Eric Bittle

Eric "Bitty" Bittle
age	18-22 (Check, Please!) 28 (As of 2023)
nickname	Bitty, Bits, Dicky, Junior
gender	Male
height	5'6.5
weight	125 lbs
sexuality	Gay
affiliation	Samwell Men's Hockey Team
relations	Richard "Coach" Bittle (Father) Suzanne Bittle (Mother) Moomaw (Grandmother) Judy (Maternal Aunt)
friends	Jack Zimmermann (Boyfriend/Fiancé) Lardo (Best Friend) Shitty Knight (Best Friend) Ransom (Best Friend) Holster (Best Friend) Chowder (Best Friend) Nursey (Best Friend) Dex (Best Friend) Whiskey (Former Acquaintance; Friend) Tango (Friend) Foxtrot (Friend) Hops (Friend) Kent Parson (Former Enemy; Acquaintance)

Eric Richard "Bitty" Bittle is the main protagonist of Check, Please!. At the beginning of the story, he is a native of Madison, Georgia, attending Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts, as a freshman. He plays forward for the Samwell Men's Hockey Team. He wears jersey #15. At the end of his junior year, Bitty was made team captain in a unanimous vote. Bitty is officially the first openly gay Division I men's hockey captain in NCAA history and leads the team to victory in the Frozen Four. After graduation, Bitty signs a deal to write his own cookbook and dedicates himself to his vlog full time.

Early Life

Eric Richard Bittle was born on May 5, 1995. He started figure skating at 7. He was picked on in school (in the 7th grade, the football team locked him overnight in a utility closet), but things got better when his dad moved them to Madison, GA to become the high school football coach. Under his Soviet skating coach, Katya, Bitty figure skated as late as 2010, when he competed in the Southern Junior Regionals. He misses figure skating and sometimes pulls out a spin or two during hockey practice.

Bitty bakes compulsively and baked goods have a tendency to appear when he is near a kitchen. His vlog, with about 400 followers at the beginning of the story, is the framing device for the comic. He has said that he misses his kitchen back home and baking helps. His mother sent a care package his freshman year containing his measuring cups, souffle pan, sifter, bowls, and rolling pin. He discusses baking with his mom, and often replicates his grandmother's recipes, referring to her as MooMaw. He also replicates his Aunt Judy's jam recipe which causes problems with his mother when he gives the jam to the Providence Falconers.

Bitty is gay, but doesn't say that to anyone (or even to himself) before he comes out to Shitty in the winter of his freshman year. He later comes out to Ransom and Holster and is openly out amongst the team following this.

Hockey

After moving to Madison, Bitty joined the Coed Club Hockey Team, and was its captain in his junior and senior years of high school. He came to Samwell on a hockey scholarship, despite a paralyzing fear of being checked. He began playing on the third line with Shitty and Wicks and got an assist in his first game in the last minute of the second period, vs Dartmouth.. This achievement gave him the honor of the first kegster of the year. Bitty scored the winning goal (1-0) over Yale in the third game of the season (during Parents' Weekend). Thereafter, he was moved to the first line with Jack Zimmermann, starting in the game against Quinnipiac in the spring term. He was still on the line with Jack when he was checked in the playoff game against Princeton to get into the Frozen Four. This hip-check resulted in a mild concussion that left Bitty unable to practice over the summer.

At the end of his freshman year, Bitty was the recipient of the John Carlisle Award, presented to the player whose enthusiasm and devotion best exemplifies the team's spirit.

When he returned to the team his sophomore year, Bitty continued to struggle with his fear of being checked, which made the Coaches inform him that he might be removed from the roster. He was able to stay on the team, and received extra help with his checking from Jack. When the team made the playoffs that year, Bitty was worried and nervous about playing well.

Bitty's pregame ritual involves the Bittle Pre-game Playlist and lots of locker room dancing. He is not a fan of "shoe checking" - the prank that involves pouring ketchup, etc. onto a teammate's shoe. Lardo pulls this prank on him during dinner at an away game his sophomore year.

Bitty was congratulated by a “massive” football player on the hockey team’s success during sophomore year playoffs, something his 7th grade self never would have expected.

He fits into a hockey bag and hid in one to surprise Jack, after being encouraged by Ransom and Holster. Hiding in a hockey bag then becomes something of a pre-game ritual.

After the team lost in the 2015 Frozen Four, ending their season, Bitty goes looking for Jack and finds him crying at the loading dock of the arena.

By his junior year, Bitty's fear of checking dissipated to the point that he was not only able to take a check, but return one to the player who checked him. Bitty attributed this to Jack's coaching, saying that Jack had been hard on him but knew what was good for him. Later that year, Bitty took a check that brought him to his knees, but was able to get up and resume playing.

Bitty yells at Nursey for spitting on the locker room floor.

In his junior year, Bitty starts struggling with his hockey due to the stress of hiding his relationship with Jack and the exhaustion he experiences as a result. Following the revelation of their relationship, Bitty is able to play hockey he is proud of again as he's finally able to give 100% due to being able to be himself 100%. However, Samwell is far from first in the standings. Bitty later scores in a game following good luck texts from both of his parents and a conversation with Jack about officially meeting his teammates in which Bitty sobbed.

