Have you watched TV on Wednesday nights in the 1980s? If you had, you know what I’m gonna talk about.
Yes, I’m gonna tell you about Dynasty, which wasn’t just a soap opera. It was basically a national obsession. Everyone knew it back then.
It had all vicious, electric war between the saintly Krystle Carrington and the wicked ex-wife, Alexis Colby.
You remember they slapped, scratched, and threw each other into pools.
The big question for the millions of fans reading the tabloids in the grocery store checkout line was not about the characters.
They all wanted to know Did Linda Evans and Joan Collins actually hate each other in real life? Funny right!
Hope you remember how rumors whispered. We must think twice. Was it just great acting, or did they really fight behind the scenes?
So, let’s talk about the most famous rivalry in TV history.
Let’s dig in!
Krystle vs. Alexis: When Art Imitates Life
They were the most different women I ever knew. They were like oil and water even before cameras started rolling.
As we all know, Lina Evans was the sweetheart. She was soft spoken, spiritual, and gentle. Most importantly, she was the calmest one of the set.
She played as Krystle because she is naturally good at acting as “good wife” energy that made you want to protect her.
On the other hand theer was Joan Collins.
She was basically a British firecracker. She was witty, demanding, and unapologetically glamorous. She wanted to spread her territory across the set.
While Linda was meditating, Joan was seeking for the highlight of the show.
Producers quickly realized these real-life scenarios fit perfectly for TV. You saw the tension in their eyes. Let me tell you, that wasn’t scripted.
It was basically the clash of their personalities. Basically, that was the clash between the quiet introvert and the loud extrovert. One wanted peac,e and the other wanted ratings.
The Famous “Lily Pond” Catfight: Did It Get Too Real?
The Lily Pond was the most-watched moment in soap opera history in 1983.
Krystle finally broke out after taking years of Alexi’s abuse, which was super sad. The script was scuffled. But that was basically a full-blown wrestling match in the mud.
Based on rumors, Linda Evans, who was super calm and controlled, showed some real frustration in that scene. They were real.
She tackled Joan Collins into the water. Surprisingly, it looked heavy.
Based on reports, Joan was furious after that. She wanted teh headlines and highlights. She didn’t liked the idea of being soaked, muddy, and humiliated.
That was brutal. This scene took hours to film. Based on rumors, end of the day, both actors were bruised, exhausted, and shivering. How sad!
Linda told to teh mdia that they were professionals and they got the satisfaction after getting to “win” a fight against the woman who tormented her character every week. Seems interesting right?
The Battle of the Paycheck
Yes, the fights were messy, but the salary negotations were a total disaster.
Linda was teh main chatacrer of the show. She played the role from day one. They helped the show to go through even during the low ratings of the first season. She earned her seniority.
But the reality was Joan saved the Dynasty. She had the power, strength and aura. As soon as she joined the show, the ratings skyrocketed.
Joan knew her value. She wasn’t shy. She demanded a raise to match the salary of the male character, John Forsythe (Blake Carrington).
According to the headlines Joan requested a “man-sized money”.
Based on tabloids, If Joan got a raise, she was basically taking money out of Linda’s purse. That how the show’s budget behaved.
During that harsh atmosphere, Linda played a significant role. Joan was a greedy diva. However media pitted them against each other as rivals for the network’s wallet.
This made every scene together feel like a battle for dominance. What a show right! What a dominance!
The “Shoulder Pad” Wars: Fighting for the Spotlight
This rivalry didn’t stop even after director yelled “Cut”. This fight continued right into the wardrobe department.
Yes, we all knew Dynasty was famous for its fashion. They were trendy.
Nolan Miller gowns and those amazing shoulder pads. But behind the scenes, there was a quiet war for attention. How sad.
They had questions. Who got the beautiful red dress? Who was stuck in beige? Who had the bigger hat? Likewise
During the future seasons, Lida got super frustrated and the writers began to love Jan’s character more.
Alexis got the savage top lines while Krystle became the weeping victim. You know what I’m talk about right?
It was super hard to highlight two people in one show. One won the scenes while other had to look sad.
Linda was the star, but Joan was stealing her spot. This happened eventually scene by scene. Outfit by outfit.
So, let’s talk about did they really hate each other?
Decades later truth has reveled. Based on reports, The “Feud of the Century” was mostly… a very smart marketing stunt.
Suprisigly, theye weren’t best friends, but they weren’t enemies. They were basically two savy businesswomen who playeed their roles so well. The viewers (we) were the ones who got tricked. lol.
Their acting of catfight boosted ratings of the show and tabloids sold pretty quickly which made them super rich.
However we all need to agree that, We haven’t seen a rivalry like that since.
We all know, modern TV is too gritty and realistic.
Truth is Dynasty was pure fantasy. Linda and Joan were the queens of the ball. That’s the most intersting thing!