The Young And The Restless’ Underwhelming Moments

Published on May 21, 2019. Updated November 18, 2021

Soap fans love drama and no show does it better than The Young and the Restless (Y&R). Love affairs, scandals, fancy shindigs, high-level corporate meetings, cosmetic controversies, and so much more. Genoa City residents have sure had some incredible moments over the years, but they’ve also had their fair share of letdowns as well. While there have been times fans have celebrated with the high points, they’ve also cried with their favorite characters over the low ones. Below is an overview of the top nine underwhelming moments of Y&R.

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12. Shictor Era

Well, it didn’t last all that long, but when Sharon married her father-in-law Victor not once, but twice, in 2012, the entire relationship left a bad taste for many Y&R viewers. Two characters that had once shared a beautiful father-daughter relationship were now romantically linked, and it never truly seemed right in any fan’s mind.
©sean smith/jpistudios.com

11. Chelsea’s Exit

Chelsea Lawson entered Y&R as a con artist; however, she won fan’s over during her stay in Genoa City and became a bona fide heroine of sorts on the soap opera. When actress Melissa Claire Egan was set to exit the show in early 2018, the storyline that saw her leave the soap didn’t sit well with many. She skipped town after multiple lies caught up with her, breaking up with Nick Newman in a letter. She took her son Connor, and almost stole Christian as well. It was very out of character for Lawson, and the entire arc left audiences annoyed.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

10. Colleen’s Passing

Colleen’s death was saddening on so many levels. Not only was the character fairly young, but she died drowning in the same lake as her father Brad did, some months earlier. While the storyline of her being kidnapped, and the weird dream-like sequence around her “goodbye” to Genoa City was interesting, the realization of Colleen’s passing devastated fans at the time.
©sean smith/jpistudios.com

9. Delia’s Passing

Saddening and oh-so underwhelming, Delia Abbott’s passing rocked Genoa City almost four years ago, and continues to be an arc in many storylines that revolve around certain characters today. She had just recovered from cancer only a year before she got hit by Adam Newman’s car. We all thought there was a very good possibility she would survive the tragic crash, but sadly, she did not. The moment her parents realized that their little girl was no more had to be one of the more awful moments on the soap. Not to mention the slap that was heard around the world when Chloe declared it was Billy’s fault and then hit him across the face.
© Sean Smith/jpistudios.com

8. JT Takes Reed From Victoria

JT Hellstrom and Victoria Newman made quite the couple back in the day. However, things fell apart fast as with most relationships on daytime and the two found themselves separating. However, there was also little Reed to think of and JT decided at that point that he didn’t want his young son to be influenced by Vicky’s dad, the all-powerful Victor Newman. JT ended up winning sole custody of Reed in 2010 after a misunderstanding around Adam Newman’s murder investigation had Vicky locked up at the police station during the same time she had her custody hearing. She got another hearing, but thanks to an intervening Victor, she lost that one too. Victoria was devastated, but felt the pain even more later that year when JT decided to follow his fiancé Mackenzie to Washington … and he took Reed along with him.
©sean smith/jpistudios.com

7. Neil Kidnaps Hilary

Neil Winters had always been a stand-up guy. Well, for the most part. After his adopted son and wife had an affair together while Neil was struggling with blindness, he turned a little bitter. When his son Devon ended up marrying his ex-wife Hilary, Neil had revenge on the brain – something that was quite out of his character. He ended up kidnapping Hilary while she and Devon were on their honeymoon and watched Devon struggle with the idea that his wife was missing … forever. He also watched police accuse Devon of doing something to her, which was obviously not the case. Very underwhelming to watch a generally heroic character turn into such a coward.

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6. Phyllis Crashes Sharon And Nick’s Wedding

For fans of Sharon and Nick, their 2014 wedding that never was, turned out to be a letdown. As Nick and Sharon were about to say their “I dos” and tie the knot for the umpteenth time, Phyllis crashed the wedding, walked down the aisle in a white dress and collapsed in the middle of the floor. Phyllis had been in a coma for a little over a year, so obviously, all those in attendance were astonished to see her up and at it again. Out of the coma, Phyllis was also able to confirm that Summer was indeed Nick’s child and not Jack’s, something Sharon had been hiding from Nick the entire time Phyllis was out of it. Nick dropped Sharon like a bad habit and the two have been on-and-off since.
© Sean Smith/jpistudios.com

5. Vicky Gets Arrested On Her Wedding Day

Speaking of weddings, Victor has never liked Billy Abbott and has always tried to steer his precious daughter away from him. But love always wins and such was the case in 2010 when Vicky was intent on marrying Billy despite what her father thought of him. Little did she know, Victor always wins in the end, and while the couple had a beautiful ceremony and did, in fact, say “I do,” Victoria was hauled off to the police station and arrested on the day of her wedding. He didn’t stop the two from getting hitched, but he did keep them apart on their wedding night and also dampened the entire day.
©sean smith/jpistudios.com

4. Lauren Sleeps With Carmine

Lauren and Michael Baldwin are the Y&R super-couple. They have chemistry, passion, great communication, and are friends at heart. That’s why the 2013 affair Lauren had with the slimy bartender, Carmine, was so disappointing. Carmine was good looking, but Lauren has never been one to fall so easily for just a pretty face. She did have a weak moment when she separated briefly from Michael over a conflict of parental opinion. Thankfully, the two were able to get past the affair, but had Lauren been able to resist the temptation of Carmine to begin with, there would have been no issue at all.
© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

3. John Abbott Passes Away Before Being Released From Prison

In 2006, beloved patriarch of the Abbott Clan, John Abbott, was sentenced seven years in prison after he shot Tom Fisher. When he got to jail, he began getting into fights with inmates and started having weird spells. Jack dug deeper into the situation and had a doctor check his dad out. Sadly, John was being over-medicated, and on the cusp of early release, he suffered a stroke. In a brain-dead state, Gloria decided to do what was right and took John off life support. Underwhelming moment to see such an incredible Y&R character meet his demise after all he had been through.
©Aaron Montgomery/jpistudios.com

2. Tricia Shoots Ryan

Do any weddings go right in Genoa City? In the early 2000s, Genoa City’s ‘it’ couple was Ryan McNeil and billion-dollar princess Victoria Newman. They had an on-again-off-again relationship, and were finally headed down the aisle for the second time – and were destined for their happily ever after. Sadly, Ryan’s ex-girlfriend didn’t feel quite as happy for them as she should have, and in a fit of rage (plus a bit of craziness to boot), she showed up just as they were about to tie the knot in a wedding gown and with a gun. Her target was Victoria, but as Ryan went to save the love of his life from the bullet, he got hit and ended up passing away at his own wedding. Tragic and underwhelming, indeed!
©Aaron Montgomery/JPI

1. Hero Brad Lay Frozen Under The Ice Pond

Not sure any fan will ever forget the moment when it was realized that hero Brad Carlton passed away saving Noah Newman in 2009. Brad was a staple in Genoa City and his passing was sudden, unexpected, and devastating. He rushed up to the Abbott cabin during a winter storm to profess his undying love to Sharon Newman. Sadly, she rejected him, and in an odd twist of events, on his way back to town he ended up saving her son Noah from drowning in a pond, a heroic act that cost him his own life. The letdown moment when JT Hellstrom found Brad’s body behind the sheet of ice on the pond is something that many Y&R fans will never forget and some still have never gotten over.
©Aaron Montgomery/jpistudios.com