The Bold and the Beautiful is ramping up its Forrester fashion showdown royale. In story, the patriarch Eric Forrester (John McCook) appears to be in failing health, that has taken a turn for the worse, just as he is set to do battle with his son, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye), as to who can design the best fashion line.

Eric is determined that nothing will stop him from proving that this will be his ‘final’ and best line. But at what cost? Eric is having tremors and is hands are unsteady, and recently he coughed up blood.  Meanwhile, Ridge is determined to show why he is at the top of his game and should run Forrester Creations.

Daytime Emmy-winner John McCook, and 2023 Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nominee, Thorsten Kaye chatted with Michael Fairman for a livestream conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, where the gentlemen weighed in on their current storyline, working together since 2013, bringing Ridge and Brooke’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) son, RJ Forrester (Joshua Hoffman) back into the mix, and much more.

Starting on the October 25th episode, B&B will begin a five-episode arc of the fashion show-down. For the special episodes, singer, actress and former talk show host, Marie Osmond, and The Young and the Restless‘ Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren) and Kate Linder (Esther) are the guest stars. Thorsten and John shared their thoughts on the taping of the big shows.

Kaye expressed: “I have known Tracey just from the hallways and Katie. When we all work together it’s fun, but when new people come in, it’s a new energy. Marie Osmond was lovely. John wasn’t there for some of it.”  It was then, McCook revealed he was out of commission during the major tape days: “I wasn’t there or most of it. I was sick for awhile. When they actually shot the fashion show with the gowns and the guest stars and all the actors, I was home with Covid for a few days, and then I got better and had to reshoot some shows and dovetail my stuff into it. I’ve seen the stills and the energy of everybody talking about those days was very powerful. So, I look forward to seeing it, actually.”

Many fans have been nervous that Eric’s illness could spell the end of John McCook’s iconic run on the CBS daytime drama series, given he has been with the show from its very beginning some 37 years ago. Reports surfaced that McCook actually had signed a new three-year contract with the show. Even still, you just never know in the soaps.

John shared his thoughts on his current storyline: “Playing this older character, is who I am. I can’t play a guy in a frat house in San Diego. I have to play an adult person with gray hair. So, here’s who i am and I think there is a large percentage of our audience who are over 50, 60 or 70-years-old. They like to see stories about people their age and with the same kinds of problems. But it’s not about ageism. Ageism is a bad word these days. That’s not what I mean. I’m just playing the part I’ve been playing for years and years and now it’s been a long time, so here it is; I’m proud to do it.”

Thorsten discussed if Ridge’s need to prove that he is the best designer of the Forrester clan is all about his character’s ego, “I don’t know it’s necessarily about the ego of it. I think this company needs to be run and Dad asked his son to do that for him. Now everything is in place, and now Eric has decided that he wants to take over again, that he wants to do something, so it’s not even about my designs against his. (It’s more about) ‘Well, we have something in place that is going to work and you’re kind of messing it all up with what you’re trying to do here.’”