Who Did Nate Archibald Ultimately End Up With in Gossip Girl? A Relationship Retrospective

With his boyish good looks, infectious smile, and irresistible charm, Nate Archibald stole the hearts of Gossip Girl viewers for six seasons. Portrayed to perfection by actor Chace Crawford, Nate was often caught in messy relationship drama – but did Brooklyn‘s resident golden boy finally get his happy ending?

The short answer: no. While the other principal characters couples up in the finale, Nate remains happily single and focused on his burgeoning political career.

But that simple response hardly does justice to Nate‘s long, tortured romantic history on the Upper East Side. Let‘s take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and rank Nate Archibald‘s many failed relationships over the years. Will we uncover any evidence that Nate may someday meet his Mrs. Right? Read on to find out!

The Epic High School Love Triangle: Blair vs. Serena

No recounting of Nate‘s relationships can begin anywhere else but with the core Gossip Girl love triangle between Nate, his childhood sweetheart Blair Waldorf, and her best friend Serena van der Woodsen.

Pretty brunette queen bee Blair seemed to have it all – popularity, looks, and the handsome Nate by her side. But behind the scenes, cracks were already emerging in the picture-perfect relationship by the start of the series.

While Nate and Blair dated for years and were planning to lose their virginities together, Nate had secretly hooked up with Serena one fateful night before her mysterious disappearance to boarding school.

When Serena returned to the Upper East Side, Nate rekindled his feelings for her – putting the Nate/Blair/Serena love triangle into full swing. Through countless breakups and makeups, schemes and blowout fights, who did Nate truly belong with – his steady girlfriend or alluring best friend?

Compatibility Ratings:

Blair offered the stability of a long-term relationship rooted in friendship, though their passion and intimacy had waned over time. Meanwhile, Nate‘s intense chemistry with unpredictable Serena thrilled him but volatility made a lasting union unlikely.

In the Gossip Girl books, Nate ultimately declares his love for Blair. But on the show, he ends up with neither – we‘ll explore possible reasons why later. First, let‘s analyze Nate‘s other key relationships.

The Best Friend Flings: Vanessa and Jenny

Post high-school, both Vanessa Abrams and Jenny Humphrey made attempts to turn their best friend status with Nate into something more. Aspiring filmmaker Vanessa bonded with Nate over being the "outsiders" of their social circle. Little sister Jenny nursed a long-time crush on her older brother Dan‘s popular best friend.

But Nate soon realized in both cases that their friend chemistry simply didn‘t translate well to romance.

Activist Vanessa, while intellectually compatible, ran hot and cold with Nate. Their arguments over Nate‘s privileged background illustrated fundamental lifestyle differences.

With Jenny, a sweet bookish girl, Nate attempted to let her down easy to avoid friendship fallout with Dan. When their brief relationship crashed and burned regardless, Nate appeared regretful but also relieved.

Compatibility Ratings:

The low scores here demonstrate these were both poor matches with minimal romantic upside. Vanessa and Nate‘s political disparities and Jenny‘s immaturity posed obstacles to long-term compatibility.

The Rebounds: Catherine and Bree

Now, when you‘re as irresistible as Nate Archibald, even your rebounds tend to involve alluring, sophisticated women. Wealthy socialite Bree Buckley lit up Nate‘s life with excitement in college, but ultimately just used Nate to get intel on a rival.

Catherine Beaton, daughter of a Australian media mogul, showered Nate with affection when he felt lonely post-college. But it emerged Catherine was maneuvering to take over Nate‘s newspaper empire at the same time.

While the physical chemistry sizzled with both Bree and Catherine, ulterior motives marred the foundations here. Once Nate uncovered their schemes, he quickly kicked them to the curb rather than fight to keep these conditional loves.

Compatibility Ratings:

Sparks aside, neither beauty could secure Nate‘s trust. Their clandestine plans to exploit Nate outweighed positive qualities. These rebounds reaffirmed commitment issues plagued Nate.

Analyzing Nate‘s key relationships systematically like this, an insightful pattern emerges. Blair, Serena, Vanessa, Jenny, Bree, Catherine – almost every girl ultimately hurt or betrayed Nate‘s trust in some way.

While outwardly affable, over these painful experiences, guardedness and wariness seeped into Nate‘s once-open heart. Burned enough times, he shielded himself against deeper vulnerability going forward.

What Happened Next: Exploring Nate‘s Commitment Phobia Theory

By the end of Gossip Girl, Nate appeared content embracing the bachelor lifestyle. Perhaps after so many failed connections, he felt safer avoiding romantic attachments altogether.

• But given Nate‘s ever-hopeful personality, might he overcome these trust issues someday if the right woman came along?* My expert prediction says yes.

In pop culture, we‘ve seen even the most stubborn commitment phobes – like How I Met Your Mother‘s Barney Stinson – eventually meet their match and settle down. There‘s hope for Nate yet!

As the only untethered main character by the finale, Nate‘s destiny remains wide open. If his wandering eye leads him to a woman nurturing enough to heal past heartbreaks yet fiery enough to hold his interest, I believe Nate may defy the odds and get his soulmate happy ending after all.

In short, who did Nate ended up with in Gossip Girl? No one…yet. But my money says Nate Archibald‘s single status won‘t last forever.

The right romantic partner likely awaits down the road – perhaps to even serve as his glamorous political wife someday. Nate‘s best relationship years may still be ahead of him!