Each of the cast members of The Big Bang Theory certainly had their moments to shine throughout the show’s run. With each of the main cast member’s careers covering different areas of science, it was hard to compare intelligence between them. There were, however, some very key moments showing Bernadette outsmarting the other members of the gang, even Sheldon who was made out to be the most intelligent on the show.
On many occasions, Bernadette showed that she knew Howard better than anyone, knew how to get through to Sheldon when no one else could and even came up with ideas to move Amy and Sheldon’s relationship forward. Bernadette showed empathy, demonstrated her scientific knowledge and used her familiarity with the rest of the gang for both good and evil. It has certainly been proved that she was the smartest gang member in many ways.
When She Made Sheldon Sleep
“What happens to our neuroreceptors when we don’t get enough REM sleep?”
In season 3 episode 14, ‘The Einstein Approximation,’ Sheldon attempt to solve a problem about electron behavior, to the point where he was severely sleep-deprived. When Bernadette entered Sheldon’s apartment, she found him in a very unhealthy state and said “What happens to our neuroreceptors when we don’t get enough REM sleep?”
Being a microbiologist, this quote demonstrated Bernadette’s intelligence as she knew that using science and logic were the only ways to get through to Sheldon and make him go to bed, a task that none of the other gang members had managed to do at this point.
Raj’s Scavenger Hunt
“Come on numbnuts, it’s the comic book store!”
In season 7 episode 3 ‘The Scavenger Vortex’, Raj created a treasure hunt for the gang and Bernadette was paired with Leonard. After both looking at one of the clues, Bernadette said “Come on numbnuts, it’s the comic book store!”
Not only did it not take long for Bernadette to figure out the clue but she also managed to do so quicker than Leonard. The Comic Book Store was also somewhere where Leonard frequently visited, so fans would have expected Leonard to get the clue before Bernadette (who had been there far fewer times).
When She Got Amy’s Car Towed
“‘Cause I’m the one who got it towed.”
In season 6 episode 9, ‘The Parking Spot Escalation,’ Sheldon announced that the parking spot where Howard parked his new car was his, despite Sheldon not having a car nor being able to drive. Amy appeared later and was furious that her car was towed and automatically blamed Howard until Burnadette said it didn’t make sense “Cause I’m the one who got it towed.”
This was a stroke of evil genius by Bernadette who knew that Amy would suspect Howard as the culprit who had her car towed. If she didn’t say anything, Amy would have not suspected Bernadette as the true perpetrator.
When She Faked Her Laugh
“I don’t think you would”
In season 7 episode 12, ‘The Hesitation Ramification,’ Bernadette said that sometimes the easiest thing to do in a relationship is to fake a laugh. Howard stated that he’d be able to tell to which Bernadette replied “Nah I don’t think you would.”
Bernadette followed this with a long and exaggerated example of a fake laugh to which Howard realised that Bernadette had been fake laughing to a number of his jokes throughout their relationship. Fans first met Bernadette in season 3 of The Big Bang Theory meaning that Bernadette managed to fool Howard for numerous years.
When She Figured Out Howard’s Estrogen Imbalance
“Howard, the Estrogen is getting absorbed by your skin!”
In season 7 episode 2, ‘The Deception Verification’, Howard was acting very different than usual after applying cream to his mother and it took Bernadette to figure out the reason behind it. She stated, “Howard, the Estrogen is getting absorbed by your skin!”
While it was initially hard to pinpoint the reason why Howard was acting different, as soon as Bernadette got her hands on the cream, she instantly knew the reason. Given Bernadette’s background in microbiology, she had a solid understanding of the body and how it was affected by different chemicals. Even Howard, a fellow scientist, did not consider that the cream could be causing the issue.
When Howard Tried To Fake A Heart Attack
“That’s the wrong arm for a heart attack doofus!”
In season 7 episode 5, ‘The Workplace Proximity’, Howard was hesitant about moving in with Bernadette, faked having symptoms of a heart attack and grabbed his right arm. However, Bernadette instantly replied, “That’s the wrong arm for a heart attack doofus!”
Despite Howard’s attempt to get out of the argument he was in, Bernadette instantly knew that he was faking thanks to her general and scientific knowledge. In the background of the shot, Sheldon also looked slightly alerted meaning that there was a slight chance that he was fooled by Howard, whereas Bernadette saw right through it.
When She Knew Who Tidied Up
“Because, once, when all the knives were dirty, you cut a bagel with your keys.”
In season 7 episode 10, ‘The Discovery Dissipation’, Raj stayed with Howard and Bernadette while his apartment was getting renovated when Bernadette noticed that Raj did the dishes. Howard asked why she didn’t know it was him, to which Bernadette replied “Because, once, when all the knives were dirty, you cut a bagel with your keys.”
This shows that Bernadette noticed the small details about Howard and his behavior over the years at a level that he didn’t anticipate. Howard certainly wasn’t expecting that response from Bernadette.
When She Knew How To Make Amy Forfeit The Match
“If this doesn’t get him into your bedroom, nothing will”
In season 8 episode 19, ‘The Skywalker Incursion’, Bernadette tried to coerce Amy to lose a Ping-Pong match against Raj and used a fake T.A.R.D.I.S to bribe Amy. Regarding Sheldon, Bernadette stated “If this doesn’t get him into your bedroom, nothing will” before she revealed that she changed Amy’s bedroom door to be the door to the T.A.R.D.I.S.
Not only did Bernadette know how to get Amy to forfeit the match against Raj but she also managed to think of a way to get Sheldon into Amy’s bedroom in a way that Amy never even considered. Amy supposedly knew Sheldon better than everyone else but it was Bernadette who realized that the TARDIS doors would appeal to the Doctor Who fan in Sheldon.
When She Discovered And Cured A Condition
“Last month, my company both invented and cured restless eye syndrome.”
In season 7 episode 18, ‘The Mommy Observation,” Leonard stated that people don’t go into science for the money. It didn’t take long for Bernadette to respond by saying “Last month, my company both invented and cured restless eye syndrome.”
While it was clear that Leonard did not care about the money, Bernadette seemed to be one step ahead by both enjoying her scientific field and also finding a way to make extra money from it. Although this is one business move that wouldn’t have gotten Bernadette fired, as her whole company was involved, this was a very unethical route. However, the point stands that Leonard could have also figured out a way to enjoy his job and make large sums of money with it, but hadn’t done so to the extent that Bernadette had.
