‘The Young and the Restless’: 4 Worst Storylines of 2022
The Young and the Restless continued to churn out bad storylines in 2022. There was a lot of disappointment, including a shocking character death. Here’s a look at four of the worst stories of the year.
Ashland Locke’s murder was one of the worst ‘The Young and the Restless’ storylines this year
2022 started with a huge casting shakeup at The Young and the Restless. Richard Burgi was fired, and the role of Ashland Locke was recast with Guiding Light star Robert Newman. Newman easily slid into the role of Genoa City’s powerful businessman.
After Newman took over, Ashland’s storyline gained momentum, with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) exposing his lies and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) divorcing him. Fans were eager to see Ashland’s ruthless side emerge as he took down the Newmans, but fate had other plans. Ashland was accidentally killed during a scuffle with Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow).
In true Newman fashion, Victor swooped in and covered up the murder to protect his family. Ashland was one of the best characters, and the writers chose the worst way for him to exit. To make matters worse, the Newman didn’t face any ramifications for their actions. Everyone, including Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd), agreed to keep the coverup a secret.
Rey Rosales’ death was an afterthought
Ashland wasn’t the only The Young and the Restless character fans said goodbye to this year. In April, beloved Genoa City detective Rey Rosales (Jordi Vilasuso) died in a car accident. The audience shed tears with Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) as she learned the devastating news that her husband was dead.
Rey’s death was heartwrenching, and the events afterward were worse. As a prominent town resident, Rey should’ve been given a proper memorial but was treated as an afterthought. Rey’s funeral took place offscreen, with Sharon and the Rosales family burying him in Miami. Sharon also planned a memorial at Crimson Lights, which wasn’t shown.
While Rey may not have been as popular as other characters, he deserved better than a disrespectful exit.
Dominic Chancellor’s custody was a lousy storyline on ‘The Young and the Restless’
In 2021, The Young and the Restless had one of the worst storylines involving Abby Newman’s (Melissa Ordwy) baby. Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) was Abby’s surrogate, while Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) was the sperm donor. This year Abby and her son Dominic Chancellor (Rainn and River Ware) were again in a bad storyline.
As Dominic’s biological father, Devon wanted a more active role in his son’s life. Abby disagreed with Devon’s decision, and a nasty custody battle was coming. However, Chance convinced Abby to let Devon share custody, and legal papers were drawn.
Devon’s attitude and the lack of drama made the custody battle a horrible plot. When baby Dominic became ill, speculation was that tests would prove Devon wasn’t the father. However there was no drama or twists there since Devon was a perfect match and saved his son’s life.
Billy Abbott’s podcasting career fell flat
The Young and the Restless hero Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), has become one of the most hated characters. Billy is a grown man but acts like a man-child. Billy does what he wants without little regard for anybody, including his girlfriend, Lily Winters (Christel Khalil).
Although Billy is supposed to be an executive helping Lily run Chancellor Industries, this year, he needed a career change. He came up with the idea of hosting a podcast where he divulged his feelings. While Billy proclaims his podcast is a success, it was a snoozefest to viewers who fast-forward through his scenes.
