News
Y&R's Tricia Cast Talks Nina's Relationship with Paul, Maria Arena Bell's Storytelling & If A Return To Playing Bad Is In the Cards!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
The Young and the Restless scene-stealing Tricia Cast (Nina) had been commuting from her home in Nashville to Los Angeles when she is called upon in story on the number one soap. These days in Genoa City, Nina is trying to forge a relationship with her son, Ronan (Jeff Branson).
Now, Soap Opera Uncensored’s Nelson Branco caught up with the talented performer to get her take on working within the framework of former Y&R head writer and executive producer, Maria Arena Bell, what has happened to the Paul (Doug Davidson) and Nina romance, and if she would like to visit the bad girl side of her character again. Here are a few excerpts from the interview below!
Tricia on if it was frustrating working with the often times fragmented storytelling of Maria Arena Bell: “I guess so. I was happier when there was a definite storyline playing out like when Ronan came on the show. It’s harder to come in for two months and remind people about the character, the story and relationships. It’s always more fun to apply yourself. You never see the end of an arc, but when there is an arc, you know there is an end — even if you don’t know what it is. Maria’s kind of storytelling is really great for a commuting schedule but, as a performer, I prefer to work more consistently. “
Tricia on if Paul and Nina are still together, since we don’t see the pairing that much on screen these days: “Yes, they are. I kind of like it because Paul and Nina are normal and not overly dramatic. There was one moment when Paul was missing Christine, which pissed off Nina, but besides that, they are normal — and more normal than Michael and Lauren who have a long marriage. Paul and Nina are less exciting — and I like that. There are no shenanigans… it’s kind of like a real relationship. Would I love to play more? Yes. But I’m not dissatisfied with the relationship right now.”
Tricia on if she would like to explore and see more of Nina’s dark side surface: “Sure! I would embrace another facet of her personality. I trust Y&R to do what is best for the show when it comes to Nina. And I’d be happy to do it. I don’t have expectations as much for Nina as I do hope. If I were writing the story, I would bring Nina’s darker side back for a bit so she can continue her journey.”
So soapers, would you like to see Tricia have more airtime? Do you like the Paul and Nina pairing? Do you want Ronan and Nina to become closer? Let us know!
Love Nina any way we can get her.
Paul and Nina are absolutely the best couple to come out of the MAB era. I LOVE them together! Tricia Cast is the only reason I’ve stuck with Y&R for the past three years.
I am torn. On one hand I like when former “bad girls” put their immature and implusive ways behind them and grown up to become accomplish, mature women, but on the other hand accomplished and mature can be dull to watch. Yet again watching a soap character make the same mistakes over and over without growth is equally dull to watch — that means you Phyllis Newman. Anyway if they keep Nina on the canvas I would like her to be the way she is now, maybe with little more spice to her, but not too much
As for her romance with Paul. Well lets be honest here, Katherine and Murphy give off more heat than those two. But for who these characters are, this is the kind of relationship I would expect from them. It is realistic, but in soapland- realistic isn’t always fun to watch. However since neither character is high profile I can live with the realtionship they have. It doesn’t make me happy, but it doesn’t annoy me either.
I think Phyllis is on the road to change … finally.
Friday’s (American) episode broke my heart for Phyllis when she realized the marriage to Nick was really over and that she has serious problems with her relationship with Summer.
I really like Tricia Cast as an actress and person. She is very down-to-Earth and so is Nina.
Paul and Nina are nice and simple and supportive of one another.
I have been waiting and waiting for Nina to finally have a relationship with Ronan and I hope I finally get it. It seems only fitting after what she has been through to find him and there is so much potential for some good character development.
love Nina
Tricia is an AMAZING talent who was not utilized properly during the Maria Arena Bell regime mainly because of, as Nelson Branco phrased it, fragmented storytelling – MAB was incapable of telling a decent story without veering off into another tangent, confusing viewers and the actors alike. With Jill coming back to the canvas after staying with Phillip in Australia, it would be nice to have her and Nina miz it up like they did back in the 1980s!
Tricia Cast is a godsend to Y&R and the show should keep her forever. Her character and storyline is filled with possibilities. I would love to see her with her sons again, forging bonds they did not have. I would love to see a friendship with gay Phillip, a true bond that is real and lasting. I would love to see her and Paul evolve into a longtime pair, romance along the way, and become pillars of the Genoa City show structure. She is a successful novelist and that could lead her somewhere. I find Nina much more engaging than Newman silliness MAB forced upon us. Please Jill and Josh, find a place for all this
in your new show bible!
I’m just reading this interview so after reading the most recent Lauralee Bell interview by Tv guide. It’s obvious that Nina needs to just move on and possibly find someone else. I would be curious to know what Nina thinks about her and Paul’s relationship now that Paul and Christine are getting back together. Michael if you chat with her again, I would love to hear her take on that.
Please show the character Nina more. Tricia Cast is great in the role! Wish they would explore more of why Ronan treats her so bad when he was kidnapped. Since Nina & Paul break up, pair her with Jack or Nick. I really miss the scenes of Heather Tom as Vicki going up against Tricia Cast Nina during the Ryan,Victoria, Nina era.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
Soap opera fans are always clamoring for when Dancing with the Stars reveals their cast each season, that they would include a familiar face from daytime drama, but it rarely happens, if ever, anymore.
Over the last several years, the series has leaned heavily into casting celebrities with massive TikTok or Instagram followers, which in turn, have helped this season and last have their best ratings numbers in years.
But, how about for next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars, that it could include newly-awarded Daytime Emmy winner, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) of Beyond the Gates?
Photo: CBS
Michael Fairman TV spoke to Michelle about her dance background and if she would love a shot at lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Wednesday’s November 11, livestream chat on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Ambyr explained to fans (who joined in on the live chat), how she began her show business career. “I started off as a dancer, first and foremost. Acting wasn’t really something I wanted to go after. I did plays when I was younger, but it was just something we did in school, but I really wanted to be a dancer. I moved out to LA to dance, and I fell out of love with dance, which was so weird.”
This year’s Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series winner, added, “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I moved all the way out here for dance. I found I was forcing myself to go to dance class, and I just didn’t have the passion for it. I was working at this restaurant at the time, and one of my coworker was like, ‘What about taking an acting class out here?'”
Next, Ambyr took the coworker up on the idea. “So, I took an acting class and I fell in love with it that day,” shared Michelle. “I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I thought, I would love to book a role, of course, as a dancer, but I think acting has a little bit more longevity.”
Photo: ABC
When the talked turned to if Ambyr would consider or be interestede in appearing on the ballroom dance competition series, she piped up with, “I would love to do Dancing with the Stars! Pick me!”
As those in the live chat rallied around this idea, it made us think, Ambyr could be the first contestant from Beyond the Gates, and someone representing the soaps. It checks off so many boxes! To which Ambyr replied, “That would be beautiful.”
You can check out the full conversation with Ambyr below.
So, what do you think soap fans? Can we make sure Ambyr’s name gets in front of the producers and casting director for next season’s Dancing with the Stars? Would you like to see her in the competition? If so, who would be your dream pro professional dance partner for her? Let us know in the comment section.
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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‘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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News3 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
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Previews4 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
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General Hospital3 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
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Days Of Our Lives4 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
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