The 2025 Salem Spectator Awards: Days of our Lives Year-End Two Scoops Extravaganza

Days of our Lives mixed past and present this year in tear-jerking and throat-lumping ways as this little soap that could turned 60. No longer on network television, DAYS is now the only soap with new episodes five days a week, 52 weeks a year, and this year's shows offered heartache, loss, suspense, and laughter. But we also weren't without a few groans, as well. So, let's get those two scoops and dig in for the Salem year that was...

The Worst 'Soap' Story Ever That Made Us Never Want to Watch TV Again Award

God bless the end of Body and Soul | Image: JPI

To be honest, to us, the Days of our Lives year did not truly begin until that pesky little soap within a soap, Body and Soul, was GONE. The Body and Soul plot might be one of the most ill-conceived ideas we have ever seen in more than four decades dedicated to this genre. There was literally nothing enjoyable about it. Not the weirdness of a soap being filmed in Salem and produced by former super cop and Salem mayor Abe. Not the schmaltzy soap names and costumes. Not the ridiculousness of our favorite characters being cast on a soap. And certainly not in the silly way that it ended.

Crazy (former) nurse Whitley began stalking the Body and Soul cast from her home in Bayview, sending poison pastries and Bonnie down an elevator shaft. After all that sabotage, "the network" thankfully pulled the plug on the Salem aspect of the production and spared us all from being forced to watch this travesty much longer. We don't even want to talk about it much here, but it needed a mention, and now that it's out of the way, it's time to delve into the real Days of our Lives.

The Best Take Me to the 80s Time Machine Flashback Experience Award

Bo and Hope reunited with Ciara | Image: Peacock

She held out for her hero. They celebrated their love. And now they are off traveling the world doing whatever they imagine. That's right. We got all the Bo and Hope love songs into the start of one short paragraph.

But Bo and Hope finally got their happily ever after this year, and we couldn't be more happily ever after for them. Sure, Bo's miraculous recovery via some miracle drug that cures sepsis was a little weird, but Bo Brady made it back to the land of the living and Salem, in time for a heartbreaking death.

The 2025 Salem Tearjerker Award

Marlena said goodbye to her beloved John | Image: JPI

In 2024, Salem, the Days of our Lives cast, and the audience were forced to say goodbye to Doug Williams and Bill Hayes. That was also the year we said goodbye to Drake Hogestyn, who died after a battle with pancreatic cancer in September of that year. In May, Salem said goodbye to its beloved John Black in a poignant farewell story in which one hero sacrificed his life for another.

Marlena's grief has been real and raw as she navigates life without her husband, but she is in good company with her very best friends. Julie lost her husband in 2024. Maggie lost her husband in 2023. And now Marlena is also a widow. They are strong women navigating the circle of life alone, and their stories have touched us in very real life ways. Bravo, DAYS.

The Most Hypocritical Character Award

Sarah doesn't seem to know who she married | Image: JPI

We have been saying it almost all year. Sarah is a hypocrite. She did nothing but lie and keep a secret from her husband for the first half of this year, and then acted surprised when he did EXACTLY as she predicted he would do, which was her whole reason for keeping the secret. Now, Sarah acts like she has no idea who she married, when she very well did. After Xander thought Brady had drunkenly run Sarah down with his car, he was ready to kill Brady, and Sarah knew it. She even put a stop to it, but didn't divorce her husband over his violent instincts.

Then, she kept a massive secret from him, knowing that if the truth came out, he would get violent with Philip thanks to Philip's trickery. And that is exactly what happened. Yet, Sarah acts shocked and appalled. While we are not excusing Xander's violence, Sarah didn't sign up for this marriage with eyes wide shut. Plus, how can she condemn this man for lying to her and keeping secrets when this whole mess started when she lied to him and kept secrets? Just give it a rest, Sarah.

The Brady's In Love Award

Brady started the year falling for Ava | Image: JPI

As always, this goes to Brady, because he falls in love every year, and sometimes even twice a year, like this year. Brady started 2025 falling for Ava Vitali and is ending 2025 falling for Sarah. But this is Brady for you. Melanie, Chloe, Kristen, Theresa, Eve...the list goes on and on and on and on.

And it's tiresome. There are few men on soaps that fall in and out of love as quickly as Brady. In fact, his only counterpart who even remotely comes close is over on The Bold and the Beautiful, and his name is Carter Walton. Who will Brady fall for in 2026 when Sarah and Xander inevitably reunite?

The Yep We Knew It (And So Did Marlena) Award

Marlena knew early on what Rachel had done | Image: JPI

Who didn't see Rachel turning out to be the one who shot EJ from a mile away? Marlena sure saw it and tried her best to help Rachel in any way she could. However, it was a satisfying conclusion to one of the best soap opera shooting mysteries we have seen in years. And infinitely better than whatever General Hospital is still trying to do with 'Who Shot Drew?'

The Best Mom Ever Award (Kinda)

Kristen would do anything for Rachel | Image: JPI

No, Kristen DiMera is not the best mom on soaps, but she was certainly the best mom she had ever been this year. We acknowledge that Kristen is a large part of how Rachel became the kid she has been the last few years — meaning spoiled, troubled, and scheming. But when push came to shove, Kristen sacrificed everything for her child, even if she may have gone about things the wrong way.

Not wanting Rachel or anyone to know that Rachel shot EJ was from a purely personal and selfless perspective. She had been judged for years (and justifiably so), but didn't want Rachel to feel the same fate. Should she have told Brady the truth so he could have been prepared? Yes. But Kristen went to jail and was willing to go back to jail and stay there for seven years for a crime she didn't commit, all for her daughter. And that makes her an awesome mom in our book.

The Most Stalked Character Award

Everyone is after Stephanie | Image: Peacock

That would be Stephanie Johnson, guys. From Everett/Bobby to Jeremy Horton to whoever is sending her those creepy fan letters, Stephanie is one popular lady. And she has quite an imagination, to boot, apparently.

We are sure Stephanie will gain some more stalkers in 2026, but first, we have to find out who is sending those letters...

The Best Use of YouTube Award

Sophia gave birth alone with some Internet help | Image: JPI

One of the most surprisingly compelling stories of 2025 was the Sophia teen pregnancy story. It was pretty obvious very early on that Tate would turn out not to be the father of Sophia's baby, and Aaron would be, but we were not prepared for all the twists this story took, especially after Sophia gave birth.

And oh, what a birth. Sophia gave birth in her bedroom via YouTube tutorial that she watched while in the throes of labor on her childhood bed. Now, THAT is impressive. And her tenacity after that was also impressive, if not deceptive. Her deception then led to one of the sweetest stories of the year, the Hernandez family, namely Javi and Leo, taking in baby Tesoro, now known as Trey.

Sophia's story also brought us Amy Choi, one of the most delightful new characters in a long time. Not because she was a delight, but because she was such a non-delight. Amy was anything but boring and meek, and we want more of her and her truth-telling ways.

The Most Annoying Surprise Harpy Award

Jennifer loves her grandchildren, but needs to mind her business | Image: JPI

And finally, we will end this with Jennifer Rose, one of our favorite characters, since she was in high school during our 1980s high school years. Jennifer is a grandmother now, and a mother whose daughter was murdered, and boy, has she changed.

She had some nerve telling Chad how to live his life and who he can and cannot associate with. We get her feelings about Cat, and she is allowed those feelings, but Chad is also allowed his. And listening to her call Chad a bad and neglectful father who should lose custody of his kids for feelings he had chosen to suppress for the sake of his kids has been maddening. Hopefully, Jennifer has a change of attitude in 2026 or one of our faves will remain in the doghouse for a very long time.