Days Of Our Lives
Friday's Soap Cliffhangers: Duke's False Face, Stephanie's Party, Nicole's Meltdown, Victoria Kidnapped!

Courtesy/ABC
As November Sweeps are in full bloom, your favorite daytime soaps gave fans some jaw-dropping, emotional and tense moments on yesterday’s cliffhanger Friday!
Of course, the one that most everyone is talking about is the key scene at the end of General Hospital, as Robin, after grilling “Duke” about moments together from their past, realizes she is not with the real Duke! And then came the shocker when “Duke” ripped off his false face to reveal … who? Fade to black!
Over at The Bold and the Beautiful, Stephanie’s goodbye party kicked-off and we were treated to some very short but tender moments between Stephanie and Eric, and her children including the return of Kristen and Felicia as the party is about to begin. Elsewhere, Katie who is losing her grip on reality is phoning Taylor, and Taylor is acting a bit suspicious too! Are the two conspiring to put Bill and Brooke together? What is going on here?
At Days of our Lives, Arianne Zuker (Nicole) gave a knockout performance as a woman unglued as Nicole’s machinations are exposed, complete with what appeared to be a suicide attempt with a scalpel held to her throat and then an attempt to jump! However, the best part of this for viewers is that this convoluted storyline involving Nicole, EJ, Rafe and Daniel and Jennifer will now come to an end! Please!
Finally at The Young and the Restless, Victoria has been kidnapped, Billy is to blame, and the guilty and upset hubby lets Victoria’s mother, Nikki, know they need money for a ransom to save her! It was tense drama in Genoa City!
So what was your favorite cliffhanger Friday moment and soap? Let us know!
Have a few questions about the soaps this week –on B&B why is it bright and sunny everywhere in LA except outside Katie’s apartment? Every time she is there it is raining. On Y&R why is Ronan’s mustache always appearing and disappearing off his face? The poor guy must have to shave twenty times a day On Days how is it possible that everyone affected by Nicole’s lie all ended up at Jennifer’s place at exactly at the right moment to hear the truth. I can’t even get my family to come to dinner all at the same time, that is a pretty amazing feat. Just wondering?
Hi Mary… we have to remember they are soaps! However I totally agree and got a kick out of your post. I hate the screens with Aspen or LA spelled out on our screens for time that they shouldn’t waste on the tacky labels. What they forgot was the label that the rainy scene was “Katie’s mind” and not the sunny LA that is really where she is.
The idea that all those people showed up in the Horton house and then the town square is truly strange… but they are soaps! The town square is the leading character on DOOL these days… sorry getting just a bit tired of it. Your comments were very funny!
Ronan’s on again off again facial hair is funny… but there are so many more strange things going on… but again the comments are very cute and funny!
Thanks for insights- wish my reality could sometimes work like soap opera reality. I agree those tags on B&B are really lame, maybe some writer just discovered Google Earth and thought it be really cool to use it on the show. The Horton square on Days seems to be the place to meet in Salem, but you have to admit it is a safer meeting place than the docks, which is where everyone used to hang out.
At least with the square you will always know what season it is by the decorations, unlike the docks. And now it is heading toward Christmas it would be great if the square had one of those shopping days left signs, so I could know when it was time to turn off the show and head to malls.
GH cliffhanger was creepy good, omg was it creepy good, didn’t expect the face to come off ,that part was awesome and unexpected even though there’s been speculation that Duke wasn’t really Duke, it was must see tv. Good job GH , I can’t wait till Monday, that’s what I call a cliffhanger!
I totally agree with you.. It was a SHOCKER!!!!!!!!!!
I hope Anna wakes up & realizes Duke is not Duke. And that Luke was right all along…
Fake Duke by far! It has to be Faison! So glad to finally have them say he is a fake as we all knew it! Maybe except for Anna… Can’t wait for the reveal! Love GH!!!
I agree with you Heidi, I also think it is Faison. Although, with Constance Towers returning as Helena once again, I know she will also figure into this somehow.
mine,tooo.. I should guess who the behind who do dirty work on Robin,anna,Mac,Luke,sam,Carly,Felica and Robert Scorpio who coming back to rescue for P.C. too bad,whoever wiped Jason out of the habor. I WANT JASON BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! too boring for McBsam don’t mix together.
