Wednesday, August 8, 2012

50 Greatest Soap Couples: #16 Jack & Carly From AS THE WORLD TURNS

COUPLE: Jack Snyder & Carly Tenney
SHOW: AS THE WORLD TURNS
RANK: 16
PLAYED BY:
Jack: Michael Park
Carly: Maura West
YEARS: 1997-2010

STORY:
Jack came to Oakdale working for the FBI trying to bring down James Stenbeck.  He soon joined the Oakdale PD and met Carly, an up and coming fashion designer.  The two clashed but had an instant attraction to each other.  Months later they were trapped in (rogue cop) Teague's cabin in the woods and Carly's startling revelations created an even stronger bond between them.  Despite falling in love, life was not going to be easy for Jack and Carly.  Carly wanted a better life and didn't mind breaking a few rules to reach her goal.  Jack was a "by the book" kind of guy and this difference tore them apart many times over the years.  But Jack and Carly could never stay away from each other very long.

Many obstacles would split them up  including Carly's machinations to collect a $50 million trust fund her sister, Rosanna, set up; Carly being kidnapped and aged into an old woman (really!); Carly sleeping with Mike Kasnoff the night before her wedding to Jack (with a subsequent "Who's the Daddy?" storyline); Jack's amnesia; and several third parties who tried but failed to capture Jack's or Carly's heart completely (Julia, Julia #2, Brad, Craig, Janet, Katie, etc.).  When the series ended in 2012 Jack and Carly (aka "CarJack") had just married again and planned on living happily ever after.

IMPACT:
One of the common themes for the couples in our countdown is chemistry.  Park and West had incredible chemistry from their first interaction.  AS THE WORLD TURNS wasn't in a great place creatively in the late 1990s but the pairing of Jack and Carly was a bright spot.  Their love story was front and center the show during the last quarter of its run.

West was nominated for seven Emmy Awards for her work as Carly winning twice.  Park received five nominations winning twice as well.  They also shared a special award nominated at the 2005 Daytime Emmys as favorite Irresistable Combination.

CLASSIC CLIPS:
The Compass
"Worth It All" - CarJack Montana Reunion (2003)
Carly's intervention (2009)
Maura West classic clips

Share your thoughts on Jack and Carly in our Comments section below or on our message board.

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7 comments:

  1. They will always be #1 for me. I would have tuned out on soaps long ago had there never been a CarJack. Nobody will ever replace them for me. Thank you Maura West and Michael Park! As the saying goes, Nobody Does It Better!

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  2. How is all these soap couples decided in what place...by who doing the judging and "their" favorites or by the readers? CarJack is by far TOP FIVE...I feel this is a disrepectful to the fans. CarJack was always FIRE on ATWT and the nominations and wins reflect that chemistry like no other. Just disappointed...geez.

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  3. Thank you for including CarJack!

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  4. Michael and Maura had that special chemistry (like Martha and Jon / Jake and Van). They were on fire immediately! Love them always!

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  5. Still waiting to see Mac n Rachel! LOL! Glad tp see Sonny n Brenda up there. God I miss ATWT!

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  6. There is no other couple but CarJack for me!!! They captured me with their magical chemistry from day one. Michael and Maura are each amazing but together they are PERFECTION!

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