The Best Time Bernadette Ever Broke Character On The Big Bang Theory

While characters like Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) may take up a lot of the limelight on "The Big Bang Theory," it's hard to deny the charms of Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). The microbiologist's chipper demeanor and high-pitched voice are occasionally at odds with her intense competitiveness and propensity to be a bit of a bully, but those complexities are all part of what makes her such a pleasure to watch. Of course, Rauch's excellent comedic performance sells the whole thing.

But no matter how good or prepared an actor is, there are always going to be times when one flubs a line, knocks something over in a scene, or just starts cracking up for no reason. This is so baked into the pie of a TV series that some shows, "Big Bang Theory" included, capitalize on the moments by putting out blooper reels. Like the rest of her castmates, Rauch is no stranger to delivering fans a delightfully silly scene-breaking screwup.

We've already given Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco their due, and now it's time to dig into the best time that Melissa Rauch ever broke character while playing Bernadette on "The Big Bang Theory."

In the season 12 episode "The Laureate Accumulation," Bernadette is trying to get Howard to publish a children's book inspired by his trip to the International Space Station. She wants it to be about how it's okay for him to admit that he was afraid while being in outer space, while he wants to hide those emotions behind a drawing of himself as a ripped astronaut in a skin-tight shirt. Ultimately, she guilt trips him by saying, "I guess it would just take a really brave man to put an embarrassing story like that out into the world just so it might help some frightened children not feel so alone."

The line is both sweet and a little manipulative, two of Bernadette's signature qualities. It's also one that apparently gave Rauch a bit of trouble while shooting. In a Season 12 blooper reel, we see Rauch try the line and while everything starts out okay, by the time she gets to the end, it has gotten away from her. Unable to stick the landing, she instead mutters a nonsensical utterance of "Jah-ah-ah" and makes a hilariously contorted face. She takes it again but still gets snagged on the ending, this time accidentally referring to the children as lonely instead of frightened, which stops the take in its tracks.

Even on a show filled with complicated scientific lingo, sometimes it's the simple things that trip the actors up.