At the end of his junior year, for the first time in four years, Samwell fails to make it past the first round of the playoffs. Afterwards, Bitty consoles Tango and tells Whiskey that the only frog to have had as many points as him was Jack.

At the end of the year banquet in Bitty's junior year, he was voted team captain for his senior year on a unanimous vote. Before Bitty, only Jack had ever made team captain on a unanimous vote in Samwell Men's Hockey history.

In the beginning of his senior year as an openly gay NCAA captain, Bitty recognized his ability to inspire others by being out and leading his team. As part of this, Bitty decided to join meetings with the other Samwell varsity captains. Bitty was welcomed warmly by the other captains including Chad L from the LAX team though Chad's comment to Bitty just left him confused. Bitty got along well with the other captains, learning that many were also part of Samwell LGBT athletics.

Due to Whiskey's tendency to avoid Bitty, Bitty comes to the conclusion that Whiskey hates him and speaks with Jack about it after practice due to how much it bothers him. Later, Bitty learns from Shruti that the Waffles are at a party at the LAX house, enraging Bitty who pulls them out. To Bitty's shock, he finds Whiskey making out with a LAX bro. A panicked Whiskey shrugs off Bitty's attempts at talking to him and takes off, leaving Bitty and the Waffles concerned about him. Whiskey subsequently avoids Bitty's attempts to talk to him about it, much to Bitty's frustration. However, Bitty keeps Whiskey's secret from the rest of the team.

For Family Weekend Bitty's senior year, Coach decides to come up and watch Bitty play instead of Suzanne, leaving Bitty obviously nervous despite his protests otherwise. By this point, Bitty hasn't seen his father since March, before he came out and expects to see him before the game and to have a tense dinner afterwards. To his surprise, Bitty finds Coach waiting for him at the Haus when he returns with Ford and Hops. Bitty is disgruntled by Coach's attitude and his referring to Jack as Bitty's friend. During the game that night against Dartmouth, Bitty takes a hard check that brings him to his knees and leaves Whiskey and Dex checking to see if he's okay and can get up. At this time, he appears to be on a line with Whiskey and Ollie. It proves to be a tough game, but Samwell fights, especially the last two plays, but the team loses the game. Coach Murray tells Coach Bittle after the game that Bitty makes decisions like a coach's kid and it's one of the reasons that the coaches had Bitty on Jack's line freshman year. Before departing the next day, Coach tells Bitty that he's a good captain who has the team behind him.

By Christmas break, the team is doing so well in the standings that Chowder states they are heading right to the playoffs on Bitty's vlog.

Due to Bitty's status as the first out captain, Samwell gets a lot of media coverage as well as scouts going into the playoffs. Bitty records a vlog about the championships in which he recognizes that each step along the way to winning could be his last as captain of the team, but he recognizes that if Samwell wins, its almost like the culture that has allowed Bitty to be himself wins as well and they can show everybody that. Samwell ultimately heads to Regionals and throws a kegster to celebrate. Bitty is made to do a keg stand, causing him to complain that he's getting too old for this. Later, as everyone cleans up, Whiskey approaches Bitty before he leaves and thanks Bitty for keeping his secret, particularly with the media coverage and the scouts at the games. Though surprised by Whiskey's actions, Bitty returns his teammate's "good game" and is left pleased by the interaction.

While taking out the trash out after talking to Whiskey, Bitty finds Kent hiding outside. Kent apologizes for showing up unexpectedly, but it was the only way he could contact Bitty without it being weird, though he admits that the way he did it was weird too. Kent sincerely wishes Bitty and Jack luck with everything, including their relationship and the Samwell team in the playoffs. As Kent prepares to leave, Bitty invites him in for pie. Despite Bitty having made the pie during a round of beer pong and calling it not his best, Kent greatly enjoys it. Kent knows that showing up like that wasn't fair, but he has been figuring things out and really did want to wish Bitty good luck.

Bitty angrily confronts Kent about the things he overheard Kent say to Jack at the Epikegster and Kent admits that he is sorry about that and recognizes that while Jack shut him out which sucked, Jack was also taking care of himself. Kent tells Bitty that the things he was doing as a rookie in the league weren't good for Jack and Jack doesn't owe him an apology for that. Kent is proud of who Jack is now and knows that what they had was in the past and talking about it with him would only be for Kent's benefit, not Jack's. Kent implies that while Jack ultimately grew up, he never did. Kent tells Bitty that he meant what he said about being happy for Jack and Bitty and the more things work out for them being open with their relationship, the more things could work out for other people like them. Bitty is stunned by Kent's compliment while Kent suggests that Bitty open his own bakery based off of the pie Bitty fed him. Preparing to leave, Kent is annoyed to find Scraps, who had accompanied him, in the living room helping Tango clean up. Scraps explains that Kent was taking awhile so he came into help and he and Tango discovered that they are apparently second cousins. Denice Ford, not recognizing Kent, asks if they are also NHL players and comments that she meets way too many for someone who only got into hockey a year before. As Kent leaves, he wishes Bitty luck again with Bitty returning the favor, no longer hating Kent. During the playoffs, Bitty comforts a distraught Chowder after a bad first period and becomes repeatedly targeted by a homophobic player who taunts and checks Bitty repeatedly until Dex intervenes and angrily checks the other player for targeting his friend. Ultimately, Samwell makes it through the playoffs to the Frozen Four under Bitty's leadership. An upset Bitty later talks to Jack about how evil people are to him, but also his determination to win, not only because he doesn't want to let the team down, but also everyone who is watching.

