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NATAS President and CEO, Adam Sharp, Shares Details On Digital Drama Daytime Emmys, Ceremonies During COVID-19, and Keeping Winners A Secret

By Michael Fairman

Published

6 years ago

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Photo: NATAS

On Tuesday, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the hosts for the upcoming final two, of three, Daytime Emmy virtual ceremonies.  First up on July 19th is the Digital Drama Daytime Emmys with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Jai Rodriguez presiding over the night.  Then look for The Real’s Loni Love to take us through the Children’s, Animation and Educational Emmy Awards on July 26th.

Coming off a successful 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards back on broadcast TV for the first time in 11 years, and doing it during COVID-19 where everything had to be done remotely was no easy feat, and it was no easy task of ensuring the winners names would not leak before air in a pre-taped ceremony. But, NATAS President and CEO, Adam Sharp, and his team put together some safety measures that kept the drama alive of just who would win come Emmy night.

Now, heading into two more shows, Sharp chats with Michael Fairman TV and gives some Intel on what to watch for and look forward to on these upcoming ceremonies and just how the CBS broadcast of the Daytime Emmys came together and much more.  Here’s what Adam had to say.

Photo: CBS

So, let’s talk for a minute about the Digital Drama categories.  How many categories will you be doling out that night?  The Bay took home Outstanding Digital Drama Series already at the 47th Annual Daytime Emmys.

ADAM:  Seven: Two Leads, Two Supporting, Guest Performer, plus writing, and directing for a Digital Drama Series.

My understanding is that the Digital Drama Daytime Emmys will be live; as opposed to how the 47th annual Daytime Emmys were pre-taped?

ADAM:  Yes.  That’s the plan!

Phoo: CBS

How do you feel about that?  It certainly can add some unpredictability to the show.  I think people are a bit more forgiving in the imperfection of trying to deliver programming during COVID; because they’re now used to seeing their favorite performers on Zooms or whatever platform is being used.

ADAM:  I think with the telecast, from a production standpoint, we certainly played it somewhat safe, at least technically – in that everything was pre-taped and so on.  With our near decade away from being on a network and in primetime, I think there were a lot of advantages to that.  The program moved really quickly because you didn’t have to keep waiting for people to walk down the aisle.  I think it was great seeing the stars in their homes as well.  It felt really warm and intimate, which is important for Daytime because it is the most intimate part of television.  It isn’t something that you binge for 12 hours, and then wait a year to see what they offer next.  It a part of your daily life and you make a connection to these people.

How do you feel the response was to the 47th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS?

ADAM:  The feedback we’ve been hearing has been really positive.  I think people liked the feel of the show, the earnestness and that intimacy, and I think people appreciated the steps we took to at least try to be at as close to tradition as possible; in that a lot of people sort of rolled their eyes initially when we said, “Everyone is going to record an acceptance speech,” but then, I think when the show actually aired, and people realized the nominees still didn’t know if they won, the presenters didn’t know who won, the hosts didn’t know who won.

Photo: CBS

Is it true that the presenters also recorded different, “The winner is” versions?

ADAM:  Yes.  The presenters each did five envelope opens, and we internally used a video-sharing application across the production team, and there was a sort of going from government parlance – the classified and the unclassified system – where most of the production team could not see anything that divulged a winner.  While there were eight editors working on the show, there was only one, and then in the last day, two, editors who actually could see who those winners were and fill in those holes throughout the show.  I think that the fact that you then had stars reacting on social media in real-time to their winning, it brought some of live excitement to Emmy night, because I think fans started to realize, “Oh, my God! She really didn’t know she won.”  For example, Kelly Clarkson, who did a very emotional tribute to her mother in the acceptance speech, shared her reaction to her win on social media where you experience the screaming, and jumping up and down on the chair moment.

Yes, that and others provided some very real moments.  When I chatted with some of the winners via Zoom (immediately following the broadcast) those also were so were so raw, and emotional.  I was thrilled that I was able to do that and sort of emulate what the “Winner’s Walk” backstage looked like in a virtual setting.

