Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Over the course of its eight seasons, The Vampire Diaries' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story.

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

By Samantha Highfill

Sam Highfill author photo

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Over the course of its eight seasons, *The Vampire Diaries*' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story. But in its seventh season, the show delivered its biggest change from its established mythology when, suddenly, Caroline (Candice King) became pregnant via a magical transfer. Even though she was a vampire, she was somehow carrying Alaric (Matthew Davis) and Jo's (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) twins.

The twist was something the writers thought up as a way to soften the tragedy at the end of season 6 when Kai (Chris Wood) killed Jo and her unborn children—on her wedding day, no less. "We had always left that [story thread] hanging on instinct," writer Neil Reynolds says during episode 7 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*.

Executive producer Julie Plec adds, "Because of the tragedy of the twins and Jo dying and looking for story for Alaric for the season, we had separately come up with the story of the woman who knocks on his door and is like, 'I think I'm pregnant with your babies.'" But the writers weren't sure if that twist was *too* crazy, so they didn't originally plan to go there. Until star Candice King called to let them know she was pregnant. "I was very nervous to make that call," King says on the podcast.

The Vampire Diaries

Candice King on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Bob Mahoney/The CW

Ultimately, the writers decided to work in King's pregnancy and use the aforementioned story, only instead of a random woman showing up pregnant, Caroline would carry Ric's kids. Plec remembers warning CW president Mark Pedowitz about "the most bananas thing" she was ever going to pitch him at the time, but surprisingly, he wasn't fazed. And thus Caroline's pregnancy became part of the series and will always go down as one of the show's most unexpected turns.

For more about season 7, listen to the full episode of the podcast below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Teen"

Source: Teen

Published: June 16, 2026 at 01:19PM on Source: PRIME TIME

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Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000...

New Photo - Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m.

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

By Samantha Highfill

Sam Highfill author photo

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

For *The Vampire Diaries* creatives, casting Enzo was a particularly difficult task. Because originally, the role was going to be very different.

"You were supposed to be the third Salvatore brother," executive producer Julie Plec tells star Michael Malarkey in episode 8 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. Writer Brett Matthews adds, "That was always the plan, and then it went a different direction, but that's why it was so hard to find the person. We thought it was going to be a Salvatore brother, so we cast a very wide net [and] looked very hard." Ultimately, they scrapped that plan and made it so Enzo didn't share Salvatore blood, but he was a brother figure for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) for many years (and he was sired by Lily Salvatore).

But that wasn't the only plan that changed in the writers' room over the years. In discussing the *Vampire Diaries*' final season, Plec and Matthews recall the final major debate: Which Salvatore were they going to kill in the series finale? "We went back and forth in the writers' room all season long," Plec says. "We finally landed on: We're killing Damon. That's the right thing to do. He is the one with the consequence to pay. Stefan was morally a bit stronger of a character."

The Vampire Diaries

Michael Malarkey as Enzo and Ian Somerhalder as Damon on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Annette Brown/The CW; Bob Mahoney/The CW

Matthews adds, "Damon's a fairly obvious choice," noting that the writers really fell in love with the idea of Damon compelling Stefan (Paul Wesley) to let him die. But when executive producer Kevin Williamson proposed that it should be Stefan that dies, they started to rethink their plan. "It felt like dying for Stefan freed him from a lot of weight, whereas it felt like living for Damon freed him to go and be the man that he was always supposed to be," Plec says.

Of course, both Salvatores were meant to die in the original ending Plec and Williamson came up with during the show's second season. In that ending, "The boys would sacrifice themselves to save Elena so that Elena could go and have a life and be human and live," Plec recalls during the podcast. "To save her, they would die together, and that was always the pitch. And then when Nina [Dobrev] left, it felt like the show can't be as much about protecting Elena's happiness, although that's important to us, but we want to protect the bothers' happiness, we want them to get something out of this. Then it shifted to: We can't kill both of them for her because that feels somehow like nobody got what they wanted. Let's find a different way to give one of these brothers the happiness that they need and the other brother the closure that they need."

(One other way Dobrev leaving changed the plan? Plec says, "I thought that by the time we came back to the end of the series, whenever it was, that Elena would've found her way back to Stefan and Damon would've found a different path.")

For more about the final season, listen to the full podcast episode below:

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhaldher reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Sci-Fi"

Source: Sci-Fi

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June 16, 2026

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore br...

Who is Erling Haaland&x27;s girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen? Wajih AlBaroudi, For The WinTue, June 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC 0 Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen? Erling Haaland and Norway had the internet buzzing with their Vikingthemed photoshoot ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Their quest for the World Cup trophy begins in earnest with the group stage games starting Thursday. In Haaland, Norway has one of the most talented players in the entire World Cup. The Manchester City forward tallied 27 goals and eight assists over 34 starts this past Premier League season.

Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

Wajih AlBaroudi, For The WinTue, June 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

Erling Haaland and Norway had the internet buzzing with their Viking-themed photoshoot ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Their quest for the World Cup trophy begins in earnest with the group stage games starting Thursday.

In Haaland, Norway has one of the most talented players in the entire World Cup. The Manchester City forward tallied 27 goals and eight assists over 34 starts this past Premier League season. Haaland earned his third career Premier League Golden Boot for his efforts, as he led all players in goals for a third time.

This is Norway's first World Cup trip since 1998 in France. They're considered a dark horse contender out of Group I, which also includes France, Senegal and Iraq. Haaland will be crucial to whatever run Norway can manage.

