General Hospital
DWTS All-Stars Finale: Melissa & Tony Crowned Champs! GH's Kelly & Val Take Third!

Courtesy/ABC
After performing one last dance routine in the Insta-dance round, the three finalists for the Mirror Ball Trophy gave their all as the season 15 season champs were crowned tonight on the finale of Dancing with the Stars All-Stars.
General Hospital’s Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy performed the jive which was fun, bouncy, and sexy all at the same time. After their final performance, judge Carrie Ann Inaba said of Kelly and Val, “They’ve won our hearts.” Kelly and Val scored a 28,5 for their last dance. However, just before receiving their scores, leave it to DWTS All-Stars co-host, Brooke Burke-Charvet to once again try to get the scoop on what exactly is going on between Kelly and Val, whose chemistry is undeniable. Kelly revealed, “Listen, I hope everybody can have friendships like this. This is the foundation of an amazing friendship.” “It’s unconditional love,” Val adds, “It doesn’t have to be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
But in the end, when it was time to get down to the results, it was Kelly and Val who were sent home first, ending their season in a more than respectable third place finish! After being eliminated Monaco said, “It’s a completely different experience for me than season one. The journey was amazing. This guy is the most incredible man and he’s the most talented dancer out there.”

Courtesy/ABC
That left two powerhouse dance couples Olympian Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough vs. Reality star and TV host (and former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader) Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani.
And when host Tom Bergeron revealed the winner, it was Melissa and Tony who got the prize and two very special Mirror Ball Trophies! What was so special about their win was that they were the only couple to not to have previously won a season of DWTS. And as for the very popular Dovolani, it took 14 seasons for him to score his first victory. From the on set celebration, you could genuinely tell that the cast, and especially the professional dancers were thrilled for him.
So are you happy that Melissa and Tony were crowned the champs? Do you think it should have been Shawn and Derek, or Kelly and Val, instead? And do you believe that Kelly and Val are just very dear friends? Weigh-in! Plus, make sure to watch Good Morning America tomorrow morning when the three couples jet to New York for a very special interview!
I definitely think Kelly + Val were the best but Val doesn’t have the following that Derek and Tony have, so I knew they wouldn’t win but was hoping that Shawn + Derek would if Kelly/Val didn’t but NOT Melissa and Tony. She has no rhythm and they are boring.
I’m disappointed that Kelly didn’t win as I thought her dances, especially last weeks and last night and tonight were the best of all!!! I felt that the judges deliberately graded her on a different scale than the others based on their own personal preferences for the entire season. Melissa’s first dance last night was great but her second not so much. And yet she got all 10s and Kelly’s beautifully danced freestyle got 9 1/2s! And Melissa’s dance tonight was terrible but she got the same exact score as Kelly whose instant dance was absolutely fantastic and deserved all 10s! Shawn’s first dance was great but they deliberately broke the judges rules again which I found very disrespectful. And her second dance was 20% dancing and 80% gymnastics. It was a great show but it wasn’t dancing and this is a DANCING competition.
I’ve watched DWTS since the very first season when Kelly won but I doubt I will ever watch again. The judges, especially Len, decided he wanted Melissa to win and they fixed their scores accordingly. That was especially evident when Kelly was never given a single 10 even when they were well deserved, and other dancers got 10s that I felt were not deserved at all. And in the last two weeks of dances where Kelly was at the top of her game, every single one of her scores was lower than it deserved, while others whose dances I didn’t think were as good or were equal got 10s! That is not fair and partial judging and if that is the way they are going to behave than I have no interest in supporting this show any longer!!
It seemed to be a sit up from the start, because Melissa was not that good and yet she keep getting high scores from the judges. Why didn’t they put up the total for fans votes? Kelly and Shawn robbed before they even danced. Mel always had some reason why she couldn’nt do this or that and her partner run his mouth to much. Kelly and Shawn didn’r have a chance. Show up the numbers of fan votes,we how what the judges did to keep her in.
Sharon .. I agree with you a 100% and I would like to add that Melissa didn’t have any passion when she danced… she was like a robot. Like you said …. I think it was fixed from the beginning, and Shawn was doing gymnastics NOT dance ……
Our Kelly I wish.
All three couples did exceptionally well and earned their spot in the final three, and while I love and was pulling for Kelly and Val, Melissa and Tony deserved the win. Much congratulations to all !!!! As for are they or aren’t they a real couple, it certainly looks like they are (astounding chemistry and respect for eachother), and they sure do make an adorable couple, but if Kelly said this is an “amazing friendship” than I will go with that, because what happens off of the dance floor is their business.
LOVED that Tony won! Seems like a terrific guy…great dancer/choreograher…great spirit…perfect pairing with Melissa. His happiness emanated from the screen!