ADAM:  I think there is a certain aspect that when you are in the auditorium with all of the lights, with everyone there, you’re walking up on the stage to someone, you are so aware that this is a performance, you are so aware of the glare of the lights, and the cameras, and so on, that sometimes it can feel like you don’t have permission to emote. I think in many cases, when people can be at home, I actually thought most of the acceptance speeches seemed a lot more relaxed.  I thought they seemed a lot more natural.  I felt like you were seeing much more of the person as opposed to the performance.  So, that’s something we are going to try to capture on the 19th with the Digital Drama Awards. The envelopes are being sent sealed from the accountants to the presenters.  The control room is not going to know ahead of time who the winners are.  That is going to be at show time to the control room, so they’ll be taking in these close to 50 live shots from around the country throughout the presentation of the seven-category show.  The intent is to do the as much the same on the 26th.  Every day is a learning experience right now.   We have 10 ceremonies to produce this year in the COVID context, and that’s not even looking at 2021 yet.  That gives us a lot of opportunity to experiment, and we are going to get a lot wrong, and we are going to get a lot right.

Photo: CBS

When people watch the Digital Drama Daytime Emmys on July 19th, is it going to be a quick seven categories?  Are there going to be other packages in the show?

ADAM:  So, because it is only seven categories, we are giving the show a little more room to breathe.  Even though we have already awarded the overall top digital drama the night of the 47th annual Daytime Emmys, , we are going to do a little bit of a retrospective of the season of all of the shows, a little bit more than we had time for in the telecast.  There be some conversation before the reveal of the winner. We are experimenting with a few things there that you can’t do in the stage show version, and you can’t do in the pre-tape, but where the live nature of it, and the Zooming nature of it allows it.

Then on the July 26th Daytime Emmys for Children’s, Lifestyle and Animation programming, how many categories will be featured there?

ADAM:  About 20-ish categories, and then another bunch will be presented on social media afterwards the same way we did the night of the telecast.  This is absolutely a bigger show because Daytime is comprised of a hundred categories, and we are not even halfway through giving them out yet.

Photo: CBS

For clarification for the fans who read this, what kind of categories will they see presented in terms of “Family Viewing” or “Lifestyle”, etc?

ADAM:  That is going to include several categories that were not on the telecast.  So, for example, we had Entertainment Talk Show Host, but not Informational Talk Show Host during the telecast.  We had Culinary Show, but not Culinary Host, a lot of the craft categories for those shows, so the Lifestyle block is very much Talk, Travel, Culinary.  Then, we have the Children’s categories: Children’s Animation and Educational Programming, we have the Family Viewing categories, and you’ll recall this year we added a Young Adult track to the competition, so that will be in that show as well and wound up being extremely competitive in its first year.  That was a category that sort of spun out because of the growth of the competition where you had these programs that were still designed for a younger audience.  They were clearly designed for a teen audience, so you wouldn’t put them in a category next to a soap, for example. But they were dealing with more mature themes, and the closest thing in our history was when we still honored “After School Specials” back in the day, but then that category went away as that type of programming went away.  Now, as it started to make a digital comeback, it felt strange to have a nomination that was dealing with teen suicide, pregnancy, opioid addiction … and then the next nominee is… Big Bird!  So, as this genre really grew and it didn’t really have a place in Drama, it didn’t really have a place in Children’s, and now, it’s actually become a diverse enough category to be very competitive on its own, so we are really excited to see that.

Photo: ABC

When you watched the Daytime Emmys, Black Lives Matter was certainly present in a lot of the speeches and moments.  You also included the clip when Al Freeman (Ex-Ed Hall) One Life to Live, won Lead Actor, being the first African-American performer to do so.

ADAM:  There was a lot of need to acknowledge the moment.  So, from the coronavirus standpoint, the whole format of the show was an acknowledgement of the moment, and then certainly in the close, Marie Osmond reminding people to stay safe and stay healthy and so on.  I think that there wasn’t as much of a need to lean in too far on COVID, that was certainly understood.  On Black Lives Matter, I think it was very much raw. It was something that had to be addressed and had to be addressed tastefully.  I think that we were successful in that.  I think the Al Freeman moment was also important there because it did recognize without being too heavy handed that Daytime has always been very much at the forefront on social issues, not just race issues like that, but certainly the first gay marriage on television, the first gay kiss, the first abortion on television.  Now, you look at the show coming up on the 19th for the Digital Drama, where we have the first two trans performers nominated for performance roles, the first drag performer nominated for a performance role, and so in every way, Daytime has been at the forefront.  If you look at the nominees, the winners, the presenters, the Daytime Awards have consistently been the most inclusive, diverse, equitable of the awards ceremonies, and we continue to do that.

Did you have a favorite moment from the Daytime Emmys on CBS?

ADAM: I think for me, Cookie Monster presenting Culinary Show, as he stammers on nominees, and it becomes, “and the nom-nom-nom-nom-nom,” and he eats the envelope, that was something that in the high-stress moments of getting the show together, I could always go back to that cut and get a laugh and break the tension of the room.

