Outside the Door: The 5 Worst Love Stories of 2025—Toxic and Twisted!
beyond the gate We saw some bad love stories in the CBS soap’s first season this year. See if you agree as we rank and count down from #5 (terrible) all the way to #1 (really toxic as a soap tie-in).
As you know, these two toxic romance stories involve the same person. We combined them and they are number five on our list. So, let’s dig into it.
Tomas Navarro’s tangled romance with Kat Richardson and Eva Thomas in “Beyond the Gate”
Our 5 Worst Romances beyond the gate Both belong to Tomas Navarro (Alex Alegría). One is Kate Richardson (Colby Muhammad) and the other is her sister Eva Thomas (Ambair Michelle). I will say that when Thomas first started courting Kate, he looked adorable. Thomas is patient with Kate because she has never been intimate with a man before. Thomas even put on the brakes to make sure Kate was sure it was the right time for them to have sex.
The thing is, I don’t think Thomas is the kind of person Kate thinks he is. I mean, Thomas said it well, but he was really toxic. When he and Kate had an argument after another bad experience in bed, Thomas went to do it with her sister Eva. Thomas sides with Eva over Kate in almost every situation. I will say that Eva definitely deserves the spotlight for the role she plays in Dana “Leslie” Thomas’ (Trisha Man Grant) plan to destroy Kate’s family. But I think some of what Kate said crossed the line and was very immature.
Family Feud: The drama between Kate Richardson and Eva Thomas on BTG
For example, telling Eva that she wanted Leslie to abort her. I mean, that’s horrible and it’s too much. Still, I don’t think Thomas will ride or die for Kate. As for Thomas and Eva, he was flirting with her from the beginning. They bonded over their favorite nerdy books. But it would be absolutely inappropriate for Thomas to show up in Eva’s hotel room to discuss science fiction.
Thomas was ready to slip into Eva’s pants when he was still with Kate. Eva put on the brakes, saying she didn’t want to be like her mom, Leslie. But later, when Thomas was helping Eva move into the apartment, Thomas told her that he and Kate had broken up. Eva said, “Okay,” and they slept together. It turns out Thomas was not being honest.
He and Kate had a falling out, but as far as she knew, they were still together. I think he just wanted his ego and other parts of him to be soothed. He then abandons Eva again and goes after Kate. I don’t think Thomas should get involved with the sisters. I think they both should kick him to the curb.
Haley and Bill Hamilton: A Dangerous Game of Lies and Betrayal
Well, here’s our ranking of the fourth worst love stories of the year beyond the gate Little Haley Lawson (Marquetta Goins) and her sexy hunk Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Dretter). I think we knew they were toxic from the first episode, when we found out that Haley had infiltrated their family and stolen Bill from Danny. Also, I suspect Haley is running a long-term scam. Many fans did this. Turns out we were all fine. She and Randy Parker (Maurice P. Cree) conspired to kill Bill for $10 million.
Now, Haley is drugging Bill in hopes of triggering his death. Also, Bill is toxic, as he recently kissed his ex-wife Danny Dupree (Karla Mosley). That’s just because Bill is jealous that she’s married to a hot, young man, Andre. Bill didn’t even look at Dani twice like that, or put his lips on her like that, until she found someone else. So, I think Bill was actually visited by the karma of Haley trying to kill him. They are a completely toxic couple. I can’t even say they don’t deserve it.
Ashley Morgan and Andre Richardson: A BTG Romance That Never Was
The couples we ranked third on our list of bad romances beyond the gate To be honest, this was a pairing that never fully manifested itself. They never became an official couple. This is the star-crossed duo of Ashley Morgan (Jen Jacobs) and Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman). We’ve known he’d had a crush on Ashley for a while, but the timing was never right. Plus, Andre travels a lot for work, and he’s a playboy.
Meanwhile, Ashley is a blue-collar worker in nursing school. She’s just a pretty average chick. But Andre was still enthusiastic about her. When he flirts with Ashley, she’s tempted, especially because she sees a future for her and Derek that’s pretty mediocre and underwhelming. Ashley wanted something bigger out of life. But for Andre and Ashley, the timing was never right. He seduces her at his house on a date night in Paris, and then she hits the brakes.
The missed connections and messy love of Andre, Danny and Ashley in ‘Beyond the Gate’
Andre almost ended up with Ashley. Then she showed up at his place and said, “Okay, let’s do this.” She saw him and Danny lip-locking after he and Danny decided not to be together. This messes things up. Then Derek was paralyzed for a while, and Ashley felt obligated. Andre married Dani drunkenly. Now Andre and Danny are in love, and Ashley has dumped Derek. Like Pringle, she is single.
She tried to get back to Andre, but it was too late. Bottom line: Ashley and Andre seemed star-crossed from the start. I honestly never saw the chemistry between them that justified his attraction to Ashley. So, I think it’s a good thing that this relationship ended sooner.
Vanessa McBride and Joey Armstrong: Bad romance and crime in ‘BTG’
Well, our second-ranked worst love stories beyond the gate This year it’s Vanessa McBride (Lauren Buglioli) and Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom). However, I loved hiss, but I still thought it was a bad romance. I also have to give credit to Vanessa and her poor dead husband Doug for being another truly terrible romance in 2025. beyond the gate. Now, while I do think Vanessa and Joey’s romance sucks, I also really like them together.
Vanessa cuckolded Doug because she wasn’t satisfied. Doug spent a lot of money in the casino because he was not satisfied. Vanessa chases thrills in bed, Doug chases thrills at the gaming table. Then Joey deliberately gets between them. He gave Vanessa the excitement she was looking for. He tricked Doug into losing in order to use Vanessa to launder money for him. But then Joey’s feelings for Vanessa became very strong. This was never part of his plan.
Deadly Consequences: Doug’s Downfall and Vanessa’s Dark Transformation
Things hit an all-time low when Joey kills Doug because he was the obstacle in Joey’s way of monopolizing Vanessa. I mean, it’s a dark gangster romance, right? Doug is hell-bent on taking down Joey and has been plotting to arrest him. So, that’s part of it. Doug had to go.
Now Vanessa is satisfied in bed. She became a petty criminal herself, running Joey Armstrong’s escort service and laundering money through her real estate company. She thrived in a criminal lifestyle. She likes life on the edge. Vanessa is still a very thrill-seeker and Joey is a bad influence. I do like them, but come on, this is a bad romance.
Leslie Thomas and Ted Richardson: The Worst Romance in “Beyond the Gate”
Well, of course, you probably already guessed the worst love story beyond the gate In the first season, Leslie and Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) appeared. That day, while Nicole was dealing with infertility issues, Ted cheated on Leslie and knocked her out, and their relationship was on the rocks. When Ted starts banging boots with waitress Leslie/Dana, she has just had a miscarriage.
Bill then threatens and tells Leslie she must have an abortion. Ted thinks that’s what happened. So, they have a grown daughter, and Leslie comes back absolutely hell-bent on ruining Ted’s life. But she was still enthusiastic about him. So it’s all very toxic. What’s completely crazy is that he recently slept with Leslie again while drunk and showing poor judgment. In fact, there is no judgment at all.
Betrayal and Obsession: Leslie Thomas and Ted Richardson’s Drama on BTG
Ted needs to rent a doorman apartment and get a restraining order against Leslie to keep her away. Now that she has another taste of her teddy bear, I don’t think Leslie will ever give up. All she and Ted would ever have was a very, very bad romance. The worst thing is beyond the gate This year. Leave your comment.
