Young and the Restless fans are talking about who is really behind Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case)’s kidnapping because it may not be who you assume it is. It may be a really big twist. There are some big red flags waving that somebody you wouldn’t expect is tormenting Red and Sharon, and this could be a really bizarre pivot in the storyline.

So, despite the horror movie feel to where the kidnapper has stuck them, you know, really Phyllis and Sharon haven’t suffered that much while in captivity. Now, that could be because the villain is trying to build up their fear and anxiety before they do something really bad to the ladies, or this lack of actual torment could be a sign that the kidnapper has no ill intent, which sounds bizarre, right? I mean, why would you kidnap somebody? And it’s all down to who took them, and I think there are five very distinct possibilities. One of them is super duper exciting. Let’s dive in.

Young and the Restless: Is Ian Ward Behind Phyllis and Sharon’s Abduction?

So, obviously behind that speaker that they keep hearing voice from, and you know, door number one, there’s Ian Ward. You know, Sharon, Phyllis, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), everybody else, they all think crazy Ian is pushing up daisies, but he’s very much alive. Y&R said that Ray Wise wrapped his run, but you never know, they might have one last hurrah before he truly exits. Ian does have a huge grudge against these ladies, but I wouldn’t even say huge, I would say a grudge, but his really huge grudge is against the Newmans, so we can’t rule him out. Him taking Phyllis and Sharon seems a likely outcome since he was just shot and then resurrected in the ambulance, but to me, it’s also the most boring option for this scenario. One fan posted on Twitter, if it’s not Ian or his followers, this is stupid, so they think that that’s really the only choice.

So, if it is him, you know, it may be Ian’s plan to make them kill each other, but really Sharon and Phyllis aren’t the two that are the primary focus of his grudge. So, it being Ian is problematic. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not Ian. It just means if it is him, I don’t think it’s the best written plot. You know, if taking Sharon and Red as his big finale on Young and the Restless, I don’t see why, but he is a very obvious, obvious option.

Could Nick Newman Be the Mastermind Behind the Sharon and Phyllis Escape Room?

All right, next, there’s a pile of fans on soap social media that suggested the wild theory that it could be Nick Newman who put them there, but wasn’t trying to hurt them. After this fan theory kind of got passed around, then on Tuesday’s episode, I think it was Phyllis, she’s actually going to mention that maybe it’s Nick trying to like make them get along. One Y&R fan tweeted, as crazy as it sounds, I think Nick has something to do with the Sharon Phyllis escape room escapade, but why would he do it? I mean, you know, maybe to shut them up with their sniping and the rivalry once and for all. I think Nick would love to see a truce so he’s not stuck always mediating and being pressured to take sides. Phyllis and Sharon’s endless tug of war over Nick might be something he is just really tired of, and maybe, maybe he has snapped.

If you think, oh, Nick would never do something as cruel as drugging two of his exes, well, you need to think again. Yes, it seems extreme, you know, the idea of taking Phyllis, taking Sharon, locking them in a defunct psych hospital. However, if you remember, Nick at one point was traipsing around Genoa City in that JT Hellstrom (Thad Luckinbill) mask, and he tormented Victor, Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), Sharon, and his own sister Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle), so he’s capable of it. But I will say, I don’t think it’s Nick because he seems legitimately concerned about their whereabouts, and his reactions and the questions he’s asking don’t scream a guilty guy who knows where they are.

Crazy Patty Williams: A Dark Horse Suspect in the Young and the Restless Kidnapping Mystery

All right, next, someone who definitely has a bone to pick with Phyllis and Sharon and may want to punish them and is crazy enough to do it is Patty Williams. Do you guys remember her, Paul Williams (Doug Davidson)’ sister? She has been in quite a few mental hospitals, so she might have spent some time at the Havenhurst facility at one point. I mean, she’s called crazy Patty for a reason. One fan on Twitter said, I’m thinking it’s Patty messing with Sharon and Phyllis, and they said first thing that came to mind. Now, if you know your Y&R history, Patty dislikes Phyllis because she was with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), who was an object of Patty’s unstable obsession for many years. She even tried to give Summer Newman (Allison Lanier) like a deadly allergic reaction at one point while she was plotting against Phyllis. Patty also threatened Sharon for keeping little Christian Newman (Alex Wilson) from his parents, Nick and Sage Newman (Kelly Sullivan), and when Sharon didn’t come clean, Patty told Nick the truth, so she doesn’t like Sharon either.

But it’s more than that. Patty at one point was really close to Ian. She saved his life when he was caught between a burning timber pillar wall support when he set fire to the Newman tower that Halloween when he was dressed up in that devil costume, and Patty saved him, and she had become mildly infatuated with him. But Ian wanted her safely out of the way and told her she was not meant for a life of revenge. You know, maybe Ian has called her, and Patty ran to his side and is helping him or tormenting them on his behalf. I will say that Stacy Haiduk, who played Patty, is busy filming at Days of Our Lives, so she probably doesn’t have time to make a return to Y&R, so if it is Patty, it would likely be a recast. I think it’s a long shot, but there are all the pieces of the puzzle around her.

Shocking Twist: Could Drusilla Winters Return from the Dead for Revenge on Young and the Restless?

So fourth on my list, here’s somebody I think it would be fabulous as their tormentor and completely shocking and just jaw-dropping because the person messing with Phyllis and Sharon is somebody who knows about their tangled, messy history in great detail, and the person I’m about to suggest definitely fits the bill, and she has a huge grudge against Phyllis and Sharon, a life or death kind of grudge. I’m talking about Drusilla Winters. It has been quite a while since we had Victoria Rowell on Y&R after they killed her off, although she did visit the set on the 50th anniversary a couple years ago. In case you don’t remember why Drusilla might want to punish Phyllis and Sharon, look back to 2007. Drusilla, Sharon, and Phyllis were near the edge of a cliff doing a remote photo shoot. Sharon and Phyllis started one of their many brawls, and Drusilla tried to stop them, and she wound up falling to her apparent death in the river below. Her body was never found, never seen again.

So, if Drusilla came back for a little revenge 18 years later, that’d be a huge twist. It seems highly unlikely, but I think it would be amazing, and she does have a grudge against them both.

Michael Baldwin: The Unexpected Benevolent Kidnapper on Young and the Restless?

All right, now last person on my list, very unexpected person that I increasingly feel like could actually be behind this kidnapping. It makes sense if it is a benevolent person trying to teach them a lesson, someone who’s a friend to both Sharon and Phyllis, and surprisingly, someone who has their best interest at heart. What if it is Michael Baldwin who took them and stuck them in that mental hospital to force them to work through their demons and get along? If you recall, you know, he’s friends with both Sharon and Phyllis, and he is another one like Nick who is sick of being stuck between them. You know, Michael was very irritated with Phyllis when he took Sharon’s case. He was sick and tired of Phyllis’s constant ultimatums to end their long-running friendship because he took Sharon’s case.

So, Michael may want them to finally deal with all their issues, put their rivalry and their animosity aside, move on because honestly, when they do this stuff, it makes everybody miserable, everybody in their family, all their friends, everybody. If Michael did this and he can get Phyllis and Sharon to play nice, even though kidnapping is a felony, basically Michael would have done an act of community service, let’s be real. Not only is everybody in Genoa City sick of their petty bickering, but fans are tired of it, and that’s important in the end. I will say Ian is the most obvious choice as the kidnapper, but Drusilla being the kidnapper would I think be the biggest twist in terms of bringing somebody back to surprise us, but I’m actually cheering for it to be Michael.