After winning the playoffs, Bitty does an interview with the Daily, his second since the Stanley Cup kiss. When asked about how the team's appearance in the Frozen Four feels different from the last time, Bitty tells the reporter that he's aware the stakes are higher this time and that can be attributed to his role as the first openly queer captain of an NCAA Division I men's hockey team and what a win by the team could mean to queer people everywhere. Aside from his personal investment, Bitty states that he feels the team is putting in the same hard work they put in every year.

When asked what he has learned about being a role model since the first interview, Bitty states that the number 1 lesson he has learned is that Bitty is a teammate/linemate first and a captain second. It's his job to lead and motivate the team and be a role model in some respects, but at the end of the day, each of them take turns pushing and supporting each other which is the same for every game, even a playoff match. Bitty admits that as an openly gay athlete, he thinks sometimes all you need to do to be a role model is to exist and to show it can work, that it isn't about being perfect, but giving an example of one way to live life successfully. When asked about being worried about two teams off the record, he admits that he is, particularly as the Falconers are having a rocky season, so Bitty has baked both teams "a truckload" of cheddar and blueberry scones in Falconers' colors at their request.

When asked about feeling a change playing against other teams when he stepped out onto the ice, Bitty states that in some ways yes and no he did because more often than not their opponents didn't seem to care about him as more than another Samwell player during plays, but while he does get negative comments and those who target him, his teammates have his back. When asked about what makes Samwell Men's Hockey a safe place for queer athletes and for Bitty in particular and how other teams can follow suit, Bitty explains that the culture was set up before he got to Samwell and the type of homophobic and misogynistic talk seen in other locker rooms really gets shut down at Samwell, even when he was a freshman. Bitty thinks some of the guys really took that stance and everyone else just followed suit. Bitty suggests that other teams just have to make that the norm and while it can be scary and get you made fun of, no one can complain if everyone has zero tolerance for those kinds of comments. When asked if he has any advice for other queer athletes who might read his interview, Bitty's advice is that "it's tough, but you're tougher," which the reporter calls a great quote.

During the Frozen Four, which was attended by both of Bitty's parents along with his friends and Jack, Bitty was deliberately targeted by the opposing team with one player in particular named Cole checking Bitty multiple times. However, Bitty managed to skate through two checks from Cole without collapsing as he would've done in the past. After Whiskey steals the puck after losing a faceoff, he passes to Bitty, a plan communicated between them with a nod while Bitty moves to pass to Bully. However, Bitty suffered a massive check from Cole against the boards that separated Bitty from the puck, a check that he was slower recovering from which left his friends and family alarmed. After a flashback to his disastrous attempt at Peewee football, Bitty recovers from the check and speeds up the ice at incredible speed, knocking the puck away from Cole and checking him so hard that both Bitty and Cole are sent crashing over the boards into the stunned Samwell bench and causing Bitty to lose one of his front teeth. Bitty was escorted back to the locker room where Suzanne and Jack are left shocked by his missing tooth but Bitty is left only caring if they scored after hearing the final buzzer and races off to the ice despite Jack's attempts to get him to at least slow down. Bitty suffers a mild concussion along with his lost tooth and as a result, is almost prevented from celebrating the team's NCAA championship win. Bitty later gets his tooth replaced by a dentist who is used to dealing with injured Samwell players, leading to a chirp from Jack about how Bitty is now more of a real hockey player than Jack as Bitty has a fake tooth.

Life at Samwell

While his friends on the hockey team know he has a vlog, Bitty maintains that they don't watch it. He says it's an "open secret" and that he talks a lot about baking. However, during his senior year, Waffle Jonathon "Hops" Hopper's mother watches all of Bitty's vlog in preparation for Family Weekend and appears to be a major fan of it.

Bitty did not choose a major until his sophomore year, as Pastry Studies was not an option. By winter break of sophomore year, he decided on American Studies (with a concentration in Food Culture) so that he could take as many food classes as possible. Alice Atley is his adviser.

His Freshman dorm roommates were all computer science majors who rarely left the labs. His Freshman dorm was far from the Haus, so after a few kegsters, Ransom and/or Holster demanded to walk him home.

Sophomore year he moves into the Haus after Johnson gives him unsolicited dibs, and he lives in the room across the hall from Jack. He also bribes his way into the 300-level WGSS120/HIST376: Women, Food, & American Culture and is the only sophomore in the class. The class is taught by Professor Atley, and the final project is to create a dish from a historically accurate recipe. Jack is one of his classmates for that seminar, and Bitty assists him with the final project. They both get A's in the class. In the process, Bitty realizes he's developed feelings for Jack.

Bitty also takes a Calculus class the first semester of his sophomore year.

Second semester, he takes a lecture on the Psychology, Biology and Politics of food with "half the team" including at least Shitty, Holster, Nursey, Lardo, Jack, Ollie O'Meara and Pacer Wicks and maybe Chowder. The team members enrolled in the class have a group text. The team members that usually attend the class are Bitty, Holster, Nursey, Lardo, Shitty, and Jack. After playoffs, Jack and Bitty are the only two who show up to class and the professor asks where the rest of the team is.

