Wedding Crashers, Test Swappers and Vanishing B-Players Take Center Stage in our Bold & Beautiful Year In Review
Thursday, December 30th, 2021
And don’t get us started on the big “murder mystery” that was neither a murder nor a mystery.
It’s hard to believe that a year ago at this time, we were still trying to wrap our heads around the fact that The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Liam had somehow mistaken the mannequin Thomas smooched with Hope. Although we left “Fauxpe” behind as 2021 began, the entire first half of the year would revolve around how the fallout from that single moment.
Whenever the end of the year rolls around, we can’t help but reflect on what happened during the past 12 months, both in our own lives and those of our favorite soap characters. And since y’all aren’t reading this in the hope of finding out whether we lost the 20 pounds we’d hoped to (we did not) or spend a little time with loved ones despite everything going on in the world (we did), let’s focus on what happened to the Forrester, Logan and Spencer clans in 2021.
Above: Liam looked at Steffy and Finn jealously, knowing that as he and Hope slid into the background, the newlyweds would have story all year.
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
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Now, in a moment we’re going to send you on a photo-filled journey detailing all of the jaw-dropping, head-scratching, no-they-didn’t moments of the year. But first, we want to single out a few that are particularly worth noting. For example, the returns of Sheila, Deacon and Taylor completely livened up the final few months of the year. Sure, Sheila’s return in particular left us with more questions than interesting plot points, but once she started trying to knock Brooke off her high horse, things definitely perked up.
Sadly, the show continued to push people we truly wanted to see into the background and spent weeks at a time focused on one storyline as opposed to the whole canvas. And the dialogue was often more repetitive than your mom’s admonitions to take off your shoes when entering the house.
Above: After Jack’s secret came out, Li analyzed his face, looking for the perfect spot to slap.
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
More: Tanner Novlan shares a downright magical photo
But this was also a show that continued to take chances no other soap would. Who could have imagined Eric not only giving Quinn permission to sleep with Carter… but basically writing them a permission slip? Plus, the writers gave us numerous opportunities to play drinking games. For example, we got to chug every time someone said the words “biological mother/father.” We also did a shot each time someone told us for no good reason how awesome Paris is, not to mention when references were made to Eric having a “reaction.”
Ready to join us in a light-hearted look at who did what to whom on Bold & Beautiful over the past 12 months? Then hit the gallery below before heading to the comments section to share with us your favorite (or least favorite) moment as we prepare for what’s already promising to be one heck of a New Year. Right, Brooke?
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Image: Howard Wise/JPI
1/29
<p>Okay, sure… technically, Fauxpe — aka the mannequin that looked exactly like Hope — was gone by the time 2021 started. Her impact, however, continued to linger, and if you think we weren’t going to jump at the chance to kick things off with a photo of the story which had been our favorite in 2020, you’re as crazy as we thought Thomas was until the truth about his brain tumor came to light. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
2/29
<p>Thanks to Liam’s “snog first, ask questions later” policy, he and Steffy had to decide whether or not to tell their respective significant others that they’d slept together after he mistook Thomas kissing the mannequin for the designer locking lips with Hope. Worse, this put Steffy in the awkward position of not knowing whether she was carrying Liam or Finn’s baby. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
3/29
<p>Paris may have been wearing pink, but Zoe was seeing green where her sister was concerned. Claiming Paris was encroaching on her life (but actually aware that her sister had caught Zende’s eye), Zoe ordered her to get outta town. Of course, given that Zoe was engaged to Carter, she shouldn’t have cared quite so much about Zende and Paris’ budding relationship, but… well, a girl’s gotta have a back-up plan, right? </p>
Image: Adam Torgerson/CBS
4/29
<p><em>The Young and the Restless</em>‘ Summer swung through Los Angeles not only to pose awkwardly for this photo, but to dig up dirt on rival Sally. While Flo didn’t come right out and reveal that Wyatt’s ex had faked a fatal illness in an attempt to get him back, she did send Summer back to Genoa City with enough dirt to try and bury her nemesis. </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
5/29
<p>As you can see, Hope was not particularly thrilled when the paternity tests seemed to indicate that her husband had yet again fathered a child with Steffy. Not pictured: Finn, having a very similar reaction. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
6/29
<p>Proving that nothing comes between a Logan girl and her sisters, Flo managed to earn the forgiveness of Brooke, Donna and Katie… if not necessarily the audience, who largely continued to refer to Hope’s aunt as “Felony Flo” for her part in the Bethnapping saga. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
7/29
<p>Not only did Flo get forgiven and a job at Forrester Creations, but the Logan sisters also suggested she legally change her last name. Hearing this, Wyatt wondered if perhaps she’d consider taking his. The happy couple got engaged in March… only to basically disappear for the rest of the year. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
8/29
<p>Thanks to a few cryptic comments, Thomas began to suspect that drug dealer-turned-lab-tech Vinny messed with Steffy’s paternity test results. Eventually, Vinny confessed and ran off before he could be arrested. (Don’t worry, we’ll be hearing more about him momentarily… ) </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
9/29
<p>Rather than put Finn through the torture of watching her give birth to Liam’s baby, Steffy was all set to hop a plane for Paris. But knowing he was the actual dad, Finn rushed to prevent her from leaving and — after taking a torturously long time to fill her in on the truth — popped the question. </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
10/29
<p>In a moment as shocking as it was simple, Steffy — ready to start her new life with Finn — finally took down the picture of her and Liam which had hung in the living room for years. (What do you wanna bet it’s in storage… just in case… ) </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
11/29
