General Hospital
Robert Palmer Watkins & Risa Dorken Preview The GH Nurses’ Ball 2017: Watch The Interview!
Courtesy/ABC
Those those red carpet arrivals, those touching and funny musical performances, those umbrella drama storylines – all are signatures of General Hospital’s annual Nurses’ Ball episodes, and those wardrobe malfunctions of Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring).
Each year, GH takes a break from the usual storytelling by bringing all elements together into the ‘ball’. What is on the docket this year? Well, we know their will be songs originally performed and written by the late David Bowie and George Michael, and one by Billy Joel. We know Kimberly McCullough will be in the house as Robin (the ball started because of Robin’s storyline with Stone when he died of AIDS and then she contracted HIV), and we know Michelle Stafford and Extra’s Mario Lopez will be on the red carpet as Nina Clay Cassadine, and Lopez as “himself”.
To get even more insight into what may go down as the episodes begin to unravel today, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman caught up very early in the morning with two of the singing sensations who will be performing in musical numbers in the ball: Robert Palmer Watkins (Dillon) and Risa Dorken (Amy) during a satellite media tour promoting the annual GH on-air event.
While the duo could not spoil too much for the audience, they did give us some intel on what to watch for and more!
Now after the jump, check out our GH Nurses’ Ball preview interview with the two of the brightest stars on the soaps these days… Robert and Risa. Then let us know what you are looking forward to this week on GH, and if you are excited to see Robert and Risa’s musical numbers in the comment section below!
RPW has really flourished on this show. For long time viewers who fondly remember a young Scott Clifton’s take on Dillon, it was tough at first. RPW’s Dillon is sweet and caring. He’s brought out the best in both Haley Erin and the Kiki character, plus held his own in scenes with Jane Elliott. I wish they’d show more of his emotional side. We never really got to feel Dillon’s recovery from learning Paul was a serial killer.
Risa is a fine actress. Unfortunately, the character of Amy is not needed on the show. Perhaps if they made her one of Lucy’s daughters, that would have been better.
I agree with what you said about RPW. As much as I think the character is somewhat Tuesday and Wednesday “filler,” I think the actor does a good job and did well in scenes with Jane. As far as Haley Erin is concerned, I can’t stand behind her as an actress. I’ve always disliked the character, Kiki Jerome, back when Kristen Alderson played her, and since then, the character has never grown on me. I had to laugh, when Dillon surprised Kiki with a spa package for all of her hard work passing the nursing program. Please. The character has never had a real job, and this is the first time that she’s ever done anything of value. Mind you, she finished the program in lightening speed, haha.
While I think the actress who plays Amy is a good actress, the character just annoys most viewers, and again, is “filler,” IMO.
Completely agree! When Hayley debuted as Kiki…she was awful!! Butbremember….it takes VERY VERY talented actors to sell the crsp material that Ron C. Was writing at the time! Now that most of tje characters are behaving and talking like real people again…and not cartoons….it is much easier for actors to sell the material! And…regarding Amy……WHY was she not made the daughter of long time nurse Amy Vining?? That would have endeared her to fans AND made her a legacy character!!
We’re not sure Amy Vining ever had sex. In the 20 years she was on the show, I think she had one boyfriend. Of course, that could’ve changed when she disappeared without notice from Port Chuck.
It was touching that she was remembered when they revived the NB a few years ago.
I loved Scott as Dillon. He is not available for a good reason. He is a B&B superstar! So we get Robert. He has grown on me. He is finding his way and seems like a cool dude.
Amy Vinning was a legendary character and the actress met a unfortunate early death. I would have left the name “Amy” alone. BUT, we have Amy Driscoll. I dont like the character. I thought Paul should have killed her off. But she is here and they are trying to tie her to other characters now. Whatever. The actress was on Facebook answering questions with Robert and seems a fan of the show. Where the hell is Lucas?
Agreed. Risa is a good actress and plays the character well, in terms of, playing her as an annoying busy body. However, the back story of how Amy and Maxie went to high school together and Maxie was a “mean girl” and a cheerleader…WHO CARES?!?!?!?! It’s not relevant to viewers since it’s a backstory attempt at a current storyline.