Bitty tends to be a procrastinator about his homework. He and Ransom are fond of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Ransom tries to set Bitty up with other athletes and in fact helps Bitty with his Winter Screw dates freshman and sophomore years. As a sophomore, Bitty attends the dance with an English Rugby player with whom he then hangs out again a couple of times for coffee and studying. Bitty later tells Jack that the rugby player tried to kiss him at Annie's but Bitty ultimately chickened out.

Bitty tends to be protective of the freshman members of the team, worrying about them, looking after them and cooking for them.

When he makes dinner at the Haus, Bitty sends out an announcement on the men's hockey e-mail distribution list.

Sophomore year, he misses the campus-wide bake-off contest due to a game against Princeton.

During the winter of his sophomore year, when Samwell was hit with a huge snowstorm, Mama Bittle called him nine times in one day. Bitty has great aim with a snowball.

Sometimes he and Lardo bake together when they hang out. Sometimes they go for froyo. He attends her junior art show with other members of the team including Jack, Ransom, Holster, Shitty, Dex, Chowder, and Nursey. Due to the dress code, Bitty brought a blazer for Chowder to wear. Bitty's review of the show is: “It was all very…ornate! Very original. These artist, you know–I’ve never really been much of an intellectual, to be honest, so I couldn’t begin to explain much of the ‘intent’, per se, but I loved how interactive parts of the show were! So creative. The art majors here are really…something!” - E.B.

Lardo helped him pick out short shorts to wear for Spring C. The morning of Spring C, Bitty made a large breakfast, then proceeded to get drunk enough to lose a shoe and expressed regret at his behavior the next morning.

Bitty was invited to dinner at the President's house along with the hockey team in his sophomore year. He chose to wear a bow tie, which he was teased about, but eventually Ransom and Holster helped him with the process.

As Bitty's birthday approached in 2015, he began to suspect his friends were planning a surprise party for him. They conspired to keep him busy all day, with Lardo taking him to breakfast, Holster and Ransom taking him to lunch, and then Nursey, Chowder and Farmer keeping him busy in the afternoon. Jack pretended he'd forgotten it was Bitty's birthday. Bitty suspected the team were getting rid of the green sofa. Nursey then took over Bitty's twitter and admitted to months of planning for the surprise. When they finally went back to the Haus and went inside, the team had gotten Bitty a new oven, and Bitty cried.

Bitty unknowingly becomes the subject of most of Jack’s senior photography project. On the roof of Faber at the end of the season Jack loans Bitty his coat and Bitty falls asleep on Jack’s shoulder.

When Jack was deciding which NHL team with which to sign, Bitty helped him decide along with Shitty, Ransom and Holster. They used the chalkboard of a large lecture hall to assist Jack in weighing his options using factors such as salary, ice time, location, fan base, cap space, and team feel.

At graduation, Bitty "babbled like a child" in front of the hockey legends who came to see Jack graduate. Bitty shares a hug with Jack on the quad to say goodbye after graduation, but is unable to articulate his feelings. Bitty then goes back to the Haus to cry while folding Chowder’s laundry and listening to Beyonce's "Halo" song. He's then surprised when Jack returns and, with no preamble, kisses him. They share several kisses before being interrupted by the persistent buzz of Jack’s phone. Jack leaves, but promises to text Bitty.

He planned to spend the first half of summer 2015 in Georgia before returning to Samwell.

In the fall of his junior year, Bitty gives the Haus tour to the incoming freshmen. He keeps a calendar of move-in dates for the Haus residents, identifying them by their jersey numbers. He was unable to locate the key to the basement, hidden by Shitty after the graduation kegster, until Jack remembered it was taped beneath the green sofa.

Bitty and some members of the team attend the Falconers' opening game, which is Jack's first game in the NHL. In return, Jack and Shitty attend Samwell's first game of the season.

Bitty takes a French class in the winter semester of his junior year which Jack offers to help him with on a Skype date. Jack also chirps Bitty about using the time while food Bitty is making is baking to go over Bitty's French flashcards right after they officially start dating. Bitty ultimately passes his French class.

Near the end of his junior year, an argument about dibs between Dex and Nursey interrupts a vlog Bitty makes about jam. After learning that his friends are arguing about Lardo's dibs since Ollie and Wicks got the attic, Bitty proposes a "dib flip" per the Haus bylaws. To the excitement of everyone but Dex, the flip results in Dex and Nursey sharing the room. Bitty comments to Lardo on the long odds of it happening and how it was the best solution, ignoring Dex's utter horror at the results. With the situation resolved, Bitty returns to his vlog as Dex continues to attempt to get out of sharing the room with no luck.

