The Bold and the Beautiful Calls In a Shrink to Heal Bill and His Family — But It’s Not the One You Might Expect
Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
“Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me!”
Ask The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Don Diamont about the Spencer men, and he’ll tell you that no matter how much they bicker, they love one another deeply. “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — that Bill wouldn’t do for either of his sons,” declares Bill’s portrayer. “They may not necessarily want his help,” he adds with a laugh, “but that’s another story.”
Given the clan’s dysfunctional dynamic, it’s not all that surprising that they’d be on the receiving end of a visit from Dr. Phil McGraw. Like the Spencers, McGraw is best known for his work in daytime (where he has hosted the syndicated ratings juggernaut Dr. Phil since the fall of 2002). But now, he’s heading to primetime with a new series called House Calls with Dr. Phil, which will debut at 8/7 central on Wednesday, August 18.
More: The trouble with Sheila is…
Hoping to attract soap fans to the new show, McGraw and company have crafted a creative new promo featuring Bold and Beautiful‘s Bill and Liam sniping at each other in the playful way they tend to. Supposedly watching on monitors, McGraw then turns to the camera to tell us, the viewing audience, “Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me!”
While House Calls does feature the former psychologist spending time with families in crisis, the soap crossover is strictly for promotional purposes. As for the real people into whose homes he’ll be going, McGraw says it’s exciting because he can “go into the family’s home, for days at a time, and deal with real challenges in real world settings.”
More: The best and worst of Bold & Beautiful
Ultimately, he explains that this will provide him “a great opportunity for me to bring about meaningful and lasting change” for those who open their doors to his crew. Meanwhile, we’d love to hear which soap families you think are most in need of a little help from Dr. Phil. Hit the comments section with your picks, then check out the gallery below in which we do our own analysis of Bill Spencer and what makes him tick!
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Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
1/49
<p>Though Bill Jr. and Sr. were never close, the younger man arrived in Los Angeles determined to do his daddy proud — by ruining Eric Forrester for the sake of his on-again/off-again wife, Stephanie, who apparently had been the late publishing magnate’s true love. #themoreyouknow</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
2/49
<p>In addition to a raison d’être, Bill Sr. left the chip off his ol’ block a sister in formerly-brunette Karen, who you probably remember a little less vividly than you do… Wait for it… Wait for it…</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
3/49
<p>The apple of Bill Sr.’s eye was Karen’s twin sister, virginal Caroline, who got all <em>kindsa</em> messed up in a love triangle with the Forrester brothers, Ridge and Thorne, before saying, “You’re killin’ me, fellas” — <em>and</em> meaning it!</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
4/49
<p>Scheme-y as she was, Stephanie turned out to be a <em>terrible</em> partner in crime for Bill. No sooner had he gotten the goods on Eric than she switched teams in order to protect her sometime “better” half. Honey bee, that ain’t how alliances work!</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
5/49
<p>The term “skeevy” meaning nothing to womanizing Bill, he hit on Pop’s onetime bay Donna Logan with an abandon that almost screamed, “Dude, read the room. Read. The. Room.”</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
6/49
<p>Bill fared considerably better with Donna’s kid sister, Katie.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
7/49
<p>Does this image need a caption? Bill and Katie made out. A <em>lot</em>. There. Ya happy?</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
8/49
<p>Sometimes, they even played it shirts-vs.-skins style.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
9/49
<p>Well, duh. Of <em>course</em>, some of their canoodling went down in the sauna. If you had a sauna, wouldn’t <em>you</em> canoodle there?</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
10/49
<p>Yeah, <em>that</em> wasn’t Katie that Bill was smooching in 2009, that was Eric’s granddaughter, Steffy. WTH was <em>in</em> that candle, anyway?</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
11/49
<p>Never mind where his tongue had strayed, Bill still got himself and Katie pronounced kisser and kissee in a lavish ceremony in her old San Fernando Valley ’hood.</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
12/49
<p>In 2010, Bill took a break from locking lips with Katie just long enough to come to grips with the fact that he was the father of… well, his polar opposite: soulful Spencer Publications intern Liam Cooper.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
13/49
