The Newmans Surprise Genoa City By Honoring Neil Winters

The Young and the Restless recap for Friday brings a big gift to Genoa City in honor of Neil Winters, leaving a lasting legacy of jazz to remember him by.

Young and the Restless Recap Highlights

Most of Genoa City’s finest arrived at the gala. Diane and Jack decided to hold off on their big announcement while Phyllis left both Daniel and Summer (Allison Lanier) confused by her words and demeanor. Jeremy laid out his plans for Diane upstairs. Elsewhere, Billy supported Chelsea as she waivered on whether or not to attend the gala. Now let’s dig deeper into what happened.

Y&R Recap: Genoa City’s Finest Arrive

On the red carpet, Sally (Courtney Hope) and Sharon (Sharon Case) complimented each other, while Adam (Mark Grossman) and Nick (Joshua Morrow) sized each other up. All four took a group photo, and Sharon suggested they go inside for champagne, for which she instantly apologized to Sally.

Jack (Peter Bergman) and Diane (Susan Walters) arrived to plenty of flashes. Then, Leanna Love (Barbara Crampton) showed up, and neither Jack nor Diane was too pleased.

“Who better to cover the celebration of the century…well, make that two centuries,” wondered Leanna when Jack asked why she’d come. Diane warned her that top-tier guests wouldn’t appreciate seeing her there, and Leanna felt that it was all water under the bridge. She hoped she might get another book out of the whole thing.

Diane gave Jack her ring to hang onto so that nobody would see it before they were ready to announce their news. Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) stood off to the side, noticing that Jack had pocketed the ring.

READ THIS: Find out what happens next on The Young and the Restless.

Inside, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Michael (Christian Le Blanc) excitedly anticipated the upcoming surprise. She gushed about the help Michael and Lauren (Tracey Bregman) had given to ensure the success of the event.

Victoria (Amelia Heinle) told Sally that her baby bump camouflage wasn’t working, and Nick advised Sally not to worry. Nikki walked over and greeted them, teasing the big surprise. At the bar, Adam suggested he and Sharon go see the family. They walked over and congratulated Nikki on the successful gala. She went to greet guests, and Adam suggested he’d use the photo of him, Sharon, Nick, and Sally as his Christmas card, which didn’t go over so well.

Victor (Eric Braeden) asked Ashley (Eileen Davidson) why she was there with Tucker (Trevor St. John). She let The Mustache know she was capable of deciding who she hung out with, and Victor asked Tucker to sell him McCall Unlimited. However, Tucker said he was selling to Devon (Bryton James). Victor excused himself to say hello to Jill (Jess Walton).

Traci (Beth Maitland) and Mamie (Veronica Redd) gushed over how the Genoa City Athletic Club hadn’t changed at all.

Devon and Abby (Melissa Ordway) found it suspicious that Jill and Victor were talking so intently. Mamie walked over and greeted Jill, and she let Jill know that her $1 million had turned into $10 million thanks to savvy investments. Jill firmly told Mamie that she went by “Jill Abbott” and had for years. She suggested they let bygones be bygones, but Mamie wasn’t interested.

Lauren showed up, and Michael said she was worth the wait. Nikki found her, and then she got everybody’s attention. She invited all to go to the lounge for a special surprise.

Young and the Restless: Strange Moments

Billy (Jason Thompson) showed up at Crimson Lights and texted Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) that he was downstairs. Chelsea came down, and she was anxious about attending the gala. Billy let her know they didn’t have to go, and she agreed for a moment. However, she had a second thoughts about giving in to her anxieties about the evening.

Chelsea went back and forth, and Billy remained supportive of whatever Chelsea wanted to do. He again said they could keep the whole thing low-key. However, Chelsea thought it would be a shame if nobody saw Billy in his tux.

At the GCAC, Jeremy (James Hyde) walked into a room and got some things out of a bag. He texted Phyllis, “Tonight, this all ends — for good.” She got the text and walked over to Lily (Christel Khalil) and Daniel (Michael Graziadei). Things were a bit awkward. Phyllis asked her son to put a hold on their tension, but she started crying and then let Daniel know she was proud of him. She also told Lily he was a good man. Phyllis left in tears, and Daniel apologized to Lily. He noted his mom had been really erratic.

