Beyond the Gates Recap, September 17, 2025: Shanice busted Derek while Hayley tried it – and failed

Here's what went down Wednesday, September 17, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Ashley was the unhappiest happy bride ever, Kat and Tomás once again passed “go,” and Chelsea reexamined her failure to launch.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Shanice side-eyed Andre when he came into the hospital, prompting him to clarify that Ashley had contacted him and that he knew his place was in the friend zone. The photographer found out from the nurse that Derek was doing quite well. Meanwhile, Derek reported to Ashley that he was ready for outpatient physical therapy; she asked if his doctors thought he would indeed walk again, but he only said he couldn't get worse. Ashley noted the increase in scientific advancements, one of which could help her fiancé – but for the moment, she granted his request to massage his legs.

Frisky Derek asked Ashley to go higher than his thighs. He felt something in his leg, but before he could say anything, Ashley got a text from Andre, causing Derek to recall how Ashley had told Andre that Derek would have been alone if they had become a couple instead. Derek vocally wrote off the awareness he'd had as wishful thinking, and Ashley exited his room to intercept Andre.

At the nurses' station, Ashley explained to Andre that she and Derek were engaged, but she almost seemed sad about it. Andre was surprised to learn that Ashley had been the one to propose; she said she needed Andre to be okay about the status change. Hearing from Ashley that marriage to Derek was really what she wanted, Andre admitted that the news hurt because he had been thinking that Ashley was his happily forever after. Tears welled in Ashley's eyes as she confirmed her plans.

Shanice looked in on Derek, covertly unwrapping and snapping in two a cotton applicator as she got him to talk about how Andre was hanging around. Derek reacted when Shanice suddenly poked his leg with the pointy edge of the swab, and she wondered why Derek hadn't said anything about experiencing some feeling – to her, or to Ashley. After Derek said he hadn't wanted to give Ashley false hope, he asked the physical therapist about his prospects; Shanice replied that the sensation in his leg was either a harbinger of sustained improvement or merely a plateau. Shanice bluntly suggested that Derek was keeping quiet because he couldn't be sure Ashley would want to marry him if he recovered.

Derek became agitated and accused Shanice of hoping she could break him and Ashley up. Shanice felt that, as Derek's practitioner, she had an obligation to tell Ashley about Derek's progress herself, but Derek growled that Shanice was bound by doctor-patient confidentiality. Shanice retorted that Derek was allowed to be scared...he just wasn't allowed to be a jerk.

Ashley brought Andre in, telling Derek that she felt Andre had a right to know their full story, as they'd been friends before “everything.” Andre forced himself to convey his congratulations and noted that neither of the betrothed was wearing rings, while Derek pointedly said he wanted the whole world to know that Ashley had chosen him. Ashley was sure that Derek would have proposed to her if it had been her in a wheelchair; Andre suggested that the pair honeymoon in Paris, since Ashley had a love affair with that city. Derek was willing and declared that he would do whatever he had to do to keep Ashley happy.

Once Andre departed, Ashley was glad that there were no secrets with the man. “No secrets, huh?” Derek repeated, not mentioning his own. Instead, Derek expressed his desire to get out of the hospital and be alone with Ashley somewhere. He asked if she was sure she could live with him again, given their failure at the first attempt; Derek said that dealing with his paralysis 24-7 would be a lot more difficult than him scratching up her refrigerator. Ashley was positive, so Derek buzzed Shanice and shared the news with her. When he qualified the notification as trusting Ashley with the truth, Shanice nearly rolled her eyes.

At the Hamilton home, Hayley came downstairs to find Bill reminiscing with Dani over old photos of Chelsea. The exes remembered how badly the preteen Chelsea had wanted a bat mitzvah – for the party, not because they were Jewish – and Dani wanted to recreate the “not-mitzvah” as a way to cheer Chelsea up in the present. Bill was on board and walked Dani out as Hayley hid herself; once in the clear, Hayley called Tomás and told him he needed to come over right away.

Hayley escorted Tomás in under the guise of working on Bill's surprise party and announced that she wanted to make a supercut video of Bill's life. The current Mrs. Hamilton had to admit that Bill didn't talk much about his pre-Dupree years; she only knew that Bill had been a smart kid and that his father had been difficult. Hayley heard Bill entering as Tomás held that Bill may not like having his past thrust in his face; Hayley quickly stroked Tomás' arm and purred that she liked this new side of him. Tomás darted up when Bill wanted to know what was going on, and Hayley told Bill she was offering her paralegal services to Tomás concerning a certain case.