<p>When social climber Amber Moore claimed to be pregnant with Liam’s child — for what it’s worth, if anything, she wasn’t — Daddy Dearest suggested that she take a flying leap. As in, he <em>strongly</em> suggested it. Not a great look for Bill.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
14/49
<p>Bill also made an impression on “the dressmaker,” perpetual nemesis Ridge Forrester (then Ronn Moss). In turn, Ridge tried to make an impression on Bill’s face.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
15/49
<p>Despite Bill’s “commitment” to Katie, he did <span style="text-decoration: line-through">little</span> nothing to discourage Steffy’s fondness for close talking.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
16/49
<p>No stranger to cheating husbands, Taylor Forrester immediately picked up on a vibe between daughter Steffy and Bill. Or maybe she just noticed how hard they were panting and how few clothes they were wearing. In either case, she exposed their relationship, in the process giving Katie a (literal) heart attack.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
17/49
<p>He thought so, anyway. So Bill got Hope Logan’s ne’er-do-well dad Deacon Sharpe sprung from prison in a roundabout attempt to stop the young woman’s marriage to Liam.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
18/49
<p>Despite Bill’s efforts to get Liam and Hope (then Kim Matula) to exchange ciaos rather than vows, the young lovers tied the knot in Italy. They should have made it a double knot, but that’s another story altogether…</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
19/49
<p>After a chance encounter with Deacon revealed to Katie just how nefarious her husband really was, she went into premature labor with son Will and came <em>thisclose</em> to going from the maternity ward to the morgue.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
20/49
<p>Um, Katie helped, Bill. Just sayin’.</p>
Image: Paul Skipper/JPI
21/49
<p>Nah. Bill didn’t mean it. When postpartum depression prompted Katie to push her husband toward big sister Brooke, they resisted the urge to play tonsil hockey for as long as they could. In other words…</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
22/49
<p>Yep, that was about how long Bill and Brooke waited before they started picking out monogrammed towels as if Katie had been a nanny that they only vaguely remembered. Or had she been the housekeeper? Chauffeur?</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
23/49
<p>After Bill’s niece Caroline found out about his — we’ll be generous and say — “association” with Deacon, she pulled an Amber and took a flying leap off his balcony. Coincidence? Hmm.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
24/49
<p>Afterwards, there was only one way that anyone would go, ahem, “clubbing” with Bill. Also, Hope was royally ticked about the [bleep] that he’d pulled with her old man.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
25/49
<p>When Katie’s heart literally broke, it brought Bill back to her side. With lovergirl Brooke in tow. So, ya know, mixed bag.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
26/49
<p>When Bill refused Katie’s pleas to go on the wagon — or at least <em>near</em> it — she declared their marriage, however briefly, toast. He, in turn, went right on clinking glasses with Brooke. And by “clinking glasses,” we mean, obviously, having sex. Lots and lots of sex.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
27/49
<p>OK, technically, it was Brooke’s birthday bash. Katie still had every right to turn on the waterworks after Taylor revealed what had been going on behind her back between her sister and Bill.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
28/49
<p>In 2013, Bill discovered that his long-ago affair with Quinn Fuller (Rena Sofer) had given his family tree a new branch, one from which hung grown son Wyatt (Darin Brooks).</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
29/49
<p>So upset was Bill to learn that Brooke intended to remarry former husband Ridge that he tied one on and enjoyed a particularly raucous romp with Quinn.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
30/49
<p>After Katie laid claim to Ridge herself, Bill spirited away Brooke to the United Arab Emirates to make her his missus. If only Ridge hadn’t shown up with a photo of the groom in bed with Quinn…</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
31/49
<p>Determined to shake wedding crasher Ridge, Bill had right-hand man Justin Barber bank their getaway chopper, sending “the dressmaker” plummeting into the Persian Sea.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
32/49
<p>When Bill learned that Ridge (now Thorsten Kaye) had two-timed Katie with Caroline, an altogether dignified scuffle ensued.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
33/49
<p>… are doomed to repeat it. Just ask Katie, who somehow managed to remarry Bill without including in her vows, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
34/49
