Soap Supercouples: The Young and the Restless Romance of Victor and Nikki

Victor and Nikki – this coupling is certainly the most popular on The Young and the Restless and most enduring. What began as a rendition of Pygmalion evolved into something altogether original and enduring.

How Did Victor and Nikki Meet?

He was recently divorced and in need of cheering up. She was the exotic dancer headlining the local gentlemen’s club that he attended. When she strutted out onto the catwalk clothed in scarlet and wrapped in a feather boa, Victor was immediately smitten – and when she removed almost every stitch, he remained just as impressed!

Niktor – The Early Years

While Victor Newman, the self-made billionaire would have been exactly the kind of man Nikki would pursue in the past, a series of failed relationships had imbued her with a desire to expect something more fulfilling out of a romance aside from the lascivious.

“I don’t want to fall into bed, I want to fall in love…” And that’s exactly what she began to do when Victor, the “interior decorator,” set about installing her a lavish dressing room at her place of business.

When she learned that he “actually” spent his days toiling as a butler for Colonel Douglas Austin, Nikki was tickled… and impressed with his work ethic. And though she delighted in the attention – and jewelry – that Douglas lavished on her, Nikki confessed that she really only had eyes for his “help.”

Victor likewise was impressed that Nikki prioritized feelings over worldly possessions. He finally confessed his ruse: He was actually the billionaire that Douglas has so uproariously impersonated.

At his invitation, Nikki joined Victor at his sprawling horse ranch and as the days passed, both parties began to realize the depths of the feelings that they possessed for one another.

On New Year’s Eve, 1981, Victor honored Nikki’s request for a kiss – and Miss Reed certainly approved. “You dirty stinker, you can kiss like that and you’ve been holding out on me?!” That initial smooch led to another… and another. And it was with locked lips that Victor and Nikki welcomed 1982.

The Path to True Love Never Runs Smooth

Nikki was desperate to become even closer to Victor, and though he returned her ardor, he also decried the age gap that existed between them. Instead, he trained her in the ways of a society dame – falling deeper and deeper in love with her as each lesson passed – and did his utmost to engineer a match between Nikki and the much more suitable Kevin Bancroft.

An exacerbated Nikki went along with his scheme – sure that her dating Kevin would ignite feelings of jealously in the man she truly wanted. When Kevin learned of Nikki’s less than savory past,  including her stint as a stripper, he insisted they terminate their courtship.

Nikki feared that Victor would express disappointment in her failure to claim Kevin’s affection and she eventually told him. Instead, Victor provided her with a shoulder to cry on – and a bed to occupy!

Despite their lovemaking, Victor insisted that he still did not want to make a commitment to her. It was with that opinion in mind that Nikki returned to Kevin once she learned that she was with child. Even though she knew Victor was the father, Nikki selflessly abided by his wishes and foisted his child upon another.

Victor and Nikki: Further Trials and Tribulations

When the truth was eventually outed, Nikki extricated herself from her second failed marriage but became embroiled in further trouble when she became involved with black widower Rick Daros.

Even after Victor valiantly came to her rescue, the two had to endure the trauma surrounding his resulting injury and battle with impotence before they were able to walk down the aisle together.

But life as husband and wife was fraught with potential usurpers, crazed killers, and a plethora of medical maladies. First, they had to dodge the murderous intentions of Victor’s former secretary Eve Howard. Then, Victor found himself enraptured with Ashley Abbott.

In spite of weathering that spot of infidelity, facing the possibility that Nikki had contracted a terminal disease and welcoming a second child (Nicholas Christian), the pair finally divorced when Nikki supplied Leanna Love – the authoress who wielded a poison pen – with uncomplimentary information about Ashley.

The Marrying Kind

The duo’s April 13, 1984 wedding was certainly their most lavish but it was far from their only one. The second took place in 1998 inside the bride’s hospital room as she lay on what was assumed to be her deathbed. When she made a miraculous recovery – and the union was deemed invalid – they exchanged vows for a third time at the site of their first wedding.

Another divorce followed and yet another deeming ceremony was held in 2013. Though the two pledged their troth to a plethora of others, there’s no denying that Victor and Nikki are each other’s forever love. The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.