finallyn,ore one lifers will be back. Fake duke will be Todd!
Huh? Where did that come from? Todd wasn’t even around when Robin was “alive.”
Good writers will be able to come up a good back story!
Ari Zuker has given outstanding performances ever since the now infamous October 8th when Nicole discovers her baby has died inside her. This week was no exception. She delivered a gripping, devastating yet entertaining performance that worked on all levels. Many kudos to her!
Over at GH, oh dear L-rd! I’m not watching but by the sounds of it, it’s typical RC! First the doctor, then “Duke”, and now someone else. Anything to stretch this story out further! And you (Michael) thought DAYS was dragging their baby storyline? How many months has the audience endured, and how many more months will the audience have to endure, when will Robin reunite with her family? 2014 perchance?
YR has not grabbed me since the new management came aboard. Not that MAB did either, but so far, I have missed episodes on YR and hardly care. Still boring and have no interest or reason for tuning in.
BB I wish I cared right now. I have never been a faithful, loyal viewer, but now would be the time to watch more than any other, yet, I can hardly bring myself to. Maybe months down the line I’ll rewatch all that I’ve been missing, but right now I just can’t seem to.
Agree! Ari Zucker did give a fabulous performance! She is very talented!
Agree somewhat with your comments about GH… but it is my favorite soap! Love it and want it to stay around for many more years… despite some of the things we don’t like so well For me it is the Connie stoyline.
Y&R is in a state of change at the moment… you can see the differences between the changes. Hoping it gets better and finds it’s momentum.
Totally agree with your comments on B&B! After Stephanie/Susan leaves I am not sure I will be able to watch it consistently… it is just too sad. They waste so much with so few minutes they have.
So sad for Nicole, but shr was wrong. I hope she is eventually reunited with EJ, but will tune in to her upcoming storyline with Eric, maybe Rafe thrown in. Still, Days isn’t very good right now.
GH by a landslide! That’s was a real cliffhanger is: suck you in, surprise and delight you, put you on the edge of your seat, pulling your hair out because you want more and know you won’t get it until Monday. That was GH today. Frankly, (no pun intended), it’s been that way a lot since Cartini arrived. Bravo!
The GH cliffhanger made ZERO sense. Taking his “face” off? How dumb does Ron believe he are? It’s the dumbest thing he’s ever written, and there’s been a lot of dumb things on that list.
DAYS/Y&R/B&B are on-top of their game and are the best soaps on the air. The Nicole confrontation had amazing acting on both Arianne Zucker and Kate Mansi; both actresses put on Emmy winning performances. Y&R has been on fire since J+J took the show over, which makes me laugh at those who said they’d “destroy” it. They’ve made the show a lot more centralized and character-dictated. Something the series has yet to be in the past five years.
B&B is honoring its history of Stephanie beautifully. And I am loving a Ridge-free enviornment. It makes for a much more enjoyable experiencing watching the series. The PPD storyline with Katie is so empowering that I’m over-taken with Ms. Tom’s excellent portrayal of Katie. I love it! Keep it up you three series.
Once again, we agree on GH. I’m so glad I’m not alone in not buying the overhyped nonsense that show is selling. If people love it, that’s great for them. But I’m finding it all convoluted, destructive to the legacy of characters and history and way, way over dramatized to the point of embarrassing to watch…which is why I no longer do.
Also agree with you on DAYS, all the way.
Maybe if I felt more connected to YR and BB I’d feel the same with you on both shows too. I’m a newer viewer to YR and was scratching my head at the possibility of the show being #1 in viewership with a constant swing dancing of partners and horrible plot points during MAB’s tenure. I want to give YR a shot now but I’m still not jiving with it. And in regards to BB, as I said in my own post above, I wish I cared. I genuinely mean that. Eventually I think I will spend an evening and watch all the clips together of Stephanie’s goodbyes but right now I just simply have no desire.
I’m not a GH follower, but if all you need to impersonate someone is a mask, someone should tell that to Stefano Dimera on Days, he could save a fortune in plastic surgery bills the next time he wants to kidnap a Brady and replace them with a double.
