Beyond the Gates: Beyond the Gates Recap for January 22, 2026: Three couples got their kiss on

Here's what went down Thursday, January 22, 2026 on Beyond the Gates when Vanessa's heart almost got unattached, Smitty wanted a piece of the action, and Tomás got an eyeful.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

Marriage licenses were only suggestions for Dani and Bill on Beyond the Gates | Image: CBS

On Beyond the Gates, Nicole saw Ted and Shanice at the country club and realized that Shanice had been trying to prepare her at the hospital about her date with her ex. Ted remarked that they were all grown, and Carlton remained unfazed. After Ted led Shanice to their table, Nicole told Carlton that the fun part about dinner was wondering what happened after dessert.

Shanice was overwhelmed by the fancy menu and said that, while she was enjoying herself and felt like Cinderella, she was also aware that her Prince Charming had just finalized a divorce. As Shanice worried that she might turn back into a pumpkin where Ted was concerned, he assured her that Nicole had nothing on her. “She for damn sure don't have these curves,” Shanice finally laughed. Ted was happy that Shanice had brought joy back into his life.

Carlton congratulated Nicole for handling the sight of Ted with Shanice like a queen. Nicole was briefly distracted by watching her ex, but she soon admitted to Carlton that it was him she was having impure thoughts about. After Nicole decided that she and Carlton needed to move their date to her place, Shanice noticed their “grand exit” and felt uncomfortable. Ted promised Shanice that she hadn't done anything to be ashamed of. “Not yet,” Shanice winked, and Ted brought her back to his hotel room.

At Nicole's house, she confessed that she'd suddenly been hit by the realization that she hadn't been with anyone but Ted for decades. Carlton offered to leave, but Nicole announced that she wouldn't be satisfied with that, and clothes started to come off. Meanwhile, Shanice recalled her previous visit to Ted's room; Ted remembered how they'd spent time together there as friends. This time, Ted declared, they were on a date. “The TV isn't even turned on,” Shanice noticed. “But I am.” Following that, Ted and Shanice also made love for the first time.

Vanessa was at Orphey Gene's picking up take-out when she was confronted by Lance, the disgruntled husband who had made a threatening phone call to Vanessa earlier. Lance accused Vanessa of ruining his marriage to Lolly by providing her escorts, but Vanessa pooh-poohed that lots of couples had extramarital encounters to spice things up. Lance raged that it was probably Vanessa's infidelities that had driven Doug into an early grave, and he demanded that Vanessa turn Lolly away the next time she wanted to do business.

After Vanessa refused Lance's demand and smirked that perhaps Lance's lack of bedroom skills were what was inspiring Lolly to seek affection elsewhere, Lance roughly grabbed Vanessa's wrist. Randy entered and promised Lance would regret it if he didn't let Vanessa go. After Lance stormed out, Vanessa conceded that she had hurt Lance's pride and thanked Randy for his intervention; Randy was glad to help, given what Vanessa had meant to Doug and how the McBrides had helped him with Joey. Vanessa said it still didn't feel real that Doug was gone, and, after she left, Randy immediately called Joey and reported to him what had happened with Lance. “This just got personal,” Joey fumed.

At a diner booth, a panicky Lynette complained to Hayley about the $17,100 bill she had received from Bill's law firm. Lynette considered doing something drastic since she had no income, so Hayley proposed talking Bill into handling her case pro bono. After Lynette hugged Hayley and left, Randy joined Hayley at the booth; she kicked herself for caving in to Lynette. Randy decided Hayley had made the right call since they had to do whatever they could to keep Lynette quiet.

Hayley went on to talk about Bill and grumbled that her marriage might have an expiration date. Randy recommended that Hayley do something to get Bill to focus on her instead of Dani, but Hayley criticized Randy for not doing enough to help her. Randy reminded his cousin not to get impatient about the slow-acting poison she was giving Bill; Hayley scowled that if her tea didn't put Bill in the ground, Randy would.