<p>What should have been a wonderfully romantic night for Paris and Zende took a turn for the grotesque after Zoe slipped her sister some of Eric’s digestive-aiding meds. We’re not sure which was more embarrassing — the sounds which emerged from Paris that evening or that fact that Quinn, who’d provided Zoe with the drugs, was dragged into this juvenile mess. </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
12/29
<p>Although he and Hope had separated thanks to his latest tryst with Steffy, things were looking up for Liam… until he wound up plowing down Vinny! Worse, Liam was so shook by the incident that he passed out, leaving dad Bill to make a bad situation worse by leaving the scene of the crime! </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
13/29
<p>Despite Bill’s best efforts to keep his son from confessing, Liam couldn’t live with the guilt and spilled his guts. Determined to protect Liam by claiming responsiblity, the publisher, too, came clean… resulting in both of them being arrested and thrown behind bars! </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
14/29
<p>This next part won’t make a lot of sense, so don’t ask too many questions and we’ll all get through it just fine. Ready? Thomas found a video on his phone revealing Poor Dead Vinny threw himself in front of the car on purpose. How did he know Liam would be driving? Given that the video included Vinny getting hit and dying, how did it get sent to Thomas? So. Many. Questions. Not a single answer that makes sense. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
15/29
<p>When Thomas discovered the Liam-clearing video, he made the mistake of telling Justin. Enjoying being large and in charge at Spencer Publications in Bill’s absence, Justin opted to delay the truth coming out by locking Thomas in a cage conveniently located in the building’s basement. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
16/29
<p>Hope eventually clued in to Justin’s bad deeds and set Thomas free. Together, they presented the evidence which cleared Liam and Bill… after which all three of them basically slipped into the background until late in the year, at which time Liam and Hope would finally get a new storyline. Bill promptly fired Justin for his antics and then, well, pretty much disappeared for the rest of the year. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
17/29
<p>Although Carter and Zoe got engaged, he broke things off upon finding out that she’d basically been keeping her options open where Zende was concerned. Zoe being Zoe, she somehow managed to blame Paris (if only in her own mind) and set her sights on reclaiming Carter’s heart. Unfortunately, she picked the world’s worst wing woman… </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
18/29
<p>What started as Quinn pleading Zoe’s case to Carter ended up with Eric’s wife and his CFO in bed together! It turned out that Eric had been keeping Quinn at both an emotional and physical distance and, well, a woman’s got needs! The illicit lovers swore it would never happen again, but… yeah. It did. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
19/29
<p>Zoe realized that Carter had slept with someone else… so Shauna stepped forward to claim she’d had a one-night stand with the hunk! Realizing the error of their ways, Carter and Quinn reunited with Zoe and Eric, respectively. But they contined to be drawn back to one another… </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
20/29
<p>When Eric and Quinn decided to renew their vows, we knew two things would happen: Carter would be asked to officiate, and that would put him front-and-center as the secret came to light. Sure enough, Paris overheard the truth and passed the info on to Brooke, who was only too happy to rain on Quinn’s parade. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
21/29
<p>Did Zoe lose her ish after finding out about Carter’s fling with Quinn? Nah, she sort of shrugged, hugged it out with Paris (bygones!) and jetted off to <span style="text-decoration: line-through">Fantasy Island</span> Paris. The most interesting thing about her exit? That it left Paris to couch-surf for several months. Guess being head of the Forrester charitable foundation doesn’t pay as well as you might think! </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
22/29
<p>Despite having made zero reference to his past for over a year, Finn suddenly felt he couldn’t possibly go another day without telling her he’d been adopted by Jack and Li. No sooner had they arrived in town than it became clear that Jack was keeping a secret or two… one of which invovled a face very familiar to viewers. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
23/29
<p>On Steffy and Finn’s wedding day, everyone was shocked to learn that his biological mother was none other than the notorious Sheila. Well, everyone but Jack, who’d known all along, what with being not only Finn’s adoptive but biological dad. Oh, and the audience, thanks to the show running ads revealing the major twist a week in advance. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
24/29
<p>Eric reunited with Quinn but erectile dysfunction had him urging his wife to seek satisfaction in the arms — and bed — of her ex-lover, Carter. Although Quinn and Carter resisted one another for approximatley 12 minutes, when Eric gave them written permission, they felt they had no choice but to sleep together again. After all, her hubby had written <em>a note </em>people! </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
25/29
<p>With a little help from Donna and her ever-present bottles of honey, Eric got his mojo back… at least with her. It took a bit longer before he was able to have a similar, er, reaction with Quinn. Eventually, however, Eric and his wife closed the door on their brief experiment with open marriage. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
26/29
<p>Even as her relationship with Zende grew more serious, Paris found herself fantasizing about Finn, being crushed on by Thomas and bonding with Carter. Zende, meanwhile, had eyes only for his girlfriend and made plans to propose to her on New Year’s Eve. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
27/29
<p>Each at loose ends, Katie and Carter seemed to be drifting into a romance. After all, it’s not like there are slews of gorgeous, unattached people in the tiny town of Los Angeles. At the same time, he began serving as a confidante to Paris and it began to seem as if there might be something brewing between Zoe’s ex and her sister. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
28/29
<p>Although she doesn’t look pleased here, Hope was thrilled when dad Deacon showed up in Los Angeles wanting to reconnect. Once he distanced himself from Sheila, Deacon made real inroads with both Hope and her mom, Brooke… much to the displeasure of Ridge. But before long, someone came along who was happy to keep Ridge distracted… </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
29/29
