Who won the Eric vs. Ridge fashion showdown on Bold and the Beautiful?

The votes have been tallied and, unfortunately for those of us who were Team Eric, Ridge won the fashion showdown on The Bold and the Beautiful. According to Carter’s calculations, it was his collection that sold out with the buyers. I have to admit, that while I did fine Ridge’s garments to be stunning, they didn’t compare to Eric’s in my opinion so I was certainly disappointed with the verdict.

No one, however, is going to be more disappointed than Eric…that is if he’s told the truth. Ridge only got a short window to gloat about his triumph before Brooke brought RJ in to tell him about his father’s medical condition. He’d been on Cloud 9, happy to cement his place as the future of Forrester Creations and the one to be steering the company into what he sees as its bold new direction. Ridge was “gracious” enough to commend RJ for all he’d done on his grandfather’s line and told him that one day it would be his turn to shine, but for now it was his.

RJ, of course, was unconcerned with any of what his father was saying because he needed to tell him that Eric is dying. All of Ridge’s joy and excitement evaporated as soon as he was told, which is exactly what we’d expect to happen. Kudos to Thorsten Kaye for his measured performance. He conveyed Ridge’s building grief and devastation in such a heartfelt manner even as his character’s typical short temper and bombastic voice was on display as he reacted.

Even in the midst of shock and processing the news, Ridge was able to let his son know that he wasn’t upset with him for keeping Eric’s condition a secret. He was proud of RJ for being there for his grandfather and honoring his wishes even though it obviously hurt Ridge to hear that Eric didn’t want him to know.

By the time Eric and Donna came into the CEO’s office with an expressed desire to know who won the showdown, Ridge, RJ, and Brooke, clearly looked like they were having a moment. Eric was chalking it up to them knowing the winner and he said he wanted to know himself. The episode ended with a close-up on Ridge, leaving myself and other viewers to wonder whether he’ll tell his father the truth.

Will Ridge lie about who won the fashion showdown on The Bold and the Beautiful? (speculation)

It’s quite possible Ridge will change the results of the showdown due to his father’s health. RJ explained to him that his diagnosis was the reason he was pushing so hard for the event and why he’d described it as his last collection.

We all saw how anxious and agitated Eric got while waiting to hear the results. He kept wiping at his forehead and his distress was affecting him negatively. While it likely won’t take a coughing fit for Ridge to lie to his father given the news he’s received, it certainly would cement his decision to withhold the truth in order to safeguard his father’s health.

But it’s also just as possible that Ridge tells him the truth. He, Carter, Brooke, and RJ know the actually results of the showdown. Katie and Luna likely will as well. This many people holding onto a secret means someone will eventually say the wrong thing at the wrong time and Eric will learn the truth anyway.

I’m leaning toward Ridge lying to Eric and handing over the reins of Forrester Creations as they discussed. He won’t want to upset his father and trigger an attack. This also will give Eric what he wants which is to run the company again and, with his time supposedly coming to an end, Ridge might see it as the least he could do for his father since he only has a few months left.

This would also set The Bold and the Beautiful up for a storyline in which Eric and Ridge battle it out for CEO once again if the former makes a miraculous recovery and has no intention on stepping down. In that direction lies the kind of drama we love to see.

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