One of the best and worst things about television is the amount of amazingly horrible gross-out moments. This year we had a ton of scenes that made our stomachs churn, and made us shield our eyes from the TV screens. Be it crushed bones, flesh-eating babies, or gruesome surgeries, this year was a virtual feast of horrible, disgusting moments. And these were the Top 10. Be warned, though. This list is pretty gruesome and should only be viewed by the strong stomached.
Additionally, like all of our other end of year lists, this one is full of spoilers. So if you don't want to know something gross about The Knick, Helix, The Walking Dead and more, it's best to hop away before you are in too deep!
10. The Black Blood and the Body in the Body Bag (Helix)
Anything having to do with any sort of virus or pandemic is usually pretty gross; however, this 2014 moment was certainly something special. On Helix, the victims of the virus bled black, which was alone pretty gross, but in the pilot episode of Helix, there was an even worse moment when Dr. Sarah Jordan (Jordan Hayes) went to examine two dead bodies. As she opened the first body bag, we got a lovely eyeful of a nasty, horrible skeleton, and a minor explosion of black, oozy blood. Understandably, Sarah freaked out. It was our first real taste of what is in store for us in the coming season, and is certainly one of the standout, gross out moments of the year.
9. The Zombie Baby (Z Nation)
Zombies are usually pretty gross, and there are tons of nasty-looking zombies in the TV universe. Seriously, if you just watch The Walking Dead for five seconds, you will get your fill of horrifying zombies. However, The Walking Dead doesn't even have the grossest zombies this year. Instead, Syfy’s show Z Nation took the zombie creep-out factor to a whole new level when they introduced us to a world of zombie babies. There was something extra unsettling about watching a zombie crawl around on the ground and then start chowing down on someone. This one earned some extra points for being super off-putting.
8. The C-Section (The Knick)
The Knick was a bit of a minefield for rough medical procedures, but the c-section was one of the most cringeworthy. We got an up close and personal look at a very gruesome, very bloody c-section. After a ton of close-ups of the incision, and shots of hands deep inside a woman’s womb--seriously, is there anything more messed up than watching an adult’s hands move around under someone’s skin?--and of course tons and TONS of blood, the surgery proved unsuccessful. So fans went through watching that entire awful surgery for no good result.
7. Rick “Claims” Joe (The Walking Dead)
After Rick, Carl, and Michonne were taken by the Claimers, things started to get really awful really quickly. The Claimers, led by the sadistic and dishonesty-hating Joe, clearly have the upper hand, and Rick, Carl, and Michonne seem to be moments away from their deaths. Just as one of Joe’s Claimers was about to rape Carl prior to killing him, Rick snapped. And by snapped, I mean he completely went bananas. Rick bit out Joe’s throat and brutally killed him. Watching humans get eaten is pretty par for the course for The Walking Dead, but watching a member of the living kill another member of the living by offering a deathly bite was equal parts badass and disgusting.
6. Lorne Malvo Setting His Leg (Fargo)
After Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thorton) set out to chase and hunt down Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), things went a bit awry. Lester set a literal trap for Lorne--a bear trap, to be precise. After the trap snapped around Lorne’s leg, his leg broke in one of those awful, bone-popping-out ways. Well, of course Lorne couldn’t continue his trek with a broken leg, so he performed some DIY surgery to set his own leg. There are few things that are as horrible as that dull, bone snapping sound effect we got during the first season of Fargo.
5. Mason Verger And His...Snack (Hannibal)
Hannibal has been no stranger to gross-out moments, but this 2014 moment added a touch of twisted to the gore. Not only was Mason dismembered, but in a drug-induced stupor, Hannibal was able to persuade Mason to cut off his own nose. Beyond that, Hannibal also told Mason to eat his freshly chopped off nose. It’s really strange to say this, but a simple nose chopping is pretty tame for the world of Hannibal. However, Mason doing the deed himself and then eating bits of his own body thanks to Hannibal’s power of suggestion more than earns this TV moment a spot on our list.
4. Twisty’s Face (American Horror Story: Freakshow)
I think we can all agree that clowns are hella creepy, especially when those clowns are murderous and terrifying like AHS: Freakshow’s Twisty. Everyone knew there was something gnarly under Twisty’s mask, and we all knew we would most likely have to see it at some point. However, no one imagined the true nastiness we would find under Twisty’s creepy, overly large grinning mask. Twisty was missing basically the entire lower portion of his face thanks to an unsuccessful suicide attempt, leaving a mangled, bloody mess. If that wasn’t bad enough, Twisty attempted to explain his life story to the ghost of Edward Mordrake. Watching the ruined mess of what was once a tongue and the lower portion of his jaw move about in an attempt to speak was utterly horrific.
3. Paul George Breaks His Leg on the Team USA Intersquad Showcase Game
There is literally nothing in the world that is more gruesome than a sports injury. Sure, it’s awful watching a guy eat bits of his own face, but regardless of how awfully gross an episode of scripted television is, the episode ends and everyone knows that the actor playing the part is actually just fine. That’s not the case with horrific sports injuries. Instead, we are watching a real, actual person getting injured, which makes the moment all the more challenging consume. In 2014, Paul George’s leg buckled and broke, basically turning into rubber onscreen. Don’t worry about Paul George, though. He has healed and is doing better than ever. So happily, this gross out moment has a happy ending.
2. The Mural (Hannibal)
Whenever someone mentions “the mural” from Hannibal, almost every Hannibal fan talks about how gross and disturbing this scene was. Compared to, I don’t know, chopping off and eating your own nose, this could seem rather tame. However, watching Roland Umber (played by Ryan Field) wake up, sewn into a human mural and then ripping himself from the mural made the moment gross and disturbing. Ryan Field was able to brilliantly portray Umber’s terror of waking up trapped in such a horrific way, and the gruesome act of pulling himself from the mural. This moment was not only gross, but it also tapped into that primal human fear of waking up trapped.
1. Oberyn’s Head(Game of Thrones)
After volunteering to be Tyrion’s champion in a trial by combat on Game Of Thrones, Oberyn went (pardon the pun) head-to-head with the Mountain. At first, the fight was amazing. Oberyn seemed to be winning, avenging the deaths of his loved ones that the Mountain killed, and doing it with that classic Oberyn Martell flair. Then he got cocky. Instead of delivering the death blow to the Mountain, Oberyn showboated a bit too much, giving the Mountain a chance to knock Oberyn down. From there, things got even more horrific. The Mountain didn't just kill Oberyn; instead he plunged his fingers into Oberyn’s eyes and killed Oberyn by literally popping his head. That moment will go down as one of the grossest in television history, not just 2014.
