"Still weeks away from the deadline, Brooke squirreled herself away in her office to work on the February cover story of Tempo magazine. Phoebe stopped by to check in on her niece and promptly scolded her for being a workaholic. She suggested that Brooke use a photo of herself on the cover with the caption, "How I Managed to Sabotage My Love Life." Brooke rolled her eyes and tried to disregard her aunt's scathing criticism. Luckily for Brooke, Jack dropped by the office and unwittingly rescued her. Brooke took a deep breath and finally fired back a few shot of her own. She reminded her aunt that her love life hasn't always been rosy either. Phoebe smiled slightly and placed the blame for her woes on Langley, a man she said was "married to his job." Phoebe knew not to press on and went on her way. As she was leaving, she mused that she'd leave the door open because she was sure that Brooke and Jack wouldn't think to do anything inappropriate. After Phoebe had left, Jack asked Brooke if there was any truth in what her aunt had said. Brooke pursed her lips together and pointed out that Jack's dance card hasn't exactly been full in recent months. Jack bowed his head and replied that he's been seeing someone. He refused to name names, but indicated that the world would be introduced to his new love interest at Palmer and Vanessa's party. Brooke believed that Jack was making up a story and decided to call him on it. The pair made a bet. It started off with Brooke having to find a man who was worthy of being taken home to Phoebe by News Year's Eve. It ended with the pair mutually agreeing that whomever was not involved in a serious relationship by New Year's Eve would have to pay for a trip to Venice for the other person and their lover. Jack left the office and shook his head. Brooke closed her eyes and blamed her aunt for all her problems.
Hayley arrived at the mostly dismantled Cutting Edge stage unaware that the show had been canceled. From behind, Ryan slowly straggled into the studio. Hayley smiled broadly and told Ryan that she was glad to see him out of his hospital bed. Ryan glossed briefly over his health, instead opting to focus on the cancellation of The Cutting Edge. He said that Liza had been "leveraged out" of her ownership of WRCW by Adam. Hayley couldn't believe that Adam had resorted to his old tricks. As mad as she was for his trickery, Hayley was worried that her dad was going to lose everything he loved. Again, Ryan was quick to change the subject. He asked Hayley if she'd gotten to talk to Mateo about the accident. Hayley nodded her head. "We talk in circles," said noted with a trace of defeat. "It didn't used to be that way." Ryan grew less and less interested in Hayley and Mateo's problems. He looked her square in the eye asking, "What about us?" Before the car accident, Ryan and Hayley were close... very close. Now, though, he couldn't help but feel that they drifted apart. Hayley got sidetracked and continued talking about her feelings for Mateo. She admitted that her heart aches when she's not around him, but that her heart "beats a million miles a minute" when she's around Ryan. Ryan started to walk away, telling Hayley that he'd be waiting for her when she'd decided what she wanted to do with her life. Hayley warned Ryan that she could not erase the way she felt about Mateo or the relationship that they'd had. She asked that he understand her feelings and give her a chance to sort through things. Ryan realized that he'd been acting like a jerk and backed down from his hardline stance. He asked Hayley if she wanted to join him for some old movies and a bowl of popcorn. She smiled broadly and told Ryan that she wouldn't miss it.
Barry rose to his feet and promptly ordered Rae and crew out of the closed-door board meeting. Rae wasn't about to be outdone. She reminded the attorney that Chandler Enterprises was a publicly held company and that anyone had the right to attend the meeting. Barry threatened to call security, but Stuart---still masquerading as Adam---jumped up and ordered him to be quiet. "I am Adam Chandler," he grumbled. "I have nothing to hide." Stuart pulled Barry aside and informed him that they would be able to avoid the Costa Rica issue by allowing Tad to do whatever he wanted. Barry nodded his head and praised "Adam" for his savvy thinking. Marian raced over to Liza and asked her what she and Tad were doing. Liza said nothing about the plot, telling her mother to sit back and enjoy the show. The cameras started rolling and Rae took to center stage. She informed the studio audience and those gathered for the board meeting that they were going to be watching a new type of game show---a show about "getting even." Three guests would vie for the chance to stick it to the person who'd wronged them. From the bar area of The Valley Inn, Palmer chuckled to himself as he watched the television. "This is my idea of quality television," he beamed. In the safe room, Adam looked on in horror. He announced that someone had to "put an end to this madness" before it was too late. Marian looked at Stuart with sad eyes, knowing that she'd gotten her husband into a terribly sticky situation. She turned to Liza and pleaded with her to call off the cameras. Liza shook her head and said that the show would go on. The first "guest" on the show was Alfred Vanderpoole. He told the cameras that he'd finally gotten the chance to date the woman of his dreams only to have her stolen away by another man. The other man, he explained, was Axel Green. Alfred said that his lover had fallen in love with Axel while they were watching a play at the local theatre. Alfred said that he wanted the chance to pay the actor back for stealing his woman. The next "guest" on the scripted show was a "beauty consultant" to the stars. Opal whizzed onto the stage and grinned for the cameras. As she took her place, Palmer strolled into the room. He laughed as Opal told her tale of being locked in a secret room while he traveled around the country with stolen paintings. His unexpected visit allowed for a few moments of drama as Opal pointed the finger of blame at her ex-husband. The cameras turned towards Palmer and he flashed an innocent face and mouthed the words, "Who me?" The third and final guest was Tad. He took a spot next to Rae and told a painful tale of how Adam had fired him from his job. He motioned for Liza and Marian to join him on stage. When they did, Tad incorporated them into his tale of woe. He said that Adam had duped his own brother, Stuart, and Marian into signing over their shares of WRCW stock. Then he told the world why Adam had felt compelled to enact revenge upon him. "To get back at me for being a good stepfather," said Tad. Adam threw his hands in the air and hollered at the television screen. "Don't just sit there," he yelled at Stuart. "Defend yourself! Defend me!" Tad looked over at "Adam" and warned him that nothing would ever change the way he felt about Junior. Liza wiped tears from her eyes and told Adam that what he thought was Tad's loss is really his loss. The time came for the studio audience to vote for who they thought had been most wronged. Alfred disqualified himself from the competition, claiming that he had no idea that a business associate (Adam) would also be appearing on the show. He apologized profusely to the billionaire and ran out of the room. Opal received moderate applause, but Tad was the overwhelming winner. "Revenge is yours," said Rae with a smile. Barry protested the vote, but "Adam" ordered him to sit down. "Adam Chandler is not a fraidy cat," he said. Stuart's choice of words cause Liza to blink several times, but she didn't make the connection that Adam wasn't really Adam. Tad opened a big pink box and revealed a huge pie. He slowly walked over to Adam and readied to slam the pie in his face. He did a big wind up, but stopped short of delivering the pie. He handed the pie to Liza and told her that she deserved the honors. Liza continued to sob. Back in the safe room, Adam was captivated by the events unfolding before his eyes. "She'll never do it," he mumbled. "Never in a million years." Much to his surprise, Liza grabbed the pie and smashed it into Adam's face. Everyone waited for Adam to explode, but to their surprise he was surprisingly calm. "That's my Liza!" Adam chirped from his temporary prison. "What a woman! What a wife!" There was still no reaction from "Adam." Stuart stuck out his tongue and sampled the pie. "Banana cream," he said in his best Adam voice. "My favorite.""
- Soap Central