Elon went to Joey at the casino, wondering if Armstrong had any connection to the illegal blood plasma ring which Jacob would be going undercover to investigate. Joey cracked that he had been known to bleed people dry, just not literally – he also added that he dealt in vices, not veins. Swearing he had no involvement in the cabal, Joey did pass on that he'd heard it was run by a man who called himself “The Impaler” – and that he was no one to mess with. Joey felt that Jacob should be warned.

Jacob summoned Smitty to the country club to buy him a drink in thanks for being the source that had alerted him to the blood plasma cartel. Smitty wanted to go a step further and help Jacob in the investigation, but Jacob declined Smitty's offer in order to protect him. The reporter objected, remembering how well he and Jacob had worked together on digging into Marcel's shady dealings; Smitty wanted to be a part of doling out real justice, which would also earn him the respect his previous puff pieces weren't capable of.

Despite Jacob feeling that Martin wouldn't want Smitty risking his safety, Smitty asserted that he was going to investigate the ring with or without Jacob. Smitty understood Jacob's concerns about the case being compromised if info leaked to the press too early, so Jacob reluctantly accepted Smitty's assistance.

Elsewhere in the club, Kat sensed Chelsea's ill will toward Madison and learned that there'd been tension because of Chelsea running into her former dealer, Malik, while out together. Kat was shocked that Chelsea had popped a pill right in front of the doctor but could see how Madison's warnings might remind Chelsea of Dani, who had been overcontrolling during Chelsea's modeling career. Chelsea loved Madison but had come to the realization that she had lost her spontaneity trying to be the perfect partner; she had gone soft.

Kat spied Smitty and Jacob together and approached them; the men claimed they were just relaxing after a workout, but, after they left, Kat took a sip from Smitty's drink and deduced that he wouldn't be consuming alcohol right after exercising.

A cheerful-acting Vanessa visited Joey, who called her out on withholding what had happened with Lance. Vanessa griped about Randy giving her away, confident that she had had everything under control. She knew that Joey could be possessive and that he'd want to protect her; Joey was angry that Lance had “marked” her by giving her a bruise and stated, “This is why I didn't want you involved in my businesses.”

Tomás was working late, finishing up some details on Lynette's case to present to Bill. The senior lawyer didn't want Tomás burning himself out and reiterated the importance of Tomás having a personal life. “Then why are you here?” Tomás replied, noting the late hour. Bill didn't appreciate Tomás's comment and accused his subordinate of overstepping, after which he demanded that Tomás clock out for the night.

Going to Orphey Gene's, Tomás found Hayley, observing that she was eating alone. Hayley feigned acceptance over being a “legal widow” and listened as Tomás bellyached about how Bill didn't appreciate his extra efforts. Wanting Tomás out of the way so she could talk to Randy, Hayley smoothed Tomás's feathers by saying that Bill was testing him – and, if Tomás wanted to prove himself to Bill, he should go back to work. Tomás saw the point and thanked Hayley for her perspective.

Dani brought Bill dinner from his favorite Cubano restaurant, saying that they had never properly celebrated their daughters' narrow escape from the BRCA gene variant. Bill asked where Dani's “boy toy” was – Dani described how Andre was in New York helming a photo shoot. Seeing the rich foods offered him, Bill laughed that Hayley would have a stroke if she saw him eating them. “Promise?” Dani smirked.

Talk turned to news of Dani carrying the gene mutation, and, though she intellectually knew that she'd been given a heads-up about her higher risk for cancer, that didn't stop her from worrying about it. Besides, the former supermodel said, surgery left scars, and she knew that the basis of her dynamic with Andre was physical. What if the bond between them broke because she was no longer physically perfect?

Bill didn't think Dani should fret over cancer coming for her – if anything, he said, “cancer should be afraid of your crazy ass.” Although Dani agonized over the idea of Andre only staying with her out of pity, Bill maintained that Dani's beauty wasn't simply skin deep, and that there wasn't anything that could dim Dani's light. Dani responded by kissing Bill passionately.

The one-time marrieds briefly got lost in the moment – but before long, Dani stopped and frantically said that they “couldn't do this.” Bill agreed with her that they had only gotten caught up in nostalgia, and Dani beat a hasty retreat. However, Bill noticed Tomás through the blinds and realized that Navarro had probably seen everything.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.