Nothing stirs up controversy quite like the tumultuous relationship between “Days of our Lives’” Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ (James Scott). And as the characters’ time in Salem draws near to an end, their complicated connection appears to be nothing short of the exhilarating emotional journey its been since the couple first met in 2006. The latest jaw-dropping twist: The estranged pair hit the sheets for a steamy sex session!

Though Sami and EJ have been at odds for weeks following the reveal that the DiMera executive had an affair with Abigail (Kate Mansi), their pent up fury formulated into pent up passion that eventually led them back into each other’s arms.

So what do you think of the couple reuniting? And how does this new development affect your opinion on Sweeney and Scott exiting the canvas? Let us know in the polls and comment section below!

Exactly 20 years ago today, NBC premiered a sitcom about a circle of friends living in Manhattan. Little did the network know, “Friends” would skyrocket in ratings, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. The show made David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston (real-life daughter of “Days of our Lives’” John Aniston [Victor Kiriakis]) household names. But do you remember The One (or rather five) “DAYS” stars that appeared on the Emmy-winning show? Soap Opera Network sure does, so read on for a super sudsy blast from the past!

When “Friends” character Joey (LeBlanc) landed a role on “Days of our Lives” as Drake Ramoray, viewers had an inkling that some of the soaps’ stars would make cross-over appearances on the sitcom. And they were correct: Five of the daytime drama’s actors visited the primetime winner. And without further adieu, here’s the list:

The One With the Soap Opera Party

Joey held a “Days of our Lives” party for the cast, and guess who showed up? Matthew Ashford (ex-Jack Deveraux) and Kyle Lowder (ex-Brady Black)!

“Days of our Lives’” fans have had 32 years of dark DiMera family amusement through Stefano (Joe Mascolo) and later the addition of EJ (James Scott), but it looks like the newest family member will be giving his predecessors a run for their money! Billy Flynn debuted as the new darker and vengeful Chad this month, and it’s been quite obvious that the apple has definitely not fallen far from the tree. But just what can fans expect from the character as he continues to ingratiate himself back into Salem? Soap Opera Network spoke with his new portrayer to find out!

Flynn’s version of Chad swooped back into town with one hell of an introduction: The vengeful DiMera youngster — having been “developing” under Stefano’s wing since leaving town last fall — had an immediate and very tense confrontation with EJ that included physical assault and a gun! And that was just the tip of the iceberg of stellar moments that Flynn has experienced since joining the show: Having had the opportunity to work with some the show’s top-notch talent — Scott, Alison Sweeney (Sami) and Eileen Davidson (Kristen) — right out of the gate has been invaluable for the Minnesota native.

Take Davidson, for example, whom Flynn admits he was in awe over. “The situation my character was in, I didn’t get to do much but listen to her, which was still amazing, because I just got to sit and watch her,” he explains. “And then I would suddenly be reminded that I had to say something every once in a while! It was a lot of fun, and I wish it could have been longer. There are certain people you want to be in the ring with, and I got to do it with James, and I got to do with Alison, and I would love to do more with Eileen. Just to get in there, two people going at it.”

Sweeney, he says, was just as awe-inspiring as Davidson: “She’s so talented. I love her as a person and as an actress. I’ve seen her do some stuff that I couldn’t imagine any Oscar-winning actress do for as long as she did it. You know, these 12-hour days with as much dialogue as she has, and to still give those performances? She’s incredible.”

Of all the leading actors on the show, however, Flynn connected with Scott the most as the onscreen brothers’ relationship developed leading up to the England native’s departure from the canvas. But Flynn admits it took some time for he and Scott to bond. “I was really intimated,” he explains of having to jump into such a tense storyline with Scott right away. “He put me at ease. He was very sweet to me and gave me great words of encouragement. So it made it easier. But I was really nervous. You’ll see, as our scenes go along, it started very disconnected, which I think worked. I wasn’t familiar with him, he wasn’t familiar with me, I had a gun to his face, it was really the first scene I’ve ever done on television — ever — so you’ll see over the next couple of weeks in our scenes that we get really comfortable with each other. There’s some really strong acting that we get to do together. [Tuesday] October 7th, I think, is my favorite to date, where EJ confronts Chad on some stuff that he had said to somebody else, and it’s just no holds barred. It was a lot of fun.”

