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Colleen Zenk Opens Up on Her Y&R Exit: “I Thought That Ian and Jordan Would Go Out like Bonnie and Clyde Together”

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JPI

Last week, Jordan Howard met her maker when she drank tea laced with an overdose of sleeping pills, thanks to Claire (Hayley Erin) in proper payback for taking the woman as a child from her true parents at birth, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) and Cole Howard (J Eddie Peck).

In her final scenes, daytime veteran, Colleen Zenk received scene-chewing scripts where as Jordan takes her last breaths she is still spewing venom at the Newmans. Clearly, Jordan knew she was trapped so she decided to end her life by drinking the ill-fated tea.

In a role that started out in November of 2023 for about 13 episodes f, Zenk recalled in an exit interview with TV Insider, “Then the 12 shows turned into 50 and then I came back for another 22. It’s just been a great ride with a great group of people, from actors to production.”

Photo: JPI

As to how she envisioned the comeuppance for Jordan, Zenk shared, “I’m sad Jordan went away so quickly. I thought that Ian (Ray Wise) and Jordan would go out like Bonnie and Clyde together.” Y&R viewers know that the twist on Sharon’s (Sharon Case) erratic and strange behavior, the death of Heather Stevens (Vail Bloom), Phyllis’ (Michelle Stafford) car accident and more, were caused by the shocking return and plans of the dastardly duo of Ian and Jordan.

Zenk gave some insight on how she approached crazy Jordan expressing, “I wasn’t given really any direction. I just had to go with what was on the page and figure Jordan out myself. The only thing I kept saying to Josh Griffith (executive producer and head writer, Y&R) was, ‘If I go too far, pull me back.’ He (Josh) answered ‘You can’t go too far.’ I went, ‘OK.’ That was very freeing as an actor. I had to jump in with both feet and not even think about how out there I was being.”

Photo: JPI

While Colleen, of course, would have wished, Jordan’s machinations could have gone on even longer, she came away with great restored belief in herself, expressing, “My biggest takeaway is I can still work this medium.”

So, what did you think of how Y&R ended the life of Jordan? Did you wish there would have been a different ending for her? Would you like to see Colleen Zenk back on one of the four other soaps down the line? If so, which one? Comment below.

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She is so wonderful! Best Guest Actor on a Soap 2025!

Agreed! She’s got my vote.

She can work in this medium and much more. She was awesome, awesome, and I hope they find a way to bring her back, she made the show great to watch again. I’m disappointed they killed the character off, but get her back ASAP, again, she made Y&R great to watch. Did Josh do something right, finally? Or will he be going as well?

“I wasn’t given really any direction. I just had to go with what was on the page and figure Jordan out myself.” Yes, that’s the state of Y&R now. No direction….writers can’t figure out a good story, so now they leave it up to the actors to figure out what the character is supposed to be. Lousy writing, no direction. In Monday’s episode, can anyone explain why Nick would leave Sharon and her daughter in her house without locking the door??? Mariah comes in at the end, and I replayed it three times, the door was open, not locked, she didn’t have a key in her hand, meanwhile Ian is still out there somewhere. And Victor mentioned to Jordan her story had so many holes in it…so true, finally the writers nailed it on the head. So sad. Sorry, but Ed Scott being back on board is not making a difference.

they should have kept her longer she was so much fun to watch

I felt her story went way too fast and I really wanted the writers to find a way to keep her around longer. This is a soap opera so it’s possible Jordan might not be dead but if she is, it sure was awesome seeing Colleen. I got to meet her many years ago at an ATWT fan club luncheon and she really is a class act.

Although her character was despicable I must admit to having a few chuckles over scenes with Jordan & Ian. He has such a devilish smile & there was something about them together. That being said-she was so evil but I would remember her as Barbara on ATWT & her love for her kids-she was a great mother & her love for Hal! I so miss those days! But great job Colleen! She is beautiful & I would love to see her on GH or B&B! (Don’t watch Days anymore).

Someone else mentioned Steinbeck in another thread. You two were a pair, but you were also good with Mr. WISE, although I have to admit, I’ll be glad when hes gone.

I enjoyed Jordan. Sad to see her go. She was good at being bad!

I’ve never liked her much until now they should work out a way to keep her. She has been thru so much and was married to a jerk who abandoned her when she was going thru a horrible cancer diagnosis. I’m very happy she is back and better.

Wow. As usual…another of Headwriter, Josh Griffith’s “stories” have ended with a thud / whimper. He just can’t seem to write “exciting.”

Give Colleen Zenk the Emmy already. She has earned it

She is such a great leading lady in the old soap opera tradition. I hope another soap will one day create a role for her. With Proctor and Gamble dipping their toes in the soap game again with the Beyond the Gates maybe we will one day see a return to Oakdale special. We can only hope.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Chris McKenna On Jack’s Reaction to Carly Cheating On Him with Valentin: ‘Heartbreak and Absolute Rage and Humiliation’

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The stage is set for next week on General Hospital, after yesterday’s May 1 cliffhanger, when Brennan (Chris McKenna) sneaks into Carly’s (Laura Wright) house and heads up to her bedroom, bursts in the door and finds her between the sheets, albeit at that moment alone.

