History PlayingWith / TheBeard

'''Basic Trope''': A character, usually a single character, fakes having a spouse or significant other, usually to avoid embarrassment.
* '''Straight''':
** Alice, who was formerly the most popular girl at [[HighSchool Troperville High School]], doesn't want to admit that she's still single. Because of this, she takes her cousin Bob with her to her class reunion, telling everyone he's her husband.
** Alice is an illegal immigrant, and fakes being married to Bob [[CitizenshipMarriage in order to become a citizen]].
** Alice is a lesbian. She leaves her partner Claire at home and instead takes Bob to the reunion, in order to appear straight.

** Alice doesn't want the other women losing respect for her because she's single.
** Alice doesn't want the men that she didn't like then (and doesn't like now) hitting on her.
** Alice is in a relationship, but is ashamed of her significant other.
** Alice wants to get overbearing [[IWantGrandkids parents]] or other family members off her back about her love life.
** Alice is a lesbian, but still in the closet because of what others might think.
** Alice is a lesbian, and through a series of unfortunate events has ended up in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death.

** Alice is in a relationship, but goes to the reunion alone and tells everyone that she's still single.

* '''Zig Zagged''': Alice goes alone to the reunion and tells everyone about her husband who is home with the flu. Everyone thinks she's making him up, but he turns out to be real.

* '''Exploited''': Alice and Bob are in a criminal conspiracy, and their jurisdictions don't allow spouses to testify against one another. A sham marriage will allow them some immunity from the law.
* '''Defied''':
** Alice confesses the truth that Bob is really her cousin. She expects people to lose respect for her, either because she's single or because she lied, but no one does. Her friend Frank, who is also single, tells her that, while she didn't have a reason to be ashamed, her initial lie was understandable.
** Alice goes to the reunion alone, and is honest about her single status from the start.
** Alice is truly in a relationship, and goes to the reunion with her real partner.
** Alice doesn't go to the reunion.
* '''Discussed''': "I'm thinking about faking being married, so I won't be ashamed at the class reunion. How exactly do you explain to someone that you need them to fake being your husband?"

* '''Implied''': Alice tells everyone at the reunion that she and Bob are married, though it is stated in a later episode that Alice has never been married and lives with only her sister Emily.

* '''Played For Laughs''':
** Alice is married, but ashamed of her husband, and takes her attractive and wealthy cousin along to the reunion in an attempt to impress her former classmates. Her real husband shows up, but because of Alice's status, no one believes he's really her husband.
** The man that Alice chose to pose as her husband happens to be the boyfriend of someone there, which (understandably) pisses that person off. [[ComicalOverreacting She and Alice have a fist fight]].
* '''Played For Drama''':
** Alice's secret comes out in a most humiliating way, causing everyone to lose more respect for her than they would have lost if she'd just been honest from the start. She loses touch with them as a result.
** One of Alice's former classmates [[DisproportionateRetribution murders her]] for lying.

** Alice, who was formerly the most popular girl at [[HighSchool Troperville High School]], doesn't want to admit that she's [[ChristmasCake still single]]. Because of this, she takes her cousin Bob with her to her class reunion, telling everyone he's her husband.

** Bob is either questioning his sexuality or is secretly gay but decides to rush into a relationship with Alice, who's had feelings for him for a long time because he doesn't want to come out or explore these feelings. During their relationship, Bob still shows interest in other men and while he insists that he loves Alice, she eventually catches on to his wandering eyes and sees that Bob isn't as committed to the relationship as she is. Desiring an authentic relationship, she gently breaks up with him and tells him he should be true to himself.

* '''Deconstructed''': Someone is bound to be hurt or embarrassed (or both) by all this deception.