What If Seth And Anna Stayed Together?

There are few television couples that get as much love as Seth and Summer from The O.C . Of course, what hardcore Seth and Summer shippers want to forget is that it wasn't always Summer who had Seth's heart — well, all of it, anyway. Though Seth was obsessed with Summer for most of his life, when high school hit, so did a crush on a Newport newcomer. Anna was the antithesis of Summer, probably because she was a great deal like Seth himself. Seth and Anna bonded over their love of comic books, but, unfortunately, they also shared a tendency to fall in love with unavailable people. Seth tried his hardest to give his relationship with Anna a fair shot, but, ultimately, it was Summer who was his true love. Anna headed back to Pittsburgh and became nothing more than a road block in the way of endgame love.

With a relationship as beloved as the one between Seth and Summer, it's hard to imagine that things could ever have gone differently with Seth and Anna... but what if they did? Certainly Anna and Seth weren't completely wrong for one another. Had Summer never confessed her feelings for Seth, it might have been Anna and Seth whose relationship we rooted for across four seasons of The O.C. — not that it would have been the same show.

Here's how The O.C. would have been different if Anna and Seth stayed a couple.

Seth Would Have Picked Anna

Sure, technically Seth picked no one, but his make out session with Anna over New Year's Eve definitely solidified Anna as his number one draft pick. But, if the roles were reversed, and Anna and Seth were going to be the endgame couple of The O.C., it wouldn't have been a contest. Anna would never have settled for being second choice, which means that Seth would have had to choose her on Chrismukkah. Anna was all about confidence, and definitely wouldn't have been OK with him choosing Summer and then circling back to her.

Summer Wouldn't Have Been OK... At All

Sure, Summer wasn't exactly thrilled when Seth and Anna first started dating, but even she knew that, at the end of the day, things wouldn't work out between the comic book-obsessed couple — they were practically "brother and sister!" If Seth and Anna slowly worked their way up to romantic chemistry, Summer would have been devastated knowing that she lost a potential love of her life — not to mention a dorky one. She might actually have joined Marissa for a few rounds of day drinking before school.

Zach Would Have Stood A Real Chance

I liked Zach a lot, but he might as well have been named "Male Anna." Had Seth been completely unavailable, Summer may have fallen head-over-heels for the cultured water polo player, and treated him as more than just a holding place for Seth.

Summer Would Have Hung Out Way Less With Marissa

Seth wasn't going to stop kicking it with Ryan, and it's not like Marissa could stay away from him, either. A trio of Ryan, Marissa, and third-wheel Seth would have inevitably formed, while Summer bonded with pals who weren't hanging out with the guy who broke her heart.

Fans Would Swoon Over These Moments...

You have to admit, it is pretty darn cute.

...But Only Because We Would Have Never Seen This

Sorry, but it's really no contest. Seth and Summer forever.

Images: Fox; 1monkeyslut, this-is-the-oc, cohenchrismukkah, onetrueslayer/Tumblr