However, Jack is already armed with plenty of ammo, he saw two glasses of wine in Carly’s kitchen, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) already lit the fire, by telling him her mother was seeing someone else, the WSB bureau chief then went to visit Carly’s ex, Sonny (Maurice Benard). The mobster’s reaction pretty much sold Jack that Carly must be sleeping with another man.

As Jack goes to check out the situation to confirm his suspicions, Carly and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) have just hit the sheets, after fighting their attraction once again for each other. Now comes the moment of truth that Carly has been sleeping with Brennan’s sworn enemy, Valentin.

Courtesy/ABC

In a preview of what’s to come, Soap Opera Digest spoke to both Chris McKenna and Laura Wright where they talked about the upcoming scenes.  McKenna expressed, “This has been coming for such a long time.” He also previews, “Brennan comes at her pretty aggressively.”

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Wright added, “Carly didn’t expect Brennan to walk into her bedroom! He doesn’t have a key. It’s late at night. She thinks she and Valentin are in the clear. She sees that he’s so angry and so worried about being cheated on… but not that he’s sorry for lying to her face or because her daughter is in danger because of him!”

As to how Jack will handle the situation from here and finding out that Carly is with Valentin, McKenna confirms, to expect, “heartbreak and absolute rage and humiliation” from Jack. He’s thinking, ‘This can’t be real. This can’t have happened. I can’t be this stupid. I can’t have been this blind.’ And as to Jack’s current state of mind, coming into the situation, “Jack is drunk and a little unhinged and the audience finally gets a glimpse of what’s going on underneath that rigid exterior.”

Needless to say, the fallout will be huge, and McKenna is proud of the trios work in the scenes, sharing that Laura Wright was a fantastic as ever, and that GH’s executive producer, Frank Valentini was on the set the entire time with Laura, James and him, making this story point play out to its full effect.

So, are you excited to see how this plays out between Brennan, Carly and Valentin? Do you think this will cement Carly and Valentin as a couple, or will Carly regret what she’s done to Jack? Weigh-in on how you hope this all plays out via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast

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After languishing on the bubble for months, on Friday, NBC handed down the decision and canceled the medical drama Brilliant Minds after two seasons.

Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto as neurology physician Oliver Wolf, who’s character and the series is inspired by the life and books of neurologist. Oliver Sacks. The series focuses on the medical mysteries of the mind, as Wolf a larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.

The final six episodes of what will now be the end of its second and final season were already set to air beginning on May 27, after being pulled off the network schedule in February as viewership saw a steep decline. Brilliant Minds second season became the lowest-rated drama on linear TV viewing, which didn’t bode well fo a network renewal, although it had its hard core fan base.

Photo: NBC

There are some exceptional notables in the cast along with the talented Quinto that includes Days of Our Lives alum, Al Calderon (ex-Javi Hernandez) who joined the series in its second season as Nurse Nico Silva, and One Life to Live alum, Teddy Sears (ex-Chad Bennett) who plays Wolf’s love interest and fellow physician, Dr. Josh Nichols.

The rest of the talented cast includes: Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Donna Murphy, John Clarence Stewart, and Brian Altemus.

In an ironic twist of fate on Thursday, April 30, Days of Our Lives finally revealed the actor who was Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Javi, when they announced that actor Jacob Martinez had now stepped into the role. Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming new episode, Calderon left in the spring of 2025, but will be seen in the part for the final part this month, and then on June 20, Martinez debuts as Salem’s new Javi.

Taking to his Instagram with a sorrowful and heartfelt post on the Brilliant Minds cancellation was Teddy Sears who wrote, “Thank you, Brilliant Minds. I got the call today and I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come, You have to be a particular vintage to quote Don Henley from memory, but that’s the line that came to mind earlier today after I got off the phone with our inimitable showrunner Michael Grassi who delivered the news that NBC has cancelled the series”.

Photo: NBC

Sears continued, “To say that I feel sad to be moving on from these stories, this character, and this cast and crew just doesn’t paint the entire picture. I’m sad, sure. But I’m also deeply grateful that I got hired to play this part, so proud of the stories we told, and the other actors I got to play alongside. I’m excited to see what comes next, what adventures await, and terrified to be without a professional home. A quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone, all over the globe, who found us and found themselves in us, in our characters and in our stories. We wouldn’t have been able to tell them without you. And we still have 6 fresh episodes yet to air, and I do hope you tune in enjoy the remainder of the series. They’re the best we’ve done.”

As he wrapped up his sentiments, Sears signed off with, “The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I figured out I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter. But everything changes…Thank you, Brilliant Minds.”

Calderon took to his Instagram story and simply shared, “Thank You, Brilliant Minds.”

The medical drama was created and executive produced by Michael Grassi alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Jasmine Russ, Henrik Bastin, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis and Shefali Malhoutra.

So, what do you think of NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds after two seasons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’

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Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.

Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.

Photo: Hallmark

Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”

In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.

It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.

Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.

You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.

So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.

 

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