Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), younger brother to Dean (Jensen Ackles) on Supernatural, has had his ups and downs. More so than anyone else given his occupation. He's done plenty of good, saving people from certain death, and the entire world itself several times. Given those accolades, it's easy to overlook his faults.
Like everyone else, though, Sam isn't perfect, and he's had some particularly bad marks on his record, some even worse than Dean's. Yet, he always does try, and some of his worst acts have been born because of good intentions gone awry. That said, here are 10 of the most shameless things that Sam has ever done.
Left His Family For Stanford
Sam was doing this for his own good, but this act caused a significant rift in the Winchester family. Even now, it's still a touchy subject and sore spot for Dean, who clearly felt abandoned by Sam when he left and never quite got over it.
That fact is made especially clear when Dean and Sam are killed by hunters in one Season 5 episode, and while in Heaven encounter their happy memories, one of which is Sam's memory of the night he left for Stanford. It might have been freeing for Sam, but he didn't seem to have many regrets over the way he left things with his father and brother, at least for some time.
Fought John At Every Turn
Sam resented the hunting life and usually took it out on his father. The two butted heads since day one, forcing Dean to play peacemaker as a result. Sam never seems to care that by always fighting with his father, he was making life harder for the three of them. When they were all each other had, strained relationships are a hefty burden to add to their already stressful lives.
Just before John died in Season 2, Sam was fighting with him, and for years had to carry that guilt until Sam got a real goodbye when John suddenly came back for an episode in Season 14. In that time, Sam forgave his father and realized that he did the best he could given their circumstances, so at least Sam made his peace in the end.
Fell For Ruby
Ruby was Sam's femme fatale in many ways. Her worst acts were getting him to use his powers, consume demon blood, and trick him into breaking all the seals, thereby starting the Apocalypse.
She's later killed by Sam and Dean for her efforts, but there was a time when Sam was welcoming her with open arms into his heart and to his bed. Sam's known for his terrible luck with the ladies, but Ruby tops them all.
Clown Prejudice
Sam has gone up against vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, the Devil and even God. He's encountered all kinds of scary things, and still, clowns are what scares him. It figures that Sam would be afraid of something considered normal, whereas everything else he deals with is far from it.
Hey, some of the clowns Sam's faced have been terrifying killers, but for the most part, clowns are usually harmless. Sam claims to have gotten better with his phobia, but his encounters with clowns say otherwise.
Made Dean Promise To Kill Him If He Ever Turned Bad
In Season 2, Sam is struggling with his father's last words to Dean concerning his fate. Sam's afraid he'll go "dark side", and when he fails to save someone while at a hotel, he gets drunk and frantically pressures Dean into promising him that, if something happens and he's no longer himself, Dean will fulfill his promise to John and kill Sam.
Dean promises but doesn't really mean it. Still, that was a tough spot to put his brother in, when Dean was already struggling with John's words in the first place. Sam was thinking about himself, without taking into how Dean would feel.
Killed His Grandfather
Samuel wasn't exactly Grandfather of the Year, but he deserved a little more respect than what he got. Sam shoots his grandfather dead to ensure the death of the worm that had taken over him. If Dean had been the one being controlled by the worm, Sam would've found another way to save his brother.
Granted, Samuel had betrayed them and everything, but Sam and Dean were always taught that family was the most important thing, so why not try to spare their grandfather's life? Sam doesn't seem to regret this massive error on his part.
Everything He Did When He Was Without A Soul
Okay, Sam had no soul, but that doesn't erase all the terrible things he did while he was without one. Soulless Sam was a different Sam altogether, doing all kinds of bad things for either his own gain or the need for the hunt.
He let bad things happen to some officers, one of whom suffered the fate of becoming an Arachne and was later killed. Not to mention the time Sam allowed Dean to become a vampire so they could find the nest. All of these things are brutal and should be unforgivable. Yet, the fact that he had no soul seems to be his excuse and so, he's forgiven by extension.
Shot His Niece
Before Dean truly gets the chance to determine whether or not Emma will really kill him, or if he can get her to change her mind, Sam shoots his own niece. He later defends his actions by stating that Emma wasn't really Dean's, to which Dean says that she really was.
Monster or not, Emma was still family, and Sam shot her without a second thought. If Dean had any more kids, should Sam be trusted to babysit? Considering this shameless act, probably not.
Drank Demon Blood
This is definitely Sam on one of his worst days. Ruby got him addicted, but Sam allowed it. He thought it was meant to increase his power, thereby granting him a better chance to defeat Lilith, but he enjoyed the effects. To this day, Sam still can't go near demon blood without having some kind of difficulty.
It's sad, really, that Sam had to go through the effects of it, and even worse that he had to come off the demon blood high in Bobby's panic room.
Started The Apocalypse
This one is definitely the worst because it led to all sorts of bad things for not only Sam but the world. Releasing Lucifer and starting the Apocalypse is pretty awful, even if it was a mistake. This led to Sam's long, drawn-out battle with Lucifer.
From allowing Lucifer to possess him to going to the cage and then facing Lucifer, again and again, it's fair to say that Sam has more than paid his dues for this massive mistake. Still, it doesn't erase the damage caused, and Sam has long since added his guilt over starting the Apocalypse to the already heavy weight on his shoulders.