In the spring semester of Bitty's senior year, the team, coaches and Professor Atley stage an intervention to force Bitty to write his thesis. The coaches and Atley agree that if he doesn't at least turn in a draft, Bitty can't play in the playoffs with the pie Bitty baked for Atley not counting. As part of the intervention, Dex cuts all of the wires to the oven so that Bitty can't even make bagel bites if he escapes, the team passes out flyers that Bitty is not allowed in any kitchen on campus which Nursey emails to every Samwell pan-list. Bully, Chowder and Louis team up together to carry Bitty into his room and lock him in until Bitty finishes his thesis, but Bitty proves surprisingly strong and capable of resisting them, kicking Louis in the head in the process and complaining that he has rights and wants to see a lawyer or a chef. Bitty demands to know "how do you people live like this," causing an unsure Dex to guess that he means non-bakers. Bitty texts an amused Jack who asks Bitty to explain his thesis. Annoyed, Bitty begins texting Jack about his thesis on changing methods after World War II. Jack privately tells Tater that he's tricking Bitty into writing his thesis by explaining it via text. This proves to be so successful that Bitty is already at 2,400 words by the time Jack tells Tater. Jack later copy and pastes Bitty's texts into a document which is at 5,000 words and emails it back to him and tells Bitty to clean it up and turn it in. Jack also chirps Bitty about how he'd once told Bitty during his sophomore year that he could complete an essay if Bitty tweeted it. The effort on everyone's part was successful as Bitty was able to lead Samwell through the playoffs to victory in the Frozen Four. After returning to campus, Bitty finished his thesis and his friends threw Bitty a party for succeeding.

Three days before graduation, Bitty invites Whiskey over and offers Whiskey his dibs. Whiskey is surprised that Bitty didn't offer them to Dex or Ford, but Bitty tells him that Dex is happy in his basement bungalow and that Whiskey makes the team and should live in the Haus. Bitty feels that Whiskey would only make the whole team stronger for it. Whiskey brings up the party they never talked about and though Bitty states that they don't have to, Whiskey tells Bitty that he is still dating his girlfriend and Samwell is very different to where Whiskey comes from. Even after two years at Samwell, Whiskey is still getting used to it and is a pretty private person who doesn't need to be flashy or stand out. What he does or who he does it with doesn't need to be anyone else's business and Whiskey is still trying to figure it out. Bitty assures Whiskey that he doesn't have to be like him and the two shake hands, Whiskey accepting Bitty's dibs. Whiskey thanks Bitty for everything, particularly having his back that year and they part on good terms.

At graduation, Bitty wins the Rachel Graham Memorial and Class Day prize for "[his] strength of character and persistence adjudged by the faculty to have provided leadership for his or her fellow students inspiring them to practice the highest ideals for themselves and others." Additionally, Bitty is the Student Speaker for class day and gives a speech to his fellow students, wearing a hockey helmet to do so.

Relationship with Jack Zimmermann

In the summer between his sophomore and junior year, Bitty spends time with Jack, who visits him in Madison. They watch the fireworks from the back of a pickup truck, and begin seeing each other. Bitty's parents meet Jack, but remain unaware that he is Bitty's boyfriend. Bitty and Jack aren't official however until August when they share their romantic histories, including Jack's past with Kent Parson, ending with Jack giving Bitty a miniature figurine of himself and officially asking Bitty out. Bitty is ecstatic by the request but visibly worried when Jack mentions how his relationship with Kent had an expiration date because hockey comes first for him. Shortly afterwards, when Bitty makes his mother's PB&J with the crusts cut off for Jack as a new pregame ritual, Jack admits that he loves Bitty for the first time, causing Bitty to drop the sandwich. While Bitty admits he loves Jack too, he breaks down over how hard everything will be and his worries about their relationship.

At the start of his junior year, Bitty is secretly dating Jack and owns a miniature figurine of Jack (similar to an OYO toy.) He explains on his vlog that he’s seeing someone, but does not reveal that it’s Jack. Bitty describes him as "easy to talk to." He also mentions Jack specifically on his vlog, revealing that Jack visited him in Madison and describing him as "one of [my] best friends." He also provides some links to Falconers' PR clips.

Bitty skypes with Jack every night and practices French vocabulary words with him, and listens as Jack talks about his Falconers teammates. He addresses Jack with a number of endearments, including “honey”, “sweetheart”, “sweetiepie”, “sugar”, “honeycutiepie”, “my boyfriend”,, “handsome." "my partner" and "my significant other."

Bitty believes the other members of his team remain unaware that he is dating anyone. The two of them agree keep their relationship a secret to protect Jack's career. But some of his closest friends (Ransom, Holster, Lardo) begin to notice how much Bitty knows about the Falconers and how frequently he speaks with Jack. Unknown to Bitty, he slips up a few times and Lardo, Ransom and Holster find out as a result but keep it to themselves since he seems so happy.

Bitty makes sandwiches for Jack using his family’s homemade jam and attaches written notes of encouragement to them.

Having to hide his relationship with Jack starts to affect Bitty to the point that he's tired during practice and his friends notice his change in behavior. Bitty repeatedly calls Jack before leaving him a voicemail about how hard hiding has become for him. When Jack calls Bitty back after finally getting the voicemail, Bitty sadly asks to talk. Bitty explains to Jack that he's having a hard time hiding Jack and not being able to be open about their relationship, comparing it to when he was living in the closet in Georgia. Jack tells Bitty to tell their friends the truth, but Bitty refuses as he doesn't want Jack to give up his whole life for him while Jack feels that Bitty shouldn't have to suffer for the sake of his career. Bitty tells Jack they'll get through it and he just has to be stronger and its been a bad week before hanging up on him. To Bitty's surprise, Jack shows up at the Haus soaking wet at five in the morning and tells him they will get through it together as they are a team. An emotional Bitty embraces Jack before leading him to his room to get changed, chirping each other about getting up early like they did in the past.