The question many fans have been wondering is how much of Chad’s new darker direction was influenced by the writers, and how much was influenced by Flynn himself. The answer: A little came from both! “I had my own thoughts from the audition process. I played it darker,” the actor reveals. “I knew that [former portrayer Casey Deidrick] left, and it was also a reboot as well as a recast. So they kind of gave me free reign, within the limits of what has happened — he hasn’t come in as a complete maniac — but they gave me free reign to say, ‘I want to make him a little darker, a little more sinister, witty and sarcastic, kind of a full-fledged person.’ He is a DiMera, so he needed to step into the role and be able to be a threat.

“He’s very different,” Flynn continues. “I mean, he got shot, he’s been betrayed by everybody in his life or abandoned by everybody in his life, then he becomes part of this new family and his brother does it again. I mean, it’s an overhaul. He’s coming back as a person that is trying to be more than he is. Everybody talks about the suits and wearing the suits, and I think, you know, he’s coming back and the suit is wearing him. But you’ll see him wear the suit eventually. He’s puffing up his chest, he’s doing things he wants, and he wants his DiMera birthright. He’s like, ‘You wanted me to be a DiMera? Well, you got a DiMera.’”

Some viewers have speculated that since Scott’s EJ will soon be leaving Salem, this new Chad is meant to help fill some of the void. But is that what Flynn thinks, as well? “Nobody can replace EJ, obviously,” the actor states. “So he’s not an EJ 2.0. He is a DiMera, so you’re going to see, there is a void that is going to be have to be filled. I can’t say if I’ll ever do it justice, to what [Scott has] created, but it’ll be different. And it’ll be my way of doing it, I guess. That’s a tough question to answer. He’s definitely not going to be replaced. You’ll see me trying to doggy paddle to catch up, I think!”

While hoping to claim his stake in the DiMera history, Flynn says you’ll also see Chad simultaneously trying to win back Abigail (Kate Mansi). “Abigail is the one that he wants to be with or thinks he’s supposed to be with, so you’ll always see their worlds orbiting each other. And I think he’s going to try as hard as he can to make it happen. “

But is Chad at all worried that his vengeful attitude might be unattractive to Abigail, who had always tried to keep Chad’s DiMera attitude at bay? “I don’t think so,” Flynn says with a slight chuckle. “I think Chad assumes at this point, because she’s been with him and his brother, that she’s sort into the dark side.”

That being said, the actor teases that Chad won’t always be so bad; there are little nuggets of the loving, compassionate Chad of the past tucked deep inside. “You’ll always see the internal conflict,” he reveals. “Being that kind of person, being a DiMera, it takes its toll on your soul. Not everybody is that bad. And even the people that are that bad… it still affects them, and so it was very important for me to show that, and you’ll see that. You’ll see that he’s just not a bad person. He’s doing things because he thinks it’s right. If he hurts somebody, he’s not doing it to hurt them. But when it does, it does affect him. So you’ll see that inner conflict all the time with him.”

“One Life to Live” fans had the privilege of literally watching Kristen Alderson grow up via her portrayal of Starr Manning, a role she landed back in 1998. And “General Hospital” fans then had the unique privilege of watching the actress shed the character she’d played for nearly 14 years on OLTL and embody her new character — Kiki Jerome — right before their eyes. The journey has been filled with a lot of ups and downs, but Alderson recently shared with Soap Opera Network that Kiki is finally coming into her own — which she couldn’t be more thrilled about!

“So much is happening right now!” the Pennsylvania native enthuses of her “GH” storylines. “She gets involved in people’s business, other than Michael’s (Chad Duell) business, which is really fun. I am really excited about the storyline coming up. It was so fun to shoot, and I feel like it’ll be really entertaining.”

And the reason Alderson loves it so much is that she feels Kiki is finally getting her stride — as is the show in general! “I think that we’re really focusing on the core characters again; for awhile, we were bringing in a lot of [past characters], and I think now, they’re kind of like, ‘Ok, the characters that we have now, let’s really broaden their horizons,’” she explains. “And that’s how I feel, at least, as a character. The stuff that I’ve been filming recently that will be airing soon, I feel it was meant for Kiki. It’s making her really cool and independent from Michael, which is really exciting. I’m really proud of [headwriter] Ron [Carlivati], and I think that [the writers] are on the right track.”