After Tomás hurried out, Bill asked Hayley, “To what do I owe this little bit of theatre?” He'd been aware that his phone had gone missing and smelled a rat when Hayley hadn't called Caroline to tell her she'd found it. Caught, Hayley smirked that it didn't feel good seeing your person cozy up to someone else and warned Bill that his newfound closeness to Dani was only going to get Dani wanting Bill back again. Bill maintained that Hayley was the only woman for him, but she wanted him to draw the line with Dani and remind her of that fact.

Bill went to see Dani, remarking that, a month earlier, there would have been flying glassware in response to his arrival. He hated that it had taken his stroke and their daughter's kidnapping to get them over their hostility and was glad that they could cordially co-parent again – but Dani bristled when Bill abruptly mentioned that Hayley was “here to stay.” Dani sensed that Hayley was afraid of their renewed interaction and huffed that they'd have to get permission from Hayley before they could plan the discussed party for Chelsea. Sarcastically, Dani added that they would work out a schedule which would ensure no lines were crossed and expressed her hope that Hayley's embargo on her wouldn't mean Bill being distant with their daughters again.

Andre drowned his sorrows at the country club, where Dani found him and commiserated with his declaration of loneliness. Telling Dani about Ashley's engagement to Derek, Andre labeled himself selfish for having a problem with it. Dani sighed, “I'm the bad girl even when I'm trying to be good,” sure that Hayley thought she was going to have a party for Chelsea just so she could seduce Bill right in front of their daughter. Andre observed that people could see Bill and Dani's chemistry “at 50,000 feet” and raised his glass, toasting the fact that he and Dani were celebrating their freedom...whether they wanted to or not.

Kat and Chelsea answered a summons from Anita, who wanted their help choosing a color scheme. Chelsea saw through it, realizing that Anita was about to deliver a motivational speech to help her get things back to normal. The kidnap victim got stressed and was still wrestling with her moments of not knowing whether she would live or die. Kat did think it would do Chelsea good to “pull [herself] up by [her] purse straps” and rethink the launch, though she understood her cousin's ride on the “struggle bus,” since she had likely broken her own heart with Tomás.

After Kat described how she had blown up at Tomás once again for being “an Eva apologist,” and how Tomás hadn't responded to any of her attempts at contact since, Anita felt that the one who had made the mistake – Kat – should be the one to fix it. The matriarch didn't want Kat's resentment of Eva to come between her and Tomás, while Chelsea thought maybe the right guy – not Tomás – would be able to trust Kat's instincts.

Kat decided to go to Orphey Gene's to see Tomás, who told her about the “weird day” he'd had with Hayley coming on to him. Kat regretted the tantrum she had thrown about Eva, admitting it had stung when Tomás had called her a “mean girl.” She knew she could be better and appreciated Tomás, having had to wait through her family dramas and virginity. Tomás said he'd loved sharing Kat's first time with her, but he had to question the timing of their relationship. Kat conceded that they might have been putting too much pressure on each other, and Tomás saw that he had made some mistakes in regard to Eva. When Tomás added that he wanted them to work, Kat kissed him and swore they could be amazing.

Later, Bill found Tomás at the diner; when Tomás sputtered that he could explain about Hayley, Bill set his mind at ease and revealed that he'd figured out Hayley had been using Tomás to make him jealous. Tomás didn't catch on to the point Bill said Hayley had been trying to prove, but Bill decided that the problem was now “in [his] rear-view.”

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Back at the mansion, Anita felt that Chelsea focusing on the postponed launch of her purse line would be a good reset for her. Chelsea was firmly opposed, in particular, not wanting to involve the press, who surely would want to ask her about the kidnapping. The tired influencer also didn't relish the possibility of the media granting Allison “a jailhouse interview” in response to the publicity. Anita assured her granddaughter that each passing day would make things easier for her – but she exhorted the young lady not to let Allison steal her dream.

When the notion of a big party was still frightening to Chelsea, Anita proposed an online launch with only friends and family physically present so the press wouldn't be a factor. Chelsea called the idea crazy, feeling that she'd still be a target for social media trolls, but the returning Kat deemed Anita's concept “crazy good” and posited that ChelseaKat could add a QR code to the stream so that fans could purchase their handbags straight away. Chelsea was still resistant, as there were “millions of Allisons” out there, but after Kat advocated for Samantha to moderate the feed, Chelsea rethought her unwillingness and came to see the event as a chance to get her work and followers back. Anita and Kat smiled when Chelsea decided to go for it.

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