Days is having moments of brilliance again, not nodding off while it is on, so that is a good sign. Y&R, story wise still in transition, but the writing is so much better. Characters act like real people again, with real emotions, instead of stereotypes and melodramatics. Use to dislike Avery, but since giving her an apartment and a sense of humor she is becoming one of my new faves.
B&B, I am sorry but I am with Jules on that one. I am trying really hard to get back into it, since I began watching again for Stephanie’s goodbye. I am a fan, but for me watching this show right now is like watching paint dry and it saddens me because it used to be one of my never miss shows.
THE MAN THAT TOOK DUKES MASK OFF
I THINK IT WILL BE
CESAR FAISON JUST THE LOOK ON ROBINS FACE ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT
I totally agree!!!!
When the fake Duke took off his mask in front of Robin on Fri. She seem to recognoize
who it was .. Someone from her past…I think it’s Fasion too!!!!! But I am not really sure..
Wow! When he took his mask off I wasn’t expecting that to happen!!! It’s suspenseful &
exciting……..Can’t wait to watch GH on Monday!!!!!!! WHO IS IT?????
Why would duke be faison he was much smaller man and how come robin figured it out but anna who was married to him can not figure out that it is not him and she is the police comm o
Kathleen,
I know you want some sense of reality but come on. All soaps do this and you can argue whether it merits you to not watch OR go along for the ride. Personally, I love to suspend reality for an hour a day. GH has been so good since Frank & Ron have taken over. A number of beloved former cast members are returning and a respect for the history of GH is being used. If this is Faison, remember he and Helena were in cahoots faking Lucky’s death years ago so doing it to Robin is very intriguing. If you didn’t turn off GH when they had Casey the alien , then this is nothing. GH is top notch entertainment and I couldn’t be happier. So what if the actor who plays Faison is shorter or whatever. If Anna figured out everything right away she’d have no story. Remember Anna first came on GH with a fake scar…how come Robert didn’t figure that out right away either????
What?
“…Katie, who is losing her grip on reality, is phoning Taylor, and Taylor is acting a bit suspicious too! Are the two conspiring to put Bill and Brooke together? What is going on here?”
Taylor is the one who phoned Katie.
Taylor is acting suspicious because she insisted that Katie come back to her husband? How is she “conspiring” to get Bill & Brooke together?
Watching as Nicole mentally unravelled was just breathtaking. Ari was sublime and the rest of the cast as they watched were clearly in awe of her talent. Days is pretty good right now but I do wish they’d wrap up some storylines from the previous writers – Is John still legally married to Hope or did that divorce go through, and when will he & Marlena re-re-re-re-re-marry? Where will that leave Hope if/when Bo is declared dead – and then again when Peter Reckell comes back (face it!)? If Gabi is pregnant, the idea of Sami being a grandmothr is beyond laughable – she needs to grow up BIG time & stay with Rafe who grounds her (and makes Ali a better actress – when she’s with James, they both look like they are going to start giggling at any moment). Jennifer and Daniel TOTALLY need to get married and TOTALLY need to be killed off (bodies found, no coming back) – both characters are boring beyond belief. I am, however, IN LOVE with the Maggie/Victor pairing, as well as nurse Maxine – she really owns her scenes! Days needs to get back to character-driven umbrella storylines that take years to tell and get the heck away from love triangles & pregnancies. <3'in Days!
And the winner is………………..Cesar Faison!!!! WOW!
II think it will be Faison under the Duke mask!
Faison was one of my original guesses as to ‘who has Robin’ Make so much more sense than nice Duke coming back as lethal…. that is Faison’s thing!
glad we get them all back tho!
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.
The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.

Photo: CBS
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.
Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!

Photo: JPI
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
General Hospital, Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273
So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series

Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.

Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.

Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel

It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
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