The morning after Jack and Bitty's conversation, they invite Ransom, Holster, Shitty and Lardo to Jerry's for brunch to announce their relationship. After everyone arrives, Bitty tells their friends the news and laughs with Jack as the others argue over who won the bet they had going on when Jack and Bitty would get together. Following the revelation, Bitty asks their friends how they found out and his friends, who had found out from stuff he'd written in his notes, the little notes he'd left on Jack's fridge and overhearing a conversation between Jack and Bitty during the previous two weeks dodge the question. As Jack questions Shitty and Lardo's own relationship, Ransom and Holster start chirping Bitty about all the fines he will now owe. Bitty decides to tell the frogs after a nap and when he wakes up, Jack starts discussing the idea of telling Jack's parents with him too.

Following the revelation of their relationship to their friends, Jack and Bitty are able to become more openly affectionate towards each other at Samwell and Bitty becomes a lot happier and is proud when Jack gets the "A" with the Falconers. The two also start having to pay a great deal in fines for the way they behave all the time. While on a walk at the riverside, Jack tells Bitty that he's told his parents that they are dating and his parents were more surprised that Jack had been able to hide it for so long. To Bitty's surprise, Jack brings up the idea of telling some of the Falconers that they are dating and that Bad Bob had indicated he'd played with other people in homosexual relationships before. While Bitty loves the idea of meeting some of Jack's teammates and is worried about the effect it could have on Jack's standing on the team, he recognizes that the Falconers are Jack's teammates and is willing to meet them if Jack is comfortable introducing Bitty as his boyfriend. Jack tells Bitty that while its scary, he doesn't want to hide Bitty from him and kisses him, causing Dex to fine them.

After telling George about their relationship, Jack comes out to Marty who agrees to have Bitty over for dinner with his family as Jack's boyfriend. Jack tells Bitty about his parents excitement over their relationship and having lunch with them the coming weekend while Bitty goes over his worries regarding his own parents acceptance of them. Bitty later goes to dinner with Jack at Marty's where he meets both Marty and Thirdy. Upon arrival, Jack is confused about what to call Bitty, going with Eric before Bitty tells everyone to call him Bitty, telling Bitty he wasn't sure if "Bittle" was too formal.

After a FalcsTV segment on Jack's pregame PB&J that Bitty always makes him, Bitty makes it for the whole Falconers team. While the team eats the sandwiches, Jack tells them about Bitty for the first time. Snowy recognizes that Jack was being discreet while Poots is more upset that Marty and Thirdy met Bitty before and thinks its a rookie joke. In contrast, Tater cares more about Bitty being the one who made all of the delicious pies and having Bitty make him dinner. At Tater's invitation, Bitty joins the Falconers for family skate the next week and makes a four pie combo to ensure they like him and won't hate him. At the skate, a nervous Bitty is greeted by most of the players and their wives and even gets a smile from Guy who is notorious for not smiling and gets treated to good-natured chirps like a fellow hockey player. While slightly panicking over the state of his pies, Bitty is joined by Tater and they reminisce over Tater's similar background to Jack and how great of a guy Jack is. Bitty also pulls around Thirdy's daughter on a sled and is approached by Tater with the idea of Bitty trying to lift him. Bitty agrees to try, drawing Jack's worry before Jack is stopped by Marty and Thirdy.

After the Falconers learn of Jack's relationship with Bitty and Bitty's skill in baking, his pies and Aunt Judy's jam become greatly desired by the team. Bitty goes slightly crazy and makes enough jam for the team that it requires two trips to Providence to get it all there. When Jack arrives with Tater to get the jam, Bitty is openly affectionate with him, sharing a kiss with Jack in the Haus foyer.

Due to his developing relationship with Jack, Bitty chooses to spend the summer in Providence with him, but has to work out how to tell his mother. He later helps to comfort Jack when Jack experiences a panic attack over the upcoming Game 5.

After the Falconers clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to an incredible goal by Jack, Bitty and his mother bake a pie together over the phone and chat about Coach's new love for hockey. After Suzanne brings up Bitty returning home for the summer, Bitty is forced to admit that he plans to spend the summer with Jack. Though Bitty tries to tell Suzanne that he is dating Jack, he can't do it and rather abruptly hangs up on Suzanne. Jack later finds Bitty having abandoned his pie and crying over the fact that he can't find the words to tell Suzanne that he is gay and dating Jack.

After the Falconers win the Stanley Cup due to Jack's goal, Bitty hugs Jack on center ice and Jack wishes out loud that he could kiss him. To Jack's shock, Bitty suggests that Jack actually kiss him on center ice and after a moment's hesitation on Jack's part, he decides to go for it. Their kiss gets caught on live TV, outing both Jack and Bitty who are missing the next morning when everyone's looking for them. Amongst the people who see Jack and Bitty kiss are Bitty's parents. Bitty's subsequent interview with the Daily is the only public interview he gives following the kiss and becomes the publication's most read article ever and its suggested every hockey player on the continent probably read it.

