We mined B&B’s storied history for the very best they’ve had to offer, from recasts to deathbed weddings.
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Photo credit: Jon McKee
BEST REBOUND ROMANCE: Brooke and Eric For the first three years of B&B, the love triangle of Brooke, Ridge and Caroline dominated the canvas. When the man in the middle picked Caroline and married her in 1990, Brooke was devastated — but waiting in the wings to mend her broken heart was none other than Ridge’s father (and her mother’s ex-lover!), Eric, who was unfulfilled in his own marriage to Brooke’s No. 1 enemy, Stephanie. Their shocking hook-up had surprising heart and rooting value, and they tied the knot in 1991. Though the marriage didn’t last, it begat two legacy characters (their kids, Rick and Bridget) and created a lasting, poignant bond between Eric and Brooke, and original cast members John McCook and Lang, that resonates in story to this day.
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Photo credit: JPI
BEST RISK: Recasting Ridge When Ronn Moss quit after 25 years as Ridge, B&B undertook a huge risk by opting to recast, given not only the length of Moss’s tenure, but by how synonymous he had become with his character. Though fans had a hard time imagining anyone taking over for Moss, it was equally challenging to envision the B&B universe without central player Ridge, considering how much Ridge’s love life, fashion career, true paternity and role as patriarch of his own brood had driven the show’s plots. After a Ridge-less year, B&B announced in 2013 that it had hired Thorsten Kaye — who had a completely different physicality (and accent!) from his predecessor — to play the part. Kaye didn’t try to channel Moss, but put his own spin on the role, which sparked a new chemistry with leading lady Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), members of his on-screen family, and even rival Bill. Eight years later, it’s clear that B&B’s big gamble paid off.
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Photo credit: JPI
BEST MOTHER/DAUGHTER REUNION: Hope and Beth In 2019, Hope was told that her baby daughter by Liam, Beth, had died at birth, but in reality, Beth was sold on the black market and adopted by an unwitting Steffy, who dubbed her Phoebe. As the days turned into weeks, B&B fans clamored for an end to Hope’s heartbreaking misery. After seven long months, the truth came out when young Douglas repeated the secret he’d overheard his father, Thomas, uttering (“Phoebe is Beth”), allowing Liam to put the pieces together. He broke the incredible news to an overwhelmed Hope, and at Steffy’s, she finally lifted her baby girl into her arms and held her close. It was a reunion B&B fans will always remember, thanks to the memorable performances by Annika Noelle’s Hope and Scott Clifton’s Liam.
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Photo credit: CBS
BEST FAKE-OUT: Sheila and Lauren In 1992, no event was more anticipated in soaps than the crossover confrontation between Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) and Lauren, whose enmity was birthed on Y&R. Lauren believed that Sheila had died in a fire, but really, she was hiding out in L.A., ingratiating herself into the Forrester universe. Her luck appeared to run out in October, when Lauren showed up on B&B to attend a Forrester fashion show. Sheila visited her in her hotel room to seek forgiveness, but when Lauren tried to call 911, Sheila knocked her out and fled. She donned the showstopper Eric had designed for her and strutted down the runway — but cops descended on her and placed her under arrest. The whole heart-thumping thing turned out to be Sheila’s dream — though the women did finally have their showcase showdown the following year.
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Photo credit: JPI
BEST DEATH: Stephanie When original cast member Susan Flannery retired from B&B in 2012, the show retired her character, as well, scripting Stephanie’s death from lung cancer. Steph’s final arc, as she came to terms with her terminal illness, gave quadruple Daytime Emmy-winner Flannery some of the best scenes of her storied career, and as her inevitable end neared, Stephanie shared poignant and meaningful farewells with her loved ones. But she saved the best for last, sharing the end of her life in the intimate company of Brooke, her eternal foe who, she came to realize, was actually her best friend. Holding Stephanie in her arms, Brooke sang her to as she drifted off to her eternal slumber, a powerful and fitting finale for the show’s signature matriarch.
BEST REBOUND ROMANCE: Brooke and Eric For the first three years of B&B, the love triangle of Brooke, Ridge and Caroline dominated the canvas. When the man in the middle picked Caroline and married her in 1990, Brooke was devastated — but waiting in the wings to mend her broken heart was none other than Ridge’s father (and her mother’s ex-lover!), Eric, who was unfulfilled in his own marriage to Brooke’s No. 1 enemy, Stephanie. Their shocking hook-up had surprising heart and rooting value, and they tied the knot in 1991. Though the marriage didn’t last, it begat two legacy characters (their kids, Rick and Bridget) and created a lasting, poignant bond between Eric and Brooke, and original cast members John McCook and Lang, that resonates in story to this day.
BEST RISK: Recasting Ridge When Ronn Moss quit after 25 years as Ridge, B&B undertook a huge risk by opting to recast, given not only the length of Moss’s tenure, but by how synonymous he had become with his character. Though fans had a hard time imagining anyone taking over for Moss, it was equally challenging to envision the B&B universe without central player Ridge, considering how much Ridge’s love life, fashion career, true paternity and role as patriarch of his own brood had driven the show’s plots. After a Ridge-less year, B&B announced in 2013 that it had hired Thorsten Kaye — who had a completely different physicality (and accent!) from his predecessor — to play the part. Kaye didn’t try to channel Moss, but put his own spin on the role, which sparked a new chemistry with leading lady Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), members of his on-screen family, and even rival Bill. Eight years later, it’s clear that B&B’s big gamble paid off.
BEST MOTHER/DAUGHTER REUNION: Hope and Beth In 2019, Hope was told that her baby daughter by Liam, Beth, had died at birth, but in reality, Beth was sold on the black market and adopted by an unwitting Steffy, who dubbed her Phoebe. As the days turned into weeks, B&B fans clamored for an end to Hope’s heartbreaking misery. After seven long months, the truth came out when young Douglas repeated the secret he’d overheard his father, Thomas, uttering (“Phoebe is Beth”), allowing Liam to put the pieces together. He broke the incredible news to an overwhelmed Hope, and at Steffy’s, she finally lifted her baby girl into her arms and held her close. It was a reunion B&B fans will always remember, thanks to the memorable performances by Annika Noelle’s Hope and Scott Clifton’s Liam.
BEST FAKE-OUT: Sheila and Lauren In 1992, no event was more anticipated in soaps than the crossover confrontation between Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) and Lauren, whose enmity was birthed on Y&R. Lauren believed that Sheila had died in a fire, but really, she was hiding out in L.A., ingratiating herself into the Forrester universe. Her luck appeared to run out in October, when Lauren showed up on B&B to attend a Forrester fashion show. Sheila visited her in her hotel room to seek forgiveness, but when Lauren tried to call 911, Sheila knocked her out and fled. She donned the showstopper Eric had designed for her and strutted down the runway — but cops descended on her and placed her under arrest. The whole heart-thumping thing turned out to be Sheila’s dream — though the women did finally have their showcase showdown the following year.
BEST DEATH: Stephanie When original cast member Susan Flannery retired from B&B in 2012, the show retired her character, as well, scripting Stephanie’s death from lung cancer. Steph’s final arc, as she came to terms with her terminal illness, gave quadruple Daytime Emmy-winner Flannery some of the best scenes of her storied career, and as her inevitable end neared, Stephanie shared poignant and meaningful farewells with her loved ones. But she saved the best for last, sharing the end of her life in the intimate company of Brooke, her eternal foe who, she came to realize, was actually her best friend. Holding Stephanie in her arms, Brooke sang her to as she drifted off to her eternal slumber, a powerful and fitting finale for the show’s signature matriarch.