We thought we had terrible love lives, then we took a deep dive into Amelia Shepherdâs (Caterina Scorsone) romantic history. Incredible neurosurgeon, catastrophic taste in partners. To put it lightly, Ameliaâs dating record on Greyâs Anatomy is almost one long case study in âgirl, no.â
Our beloved Shepherd sibling (RIP Derek, gone but never forgotten), sass queen, and emotional chaos magnet has been through it all: marriages, messy breakups, proposals, relapses, and even a cross-country escape when things got too real. From wild flings and trauma bonds to genuine love stories that almost worked, Ameliaâs romantic journey is equal parts heartbreaking, inspiring, and âwow, maybe I am doing okay.â
So grab a cup of coffee, because weâre ranking every one of Amelia Shepherdâs love interests on Greyâs Anatomy and Private Practice, from the total disasters to the ones who might just have been her person.
Greyâs Anatomy, Season 22 Midseason Premiere, January 8, 10/9c, ABC
ABC8. Ryan KerriganWeâre heading back to Private Practice for this one, but it counts â they exist in the same universe, and Ryan (Wes Brown) is too central to Ameliaâs story to skip.Amelia met Ryan during one of the darkest periods of her life, in the middle of a relapse. They crossed paths at a nightclub, bonded over their addictions, and fell into a whirlwind romance that burned fast and bright. What followed was a 12-day bender in a hotel room. In a haze, Ryan proposed, Amelia accepted, and she gave him her late fatherâs watch as an engagement gift.When her friends staged an intervention, the couple bolted and became determined to âfinish what they had leftâ before getting clean. But after one last high, Amelia passed out and woke to find Ryan dead beside her, having overdosed and choked in his sleep. Before his body was taken away, she quietly retrieved her fatherâs watch from his wrist.That loss broke her open and ultimately saved her. Amelia checked herself into rehab and got sober, only to discover she was pregnant with Ryanâs child. But tragedy struck again when she learned her baby boy was anencephalic, born without a brain. In an act of unimaginable strength, Amelia carried him to term so she could donate his organs and save other babies across the country.Ryan will always be the love that changed everything for her. Maybe he couldâve been her great love, but itâs forever tangled in grief, addiction, and the ghosts of what mightâve been.ABC7. Tom KoracickShort but sweet, Ameliaâs time with Koracick (Greg Germann) was about as successful as most of his Greyâs escapades âwhich is to say, not very. Once Amelia recovered from her tumor removal, the two hooked up, and he immediately admitted she was a better surgeon than he was. Honestly, what more could you want from a fling?Koracick mightâve wanted more, but Amelia? She was not down to clown.ABC6. Owen HuntOwen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) somehow manages to sneak his way into every Greyâs Anatomy list imaginable â most satisfying breakups and now, Amelia Shepherdâs love interests. The man is basically a walking plot twist.Amelia and Owen bonded soon after she arrived in Seattle, finding a connection in their shared trauma (classic Greyâs move). Before anyone could say âbad idea,â they were making out in an on-call room after saving a little girlâs mom. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), understandably, was not thrilled â given Owenâs messy romantic history with Cristina (Sandra Oh) â but the ball was already rolling.After a few stop-start moments, the two officially got together, and in a bold reversal of roles, Amelia proposed to Owen. She admitted marriage might be too soon, but said she was sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Reader, they got hitched, and promptly discovered they had completely different views on having kids. (Pro tip: Maybe have that chat before the wedding.)What followed was a series of breakups, makeups, and, of course, a brain tumor intermezzo (because Greyâs Anatomy canât resist a mid-relationship medical crisis). Eventually, they divorced, but this is Omelia, so it was never really over.Owen later fostered baby Leo, and Amelia stepped in to coparent. Then Leoâs teenage birth mom, Betty, joined the mix, forming a surprisingly sweet little family unit. But naturally, Greyâs couldnât let that last: Enter Teddy (Kim Raver), pregnant with Owenâs baby. Owen chose Amelia (for about five minutes), and once the kids were gone, so was the relationship.ABC5. Mark SloanNaughty, Amelia! McSteamy (Eric Dane) was one of her brotherâs besties and therefore supremely off-limits, but when has that ever stopped either of them? Despite growing up around Mark, the two shared a brief rendezvous during her first visit to Seattle after the mass shooting. It never evolved into anything serious, but they stayed close, and his death hit her hard.To be honest, sleeping with Sloan was practically a rite of passage at Grey