As Family Weekend approaches, Jack spends at least one night at the Haus with Bitty, but plans to leave before Coach arrives. The two discuss Bitty's frustrations with Whiskey and Bitty's nerves about Coach coming to visit. As Jack will be long gone before Coach arrives, Bitty insists that he has nothing to worry about. After arriving early, Coach suggests that after the game that night, Bitty and any of his teammates that want to come with them can go to a little restaurant nearby to watch Jack's game. However, Bitty is less than pleased that Coach calls Jack "your friend Jack" instead of acknowledging their romantic relationship.

After the game, Coach talks with Coach Murray who tells Coach that Bitty makes decisions like a coach's kid. Coach continues to refer to Jack as Bitty's friend, causing Bitty to become angrier and angrier at his father. After Coach's continuing references to Jack as Bitty's friend, Bitty finally explodes on him in the car that Jack isn't his friend but his boyfriend. When Bitty accuses Coach of not supporting him, Coach brings up the fact that he flew all the way to Samwell, but Bitty points out that watching him play and acknowledging that Bitty is dating Jack are two different things. Things devolve into a shouting match between them as Bitty tries to get his father to at least acknowledge their relationship before admitting that he just wants Coach to tell him that he's not messed up. Bitty begs Coach to tell him that he's not messed up, saying he knows Coach has always thought he was with the figure skating, baking and all of the girly stuff he likes to do instead of football. Coach appears to be stunned by Bitty's words before telling his son that he's never been messed up and Coach has never thought that about Bitty and his being with Jack doesn't make him messed up. Coach seems surprised that Bitty doesn't know that, but Bitty asks his father how he's supposed to know what he thinks. Coach simply states that he'll take him back to the Haus.

The next day, Coach drops by the Haus before heading to the airport. To Bitty's surprise, Coach asks him to bring Jack to Madison for Christmas so that Coach and Suzanne can get to know him properly as Bitty's partner and boyfriend. Coach reminds Bitty how much Suzanne loves Jack and predicts that she'll go off the deep end getting everything ready for him and Bitty promises to ask Jack who he knows would love to come if he is able to. Coach and Bitty share a hug and Coach tells Bitty that while Samwell had a tough loss, they'd get them next time and that Bitty's doing great at Samwell, is a good captain and has his team behind him. Coach reiterates to his son that Bitty is good which he appreciates and the two say I love you's before Coach takes off. Moments later, Bitty gets a text from Jack who Suzanne had contacted about what food he'd like for the holidays and Bitty realizes that his boyfriend is going to meet his parents.

After graduation, Jack takes Bitty skating at Faber one last time. At center ice, Jack proposes to Bitty who faints in shock. When he wakes up, Bitty immediately and enthusiastically accepts the proposal. After Jack puts the ring on Bitty's finger, Jack and Bitty are cheered on by their friends and Jack starts a game of pick-up hockey. While tweeting about his engagement, Bitty states that he had planned to propose to Jack himself but Jack acted first. Also, even though Jack had asked Suzanne first, his mother had screamed when she found out.

Life after Samwell

Shortly before Bitty is to graduate, he announces via Twitter that he has a deal in the works for a cookbook and as a result, makes a public Twitter account while keeping his original one private. Bitty later composes a vlog reintroducing his audience to the vlog which Bitty has decided to commit to full time. Bitty thanks his audience for sticking through him with everything over the years, for being there and for everything they've given him. Having just gotten the news about his cookbook deal, Bitty officially announces he is writing one and that going forward his vlog will allow Bitty's viewers to watch him work on the cookbook in real time. Bitty then introduces Jack as his first guest.

Other Facts

Bitty has worked at a two-week sleepaway camp every summer since high school. The kids call him Mr. Bittle.

Bitty cannot grow facial hair and grows the sides of his hair out during playoffs instead. This leads to him being mistaken for a potential incoming freshman at the end of his sophomore year. He believes playoff beards should be neatly groomed.

Bitty sometimes makes lists of the topics he and his father discuss, implying their communication is somewhat strained. Bitty's father, a former quarterback, seems to be consistently curious about Jack Zimmermann, and has made an effort to take interest in Bitty's hockey playing. They find common ground discussing the royal family and Beyoncé as well as sports. Bitty also knows a great deal about American football because of his father. Coach Bittle also asked Bitty about his prospects for Valentine's Day for the first time during Bitty's sophomore year. In contrast, Bitty talks to his mom about baking, her book club, and town gossip. Bitty called his mom when the oven in the Haus started acting up again.

His favorite holiday is Halloween. Freshman year, he came to the Haus party dressed as Thor. Sophomore year he dressed up as Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd.

He's also a fan of Valentine's Day.

Bitty cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the Haus his sophomore year, which Ransom called "Hausgiving". He e-mailed an invitation to the entire team and requested they wear a tie or a nice sweater. Mama Bittle called to provide Bitty encouragement and support. Jack checked with Bitty to make sure his ensemble was approved for the dress code. Dex assisted with the preparation.

Spring semester of sophomore year, Bitty made a quiche for lunch with Chowder and his girlfriend Caitlin Farmer. Jack ended up having lunch with them.

For Superbowl Sunday, Bitty made loaded nachos.

He prepared Easter dinner for the Haus his sophomore year.

Even after hockey season was over, he continued to wake up early for practice.

His idea for his own graduation mortarboard is a felt pie slice.

