Young & Restless’ 25 All-Time Greatest Supercouples, Ranked, Rated and Ready for Your Review
It’s time to put a number on our love.
In its almost 50 years on the air, The Young and The Restless has given us countless pairings as the show has tried out seemingly endless combinations of love, lust and lukewarm tolerance. Some couples became instant hits, while others were all but booed off our screens by disinterested fans.
So we here at Soaps.com decided it was time to offer up a list of the show’s top 25 couples of all time — ranked, of course, because where would the fun be without putting a value on them? With that said, this was not an easy list to make.
More: The potential pairing we feel bad about
What makes a couple great? What makes Nick and Sharon, for instance, light up our screens no matter how many times they separate, while Nick and Chelsea had us struggling to stay awake? How do we balance classic couples like Lance and Lorie or Danny and Christine with new hits like Mariah and Tessa? What about the ones who were beloved before they spectacularly blew up like Kevin and Jana?
We debated, we argued, we called each other unspeakable things and threw some chairs — kidding, it was very friendly, as these things should be. There were more Top 10 couples than slots (seeing as how there’s only, you know, 10 spots available), so tough choices had to be made. Sometimes we even surprised ourselves when we stopped to think of how popular some of these couples were.
So, take a breath and click through our gallery to see where your favorite couples fall on our list. Maybe you’ll agree, or maybe you’ll think we’re crazy, but either way, it’s one fun ride!
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Image: JPI Studios
1/25
<p>Kevin and Jana were two deeply damaged people who shouldn’t have worked. But for a time, they did. And hey, we get it. When you find someone who accepts all your flaws, you don’t let go. Ever. Even if it means kidnapping him at gunpoint and locking him in a closet.</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
2/25
<p>We feel like sometimes poor Daniel gets overlooked, what with being sandwiched into Lily’s timeline between STD-spreading internet predator Kevin and love of a lifetime Cane. But back when they were married, Daniel and Lily were pure fire. And not the kind she was feeling after Kevin.</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
3/25
<p>Were John and Jill a great couple, or just great characters who should’ve been a great couple? Who’s to say? Besides us, that is. But if anyone was a power couple, it was these two. Plus, their second marriage gave us Billy! (The less said about their first union, during which Jack slept with stepmom Jill, the better.)</p>
Image: TriStar Columbia/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
4/25
<p>Kay’s love for the dashing Rex Sterling was so deep, she didn’t even care when she learned he was actually a homeless con named Bryan Romalotti (Danny and Gina’s dad) hired by Jill to, er, fall in love with her nemesis. We guess, congrats, Jill? That showed <em>her</em>.</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
5/25
<p>Ryan was still married to Victoria when he met slightly older widow Nina, but she gave him everything his young wife couldn’t — like one hell of a sex life! We guess there’s something to be said for experience. It was certainly enough for Ryan to fall head over heels and ditch his teen bride! </p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
6/25
<p>Bedding and marrying your groundskeeper may be a bit of a faux pas in high society, but if we were Traci, we would’ve done exactly the same thing with hunky Brad! Their two marriages weren’t that succesful, but we always rooted for these two. Then they lost Colleen, and Brad died and went to play with the angels. By which we mean Los Angeles. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
7/25
<p>As the chief of police and district attorney, Paul and Christine should have been Genoa City’s ultimate power couple. Who would have dared stop them? Plus, their selfie game was on point. But she’s since stepped down and Paul has, well, vanished, so we’ll have to content ourselves with memories of the pairing that always just seemed right.</p>
Image: CBS
8/25
<p>OK, yes, Victoria was only 16 when she fell for handsome 20-something Ryan, but they really were a sweet couple. Even if she felt pressured to sleep with him. And ended up with an AIDS/pregnancy scare. OK, this is sounding worse and worse… but they really <em>were</em> a popular couple!</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
9/25
<p>Lily may have moved on with Billy, but for some fans, there simply is no life after Cane. It just didn’t get much better than “Lane.” Then again, he <em>did</em> have a bad habit of lying to his wife/faking his own death without telling her, so we say you do you, girl. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
10/25
<p>Lovers or siblings? That’s not exactly a question most couples must answer, but in Genoa City, it’s more common than you might think. And once they did answer it, Kyle and Summer (then Hunter King) wasted no time in launching into the supercouple stratosphere. Lola might disagree, but where is she again? That’s right. Not with Kyle.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
11/25