Sloan Memorial, so good on her for getting her turn.ABC / Gilles Mingasson4. Atticus âLinkâ LincolnLetâs give Link (Chris Carmack) some credit. He was a step up from Owen, which made total sense, since he was literally Owenâs successor. Evolution, baby.The first time Link asked Amelia out, she turned him down. But fate (and Shonda Rhimes) had other plans. At a medical conference, one thing led to another, and the two ended up in Ameliaâs hotel room together. When Amelia later ran into her sister, she panicked and pretended Link was Owen to dodge the whole âyeah, I got divorcedâ conversation. The lie didnât last, but before the truth came out, we got some seriously cute moments of Link standing up for her.They dated briefly before Link called it quits, realizing Amelia wasnât ready for the level of commitment he wanted. Then â plot twist â Amelia found out she was pregnant but wasnât sure if the baby was Linkâs or Owenâs. Ruh roh. In a true king move, Link promised to love the baby either way⊠only to find out he didnât need to because Scout was his.Things got trickier post-baby (and during the pandemic), when domestic bliss turned into domestic burnout. Link proposed, Amelia turned him down, and it became clear they wanted very different things: He craved the picture-perfect family life, she wanted something freer. They shared one last hookup for old timesâ sake, but their story ended for good when Link caught her kissing Kai (E.R. Fightmaster).Disney / Anne Marie Fox3. Monica BeltranThe newest addition to Ameliaâs list of love interests â and one that never quite had the chance to take off. The two started with peak enemies-to-lovers energy when Amelia stole Monicaâs (Natalie Morales) parking spot (classic Shepherd chaos). But soon enough, mutual respect and a series of caffeine-fueled catch-ups turned into something a little more.Amelia finally worked up the nerve to ask Monica out, only to be gently turned down â Monica was still healing from her divorce back in Texas. Things got extra awkward when Monica hooked up with Winston (also freshly divorced), and Amelia caught him returning a piece of red lingerie. Thankfully, Monica cleared things up, and the two stayed close friends.Then came the gut punch: Monicaâs death in the OR explosion. Sob. It hit Amelia hard â like, âadd another layer to her emotional trauma fileâ hard. Something tells us she wonât be opening herself up again anytime soon.Richard Cartwright / ABC / Everett Collection2. James PetersonAnother Private Practice mention, but once again, necessary to her arc on Greyâs Anatomy! Amelia worked with James (Matt Long) at St. Ambrose, and he repeatedly asked her out, but she kept turning him down. This was post-Ryan-and-pregnancy life events, so she wasnât really looking to date.Long story short, she finally relented and then felt frustrated when he wouldnât kiss her on their dates. He turned up at her house for one hell of a romantic first kiss, and they were in it.But after James proposed, Amelia ran off to Seattle to find out if she could live a life like her brother, Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and his wife, Meredith. It turns out that she wanted part of their lifeâŠthe Seattle part. She moved to Grey Sloan and left James behind.We didnât get to see a lot of their love story, but what we did see was a healthy relationship built on honesty and mutual respect. She couldâve done a lot worse⊠and has.ABC1. Kai BartleyDing, ding, ding â we have a winner! Find us a better Amelia love interest than Kai (E.R. Fightmaster), we dare you.Fresh off her breakup with Link, Amelia met Kai in Minnesota while working with Dr. Hamilton (Peter Gallagher). What started as workplace banter quickly turned into full-on flirtation: cheeky glances, smirks, and that slow-burn tension we live for. Amelia confided in Kai about Link and her son, making it clear she was TOTALLY SINGLE, and Kai casually dropped that they were single, too.When Kai and David came to Seattle for Davidâs surgery, Amelia helped calm Kai down with some guided meditation (very on brand), and the two finally kissed outside the hospital. Still, Amelia hesitated as her life was a bit of a mess.That all changed when Kai invited her to their bandâs performance. Post-show? Amelia went home with Kai, and⊠letâs just say, it was Greyâs Anatomy history from there. The next morning, Kai told her she didnât have to leave, but Amelia insisted that she was a mom who missed her son.Things took a turn when Kai met Scout and admitted they didnât want kids. Oof. They end things, not because Scout isnât adorable (he is), but because their life paths just didnât align. Still, Kai eventually came back, the two reconciled, and for a moment, we all dared to dream.Then came London, aka Kaiâs once-in-a-lifetime career offer. The pair parted ways amicably, leaving us heartbroken but hopeful. Honestly? If Greyâs Anatomy ever delivered an endgame that actually felt earned, it would be this one.
