For those unfamiliar with the term, queerbaiting is when a show's producers tease a queer relationship with no intention of ever following through. This is often done to get the benefits of featuring queer relationship — namely, to gain support of the LGBTQ community and profit off their viewership — without having to worry about alienating viewers who would find such relationships objectionable. But while the wink-wink-nudge-nudge jokes about Sam Jared Padalecki and Dean Jensen Ackles worked more or less , that's because the Winchesters are brothers, and therefore there was no real expectation of anything more. However, when the same homoerotic cues began being applied to Dean and the angel Castiel Misha Collins , who joined the show in , fans saw this relationship dubbed Destiel as a real possibility — and one that came laden with expectations and hope.