Though Alderson has been playing Kiki for quite some time now, she admits that she’s just now starting to feel that she has fully embraced the new character without too many elements of Starr. “When the change had to be made with Kiki, it was really tough. I called [Carlivati], and I was like, ‘Hey, am I playing Kiki right? Is everything good?’” she recalls. “He said, ‘You’re doing great, but it’s hard for me, because I instantly start writing you as Starr!’… Just because they all grew up watching me as Starr, which is great; that’s what makes the characters connect to me. So if that’s the way it works, that’s the way it works. And now I feel like there’s still enough Kiki from the beginning, but there’s also a little bit of Starr. It’s a little mix, and I’m proud of Ron, that he’s been able to do that, and grateful, because that’s why the audience is still liking me.”

Though the actress has pretty much shed her OLTL character, she hasn’t allowed the show to fully leave her life. In fact, she explains that she recently had a reunion with some of her former Llanview co-stars! “We just went out to dinner with Michael Easton [Silas Clay, “GH;’ ex-John McBain, “OLTL”], Kassie [DePaiva, Eve Donovan, “Days of our Lives;” ex-Blaire Cramer, “OLTL”] and Trevor [St. John, ex-Victor Lord/Todd Manning, “OLTL], and it was so nice,” she shares. “Chad met Trevor for the first time and cracked him up, of course. That was really fun. And we all do stay in touch on Facebook. You might not see the person all the time, but you know that we’re there for each other, all the cast and crew.”

Speaking of crew, “DAYS” actress Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) has done some directing at “GH,” and while Alderson hasn’t been able to work with the actress directly, she has observed Sweeney at work behind the cameras. “I’ve seen her shadow other directors, and she’s very quiet and keeps to herself,” Alderson reveals. “She’s very focused on doing her thing.”

But did seeing Sweeney at work convince Alderson to try her hand at something behind the cameras? “It would be kind of cool, but at the end of the day, I love acting. I feel like I could write a few ideas, but then I’d need an actual writer to write the script!” she says with a laugh. “I could say, ‘Oh, I have a great idea about a movie: Make it about this, this, this and this — now go write it for me!”

Whether she spreads her wings or chooses to stay in front of the camera, one thing is for sure: Alderson’s fans will stand behind her, which the actress is extremely grateful for. “I’ve gotten nothing but support from the fans and nothing but love,” she enthuses. “To see these people that have been going to fan events since I was so little, and they’re still going now, but for ‘General Hospital,’ means so much to me. It’s a beautiful thing.”

After 21 years portraying Sami Brady on NBC’s “Days of our Lives,” you’d think Alison Sweeney would have forgotten some of her characters’ storyline plot points, but you’d be wrong. Appearing on the Wednesday, October 1 episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Month day one episode, Sweeney took part in the segment “30 Seconds or Else,” only she didn’t exactly know what the “else” was (presumably water).

With $1,000 donated to breast cancer research for every question she answered correctly with only 30 seconds on the clock and a total of ten questions relating to her character on “DAYS,” Sweeney remembered that Sami’s twin is Eric (Greg Vaughan), the name’s of all of Sami’s children and their fathers (Will and Allie = Lucas; Johnny and Sydney = EJ), what Sami tried to do after her baby sister Belle was born (she tried to sell her), Sami’s first job (Candy striper), the name of the man Sami pretended to be for several months (Stan), and finally, who Sami ended up shooting in the groin (Alan, the one who raped her).

With only six questions asked and answered correctly, unfortunately for Sweeney, the clock ran out and she got a bucket of flour poured over her head followed by a bucket of water thrown at her as if she was being made into a live dumpling. Despite “losing” the game, host Ellen DeGeneres announced that since the actress was such a good sport the show would donate $10,000 towards breast cancer research anyway.

In the coming weeks, as fans of Samantha Brady and EJ DiMera of NBC’s “Days of our Lives” get ready to say goodbye to the characters and their portrayers, Alison Sweeney and James Scott, things may not end well for the show’s most popular couple based on what’s coming up next on the daytime drama series. Meanwhile, John (Drake Hogestyn) seemingly remembered everything that happened the night he landed in the hospital on the Friday, October 3 episode. What does it mean for Theresa (Jen Lilley)?

In a newly released promo, after John realizes that Theresa was actually the one that hit him over the head, he gathers his family into his hospital room to reveal all, but will Theresa have her day of reckoning? Then, after finally getting their lives back on track, and planning for their happy future together, Sami is seen walking in the park when a shot rings out. Immediately she begins to wonder what happened, and if it involves her beloved. Is EJ going to be alright, or is someone else in danger?

To find out what happens next, tune into “Days of our Lives” weekdays on NBC.

