Lucas and Sami (1993-present)
Best friends? Worst enemies? The love of each other’s lives? We’re still not entirely sure. What we do know, however, is that whenever these two get together, sparks are sure to fly. Whether they were scheming to break up Carrie and Austin, or scheming against each other to win custody of son Will, Lucas and Sami have always managed to push the other’s buttons (and still do, in fact). After watching a decade of squabbling and plotting vengeance, we’re rooting for these two to finally get together in the romantic sense. But for now, we’ll take “Lumi” in any form.
Vivian and Ivan (1992-2000)
Whether she was plotting to bury nemesis Carly alive or working to steal Kate’s embryo so she could carry true love Victor’s baby, Vivian could always count on her devoted manservant, Ivan, to be there for her. Never one to judge, scold or betray his beloved “Madame,” Ivan was willing to do anything for his lady love — even if it meant wearing a French-fry costume when she needed a job or going out as a caterpillar when she wanted to dress up for Halloween. Now that she’s run off with Ivan, who won the lottery, who knows if he’ll finally win her heart? But they always managed to win ours whenever they were on-screen.
Rolf and Bart (1997-2003)
Watching these two in action, it was often hard to believe that Stefano’s henchmen — Salem’s answer to the Three Stooges — ever accomplished anything. After all, Bart seemed more eager to make jokes and sing than work; Rolf spent more time wearing goofy disguises and criticizing Bart than doing his job. Yet together, these thugs actually managed to be pretty evil, thanks to Rolf’s scientific smarts (implanting remote-control chips in people’s brains was his specialty) and Bart’s loyalty to the DiMeras (he wore a dress to get the police off Lexie’s trail). As a team, they brought down John’s airplane, made Hope think she was Princess Gina, controlled the Gemini twins and even killed Rolf’s niece, Marlo, so they could help Lexie keep Hope’s baby. Rolf recently met his maker, but Bart is still sticking with the DiMeras — and as always, he aims to please, no matter what it takes.
Craig and Nancy (1998-2003)
Dr. Craig Wesley and his wife, Nancy, were an unconventional soap couple, mainly due to the fact that she wasn’t your typical super-skinny starlet. And while they schemed to bring down Dr. Mike Horton so Craig could be chief of staff, these two shared an unconditional love. The Wesleys’ softer sides did emerge, however, during Nancy’s breast cancer scare and when Chloe, whom she’d given up for adoption, moved in and Craig turned out to be a tender, understanding papa. When it was revealed that Craig was actually Chloe’s dad, we rooted for them to come together as a happy family. By the time the Wesleys left town, we’d virtually forgotten that they were ever evil. They turned out to be one of the most realistic and sympathetic couples to hit Salem.