As for Kelly and Val; I’d think they were just friends since her boyfriend sat in the audience next to Nancy Lee Graham the entire season!
YES! I’m thrilled that Melissa and Tony won. I was rooting for them the first time around and even more this time.
All three did great with their instant dances.
Kelly and Val came in third, which was right. They seem like they have a great connection and could be more than friends, but I read Kelly has a bf so maybe they’re just really good friends. Whatever. Enjoyed their dancing and am happy they made a new friend.
CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA AND TONY!
I think it’s great that Kelly and Val placed third since she’s already got a mirror ball trophy. Over the last few weeks Melissa and Tony really stepped it up and showed us what they’re made of. You just never know with DWTS so I’ve always got my DISH Hopper recording the new episodes each week once the show is back on the air and thanks to PrimeTime Anytime it does it automatically on the big four networks. I was really impressed with their dances the night before the big finale and their scores. The judges saw their growth as dancers and that’s fantastic! My DISh co-worker thought that Shawn should have won but I disagree. Shawn’s freestyle was less dancing and more gymnastics which didn’t do much to impress me since she is a retired Olympic gymnast. Congratulations Melissa and Tony!
I was pulling for Kelly and Val all season and they made it to the 3 spot which is a great accomplishment, however, Melissa & Shawn were really, really good!!
I think DWTS got it right with Melissa & Tony. They led the leaderboard with perfect scores, had they not won then Shawn and Derek would have been my choice.
In the end, perhaps Kelly & Val got something even bigger than the trophy – they found each other 🙂
Who is Mel? I do not believe that she has a fan base as large as Kelly and Shawn. Lets see the number of fan votes for them. She was always complaining about something on her and her partner talked to damn much. this is bull. POST the numbers!
I agree the numbers should be posted, there should be some form of accountability to ensure the home votes are being counted accurately and fairly. This would remove the stigma the show has had for years that votes are tampered with in some manner.
I didn’t know who Mel was either until my sister filled me in .. she won a Bachelor show once and then the guy dumped her and went with the runner up! I think she got pity votes from all the “Bachelor” show watchers???
Melissa and Tony were the sentimental favorite, more for Ton’y’s sake than hers. Every year the show pairs him with the worse dancers and pair the better ones with the pro darlings like Derek and Mark. On Melissa’s original season she was a last minute substitution for Nancy O Dell who would have never made the finals. So this was Tony’s second and most likely last chance for a mirror ball, so I am glad he got it.
Kelly did great, everyone did, but kelly proved that she deserved to win in the first season, i doubt if john hurley would of made it this far this time around.
of the three, I was rooting for Melissa and Tony to win. If not them, then Shawn, so it actually went in that order. So happy for Melissa!
Third time is a charm! Maybe Kelly will try DWTS again..
Let’s face it the contest is FIXED. Any fool could see it.
I think some of the fans are right about the judging.Why bother to vote on line or call in if we never know the numbers totals by the fans? I do agree that Shawn is a gymnast first and foremost which precludes actually just dancing.I love Kelly and Val, but i thought all along it would be Melissa and Tony. and I’m glad he won after so many years. Let’s face it..this was great entertainment all around..
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.
Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Photo: ABC
WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON
Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”
Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC
Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”
When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC
MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES
One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”
“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good. I was working with Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.
A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?
As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.
You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.
Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.
-

General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Maurice Benard Talks: New ‘Sonny’ Storyline, His Contract, and Three Characters He Would Want to See Back in Port Charles
-

Days Of Our Lives1 week agoHow John Oliver’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest Star Turn as ‘Devlin St. John’ Came to an End
-

Breaking News7 days agoJohn Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
-

Days Of Our Lives5 days ago‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
-

General Hospital5 days ago‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
-

Breaking News1 week agoHayden Panettiere, ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum, Dead at 36
-

Recaps1 week agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Sharon, Nick and Marie Struggle in Aftermath of a Relapse; Jade Harlow Shares She’s ‘Really Proud’ and ‘Grateful’ to ‘Show How Addiction Can Touch Anyone’ (Exclusive)
-

News1 week agoB&B’s Don Diamont Recalls His Soap Start on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Confrontation with Exec Prod Al Rabin (Exclusive ‘Soapy’ Preview)













