Not only was The Young and the Restless landing Colleen Zenk as Claire’s mysterious Aunt Jordan the best soap casting coup of the year, but it was also the best-kept casting secret that brought a retconned not-dead-daughter story to a whole new level.

The Surprise Appearance Of The Soap Year

When Claire Grace (played by Emmy winner Hayley Erin) first arrived in town with a clear Newman agenda under orders from a mysterious aunt in Oregon, we were curious but never expected that aunt to take us on such a wild ride as the year came to a close. That wild wide had us glued to our screens but it never would have had the same bang without the right actress cast in the role.

The day we finally laid eyes on Aunt Jordan was like coming home for long-time soap fans. Y&R cast veteran soap actress as Claire’s deranged aunt and a collective gasp could be heard through the soap world when she appeared on our screen during the last seconds of the November 17 episode. Since then, it’s been a tour de force of soapy goodness watching a seasoned daytime veteran eat a role that seems tailor-made for her.

It’s easy to see Zenk has enjoyed every second of bringing Jordan to life, a crazed woman with a wicked and dry sense of humor who has spent a quarter of a century devising a revenge plot against the Newman clan for destroying her sister’s life. That sister was none other than Eve Howard, one of Victor’s (Eric Braeden) long-ago lovers we hadn’t heard a word about in decades.

Y&R Goes The Extra Mile With Colleen Zenk

Y&R dug into the vault for this totally soapy story and knew it needed a soap vet who could make the material shine and Zenk fit that bill. CBS soap fans had been missing her for more than a decade as she came into our living rooms for more than 30 years as Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns. A formidable character played by a formidable actress, Zenk was just the performer to take the role of Jordan and run with it.

So far, it’s been nothing short of glorious to watch Zenk sink her teeth into Jordan and make turn her into a soap villainess for the ages. Her acerbic one-liners, wicked laugh, and sadistic smile are all a sight to behold, as was the now-iconic scene of Jordan mimicking Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) drinking as she taunted her outside the window.

As of this writing, Jordan’s reign of terror has ended, but rather than killing the character, Y&R sent her to jail. That means we know Jordan will rise again to torture Nikki and company another day and we can’t wait to see more Colleen Zenk in 2024.

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