Eric is bad at learning languages and complex math.

According to Ransom's Excel spreadsheet, the team owes Bitty three new ovens based on the amount he's baked for them.

On an Amtrak train between South Station and Providence, Bitty talks to strangers about the Falconers.

When asked about Kent Parson by Tango, Bitty responds icily and with passive-aggression, using the southern expression "bless his heart." When asked about Jack, Bitty describes him as "passionate." Later, when talking to Tater about Kent, Bitty calls him "some piece of work."

After Jack joins the Falconers, Bitty begins wearing one of Jack's Falconers shirts to bed at night.

Bitty gives Jack a Beyoncé exam.

Bitty has a Zimmermann Falconers jersey which Jack signed for him.

Over the course of their mutual visits, Jack leaves a hat and a shirt at the Haus while Bitty leaves several pairs of shorts at Jack's place. Bitty decides to keep Jack's shirt.

After starting a relationship with Jack, Bitty tells him about Señor Bunny as he holds him in his arms during a Skype date with Jack and makes no move to hide him when Jack is in his room as Señor Bunny is clearly visible to Jack on the bed and Jack later knows to move him to Bitty's window after dropping by in the middle of the night when Bitty gets upset about them keeping their relationship a secret.

Bitty tells Jack that his romantic history, or rather lack there of besides Jack consists of the guy he was set up with for Winter Screw and the rugby guy who tried to kiss him at Annie's before Bitty chickened out. This means that Bitty's first kiss with Jack is likely his first one ever.

After officially becoming Jack's boyfriend, Jack took Bitty to his bedroom to celebrate while Bitty's food was cooking. However, Jack continued to chirp Bitty even as he carried him to the bedroom causing Bitty to comment that he'd literally just signed up for it by agreeing to date Jack.

Jack is strong enough that he can carry Bitty over his shoulder one-handed as he did right after they officially started dating.

In his excitement about dating Jack, Bitty drew hearts around "#1 Falcs" in his processed food notes along with several other hearts, "Falconers!" and a smiling face. He accidentally left these notes in Lardo's room two weeks before he and Jack told the Samwell team, resulting in Lardo finding out.

Four days before telling the team about his relationship with Jack, Bitty had an overly-sappy phone call with Jack while listening to music. Unknown to him, Ransom and Holster overheard and realized he was dating Jack. Ransom insisted they take what they just saw to the grave.

After he started dating Jack, Bitty began sending him pies for the Falconers. As a result, the Falconers nutritionist Nate wants to kill him.

Jack originally called Bitty "Bittle", never calling him Eric or Bitty. The first time Jack called Bitty by his nickname was when he was injured in a game and got a concussion. Jack continued to refer to Bitty as "Bittle" afterwards until he kissed Bitty for the first time. Following this, Jack starts calling him Bitty or Bits like everyone else though he reverts to a more formal "Bittle" when with someone who doesn't know they are together. During Tater's visit to the Haus, Bitty and Jack affectionately refer to each other as "Mr. Zimmermann" and "Bittle" when sharing a kiss.

The pregame sandwiches Bitty makes Jack ended up featured on a FalcsTV segment.

Bitty once went "quiche crazy" on MLK weekend and apparently baked a lot of quiche.

After the Falconers learn of Bitty's prowess in baking, he gets "a list" of hockey players who desire his preserves. Chief amongst these are shown to be Marty, his wife Gabby, Thirdy, Snowy and Tater.

Bitty is only the second player on the Samwell Men's Hockey Team to be made captain on a unanimous vote. The other player was Jack.

His favorite person to bake with is his mother.

For his senior year, Bitty adds a picture of himself and Jack together to the wall of his room in the Haus.

As captain of the team, Bitty appears to make personalized goodie bags for his teammates. Tango has been known to eat his before he even reaches the parking lot of Faber.

During his senior year, the mother of Hops, one of the Waffles, watches Bitty's entire vlog in preparation for Family Weekend. As she is a fellow baker, Bitty is excited to meet her while Hops states that she can't wait to meet Bitty either.

Coach Bittle is stated to look just like Bitty, though Coach is taller than his son and has red hair instead of blonde hair like Bitty.

As part of their intervention to force Bitty to write his thesis, the team cut the wires to Bitty's oven and sent out a flyer to not let Bitty into a kitchen. The flyer contained a picture of Bitty with two teammates, one of whom appeared to be Shitty and read "Do Not Let This Bad Boy Bake!!! If seen in student kitchen email smhmanager@samwell.edu. Approved by the Samwell University Department of American History head Alice Atley."

Despite their troubles off the ice, Bitty and Whiskey make a good on-ice pairing. During the playoffs and Frozen Four, Bitty and Whiskey are shown to be able to communicate their plans to each other about passing through simple looks at each other and nods.

During Bitty's disastrous attempt at Peewee football, he was number 15 like he is on the Samwell team.

Ngozi on his voice profile: "Has a Georgian accent that inevitably gets more country when he’s drunk. He can sing okay, but he mostly likes to sing in a quiet falsetto to Beyoncé while he’s baking... closer to this girl. Tenor. A lilting southern belle.

Bitty baked between 350 and 500 pies whilst he was at Samwell.

Also see

• The Eric Bittle Pre-game Playlist
• Bitty's Baking