Greetings Family!
Throwback Soap Rivalry Time!
Stephanie Douglas Forrester vs Brooke Logan Forrester!
Stephanie, the strong, smart, beautiful matriarch of the Forrester Fashion dynasty versus Brooke, strong, smart, beautiful, vixen heir apparent matriarch of the Forrester Fashion dynasty. Soap life coming full circle.
These two ladies gave us a west coast rivalry similar to the Wild Wild West. They were quick on the trigger. And they fought hard and often. Anytime and anywhere. Their families did their best to keep them from tearing each other apart almost on a daily basis. They fought over men, kids, and power. But their multi-generational and multi-facet rivalry was rooted in their fierce and basic disdain for each other.
Eric Forrester dated Beth Logan, Brooke’s mom, in college. Eric and Beth’s relationship hit the skids when Stephanie became pregnant for Eric. Years later when Eric and Beth reconnected, Stephaine wasn’t having it. She worked it to whereas Beth and her family, minus Brooke, shipped themselves to Paris. We can only imagine how many times Stephanie chastised herself over the years that she didn’t make sure Brooke shipped herself off as well. We’d bet the farm many many many times.
Stephanie and Brooke did have a lot of people in common. They loved the same men (in different ways) and hence their families were very interconnected, to say the least. They couldn’t rid themselves of each other no matter how hard they tried. And they tried, hard.
There was a lot to love about this rivalry. One of the things we loved most was a seasoned woman trying to be eclipsed by a younger vixen. It was soap 101 and Susan and Kelly played it to the hilt. Masterfully.
Oh, Stephaine, Brooke and their men. Eric, both had kids by him and was married to him multiple times. Then there was Ridge, arguably Stephanie’s Golden Boy/son. It was bad enough Brooke went after Stephanie’s husband but then she went after Ridge! Brooke married Ridge multiple, multiple times and had kids for him. Why stop there right Brooke? She went for the trifecta. Thorne and Brooke were married. Then when Nick Massimo, Ridge’s biological brother, came on the scene Brooke went there too, trifecta plus one.
As much as we love Brooke, it’s hard not to understand why Stephaine wanted Brooke gone. LOL. During those twenty-five years, Stephanie pulled stunt after stunt to keep Brooke away Eric, Ridge, and Thorne. We will name a few. She faked amnesia to keep Brooke away from Eric. Once, Stephaine installed cameras in the Forrester lab to film Brooke and Ridge having sex while she was still married to Eric. For the most part, Stephaine always preferred Ridge to be with Taylor over Brooke. She pulled a stunt or two on Taylor’s behalf. She faked a heart attack to keep Ridge with Taylor and away from Brooke. By the time Brooke made her way to Thorne; Stephaine could not take it. When she found out that Brooke and Thorne were involved she literally had a stroke. She had two.
Now let’s get to Brooke because she was hardly a saint. Let’s be real. Brooke used her “assets” to her full advantage. She lied. She kept secrets. She cheated. She had a hand in most of the father vs son and brother vs brother Forrester wars. And she made sure she never let a chance go by without rubbing Stephanie’s nose in it. And oh the irony when she would rail against Stephaine for all the things Stephanie did to keep Brooke from Eric Ridge, and/or Thorne when Brooke did the exact same thing to Taylor over the years.
Stephaine and Brooke jockeyed for position in the lives of the men they loved and for positions of power at Forrester Creations and the fashion industry as a whole. Stephaine wanted Brooke nowhere near Forrester Creations and Brooke wanted to rule there too. In a nutshell, Stephaine and Brooke jockeyed for position in the boardroom and the bedroom.
Verbal altercations, slaps, chokes, one time Stephanie had Brooke put in a garbage can. LOL. Brooke shot at Stephanie with a gun Stephaine gave her to shot herself. There was the time Stephaine choked Brooke with a phone cord and held her at shotgun point. Brooke choked Stephaine. These two were hilariously soapy! One of our fondest memories was the “tussle” Brooke and Stephanie had with Brooke clad in lingerie during Brooke’s unveiling of her Bedroom Line. This happened in front of the media, the cameras, and the world. Hilariously soapy.
There were soft moments between them. Brooke was there for Stephanie when she fell ill when she was being poisoned by Shelia Carter. Stephaine was horrified when she encouraged Andy Johnson to pursue Brooke and he raped her. That one was rough. As much as Stephaine despised Brooke, there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love. Ridge had a heart attack and Stephanie became Team Brooke to make Ridge happy. During that time, Brooke was with Nick. Stephaine went so far as to attempt to break up Nick and Brooke so Ridge and Brooke could reconcile. Wonders never cease yep even in soapland.
These two had developed such a distrust for each other that when Stephaine really was sick Brooke didn’t believe it at first. Stephaine fell during an argument with Brooke. Brooke was understandably skeptical, but it was true. Stephaine was sick. Sigh. In 2010, Stephaine was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. In 2012, she was diagnosed as terminal. Those good-bye episodes were extremely difficult to watch.
Stephaine breathed her last soap breath at Big Bear Cabin in the arms of the “sweet little slut from the Valley”. We know it might seem like an oxymoron to show a video of Stephaine dying in Brooke’s arms in a rivalry article. But this ending was….What word is bigger than iconic or epic? It’s in the soap Hall of Fame. We hated saying good-bye to Stephaine but this ending was platinum. And an invaluable life lesson of evolution, forgiveness and coming full circle.
Stephaine’s last moments weren’t with Eric, or her children. They were with Brooke. Brad Bell hit it on the head when he said, Stephaine and Brooke were the true supercoupe of The Bold and the Beautiful. Indeed.
This is a rivalry and an ending for the ages.
Stephaine/Brooke “Stephooke”, “Braine”
We miss y’all so much!
I Am KP Smith
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