<p>Eric might have been trying to stop his son from smacking Bill for revealing in his publications that Rick’s girlfriend Maya Avant was transgender. But we have a hunch that Eric was just helping Rick with his form and follow-through. Bill had it comin’.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
35/49
<p>When Katie threw in the towel with Bill once and for all (again), he finally managed to make Brooke his… Wait. No, he <em>didn’t</em> finally manage to make Brooke his wife. As a matter of fact, he himself called it off after Ridge showed up and all but pulled a Helena Cassadine on the otherwise happy couple.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
36/49
<p>Bill didn’t actually put a ring on it until after Brooke’s 104th reunion with Ridge went belly up. Or was it her 105th? We lose count.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
37/49
<p>Say what you will about Brooke and Bill, the two of them get each other: She even found a way to combine all of his favorite things in one skimpy outfit. And not for nothin’, but neither of them minded the way that stallion figurine watched while they, ahem, enjoyed one another’s company.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
38/49
<p>Eager to erect his own skyscraper, Bill came perilously close to blowing up Liam as well as Sally Spectra when he tore down the fashionista’s building with them still inside. “And,” added Shirley Spectra, “I hadn’t cleaned out the office fridge yet. I still had a Snapple in there — <em>raspberry</em>, you animal!”</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
39/49
<p>Upon learning that Sally had planted what she thought was a dying kiss on Liam, Steffy was comforted by Bill, who offered wise words and a shoulder to cry on. Ha! If only. What she got from her father-in-law was smack talk about her husband and a night of ill-advised nookie.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
40/49
<p>After disowning Wyatt over his engagement to Katie, threatening to take Will away from his ex-wife and completely upending Liam and Steffy’s marriage, Bill was shot. But not by any of those people, by Steffy’s mother Taylor, who apparently got homicidal tendencies around the same time that she did blonde highlights.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
41/49
<p>Yeah, yeah, Bill took a two-story fall during a scuffle with Ridge and Thorne. Spoiler alert: He lived. What intrigues us about this image is the fact that one of his shoes seems to have come off as he plummeted downward. And the same thing happened to Caroline way back when. Does footwear always get dislodged mid-air? Have there been studies done? If not, there should be.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
42/49
<p>Now we wish we had a better photo of Amber from when Bill overenthusiastically showed her his view in 2011. Clearly, she still had both of her shoes on when she went over the ledge. <em>But</em> — did she still have them when she <em>landed</em>? <em>[Thinks.]</em> We digress. Moving on…</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
43/49
<p>In 2019, Katie — poor, dear, gullible Katie — was once more contemplating a rematch with Bill. But could she trust him? (No.) To find out — even though the answer would still be no — she had blonde bombshell Shauna Fulton pour him a lapful of wine. Of note: While Bill didn’t shtup the seductress, he was really no more trustworthy than he had been before. Oh Katie. Poor, dear, gullible Katie.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
44/49
<p>We totally did, though. See? As soon as Brooke was back with Ridge, and Bill was back with Katie, this is what Brooke and Bill did. As predictable as the changing of the seasons.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
45/49
<p>When Bill’s lip lock with Brooke was exposed — at a party celebrating her reunion with Ridge, no less — punch was served not one but two ways.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
46/49
<p>In the winter of 2021, Bill decided that he really, really wanted Katie back. He meant it this time. Like, more than all of the other times. Combined. Sensibly, she had concerns. Why, she was looking at one of them in this very image. Maybe she’d be reassured if she just got Shauna to spill some more wine on Bill’s zipper. That’s the ticket.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
47/49
<p>Bill learned the answer to that age-old question in 2022 when he was rejected by both Brooke and Katie in a matter of minutes, then was revealed to have been hooking up for who <em>knows</em> how long with homicidal maniac Sheila Carter. Could somebody please inform him that there <em>are</em> such things as dating apps?</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
48/49
<p>Oooh! Turned out, Bill didn’t want Sheila, he wanted her behind bars. So he’d teamed up with Ridge, of all people, embarked on an affair with the madwoman and even proposed, all to entice out of her a confession to the murder of Lance Day — <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/665878/who-was-lance-day-bold-beautiful-sheila-murder-victim/" target="_blank">remember him</a>? — and get her sent to prison for life.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
49/49
