Now that The Young and the Restless has revealed the real Damian is Jermaine Rivers, and Nathan Owens is just pretending to be Damian but is really a man named Holden, there are a lot of questions going through our minds. For starters, what kind of game is Damian playing and why is he so content with remaining hidden and mysterious? We also have to wonder, why Holden is going along with this deception and what his backstory is?
Zeroing in on the latter, Owens recently sat with Soap Opera Digest and teased some insight into his new character. He shared:
“Holden is a very, very charismatic man. He is … I don’t want to say a Lothario, but he’s a charming dude and he’s very single. And he has quite the interest in alcohol [laughs]. He’s definitely worldly and cultured, but there is a bit of a mysterious darkness to this character that I want to tap into even more as the story progresses. It’s all very new to me; I’m curious [about him] and I’m finding out more each day.”
Additionally, Owens stated, “I would want to tell the fans that they will soon learn that my character has a past with someone in town. And maybe a certain lady. So he will be busy keeping secrets as he settles in and as the drama continues.”
Reflecting on Owens’ words, we started to consider what lady he could be referring to. While Holden could have a connection to almost anyone, we’re going to guess he has a past with Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) of all people.
Owens’ description of Holden leads us to believe the character has been involved in his fair share of unsavory activity, and Chelsea came onto The Young and the Restless scene as a con woman. She has her own history of being a “bad girl,” and it sounds like Holden may be a bit of a “bad boy.” Perhaps the two ran cons together or were a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, in love and committing crimes as a duo.
Should our hunch prove correct, Holden being back in town and crossing paths with Chelsea could spell bad news for Adam (Mark Grossman). Chelsea and Connor (Judah Mackey) just moved into the other Newman Ranch with him, and despite Chelsea’s protests that she and Adam are not getting back together, he desperately wants her back. That reunion may become even more of a dream if Holden and Chelsea are exes with unresolved feelings for each other.
As show fans know, Adam can be relentless when it comes to going after what he wants and has a track record of rigging things in his favor. Despite claiming to have turned over a new leaf these days, he may easily revert back to his old ways to deal with any competition for Chelsea’s heart.
It’s worth noting that in The Young and the Restless episode airing on January 5, after Victor (Eric Braeden) complimented Adam’s growth, Victoria (Amelia Heinle) replied, “All it takes is for one thing to go wrong and Adam wants to burn everything down.”
A Holden/Chelsea connection may cause Adam's chances of a reunion to “go wrong,” so are Victoria’s words foreshadowing him doing some questionable things in the future all in the name of love? It’s a strong possibility in our book and we'll just have to wait and see.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air on weekdays on CBS. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Paramount Plus.