Photo: CBS

Over 3 million viewers tuned-in to the 47th annual Daytime Emmys.  Do you think they will be back next year on network TV and on CBS? 

ADAM:  I hope so.  We certainly beat the average for the timeslot since they’ve gone into reruns.  While it was less total viewers than the last time we were on CBS, that was nearly a decade ago where viewing habits were very different.  But I think over 3 million was a very good sign.  I think it was notable that when you watched the show, almost all of the advertisers were traditional daytime advertisers that followed us into primetime.  CBS sold out the show.  There were advertisers who were actually clamoring to buy that time, and they bought every minute of it that was available.  I think we were really firing on all cylinders there.  I think we reengaged with the community.  I was deeply touched that Patrika Darbo accepted her invitation to present because while it was more of a quiet nod to those on the inside of the community than perhaps the audience, I think it was very important closure to some of the past struggles of the show that both of us have recognized those errors of the past, but the community moves forward together.

Photo: HutchnsPhoto.com

You gave Patrika Darbo the duties of introducing the emotional In-Memoriam tribute.  Was your intent to give her that piece?

ADAM:  Yes.  It really was that we, as an academy made a lot of mistakes in the past, and she, through no intention or fault of her own, was the victim of a lot of that.  You know, she didn’t prepare the reel.  She didn’t realize that she wasn’t eligible in the category, and so she, by virtue of that, sort of was the one who then had to bear the headlines of the Emmy being taken away and so on.  So, it is impossible to completely make that up to her, but at least to recognize her and her standing in our community was something that was very important to do.

Photo: JPI

How nervous were you that the winners would somehow be leaked before the 47th annual Daytime Emmys aired?

ADAM:  I was afraid, but I also knew that we were taking every step we could to ensure that security, and in many cases to the point of absurdity.  The logistics of chasing down all of those acceptance speeches, the hours that our lawyer spend on the phone negotiating the leases for video that was never going to be used, basically giving ourselves, for most of the show, five times the amount of work that we needed to just for maintain that security.  Then, even when people did know, keeping that segmented so that nobody would know the whole picture at once.  It definitely brought back memories of my government service.  The most terrifying was probably the hours between delivery to CBS and airing, because that’s when you know it’s getting closed captioned, it’s getting put up on a satellite etc, but CBS are old hands at this.  They do it with every Survivor finale and so on and so forth.  They were great at keeping the secret for us.

So, looking for to the Digital Drama Daytime Emmys that will be live? What did you think about the information shared by Adam on the making of the 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Comment blow.

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I know a lot of people liked this version of the Emmy’s, but I IDN’T!! In fact, I could even say I hated it!

Everything was “CANNED,” obviously.
Everything was pre-recorded, and then edited to the nth degree!
There was no interacting between the hostesses.
There was no spontaneity!
The hostesses didn’t comment on,or congratulate the winners.
There was no suspense.
There was no applause.
There was no orchestra.
There was no red carpet.
There was NOTHING to make the show fun or interesting.
If they can’t do a normal awards show in the future, DON’T BOTHER!
I’ll settle for reading who won online.

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Michael,

I wish you would have asked Adam Sharp about why they merged the Younger Actor and Younger Actress category into one category this year, only for five women to be nominated at the exclusion of some very talented and worthy younger male actors like William Lipton and Garren Stitt, among many others. I would love to hear the reasoning for why they made that change. It honestly comes across like a change that they made for the sake of making a change, not because there was a huge issue that needed to be corrected.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)

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1 week ago

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June 14, 2026

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On General Hospital, the current PCPD commissioner Dante Falconeri  (Dominic Zamprogna) has been lied to, and kept in the dark, by those he thought he could trust which includes his ex-wife Lulu (Alexa Havins), his own son, Rocco (Finn Carr) and a man he considers a good friend and police partner, “Nathan” West, only Dante doesn’t know that “Nathan” is a fraud, and really his twin brother, Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey)!

The only person, who seems to be a good friend and reliable is ‘General Hospital’ head nurse Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst). For months, GH viewers are witnessing key moments when Dante and Elizabeth are there for each other. In fact, she helped Dante realize it was Rocco who shot Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) and was willing to help him cover up the crime so his son does not go to prison. Problem is, Rocco took off with Britt Westbourne (Kelly Theibaud) and as of now Dante has no idea where they are.

