BLOGCast: Celebrating 30 Years of Being “Bold and Beautiful”

On March 23, 1987, CBS Daytime premiered a new daytime drama that centered around a wealthy family who reigned in the fashion world. The Forresters, Spencers, and the Logans made up the 30 minute soap, “The Bold and the Beautiful.” 30 years, and classified as the sister show to, “The Young and the Restless,” “B&B” has been able to showcase the glamour, glitz, and romance in Los Angeles, Italy, Portifino, and soon Australia. The show is the most watched soap around the world, and “B&B” has had some stand out moments that kept the fans tuning in since its premiere.

As a fan of the show since 1990, I have been captivated by the show due to its cast, especially the feud between Stephanie Forrester and Brooke Logan, played magnificently by Katherine Kelly Lang and Susan Flannery. When I was younger, I always wanted Ridge Forrester to be with Dr. Taylor Hayes. As I got older, I wanted Brooke with Thorne Forrester. I even wanted her with Deacon Sharpe. Lang definitely had chemistry with every man she was paired with, which was why it made it easy to ship most of her couples.

Here are some of my favorite moments in “B&B” history. There are indeed more than what I am posting, but these specific ones are stand out moments that rocked to the core!

1. The Battle for BeLief! (1993)

This was definitely the story everyone to this day STILL talks about! I was a young buck, but I was able to deduce that Brooke Logan made a formula that was wrinkle-free to fabric, and Stephanie and Eric were able to take advantage of her to get the patent on BeLief. When Brooke realized she had been had, she and Connor Davis went to war with Forrester so she can have the rights to BeLief. Not only did she rightfully win her patent, she also walked out with shares and ownership of Forrester Creations with 51%! This was the story that made Brooke Logan the powerhouse she is, and a force to be reckoned with! In spite of Stephanie’s constant battle to get the company back, as well as the fact she was not a fan of Brooke’s image, the deemed “Slut from the Valley” managed to attract investors, buyers, and consumers with her product, including “Brooke’s Bedroom Line.” It’s no wonder why many ladies are intimidated by Brooke Logan!

2. Sheila Carter’s Goodbye Party (1995)

Okay…I am one who loves a good ol’ fashioned party. However, this party is definitely one I did not want to attend. Yet, I didn’t want to miss it for the world. After Sheila Carter, who came from Genoa City to L.A. in 1992, was found out about her past just weeks prior to these episodes, our favorite villainess decided to round up the entire Forrester clan, and Lauren Fenmore, at the mansion to…celebrate. Well, more like tell them exactly what she thought of them while holding them at gunpoint. I thought for sure Sheila’s first victim would be Lauren due to the fact of their explosive history. However, it was Stephanie she decided to point the gun toward, only for Ridge and Brooke to be Stephanie’s shield. I was incredibly stunned by the outcome, when everyone didn’t want Sheila to drink the poison, only for Sheila to do it anyway! It was interesting how she felt that the people who hated her the most did not want her to die at all. All she wanted in her whole life was what she seemed to have gotten during those moments before she went to the sanitarium…love! What a way for Kimberlin Brown’s exit before returning later that year!

3. Stephanie Confronts Brooke Over Affair with Thorne (1999)

I still have this episode on tape. Yes, videotape! You know…that thing that goes into a machine called a VCR! Watching the episodes leading up to the infamous confrontation at Big Bear…Stephanie driving flashing back to all of her encounters with Brooke…I was ready for it! Stephanie had enough with Brooke sleeping with the men in her family. However, I was loved the affair with Brooke and Thorne. I thought she was better suited for Thorne than Ridge. Ridge treated Brooke like dirt. Thorne really did love her, even though he threw Macy under the bus! I thought Brooke and Thorne had a fling back in the day when Ridge was attracted to Caroline, and the two tried to keep them apart. Stephanie delivered such great lines in this episode. “He (Thorne) wants you like a $2 hooker!” Or, “The whore who sleeps not just with their father, but with his two sons!” Stephanie punched and strangled Brooke like nobody’s business, and read her the riot act! I don’t think I have ever seen Steph that pissed before, but when push came to shove, she was done! This affair would soon be hidden from Stephanie for MONTHS until Macy’s “death” in 2000. There are times I want to pop the tape in, and watch again with my popcorn!

4. Brooke/Deacon/Bridget – Pregnancy Scandal and Independence! (2001-2002)

What is to say about this one? I mean, Brooke was so upset that Ridge decided to go back to Taylor yet again (This was after Thorne broke things off with Brooke after overhearing how Ridge was her soulmate), and suddenly found herself in the arms of another man. However, this man would turn out to be her own daughter’s husband, Deacon! Things would get even more complicated when Brooke would become pregnant with Deacon’s baby! I personally thought their chemistry was off the charts. Also, this made for interesting and real good soap! 2002 really was a fantastic year for the show! Stephanie being the one to reveal at a press conference Brooke was pregnant, Whip laid claim to being the father, and Stephanie finding out Deacon was the real father…oh man! And the kicker? Bridget would learn the truth that summer by overhearing Deacon on the baby monitor. The confrontational scenes Bridget had with Brooke and Deacon were phenomenal. No wonder why Jennifer Finnegan has all those Emmys! How ironic, though, for Bridget to help Brooke give birth to her husband’s baby daughter! What’s even more hilarious is that the rest of the Forrester clan, primarily Ridge, did not know of Hope’s paternity until December! I don’t even know how they were able to keep the secret that long. Then again, look again at Sheila Carter’s heyday, and Bridget’s own paternity in 1996.

