Best couples in The Rookie

Lucy & Tim wins 90% of its duels and tops The Rookie favorite couple ranking ahead of Angela & Wesley.

The podium reveals a clear hierarchy among The Rookie pairings. Angela & Wesley holds second place but faces a 167-point gap separating them from John & Bailey in third, the sharpest divide in the ranking. Lucy & Tim dominates with 1695 ELO points, while the bottom tells a different story: Lucy & John languishes at rank 16 with 956 points and a 26% win rate, suggesting fans reject certain character combinations despite the same individual appearing in the top spot.

This ranking draws on 1273 duels cast by 23 players across 16 contenders, updated 12 October 2026. The spread from Lucy & Tim's 1695 points down to Lucy & John's 956 shows how sharply opinions diverge on relationship dynamics in the series. Whether you champion the chemistry of the leading pairs or hold an unpopular opinion about the lower-ranked duos, you can vote now and shift the standings. Head to VAINKEURZ to pick your side in future duels and watch the ranking evolve as more fans weigh in on their favorite couples.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →