In the land of daytime soaps, anything and everything can happen. Evil twins pop out of nowhere, a ‘who dunnit?’ murder mystery can arise, and sometimes even aliens can take centre stage…you just never know! While Days of Our Lives (DOOL) has been a popular, longtime soap opera, the show is infamous for creating outrageous stories to keep viewers interested and tuned in. Sometimes the stories are incredible and, other times, they can flop, but they are always interesting. Below is a list of the top seven most outrageous DOOL plots.
7. DOOL Does The Bachelor
Anyone remember when DOOL re-created the famous reality television show The Bachelor for one of their storylines? Mimi Lockheart, Cassie Brady, and Belle Black were all vying for the love and attention of a mystery man whose identity was hidden behind a blindfold and bandana, as part of a show that was called ‘Love is Blind.’ There were all the catfights and drama expected from any typical episode of the popular ABC reality show and the man behind all the fluff ended up being Philip Kiriakis. While Kiriakis did not hand out a final rose, he was able to re-enter the world of Salem, returning from his duties in the military. The storyline was rather ridiculous; however, it did open a door for Kiriakis to re-develop feelings for his high school chum, Belle Black, which allowed for a more soap opera-like story to progress.
2
6. Buried Alive (Times 2)
Most longtime DOOL fans are familiar with the buried alive storyline when Vivian Alamain injected Carly Manning with a drug, which made it seem like she passed away. Knowing that Carly was buried alive, Vivian placed a radio transmitter in the casket and, when Manning awoke (six feet under at the time), Alamain was able to torture her further by taunting her while she lay there helpless. Vivian’s plan fell through and Carly was found; however, years later, Alamain would be on the receiving end of such karma. She concocted a plan to lock Maggie Horton into a sarcophagus to keep her away from Victor. Since Brady was onto Vivian, he was able to lock her up in there instead. Vivian was saved and Maggie was eventually buried (and saved too), but Vivian did get a small taste of what Carly endured many years ago.
3
5. The Evolution Of Greta The Swamp Girl
Looking for more information on Hope’s past, Bo and Billy travelled to New Orleans and came across a young woman known as Swamp Girl, a grotesque-looking young lady who lived in a swamp. However, once she cleaned up, styled her hair, and removed her scars thanks to laser surgery — surprise, surprise — she became a beautiful woman. It was quickly revealed that Swamp Girl took Hope’s place on the Cruise of Deception years earlier. She was the one everyone assumed was dead, not Hope. Making things more confusing, Miss Swamp Girl was actually Princess Greta. To reclaim her throne, she had to go through a virtual Garden of Eden. Greta went toe-to-toe with enemies as outrageous as Satan, Princess Gina and Witch Sami so that Swamp Girl could re-claim her princess status. It was pretty crazy.
4
4. Hope Is Princess Gina
Speaking of Princesses, while Stefano DiMera has rolled out some pretty incredible (and outrageous) plans in the past, the Princess Gina angle may have been one of his best. While Salem believed that Hope was dead, it turned out she was alive. Stephano had planted a chip into Hope’s brain with all the memories of Princess Gina, an art thief. Since two women look incredibly similar, the only way the naked eye can differentiate between the two was, when Hope became Gina, she grew two streaks of blonde in her hair. Stefano got Hope (as Princess Gina) to kidnap John Black – so the two could steal some art from Vivian Alamain. When the duo arrived at Maison Blanche, the real Princess Gina (who was older now, and a little off her rocker) captured them. The good news? They were all eventually rescued — what a surprise!
5
3. Melaswen Island
Or should we say, ‘New Salem’ Island? Well played Stefano, well played! What started out as a classic soap murder mystery, eventually turned into something more ridiculous in nature. As devoted DOOL fans watched some of their favorite, longtime cast members get picked off the show by a mysterious stalker in Salem, audiences wept across North America as DOOL did a stellar job unveiling those heartbreaking scenes. While it was a relief to know that the beloved characters were not dead, there was a slight bit of resentment knowing that the writers had fooled everyone all along. Of course, Stefano DiMera was at the forefront of this plan, making it seem like these prominent members of Salem were being killed-off, only to bring them to Melaswen Island. Some cheesy highlights include John Black grabbing a shot bullet with his bare hands, only to shoot it back with his fingers. Is there anything this man can’t do?
6
2. Who Is John Black?
John Black is so indestructible because he really has seen it all and done it all. Just when the audience had come to terms with who Black really is, the man digs deep into his past and out pops a new tidbit from his memory bank. He originally arrived in Salem as Roman Brady, a pawn in Stefano’s game to garner revenge on the Brady’s. He’s an adoptive son of the Alamians, and part Brady and part DiMera. He’s the owner of the billion dollar empire Basic Black and he has been a police officer, a priest, a mercenary, an Army doctor, an executive, a board member and a super spy. It was also recently revealed that he is the father of Paul Narita, the new baseball star in Salem, proving once again that fans may think they know John Black…but they really have no clue.
7
1. Marlena’s Exorcism
John Black’s past experience as a priest really came in handy when the love of his life Marlena was possessed by Satan himself. This is probably one of the most outlandish yet unforgettable storylines within DOOL, as Marlena’s exorcism rocked the soap opera world. Weirdly enough, the Devil was able to possess Marlena’s body because Stefano Dimera was controlling her mind. This proves that, once again, if something bad happens then Stefano is behind it. Marlena was clearly not herself; however, it took a vast amount of time for anyone, including Black, to put two and two together. After an exorcism though, Marlena was finally saved!