influenced by the actors’ relationship off-camera.

Friends: Why Rachel & Joshua’s Relationship Was So Weird

When Rachel was sent to the personal shopping department at Bloomingdale’s one of her clients was Joshua Burgin, a man who arrived at the shop looking for a full wardrobe as his ex-wife took all his clothing in their divorce. After much struggle and some real second-hand embarrassment moments from Rachel (such as trying to lure him to a Knicks game and organizing a party just to have an opportunity to get close to him), they finally ended up dating for a while (Rachel even met his parents, though it wasn’t planned and it was a moment as uncomfortable as their relationship). There was a very weird vibe between Rachel and Joshua, and that’s most likely linked to the actors.

Joshua was played by Tate Donovan, who dated Jennifer Aniston for three years. Sadly, their relationship ended shortly before Joshua’s debut episode, “The One With Rachel’s Crush”, was recorded. Joshua ended up appearing in five episodes, and the tension between both actors was evident, affecting the chemistry between Rachel and Joshua (and making it very painful to watch). Luckily, Rachel recovered quite fast, though she instead focused on Ross’ new “marriage” to Emily. Rachel and Joshua’s relationship in Friends is one of those cases where the off-screen vibe translated to the show, and thankfully that pair didn’t last long and Rachel learned from her past mistakes.

Next: Rachel Deserved A Much Better Ending In Friends