Santa has had his eyes on the residents of Fairmont Crest all year long. The holly jolly guy knows which Beyond the Gates regulars are naughty and who’s nice.
Key Takeaways
- Santa sorts Fairmont Crest into naughty and nice — and the naughty list is stacked.
- From schemers to outright criminals, some BTG residents pushed their luck all year.
- A handful of genuinely good souls still shine through the chaos.
Who’s Naughty
Most of the town should be on the naughty list, but we had to narrow things down. And, yes, despite Dani (Karla Mosley) shooting up her ex-husband’s country club wedding, we did not include her on the naughty list. There were others more worthy of naughty status.
Leslie
The major players in the naughty game include Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant), whose attempts at redemption pale in comparison to all the dastardly deeds she’s inflicted while in the DMV. There’s attempted murder times two, blowing up a family with her bulldozing antics. And can’t forget her bullying tactics. Besides, she was rewarded plenty this year with her inheritance courtesy of Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie).
Hayley
Meanwhile, Miss Hayley Hamilton (Marquita Goings) is someone we knew was up to no good, but for the longest time, we had no idea the depths of her deception. She was more than an opportunist. This year, it turned out she was also a professional con artist who now wants to move on up to black widow status. For weeks, she has been microdosing Bill’s bourbon and his herbal tea with what could ultimately be a lethal concoction.
Bill
Speaking of Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett), he married his daughter’s bestie and then forced his ex-wife’s family and his ex-wife to attend. Even though he was the one responsible for his first marriage ending, he took pleasure in insulting his ex and making her feel like the trash he took out. And then, when Dani started to move on from him, he gave her enough attention to keep her on the hook. Additionally, the family fixer, we learned how far he had gone to get Leslie out of town all those years ago. Should we cut him some slack since his wife is trying to kill Bill?
Ted
As for the other Dupree in-law, Ted’s lies blew up his family’s world. He held on to the secret of his affair for a long time. And he tried to pay Leslie off once she got back to town. But after their affair was outed and he found out he had a daughter, Ted (Keith D. Robinson) didn’t even try to work all that hard to get Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) back. Although he claimed he did. And while he has done right by Eva (Ambyr Michelle), he certainly has not by Kat (Colby Muhammad).
Eva and Kat
You can’t include one without the other. Their rivalry this year has been vicious. Eva worked with her mother to get the best of the Dupree-Richardsons. Kat was downright vicious with Eva, insulting her at every opportunity. Sure, she deserves points for her one-woman investigation to bring down Leslie. However, that doesn’t mean we forget her lesser moments.
Kat could hardly walk by Eva without belittling the woman. And basically said they would all be better off if Eva had never been born. That’s naughty list material right there. As for Eva, her powers of manipulation are pretty legendary already. She portrayed herself as the innocent victim while pretending to empathize with her. More horribly, she slept with Tomas. (Alex Alegria), Kat’s boyfriend, and nobody really cared, except for Kat. How did that happen?
Joey
This guy will always be on the naughty list by virtue of his day job. He regularly fleeced people and arranged for nasty things to happen to others. For example, he exploited Doug’s gambling addiction. He entered an affair with Doug’s wife, and then Joey (Jon Lindstrom) ultimately disposed of Doug (Jason Graham) and took his place at Vanessa’s (Lauren Buglioli) side. Now he is trying to manipulate Bill into running against Martin (Brandon Claybon, how his soap dream could have ended differently) for office because it benefits him. And while Joey showed flashes of vulnerability, he remained a criminal who enlisted shady detectives to do his bidding.
Allison
Remember Allison (Brianna Roberts)? She pretended to be married so she could get close to Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and engage in throuple activity. In reality, she stalked and kidnapped Chelsea. She forced her to get married, and even though she’s sitting pretty in a jail cell right now, she’s still probably figuring out a way to follow Chelsea’s Instagram posts.
Who’s Nice
Just because the following BTG characters are on the nice list doesn’t mean they are perfect. Everybody is flawed and has their moments.
Vernon
Vernon (Clifton Davis) had to dig around in the dirt a little in 2025, but he was simply trying to protect Martin and the rest of his family. And when he took a tough stance, it was usually with his no-good ex-sons-in-law. The rest of his time, Vernon treated Anita like the queen that she was. And his recent scenes welcoming Andre (Sean Freeman) into the family were sweet. And despite what you’ve heard about his secret affair with Sharon (Bonita Brisker), well, that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Vernon deserves his place on the nice list.
Smitty
In 2025, Smitty (Mike Manning) was practically a saint. He had to deal with a husband who refused to tell the truth about his recent past. He wanted to handle it and claimed to want to protect his family, shielding them from what he had done two years prior. Smitty was as patient for as long as he could be. Simultaneously, he took care of their children, returned to work, and had relatable conversations with his mother-in-law. After he and Martin reconciled, Smitty even defended his man to Joey, and while it took some time, he ultimately accepted June (Jasmine Burke). He wasn’t perfect, but he was nice.
Andre
Yes, Andre had to crush Ashley’s heart after she asked if there was still a chance for them. But he had already moved on. And he was married, so it wasn’t his fault. But before that, he wanted to show the nurse the world. And now that he has found real love with Dani, he is all in on their marriage. She is his main focus, as it should be. He helped Vernon with his Christmas present, and he was one of the only people who accepted Ted despite the damage he had done. Andre, the photographer, the observer, and the attentive husband, is a nice guy. But he’s no pushover.
Shanice
In 2025, Shanice’s version of nice often came with a dose of tough love. But it came from a good place. She tolerated Derek (Ben Gavin) using her to get over Ashley (Jen Jacob), which never actually happened. Then she turned around and became his physical therapist and cheerleader after he was paralyzed. Much like Andre, she accepted Ted, while not overlooking his flaws. And she tolerated Ashley, who was, at times, beyond mean to her during the downfall of her relationship with Derek. Plus, she introduced Nicole to Dr. Kial Rollins (Greg Vaughan), and for that, we will forever be grateful.
Laura
Poor Laura (Destiny Love). Leslie shoved her (literally) aside so her daughter could infiltrate Nicole’s life. And then Leslie tried to take her out again while she was in the hospital. Through it all, Laura remained nice, understanding, composed, and compassionate, especially for Eva. She hasn’t received justice for anything that has happened to her, yet she hasn’t sought revenge. Laura deserves everything good in this world. Santa had better pony up for her this year. She should get all the gifts.
Mona
Last, but certainly not least, there is Mona (Karan Kendrick). Leslie used her in her revenge plan to blow up Nicole’s life. And now that Mona knows everything that Leslie did, she won’t let the woman forget it. She was incredibly hurt by Leslie’s actions, and as a result, she refused to let her ex-friend back into her life. If Leslie walked into a room, it wasn’t long before Mona walked out. She remained fiercely loyal to Nicole and the Dupress, and that’s why she must be protected at all costs.
