The Bold and the Beautiful Performer of the Week: Rebecca Budig as Taylor Hayes

We saw it coming from a mile away, and we suspect that The Bold and the Beautiful's Taylor did as well, but she lived so deep in denial that when Ridge finally called off their engagement, it was a shock to her system. Taylor's devastation at Ridge's words and actions was laid bare for us all to see, earning Rebecca Budig the honors of Soap Central's Performer of the Week.

Another broken heart for The Bold and the Beautiful's Taylor

Taylor was shocked by Ridge's decision on The Bold and the Beautiful | Image: CBS

For months, all Taylor did was tell anyone who would listen that she was finally confident that Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) was with her because he wanted to be with her, and not just because she was some consolation prize after another tiff with Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang). We watched and listened to all that confidence with dread, because there was no doubt about what Ridge would ultimately do.

Budig allowed us to feel Taylor's excitement when she knew Ridge would soon be there to set a wedding date. But we could also feel how anxious she was and how she knew if they didn't set a date soon, that everything would go wrong. And that's exactly what happened. Despite Ridge's track record, Budig showed us how genuinely stunned Taylor was when Ridge told her that he couldn't marry her.

Fight or flight

Taylor finally had to accept she was the odd woman out once again | Image: CBS

Budig quickly took us through what seemed like the five stages of grief, as she shifted from denial to blame to quiet resignation. She told Ridge that she was not going to allow Brooke to do this to them again, when it was really Ridge doing this because he was his own man with agency.

Taylor was frantic as she begged Ridge to reconsider this decision. We could feel her panic as she saw her dreams slipping away before her eyes. She reasoned, she bargained, and finally she accepted her new-old reality, not with anger, but with a quiet strength.

As Taylor blew out the candles and explained to a devastated Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) what had happened, Budig reminded us that Taylor could be strong without being vengeful as the sadness and truth of her new reality set in.

Catch all-new episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.