In a new and exclusive interview out this weekend on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Dominic Zamprogna chats about the potential pairing of Dante and Elizabeth and the opportunity to work with beloved longtime GH favorite, Rebecca Herbst, and if he thinks when all is said and done, Dante will wind up back with Lulu. Here’s some excerpts from the conversation below.

Courtesy/ABC

ELIZABETH HAS PROVEN HERSELF TRUSTWORTHY TO DANTE

Speaking on how Dante feels currently about Elizabeth, Zamprogna explained, “At this point, Elizabeth is the only person, he can trust. She’s the only one who’s essentially told Dante what’s what. But. there’s also this connection for sure beyond that, right? That’s something that we’ve tried to play. We don’t know what the end game is, honestly, as actors, I don’t know what the end game is. You have to assume that every time you’re in a scene with anybody, you’re chemistry testing, and you want to do right by the characters.”

Although Dante’s primary romances have been with Lulu and the late Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco), a paring of Dante and Liz has never been approached by the series until now.

“To me, it’s interesting because they’ve never really explored anything between Dante and Elizabeth before. So, it’s all kind of new,” shared Dominic. “That’s the most exciting part of any relationship, the new stuff, before you jump into the domesticated stuff. That’s maybe where Ric (Rick Hearst) and Elizabeth are. They’re kind of more in this domesticated thing, or experiencing that, whereas Dante and Elizabeth truly are kind of needing each other at this moment.”

As Dominic explains it, Dante has found himself needing Elizabeth as his sounding board, since everyone else betrayed him. “Dante definitely needs Elizabeth and has reached out to her. She’s been honest, and provided him with things that he needed (to help cover up that his son, Rocco shot Cullum), explains the five-time Daytime Emmy nominee. “There’s also the other stuff that he’s finding out about her that he didn’t know. Like when she’s in the office with him and she’s talking about her past and the trauma that she’s been through (referring to Elizabeth’s rape).”

Courtesy/ABC

COULD THERE BE A DANTE/ELIZABETH/RIC TRIANGLE AHEAD?

Dominic continued with high praise for his co-star, “It’s interesting for me to play, because I don’t know that story of Elizabeth as an actor, because it was before I got to the show. So, it’s two characters finding out more about each other who’ve been in each other’s orbit for 17 years. (As to the potential pairing), I’m happy to hear people are  digging it because I dig it. Rebecca is phenomenal, and she plays a legacy character, and to me, one of the best actors on the show.”

With Lulu seemingly falling for “Nathan” and then currently breaking it off, Zamprogna and GH fans are awaiting to see what happens when Lulu finds out that “Nathan” is Cassius, while also finding out if Ric Lansing could be the true spoiler in any potential Liz and Dante budding romance.

“I don’t know what the long game is. I literally have no clue,” shared Zamprogna. “I currently don’t believe that there’s a Dante/Lulu happening. It feels like if they did go down the road of Dante and Ric fighting for Elizabeth, I think that would be interesting to have two guys fighting over her as opposed to two women fighting over Ric and Dante.”

Courtesy/ABC

PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR DANTE/ELIZABETH ROMANCE

GH fans will recall the recent scenes where Elizabeth was dressed for her date with Ric, but stopped by Dante’s office at the PCPD first. Dante remarked, in so many words, how beautiful she looked.

Zamprogna hoped that viewers caught it, explaining, “Those are real little moments that I’m always happy or captured. It’s two people who don’t have a romantic relationship, but, planting those little seeds of her coming in and him seeing her out of her scrubs for the first time and being like, ‘Oh my, God  You look amazing.”  And then as the scene ends, they’re kind of wrapped up in things, and then he is like, ‘I could keep talking to you forever,’ but she has a date to get to with Ric.”

You can check out the full conversation with Dominic Zamprogna now on the Michael Fairman Channel below.

Now, let us know, after checking out Dominic’s thoughts on a potential Dante and Elizabeth pairing? Are you hoping the GH writers put them together, or do you want Liz with Ric? And, do you think the end game will still be Dante and Lulu as the exes still have to come together to find their son, Rocco, who is on the run with Britt? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Brandon Claybon Talks Inclusion, The Crossover, While the Fate of Martin Richardson Hangs in the Balance

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1 week ago

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June 13, 2026

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On Friday’s June 12 episode of Beyond the Gates, after it appeared Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) survived being trapped under a tree after a tornado ripped through Fairmont Crest, viewers were left with a frightening cliffhanger when Martin got up and tries to walk, but only took two steps before he collapsed right in front of his husband, Smitty (Mike Manning)!

