just went a bit too far." Rachel and Joey's romantic storyline was conceived because the writers wanted to delay Ross and Rachel's reunion further. Crane felt that pairing Rachel and Joey during season ten "was for the greater good" because "it was inappropriate". However, the cast initially protested the idea, fearing that Rachel, Joey, and Ross would ultimately become unlikeable characters and audiences would either "resent Joey for going after a pregnant woman, or resent Rachel for rejecting him, or resent Ross for standing between the two of them". Meanwhile, the writers also approached the concept of Rachel's pregnancy and baby tentatively, worrying about how they would include it in the show because they did not want Friends "to become a show about a baby" while "On the other hand, we don't want to pretend that there isn't one." According to Robert Bianco of USA Today, the critical success and popularity of Rachel's pregnancy is ultimately responsible for "propel[ling] the show to the top of the ratings". When it finally came time to write the series finale, "The only thing [Crane and Kauffman] absolutely knew from very early on was that we had to get Ross and Rachel together," deciding, "We had dicked the audience around for 10 years with their 'will they or won’t they,' and we didn’t see any advantage in frustrating them" any longer. However, at one point the writers had deliberated ending the series with Ross and Rachel in "a gray area of where they aren’t together, but we hint there’s a sense that they might be down the road". Ultimately, Crane and Kauffman relented in favor of giving the audience what they wanted. Casting The final character to be cast, Rachel is portrayed by actress Jennifer Aniston, who auditioned for the role shortly after declining a position as a cast member on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Her decision was initially ridiculed by both her friends as well as actor Adam Sandler, a Saturday Night Live alum. Actress Téa Leoni, who at the time was being referred to by the media as "the next Lucille Ball", was offered the role of Rachel as the studio's first choice, but she declined in favor of starring in the sitcom The Naked Truth. Actress Elizabeth Berkley also auditioned for the role. Other actresses who auditioned for Rachel include Denise Richards, Melissa Rivers, Nicollette Sheridan, Parker Posey,