I was wondering about Lucas, too.
Apparently, this backstory is a lame attempt to create justification for Nurse Amy’s obvious desire to jump Nathan’s frame.
The back story is a rewrite of history. Maxie was never popular or a cheerleader in high school. How could she with her heart problem. Maxie was there. She was dealing with her and abandonment issues and got mixed up with Kyle who ended up making a sex tape of them and posting it on the internet. The writers are once again rewriting history to make a charcter they created and we can’t stand and shoving her down our throats. Maxie is a legacy character and a character many fans love. Don’t rewrite a long time characters history for the sake of a new character that’s has been on a little over a year.
The subplot featuring Nathan and Amy is just filler until Maxie returns. They are going to pay RP anyway, so they need to give him something to do other than arrest people & listen to Nina complain.
I find the red carpet scene laughingly bad..Mario Lopez interviewing the locals like Sam and Jason and others like they are well known celebs is such a joke…and as for the nurses dance numbers-hope none of them appear on Dancing With The Stars!!!
Jimh, and Nina’s awkwardness made me feel awkward watching the show! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I was rolling my eyes during Mario’s interview with Monotone Sam and Jason. Sam is exhausted having a newborn and toddler at home. Really? She doesn’t work and is the most useless P.I. So, what else does she do, besides talk in a monotone and put me to sleep?
Paging Britt and Brad….STAT! Your presence is required on the red carpet for your clever and scintillating takes on all things NB…
The actress who plays nurse Amy is very good but don’t like the Amy character. I hope Maxie returns to claim her man as Amy is on the prowl.
Exactly, Linda…like I’ve said before, I smell a “Fatal Attraction” storyline for this nosy nursey…There has always been something really unsettling and weird about this character!
Amy probably has an apartment with a secret room hidden behind a closet…inside is a metal human size cage she ordered from Amazon…she will drug Nathan and keep him prisoner in it…she will have him shirtless and dressed with a leopard cloth Tarzan-like outfit…lol
I wish Ellie Trout was still on the show. without Spinelli.
I don’t know, what nurses ball… Ellie and Nathan “dated” to make Spinelli and Maxie jealous. but it worked, for me
I saw a natural and at ease couple who are potential. Nathan West… dreamboat that he is… sparked.. with Ellie.
Adorable interview! I liked Robert Palmer as Dillon immediately…I love his style…whether as himself or as in character he’s just a “natural.” He doesn’t seem put on…he’s got an easy, cool, relaxed, friendly style both on and off screen and (for me) fit effortlessly into the role (even though I, too, liked Scott Clifton “back in the day.”)
Risa Dorken is so cute! Not sure what her background is but I can see her in musical theatre. I already see her in the role of Tracy Turnblad in another revival of HAIRSPRAY. She’s got such an exuberance..she sings/dances…has the cutest voice…and so pretty! I’d hate to see her turn into a Nathan “stalker”, LOL, though I do think they could incorporate her more into the story…find her a cute up ‘n’ coming doctor. (They seem to have dropped, surprise! the story that she had a crush on Dillon since high school and was hoping to have something with him when she found out they’d be working together at the Ball). After all her crushes it’d be nice if they have a sweet new couple. I do think as someone suggested they should have made her the daughter of Amy Vining…then she’d be connected and embraced.
oh…and Robert Palmer Watkins…if I were still at the age of putting posters on my wall of “hot” dudes…he’d be right up there! 🙂
Love RPW and Killon. As for Amy she needs to stay far away from Nathan, Maxie, and Naxie. She needs to go after a guy who isn’t marry.
Theirs were my two favorite performances at the Nurses’ Ball. His number with Kiki was all right, but the number did not suit them as well as last year’s, due to his considerable adorableness with Erin, and the Nurses’ Ball opening and closing numbers with Rita were awesome along wth Robin’s video.
amy and Nathan , are the best ,,they were marvelous ,, the ,, scene that they did to do their act , meeting and getting to make their scene ,, on general hospital , I have watched general hospital ,for years they performed,, they finally found ,,the best ,, scene ,,, thank you , for the best ,,
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”
Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.
In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.
She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’”
Photo: ABC
THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH
Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.”
The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.
As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”
So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
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