The Young and the Restless viewers know that Phyllis Summers will do whatever she has to in order to come out on top and smooth things for her daughter. For her performance, Soap Hub Performer of the Week honors for Y&R is presented to Phyllis’s portrayer, Michelle Stafford.
Michelle Stafford — Y&R Performer of the Week
Phyllis knew something was going on with her friend Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), so she hopped on an airplane to Los Angeles to find out what was going on. We loved seeing Stafford as Phyllis quickly dispense with Jack’s small talk when they sit down at the outdoor cafe. Her line delivery was spot on, and it worked perfectly because Jack went ahead and spilled the beans, and boy were those beans shocking!
Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) returned from the dead. Phyllis did just what anybody would do and checked to make sure Jack wasn’t having some type of mental issue, and we loved how Stafford showed off her on-screen alter ego’s disbelief with excellent delivery and great body language including shocked and concerned facial expressions.
Of course, the best moments for Michelle Stafford this week was when Phyllis came face-to-face with Diane. Her deadpan delivery of not knowing Diane was alive was perfect. Then the disbelief and back and forth between the two characters harkened back to the discontent that’s always festered between these two.
While the flashbacks weren’t new acting for Stafford, we loved seeing the energy and snark she brought to Phyllis in the preceding decades shown in the scenes. We especially loved how she confidently shed her robe for the naked swimming session in Jack’s backyard. Michelle Stafford really sold that with her movements and poses even though the filming kept things completely modest for daytime television.
We’re looking forward to seeing more of Phyllis and Diane’s rivalry heat up as the weeks go by. Although Phyllis explained to Diane that she’s more mature and has learned from her mistakes, we expect to see her stirring up some drama with the best of them in the coming weeks. Bravo on a job well done!
The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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