A deafening shot rang out on Friday’s episode of “Days of our Lives,” but the piercing blast wasn’t able to drown out cries from fans who realized that the bullet probably spelled the end of EJ (James Scott). And once the howling began — onscreen and off — it built into a frenzy leading up to the character’s final moments in Salem, which played out on today’s episode. But just how powerful were the scenes, which seemingly put the nail in the coffin for the relationship between EJ and Sami (Alison Sweeney), as well? And was the story the best way for Scott’s alter ego to be written off the canvas?

When James Scott announced that he wasn’t renewing his contract earlier this spring, “DAYS” fans knew it was only a matter of time before EJ would be exiting the canvas. And the long-awaited moments finally played out, beginning with a fight between EJ and Clyde (James Reade) on Friday that came to a halt after the criminal’s henchman shot the DiMera dynamo. Hearing the blast, a panicked Sami called 911 and later stumbled upon her love, bleeding and barely holding onto his life. Holding his shaking body in her arms, she urged him to hang on. Through labored breath and with eyes wide with shock and pain, EJ sputtered, “I don’t want to leave you.” Then, after asking Sami to tell the children he loves them, he professed his love for her, met her lips with one final kiss and then closed his eyes for good. Realizing the gravity of the situation, a panicked Sami couldn’t stop repeating the words, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…”

Paramedics arrived on the scene, along with Rafe (Galen Gering) and Abe (James Reynolds). Sami urged the medical team to stop EJ’s blood from coming out, refusing to believe it when they stated that her husband was dead. Later, at the hospital, a numb Sami answered a call from Stefano (Joseph Mascolo) and filled the patriarch in on a grim reality: EJ was in the morgue.

Flash forward to today’s episode, which — along with a host of flashbacks of moments from EJ’s life in Salem — featured Sami crying over his cold body. And then the reveal that things may not be exactly as over as they seemed: Kristen (Eileen Davidson) snuck in and injected EJ with a mystery substance, presumably to bring him back to the world of the living!

So what did you think of the storyline that ushered Scott and his alter ego off the canvas? Let us know in the poll and comment section below!

The Monday, October 13 episode of “Days of our Lives” marked the final airdate for James Scott as EJ, and to commemorate the momentous occasion, the series’ beloved actress Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) took to Facebook to not only list her favorite EJami moments, but to also share what it was like filming the tense scenes that ushered her onscreen love off the canvas. Following in the actress’ footsteps, Soap Opera Network is asking you to share your favorite EJami moments, too!

“So, hi EJami fans,” the actress began on her countdown list, which she started on Monday and has continued throughout the week. “Not sure if you even want to read my #DaysofSami blog today, or if perhaps you can’t because your eyes are bloodshot? I know that I for one, had to lie down with a pounding headache and drink a gallon of water after filming the scenes from today’s episode. But now you know, I had to wait until now to publish my top EJami moments because I thought it might be the right time to look back over this troubled, emotional, stubborn couple’s journey.”

With a goal of listing her top five absolute favorite EJami moments, the actress started with a dance scene the couple shared. “Playing Sami, I didn’t get to do a lot of those romantic gestures that were so big in the super-couple days, right?!” she writes. “I can’t count how many times I was the one eavesdropping on Austin [Patrick Muldoon] & Carrie [Christie Clark] doing some romantic choreographed dance. Now of course, I wouldn’t have traded playing Sami for anyone, but certainly, there was a time when it did seem like everyone else got to do the sappy romantic stuff. So, when i read in the script that EJ & Sami were going to participate in a tango contest on the pier? are you kidding me?! I was feakin’ thrilled. I was super psyched to show up a few extra times for rehearsals with our fantastic choreographer, @ChristycBuss. And boy, did she put us to work. learning the dance, understanding the moves, we definitely got a workout in those rehearsals. And it was just as fun and challenging as I’d hoped it would be. James and I worked hard to learn it enough that we were able to just go through the dance once we were out there on stage. And it turned out great, right?! What a fun memory for me as well as the characters, I’m glad we were able to bring it up again a few times in our last few episodes together.”

