Vanessa and Joey are fiery, fearless, and dangerously intertwined — and this month, their portrayers delivered performances that set Beyond the Gates ablaze.

One of Beyond the Gates‘s most daring duos is Lauren Buglioli and Jon Lindstrom. Vanessa McBride and Joey Armstrong are fun, flirty, dangerous, and don’t seem like your average soap couple. She’s the real estate agent who’s currently trying to level up her business game. And he’s the corrupt casino owner who’s fallen under Vanessa’s spell, yet is reluctant to relinquish any more of his power. In October, Vanessa and Joey dealt with the emotional fallout of Doug’s death. The actors’ performances soared in their scenes opposite each other as well as in scenes with the rest of the BTG cast.

Key Takeaways

• Soap Hub names Lauren Buglioli and Jon Lindstrom as BTG’s October 2025 Performers of the Month for their sizzling chemistry as Vanessa and Joey.
• Buglioli delivered a powerhouse performance as Vanessa, balancing guilt, grief, and ambition while deepening her dangerous bond with Joey.
• Lindstrom made Joey both magnetic and menacing, showing how power, passion, and danger intertwine when it comes to Vanessa McBride and in his business.

October 2025 Performers of the Month

Vanessa and Joey are unpredictable characters. Buglioli and Lindsrom have an amazing way of bringing these vibrant characters to life.

Lauren Buglioli is Vanessa McBride
In October, Vanessa’s emotions ranged from intense to immense grief as she dealt with her husband’s death. The guilt weighed on her. After all, she was in bed with Joey when she had her last conversation with Doug (Jason Graham) before he met his end in a drunken one-car accident.

But she didn’t let that guilt define her. She had things to accomplish. She made sure her son returned to college. His presence meant she had to hide her double life with Joey. In the end, she wasn’t about hiding at all. She had plans to take her association with Joey to the next level. It wasn’t enough that they hooked up in beds and on top of casino poker tables.

And it wasn’t enough that they were in bed professionally, as she helped him launder money through her real estate agency. She wanted a bigger piece of the pie — she wanted a seat right alongside Joey. And so far, he’s denying her this one thing. Buglioli played all the required emotions so well, from grief to gravitas. Her performance consistently hit the right beats.

She was mesmerizing to watch as she kept Joey off kilter, clashed with Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix), who judged her relationship with Joey. The recent scene featuring Dani (Karla Mosley, who was BTG’s September Performer of the Month) and Vanessa, where Vanessa was finally able to open up about this thing with Joey, was so good. Vanessa remains unapologetic about this dangerous relationship that could end spectacularly badly.