<p>Few shined as brightly as Sharon and Adam when they were together. And that’s no small feat seeing as how they fell in love <em>after </em>Adam stole newborn Faith and gave her to Ashley! Granted, Sharon kicked him to the curb once she found out what he did, but we’ll be darned if she’s not still drawn to him like a moth to the flame!</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
12/25
<p>Yes, Hilary and Devon began their relationship while she was married to his father, Neil, but if adultery was a deal-breaker, half this list would be wiped out. Then again, we’re pretty sure they were the only ones who were sneaking around behind a <em>blind</em> man’s back. Shh, if you you don’t make a sound, he won’t know you’re there. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
13/25
<p>As the show’s first LGBTQ supercouple, Mariah and Tessa have a lot of expectations to live up to. And despite some bizarre sidetracks (who had Stitch kidnapping Mariah on their 2021 Bingo card?), they finally managed to make it down the aisle and begin their lives as a happily-wed pair.</p>
Image: CBS
14/25
<p>If any couple defined the show’s early years, it was Chris and Snapper. She came from the show’s wealthy core family, the Brookses; he, from its working-class clan, the Fosters. It was a real Romeo and Juliet moment — if Romeo was a busy medical student putting himself through school who never seemed to have time for Juliet. But hey, neither of them drank poison and died!</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
15/25
<p>You know you’ve hit the couples jackpot when you get an exotic wedding, and by the time Christine and Danny shared their Hawaiian nuptials, they were about as big as it came. But between the life of a rock star, psychos like David Kimble, creeps like predator-era Michael and schemers like Phyllis, these two never had it easy. But it was sweet while it lasted!</p>
Image: Courtesy of the Everett Collection
16/25
<p>There’s only one woman who ever gave Nikki a run for her money in Victor’s heart: Ashley! Their marriages may have been short, but the genuine affection they had for one another has endured. Even stealing his sperm for a secret baby wasn’t a deal-breaker! Heck, for Victor, that’s practically foreplay.</p>
Image: Brian Lowe/JPI
17/25
<p>They may not be the perfect couple, but whenever Nick and Phyllis are together, they’re red-hot. In fact, we doubt there are many places in Genoa City these two haven’t had sex. It wasn’t just the physical, though, that made these two click. At least, we’re pretty sure it wasn’t — not after three marriages! </p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
18/25
<p>The thing you have to remember is that when Victoria and Billy (here, Billy Miller) first got together, they were more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Tipsy monkeys, even. Her dad’s never-ending hatred of “Billy-Boy” couldn’t derail their love, but the loss of daughter Delia and Billy’s self-destructive behavior eventually did. </p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
19/25
<p>It doesn’t get much better than one of the show’s O.G. supercouples, Lorie and Lance. Dashing and debonair, Lance swept Lorie (and us!) off her feet. Plus, he had a crazy mom who hid her face behind a veil and killed herself to frame Lorie for murder, and few things can spice up a relationship like that!</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
20/25
<p>Is it any wonder Michael and Lauren dance so well together? She’s a reformed mean girl and he’s a reformed bad boy. OK, he’s a reformed sociopath, but the point is, if these two could turn their lives around to become a loving, stable couple, anyone can!</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
21/25
<p>Sometimes we feel that the only thing that kept Jack and Nikki from becoming <em>the Young & Restless</em> supercouple was Victor. Then again, since Jack getting revenge on The Mustache was the only reason he first wooed Nikki, we’re kind of getting into a chicken and egg sitch here. But, hey, love is love, and the feelings between these two were real!</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
22/25
<p>It’s hard not to get a little choked up looking at these two. Neil and Dru were two of the greats, finding their way back to each other over and over again until Drucilla’s death. For years, fans held out hope that she’d someday return and rekindle their love, but when we lost his portrayer, the late Kristoff St. John, that chance sadly passed.</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
23/25
<p>Jack and Phyllis’ relationship obviously began when she mistook him for a luxury office chair. They’ve fallen in and out of love repeatedly, and at one point believed they shared a daughter in Summer. (Thankfully, that proved not to be true, or Kyle and his current Mrs. wouldn’t have made this list!) Even when Jack and “Red” are apart, we can’t help rooting for them to reunite!</p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
24/25
<p>High school sweethearts don’t come any sweeter than these two, who for years managed to overcome the slings and arrows of cruel fate in order to remain one another’s true loves. And while eventually they would go their own way, many fans can’t help but think of them as following in the footsteps of Nikki and Victor. Speaking of whom… </p>
Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
25/25