Previously, Martin had directed Shonda to use all the money donated from his campaign fundraiser for tornado relief efforts. Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix), Ted (Keith D. Robinson) and Smitty advised Martin that he needed to go to the hospital to get check out for any internal injuries or brain trauma. However, when Martin found out his sister Kat (Colby Nixon) was missing he began to panic. Martin says he just wants to go home and get some rest, even as his husband told him he should get checked out. Now, viewers will need to wait till the Monday, June 15 episode to see the upshot.

Official Beyond the Gates spoilers for June 15 share, “In the wake of the tornado, Shanice, Ashley and Jacob rush into action when someone collapses. Meanwhile, emergency surgery is required to save a life. Nicole’s update worries Samantha and Tyrell.” But is the surgery for Eva (Ambyr Michelle) who was rushed to the hospital or Martin?

Courtesy/CBS

MEETING THEE VICTOR NEWMAN

With such a pivotal week of story, Michael Fairman TV caught up with Brandon Claybon earlier this week during a roundtable press junket at A Toast for Black Excellence event in Los Angeles, promoting the major crossover event on Beyond the Gates which featured six cast members from The Young and the Restless, who also got caught up in the twister, but not the mighty Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). He somehow escaped and made it back to Genoa City in one piece.

Claybon shared his excitement of initially meeting Eric Braeden, because in the Black community, they have a long-history of watching the soap, and love Victor! “I think I just had to pinch myself because I was shaking hands with Victor Newman (on-screen), that means so much too many people spiritually,” expressed Brandon. “For people in my community, Victor Newman is everything and to have the Y&R cast in Atlanta and at our studios.”

While viewers wait to find out the fate of Martin Richardson, Claybon recalled the shooting of the Tornado storyline. “These episodes were a lot of hard work. We’re talking about 12 to 15 hour days, and you have to think about all of the actors supporting each other, it’s tremendous. Everything that we went through that viewers we’ll see sooner or later was so well worth it!”

Courtesy/CBS

PRIDE MONTH REPRESENTATION

In a very important illustration of inclusion, it was key in the story to note that Genoa City titans, Victor Newman and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), were backing Martin Richardson’s political campaign. Martin is married to Smitty in an interracial romance, and the two men are raising two black teenagers, which is a first on daytime television for a nucleus of a family. This story point is not lost on Claybon.

“Martin needs money (it was a fundraiser), so it was amazing that both Victor Newman and Jack Abbott were financially helping him with his campaign. This is is Pride month, you know, and for the first interracial gay couple on daytime TV, people are coming up to me to all the time, saying, “I see myself in your character and relationship,” and that’s what it means, representation, and that’s what we’re here for. It’s something that I’ve prepared for and I do know the responsibility it holds. Martin loves Smitty dearly, and Martin loves his family, and family is everything now.”

Previously, Michael Fairman TV spoke with Beyond the Gates series creator, head writer and executive producer, Michele Val Jean, where she named the racism storyline involving Martin killing a white bigot to protect himself and his grandfather, Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis), one of her favorite storylines in the young soap’s history.”It’s absolutely remarkable. She didn’t tell me this. I didn’t know, but it means a lot coming from her,” expressed Brandon. “Michele’s been doing this a long time, and especially for her to have her own show, she thought it would never happen. The words, “a legacy.” I think about it all the time, especially because the show has the power to change attitudes.”

Photo: CBS

WILL BEYOND THE GATES SCORE BIG AT UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS?

Coming up next month, the nominations are expected to be announced for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. This would mark the first year that Beyond the Gates is eligible for the competition for its season 1. Will they triumph?

Claybon had this perspective, “I am looking forward to having a moment to celebrate with the cast, and with each other. That’s the most important thing. Recognition is fun, but at the same time, it’s not why we do this. I’m an actor, but my passion in life is to encourage, uplift, entertain and inspire. I don’t want to think about that when acting. Let (awards) come if they may, but if they don’t, I’ll still be OK.”

You can check out a moment from Friday’s Beyond the Gates below, where Martin is seemingly “OK” and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) finds out Victor got out of Fairmont Crest just in time!

Now let us know, what do you think will be the fate of Martin Richardson? Will he have sustained a life-altering brain injury or be OK? What did you think of the final episode of the crossover? Do you enjoy the portrayal of the same-sex relationship between Martin and Smitty and sees its importance, as we are in the middle of Pride Month? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

Peter Bergman and Daphnée Duplaix Preview ‘Beyond the Gates’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover and What Befalls Jack and Nicole Amidst a Tornado (Exclusive)

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2 weeks ago

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June 6, 2026

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Get ready for an action-packed story arc when several of Genoa City’s most prominent residents descend on Fairmont Crest for a fundraiser for congressman Martin Richardson’s (Brandon Claybon) campaign which kickstarts the four episode CBS daytime crossover event between Beyond the Gates and The Young and the Restless.