5. Sheila Shoots Brooke and Taylor (2002)

Well…let me start off by saying that when these episodes aired, I was home, and just like in the episodes, it was storming here. Well played, Mother Nature. After Amber was rescued from Sheila’s grasp, Sheila would head to the Forrester Mansion to win Eric back. After Eric called her crazy, she held him at gunpoint, only for Taylor to walk in and be held hostage as well. Taylor almost had Sheila talked down, but Brooke walked in with Hope, and dropped the baby’s milk cup, and startled Sheila. This lead to the infamous montage of Taylor fighting for the gun from Sheila, only for it to go off and hit Taylor in the chest. Brooke and Eric tried to fight the gun away, and it goes off again and hits Brooke in the arm! In all honesty, I blamed Eric for Brooke getting shot. If you don’t believe me, look at the episode again. Watch how Eric held Sheila’s arm, and how the gun was pointed at Brooke. I was shocked, however, that this would kill off Taylor. I was not one to read magazines all the time, so when I learned about this, I was floored! I never expected any of this! I believe, also, during the 2003 Daytime Emmy Awards, this was the first time the show was nominated for “Outstanding Drama Series” for their work in 2002. Well, from the year that show had, it was definitely deserved!

6. Brooke/Jackie/Mark Oust Stephanie Faking Heart Attack (2005)

After all of these years, Brooke finally would get the upper hand on her nemesis. This go-around, Brooke, with the help of Jackie Marone, learned that Stephanie faked a heart attack. Why, you may ask? Because Stephanie wanted Ridge to choose Taylor for his wife and not Brooke. The outcome from this was severely epic. The whole family turned on Stephanie when all was revealed. Also, the slaps that occurred hurt my face, and I was just watching! Stephanie calling Mark a schmuck, Stephanie calling Brooke a bitch, and Brooke getting the chance to slap Stephanie once again for her manipulations. FYI, Brooke has slapped Stephanie a total of three times. Aside from Stephanie getting blacklisted from her family and friends, I LOVED how Brooke basically kicked Ridge to the curb. I was ecstatic that Brooke caught a clue, and realized that Ridge treated her like crap. I wish it would have lasted longer than anticipated. Brooke deserved better than Ridge, and when he couldn’t choose between her and Taylor, she just said, “Well, get the steppin’!” This definitely was Brooke’s time to shine on her own without a man!

7. Maya Revealed to be Transgender (2015)

For my final breakout moment, this one definitely topped the charts, and had social media blow up for DAYS! The shock on everyone’s face, including my own, couldn’t be captured. I mean, leading up the Wednesday cliffhanger in March 2015 was all about, “Maya’s Secret.” Everyone had their guesses, with the common one being, “Nicole is Maya’s daughter.” Boy, were we indeed wrong about THAT! Nicole would reveal that Maya’s secret was that she was born as Myron, her brother! I swear, I thought we all were going to crash Twitter. That was the most shock-filled episode to happen to us viewers in a long time. Shortly after the episode aired, USA Today released  an article that was done prior to the airing about the reveal. The way this story was crafted was so well-done and well-researched. Karla Mosley, Reign Edwards, Jacob Young, Obba Babatunde, and Anna Maria Horsford delivered spectacular performances during this storyline. Babatunde definitely shined when his character lashed out on Maya’s wedding day to Rick about how he really felt on Maya. What a magnificent actor, and Karla impressed the hell out of me! I was so proud of everyone involved in this story, and to Brad Bell for crafting the story with his crew, and taking the time to make it right. Just one little mention I must make. If you are reading this, I beg you, bring the Avants back to the forefront on “B&B” They are needed, and deeply missed! And one last bit about this, when Twitter showed out on their upset when Karla Mosley was not even pre-nominated in 2016…it made my heart warm. We all thought it was going to happen, but when it didn’t, the support for her I saw was unbelievable! You definitely won in our hearts, Karla! I’m very proud!

There you have it fans! My 7 favorite moments from “B&B” history. The honorable mention I do have is from 1996, where Bridget was revealed to actually be Eric’s daughter, and not Ridge’s. Go figure, Brooke thought this whole time it was Ridge’s child, only for it to be revealed that she and Eric had another roll in the hay, and Ridge would read the planted letter that caused doubt. Another honorable mention goes to Homeless Stephanie, which took place in 1991. If I remember correctly, Stephanie lost her memory, and was living in the streets. The only thing I am not sure of was if this was caused due to Brooke and Eric getting married and having a child, or if something else catapulted this. Overall, this was a great story for Susan Flannery to play, and I enjoyed this as a young buck!

Congratulations, and happy anniversary to the cast and crew to “The Bold and the Beautiful.” 30 spectacular years, and still going strong. Here’s to another 30 years!

What are some of your favorite moments? Share below!