Soon after, the actress posted her number four and number three moments: “Ok, so I have to admit, I loved the scenes when Sami admitted to EJ that she’d given him up to [the] DA to try to lessen her sentence,” she wrote of her fourth favorite moment. “I loved them because they were complicated, and twisted, and so in character. Sami was scared and selfish. And she definitely had this idealistic rose-colored idea that EJ could just overcome any hurtle right? Certainly he’d evaded the law plenty of times in the past right?! The clever shift in power from scene to scene, to me, artfully showed the two characters at their best and worst. And how neither character really was that appalled or upset by the others weaknesses. Sami tried to sell EJ out, but he proved why she couldn’t and then recommitted to getting her out his way. There was one little moment there where Sami was totally peeved at EJ for keeping the illegal Dimera Enterprise dealings from her. ha. Gotta love these two. Anyway, the dance between them that’s been there from the beginning, was perfectly summed up in these scenes. They were scenes James and I really took our time prepping, making sure we found the nuances in those crucial moments where the balance would shift, back and forth. Sort of my favorite thing about these two characters.

Honorable mention: I can’t let the whole summer of Colleen [Sweeney/Shirley Jones] & Santo [Scott] go unmentioned… I loved the challenge of it, and the sweet romantic premise of those scenes. I wish I’d had more time to wrap myself up in an Irish accent. I don’t know how well my heritage stood up for me in those scenes, but I did the best I could and I certainly had fun doing it.”

And for the actress’ number three favorite moment? “There’s two particular scenes when Sami and EJ reunited in Jan of ’13 that I loved,” she wrote. “It was just so unique for them to both be so hesitant and uncertain about being together… for once not being at each others throats in anger or passion. But just kind of figuring out what’s next. It was a cute new dynamic for them and I loved figuring out Sami in those moments. Our director had some great instincts for how to make those scenes sing, but James really took the lead too, playing that quirky side of EJ being open and vulnerable to Sami. Those scene lead to by far my favorite line in all of Daytime, maybe in all of tv…(I’m paraphrasing here from memory) Sami said something like she’d seen EJ step into himself, and maybe he needed to do that without her and he replied “in hopes of you.” sigh. swoon. I mean, really. That dialogue just slayed me from the moment I read it. And I loved reading the reactions it got on twitter when it aired. Never been so glad for social media.

Honorable mention: Dancing in the abandoned house, drenched from the rain, to old timey music. Yup – that was a super fun classic soap recipe for romance. A definitive marker in the EJ/Sami story.”

Sweeney’s remaining two favorite EJami moments will follow soon, but in the meantime, we ask you, what were your favorite EJami moments? Read on for a few highlights to jog your memory, and feel free to share additional moments between the two in our comment section below!

Now that “Days of our Lives” is no longer part of her daily grind, Alison Sweeney (ex-Sami Brady) is taking the lead in a new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie franchise. Sweeney has been cast as Hannah Swensen in “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder,” which is based on the New York Times best selling series of books by Joanne Fluke, reports Deadline.

With the first movie set to premiere sometime in the spring, “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” centers on Hannah, owner of the Cookie Jar shop, which has become a hotspot for gossipy tales between patrons as they sip their coffee. When a mysterious murder occurs, however, Hannah ends up becoming a culinary detective as she tries to solve the crime while also finding herself immersed in an unexpected romantic mystery of her own.

Sweeney previously starred in the Hallmark Channel original movie “Second Chances,” which found the actress in unusual territory as she played romantic opposite former “DAYS” co-star and on screen brother, Greg Vaughan (Eric Brady). “Second Chances” became one of Hallmark’s most watched original films.

In addition to “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder,” Sweeney is set to star in and executive produce Hallmark Channel’s “Radio Hype,” which is currently in development for the network.

Sweeney is the host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

“All My Children” alum and frequent “Good Morning America” and “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent, Cameron Mathison, has signed on to star alongside Alison Sweeney (“Days of our Lives,” “The Biggest Loser”) in a new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series of movies beginning with “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” (working title), which will premiere on the network in the spring.

As previously reported, based on the bestselling series of books by Joanne Fluke, “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” follows the story of Hannah Swensen (Sweeney), owner of the Cookie Jar shop where patrons frequently gossip about the latest happenings in town. When a mysterious murder takes place, Hannah gets herself involved in trying to help solve the crime as she puts on her culinary detective hat, while in the process she finds an unexpected romantic mystery of her own.

Mathison is set to play Detective Mike Kingston, who is irritated by Hannah as she uses her outlook on life – “It’s not the person that picks the cookie, it’s the cookie that picks the person” – to help solve crimes.

“Our viewers will be taken on a captivating journey as we launch the newest mystery series,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming and Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks. “Alison Sweeney andd Cameron Mathison are the perfect pairing to bring Joanne Fluke’s storytelling to life.”

“Can’t wait to begin working with you @Ali_Sweeney,” wrote Mathison on Twitter following news of his joining the project.