Soap Hub Performer of the Week for Y&R: Melissa Claire Egan

The Young and the Restless viewers know that Chelsea Lawson is a con woman at heart. Even though she loves her son, Connor Newman, many times in the past, she’s stopped at nothing to get what she wants. For now, she wants Adam Newman back, but he’s not feeling it, leaving Chelsea incredibly frustrated and her careful facade of mental health crumbling. For that convincing performance, Soap Hub Performer of the Week honors for Y&R is presented to Chelsea’s portrayer, Melissa Claire Egan.

Melissa Claire Egan — Performer of the Week

Chelsea returned to Genoa City after Egan’s maternity leave. She showed up in mid-December, just in time to celebrate Christmas with Connor (Judah Mackey) and Adam (Mark Grossman). Since her return, Chelsea’s made no secret of her desire to reunite with her ex-husband, and Adam’s tried hard to let her down easily.

This week, cracks in Chelsea’s carefully constructed facade began to show when Adam firmly let her know their past was too toxic for a reunion. Before that moment, though, Egan revealed her wide range when Chelsea gave Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) a difficult time about her ideas for the Newman Media fashion platform. Chelsea was bossy, disdainful, and jealous with Sally while turning on the charm when Adam showed up unexpectedly.

Melissa Claire Egan helped Chelsea give it her best shot with Adam, and when he said no, Chelsea’s barely contained fury showed. The actress brought it all home in a scene where she said no words. Instead, Egan exposed Chelsea’s desperation through a series of striking facial expressions and actions that ended with Chelsea throwing her glass of alcohol, shattering it in the fireplace.

Later, when Chelsea ran into Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd), she seemed to have everything together, even giving the new dad some parenting advice. However, at one point, Chelsea seemed like a different person when she brought up Sharon Rosales (Sharon Case) briefly. Then, Adam showed up, and Chelsea’s demeanor changed dramatically. Egan’s performance revealed that Chelsea is far less healed than she’s pretending. Bravo Melissa Claire Egan on showing the con woman’s vulnerability both through dialogue and actions this week.

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.