Bold and the Beautiful’s Delon de Metz brought Forrester underdog Zende to new heights, making the actor Soap Opera News Star of the Month for October 2026.
Delon de Metz has been playing adoptee Zende Forrester Dominguez since 2020 – and, like his alter ego, he has largely been in the background due to being featured in stories that haven’t really given him a chance to shine. That changed this past month as Zende found himself coming to the gut-punch realization that he would always be backburnered at Forrester Creations, and that his star would rise instead at rival design house Logan, leading to emotionally charged scenes that put Zende…and de Metz…in the spotlight.
Read on to see why de Metz deserves this Soap Opera News accolade.
I Can’t Make You Love Me
Zende was first introduced in 2001, when newlyweds Kristen Forrester and Tony Dominguez honeymooned in Africa and met the then boy at an orphanage. He was only seen as a child until 2015, when grown-up Zende moved back to Los Angeles from his parents’ crib in Miami and started at Forrester Creations as an intern because he wanted to learn the design business from the ground up and not ride on his adoptive name.
But the sidelining happened pretty much right away: Zende taught himself design but was snubbed by Steffy in 2017 owing to his noobness. From there, Zende was pretty well limited to working on Hope’s Hope for the Future line and entering into various romances – he married Nicole Avant (though he came back from Forrester International without ever saying why they divorced), then juggled Buckingham sisters Zoe and Paris.
Don’t You Forget About Me
Zende got whiplash as Hope for the Future got yanked and reinstated at regular intervals – but finally the young designer was out of luck when Hope decided she’d be more appreciated at Logan and took her namesake collection with her. That left Zende working with sometime rival R.J. on a line R.J. had been allowed to develop with Electra…which burned Zende even more. After all, he’d been honing his craft for a decade while former globetrotting influencer R.J. had a lot less experience.
It all came to a head when Zende, on the advice of Dylan, went to see Hope at Logan to explain how betrayed he’d felt when Hope had set him adrift. Zende didn’t expect Katie to offer him a job at Logan, which he discussed with Dylan. They had no idea that the disgruntled Electra was listening in on the whole conversation, or that she would immediately tattle to Ridge and Eric about Zende’s opportunity.
Roar
Ridge summoned Zende, voicing his displeasure that Zende was thinking about leaving. Didn’t Zende know how lucky he was? de Metz infused new life into Zende at that moment as the young man reached into the very core of his soul, acknowledging the good fortune that Kristen and Tony had saved him from spending his entire childhood in the African orphanage. His voice cracked while remembering his dying parents and brother and recalling happy memories of growing up in the halls of Forrester. He knew damn well how lucky he was. It was just that he had spent too many years in everyone else’s shadow.
Eric and Ridge denied that was the case, but through de Metz, Zende’s resolve stayed firm. He calmly said he still felt like an outsider – and when Eric said he would do anything to ensure that Zende stayed on, de Metz let an outpouring of love for Zende’s grandfather flow.
Unfortunately, the good will didn’t last long, as Electra demanded that Dylan be fired for allegedly sending Zende over to Logan to discuss a job offer. Zende explained that Electra was misrepresenting the situation, but Ridge canned Dylan anyway, leaving Zende feeling like he was again being ignored…moments after he’d gotten reassurances.
Take This Job And Shove It
Zende was pissed and packed up his things while Dylan didn’t want him leaving Forrester because of her. We could feel the pit in Zende’s stomach as he said he could empathize with Eric, who had also been edged out of the company. Speaking of the patriarch, Eric made another impassioned plea to his grandson, and de Metz showed Zende’s struggle not to waver as he was hailed part of Eric’s legacy.
The dam holding back Zende’s feelings barely held as he expressed his undying love and admiration for Eric, and de Metz let the wave finally wash over Zende, allowing Zende to break down in sobs. As much as he loved Eric – and all of his Forrester relatives – he had to make the move to Logan for his own sense of self-worth. de Metz’s unexpected breakout performances are what awards him the top pick here for October.
What did you think of Delon de Metz’s work this month? Do you think Zende is overreacting regarding his place at Forrester, or are you on his side when he says he is constantly undervalued there? What do you predict will happen once Zende goes over to Logan?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Photo Credit: JPI Studios.
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