Jack introduced Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Summer to Mamie, and Traci greeted them. Mamie noted that Jack and Diane had raised Kyle well, which was awkward. Diane invited Mamie to join them in the lounge, and most of the group went that way. Traci and Summer stayed behind to grab champagne.

Phyllis walked up to Summer, who didn’t appreciate her mom “being like this, especially tonight.” She tearfully let Summer know she was proud of her. Traci looked on, and seemed concerned about Phyllis’s behavior. Phyllis walked away, and Summer asked Traci if her mom had been acting weird. Traci thought Phyllis was desperate and strange.

Y&R Recap: The Newmans Honor Neil Winters

In the lounge, Nikki thanked everyone for coming, and Victor had jokes about not being in Genoa City at its founding. Nikki declared the event a celebration of their city, which had a small-town feel. She wanted to celebrate, honor their heritage, and remember those they’d lost. Nikki remembered Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) and noted she’d been memorialized with the park.

Victor mentioned Neil (Kristoff St. John). He invited Abby to continue with a presentation. She announced that the lounge was created in Neil’s memory. She officially unveiled the newly renovated Athletic Club lounge as the Neil Winters Jazz lounge. She reminded everyone about the Indigo that Neil once owned.

Devon thanked Nikki and Victor for the surprise, and they posed for photos. Lily joined them. After the photos were snapped, Lily thanked them for honoring Neil like that. Victor declared Neil one of the few friends he’d ever had, and he told Lily and Devon that Neil wouldn’t want them to have conflict.

Jill gushed to Devon about how, even in a photograph, Neil was the sexiest man in the room. She also loved the lounge. Devon asked Jill if Victor was the reason she changed her mind about the Initial Public Offering. Instead of answering, Jill told Devon that Victor was one of his biggest supporters.

Mamie told Lily that she had the spirit of her mother. They caught up about how Charlie and Mattie were doing. Nate (Sean Dominic) walked over and hugged Mamie. She suggested the three of them get together to catch up. Mamie left, and Lily awkwardly told Nate she would set up a time to meet with Mamie. Nate noted that Neil would’ve loved the lounge, and Lily asked how Elena (Brytni Sarpy) was doing. Turned out Elena was still working but would join him soon.

Nate hoped the lounge would help Devon and Lily heal, and Lily said it wasn’t his business. She walked away, and Audra (Zuleyka Silver) walked up and told Nate that reuniting Lily and Devon was a lost cause, but Nate didn’t agree. Victoria walked over and stole Nate away from Elena.

Leanna waxed poetic about Neil, and Ashley couldn’t stand it. She went over, but Mamie intercepted her, and they talked. Leanna walked up and interrupted, wondering what Mamie would know about the Abbotts. Ashley threatened to create a scene. Victor interrupted, greeting Leanna, and he pointed out she hadn’t been invited. Jill walked over and piled on Leanna, too. “So much for this being a forgiving town,” she said.

After Leanna left, Jill whispered to Victor that Devon suspected he was the reason Jill changed her mind. Victor noted that Lily and Devon were moved by his surprise, and Jill thought it was all part of his plan.

In the lounge, Devon sat alone and raised a glass to Neil’s picture. Lily walked up and sat by her brother, wondering if they could fix the situation.

Nate and Victoria sat at the bar, and he toasted to Victoria’s mom, dad, and sister for dedicating the new jazz club. He wondered if Victoria knew and kept it a secret, but she didn’t know anything about the whole thing. Nate hoped it might ease the tension between Devon and Lily because he wanted his family to find peace.

Elena walked in as Victoria touched Nate’s hand comfortingly, and Audra whispered that Victoria wasn’t wasting any time.

Upstairs, Phyllis knocked on the door to Jeremy’s room. He wasn’t thrilled she showed up there and worried about her being discrete. Once again, Jeremy asked Phyllis if she was having second thoughts, but she wasn’t after seeing Diane with Summer. He planned to get Diane up there to set the final stage.

Downstairs, Diane suggested to Jack they keep their news under wraps after the big announcement, and he agreed. He said they’d know when the time was right after all these years. They kissed as ominous music played.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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