Beginning Tuesday, June 9 and airing though Friday, June 12 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, in true soap opera fashion, a tornado is heading straight towards the D.C./Maryland area and strikes during the soiree, putting everyone’s life in peril.

Participating in the crossover from The Young and the Restless are: Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters), Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor), Devon Winters (Bryton James) and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway). 

Photo: CBS

Now, as is soap opera tradition, when a tornado strikes your soap town, expect the story to be anchored on who is stuck with who? Is it an ex-husband, a former flame, a hot stranger, feuding sisters, anything and everything is on the table for this one, folks!

As a prelude to what fans will see, Peter Bergman and Daphnée Duplaix (Nicole Dupree Richardson, Beyond the Gates) visited the Michael Fairman Channel to give us the ultimate tease. Below are just a few nuggets we learned from the conversation.

JACK AND DIANE CAN’T SEEM TO FIND COMMON GROUND

Already on the outs with his wife, Diane, how does coming to Fairmont Crest impact a reconciliation between the two? Peter Bergman shared, “One would think you could build on that and that it would bring them closer together. A fellah can dream! Jack was hopeful that this little exit to Maryland might rekindle some things, might help things heal. However, Jack goes back to Genoa City fighting for his marriage.”

Courtesy/CBS

WILL NICOLE CHOOSE A MAN WHILE IN THE RUBBLE?

As for Nicole, she has been playing the field dating two men: Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald (Robert Christopher Riley) and Dr. Kial Rollins (Greg Vaughan), and she still has her ex-husband Dr.Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) wanting her back, might the epic tornado bring her some clarify?

Duplaix explained, “Nicole is still very much in, ‘I am having fun. I’m discovering myself. Do not give me any pressure. Don’t stress me out,’ mode. She does want to give her heart to somebody, but is still scared. So she’s like, ‘let’s just sit back and have some fun.’ As for Ted, I’m still friendly. I’m still kind (towards him).”

Both Daphnée and Peter reported they were most impressed by how Beyond the Gates was able to pull off a natural disaster ripping through Fairmont Crest, so the enormity of it could be played out on-screen in soapy fashion, but leveled up the Beyond the Gates way.

THE MAKING OF A SOAP OPERA TORNADO

“This was movie level quality on a daytime soap,” exclaimed Duplaix. “We used a completely different stage to be able to have the amount of people that we had in these scenes. It was pretty incredible and intense. I think everybody held their own from the front of the camera to the behind the camera, and I think the fans audience are going be not just surprised, but definitely satisfied.”

Twenty-five time Daytime Emmy nominee and a three time winner, Peter Bergman, certainly knows a thing or two about soap operas. Through the year, he has made no bones in previous interviews that he is a student of the genre and does watch other soaps and actors from those respective soaps. Peter was well aware that Beyond the Gates in its year and a half existence has delivered every time they have a major reveal planned.

Courtesy/CBS

ANOTHER SHOCKER IS ON THE WAY

Bergman agreed and added, “So, you are a brand new show. What do you know about what really works in daytime television? Let’s work the things that really work and those shows that have been on 50 years, are not looking for those moments. They’re just kind of keeping the whole thing going. These people are artistically and scientifically looking at what works. Beyond the Gates is a really clever show in that way. There are Cliffhangers left and right. Great idea.”

In the end, Duplaix and Bergman summed up what viewers are about to see best, with Peter giving us a major spoiler alert to be on the lookout for. “It’s all exciting. There’s twists, there’s turns. Things you’re definitely not going expect to happen,” stated Duplaix. “The thing that we are used to as far as natural disasters in the soap opera world are there, but the storylines around what you expect are going be really fun to watch.” Peter concluded with (and wait or it!), “Just when you think they just got through all this crazy wind, something happens that is just nuts!”

You can check out the full conversation with Peter Bergman and Daphnée Duplaix below from You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, followed by the official Beyond the Gates promo for the crossover event. We say, look closely at who’s with whom, and what is going down and compare notes from our interview with that, and let us know if you think you have some things figured out!

Now, are you looking forward to the crossover between Beyond the Gates and Y&R? what do you think will be the surprise twist at the end of the tornado episodes? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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