Now that we know who Haaland is on the pitch, let's take a look at his life off of it, specifically his relationship with girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen.

Who is Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

Johansen is a former soccer player from Byrne, Norway. She posts about her and Haaland's travels, as well as cooking videos, on her Instagram.

How long have Haaland and Johansen been dating?

The two got to know each other while developing their skills at Bryne FK as youths and began dating in 2021.

Do Haaland and Johansen have children?

They have a son who was born in December 2024.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

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Source: Entertainment

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Who is Erling Haaland's girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

Who is Erling Haaland&x27;s girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen? Wajih AlBaroudi, For The WinTue, June 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC ...

Shohei Ohtani leads in AllStar voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally Jason OwensTue, June 16, 2026 at 4:37 AM UTC 0 Shohei Ohtani leads in AllStar voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally MLB provided its first update on AllStar voting Monday, and, to the surprise of few, Shohei Ohtani leads the way. The twoway superstar for the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of only two players to have so far cracked 1 million votes with 1,165,133 to play designated hitter in the National League. The other is Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who is the topvote getter in the American League.

Shohei Ohtani leads in All-Star voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally

Jason OwensTue, June 16, 2026 at 4:37 AM UTC

Shohei Ohtani leads in All-Star voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally

MLB provided its first update on All-Star voting Monday, and, to the surprise of few, Shohei Ohtani leads the way.

The two-way superstar for the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of only two players to have so far cracked 1 million votes with 1,165,133 to play designated hitter in the National League.

The other is Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who is the top-vote getter in the American League. He received 1,015,768 votes as the leader to play DH in the AL.

The top vote getters in each league through Phase 1 of All-Star fan voting will earn a starting spot on their respective All-Star teams. The field will then be whittled down to Phase 2 of voting, which will determine the starters at each remaining position. Phase 2 voting starts June 29.

As for whether or not Ohtani will start as a pitcher for the NL during a season in which he's an MVP and Cy Young candidate, fans don't have a say. Pitchers and backup position players are determined via player ballot and the commissioner's office.

Here's where the voting stands as of MLB's reveal on Monday.

American League

First base1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: 603,014 2. Ben Rice, Yankees: 509,830 3. Munetaka Murakami, White Sox: 437,107 4. Nick Kurtz, Athletics: 269,658 5. Pete Alonso, Orioles: 202,781Second base1. Ernie Clement, Blue Jays: 904,702 2. Ezequiel Duran, Rangers: 287,996 3. Travis Bazzana, Guardians: 279,862 4. Jose Altuve, Astros: 244,131 5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees: 230,846

Shortstop1. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 890,575 2. Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays: 354,651 3. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: 266,239 4. Colson Montgomery, White Sox: 176,673 5. Jeremy Peña, Astros: 162,537

Third base1. Junior Caminero, Rays: 625,520 2. Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays: 556,172 3. Miguel Vargas, White Sox: 329,208 4. Josh Jung, Rangers: 285,827 5. José Ramírez, Guardians: 269,973

Catcher1. Shea Langeliers, Athletics: 715,625 2. Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays: 298,401 3. Adley Rutschman, Orioles: 261,607 4. Dillon Dingler, Tigers: 261,084 5. Ryan Jeffers, Twins: 235,679

Outfield1. Aaron Judge, Yankees: 977,460 2. Mike Trout, Angels: 926,601 3. Cody Bellinger, Yankees: 533,842 4. Byron Buxton, Twins: 497,562 5. Riley Greene, Tigers: 422,835 6. Julio Rodríguez, Mariners: 421,205 7. Randy Arozarena, Mariners: 412,273 8. Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays, 337,581 9. Jesús Sánchez, Blue Jays: 310,970

Designated hitter1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros: 1,015,768 2. George Springer, Blue Jays: 323,112 3. Yandy Díaz, Rays: 267,585 4. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: 160,727 5. Joc Pederson, Rangers: 120,603

National League

First base1. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers: 870,606 2. Matt Olson, Braves: 802,848 3. Bryce Harper, Phillies: 651,792 4. Jake Bauers, Brewers: 207,276 5. Alec Burleson, Cardinals: 155,211

Second base1. Ozzie Albies, Braves: 517,147 2. Bryson Stott, Phillies: 399,729 3. Brice Turang, Brewers: 373,656 4. Hyeseong Kim, Dodgers: 345,924 5. Luis Arraez, Giants: 325,994

Shortstop1. CJ Abrams, Nationals: 579,796 2. Mookie Betts, Dodgers: 567,566 3. Elly De La Cruz, Reds: 473,485 4. Trea Turner, Phillies: 414,652 5. Otto Lopez, Marlins: 230,286

Third base1. Max Muncy, Dodgers: 941,218 2. Alec Bohm, Phillies: 386,425 3. Nolan Arenado, D-backs: 363,091 4. Austin Riley, Braves: 353,394 5. Nick Gonzales, Pirates: 267,518

Catcher1. Drake Baldwin, Braves: 972,813 2. Will Smith, Dodgers: 662,883 3. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies: 446,915 4. William Contreras, Brewers: 303,240 5. Hunter Goodman, Rockies: 110,450

Outfield1. Andy Pages, Dodgers: 800,496 2. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: 693,472 3. Brandon Marsh, Phillies: 668,191 4. Michael Harris II, Braves: 635,473 5. Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers: 507,625 6. Jordan Walker, Cardinals: 437,071 7. James Wood, Nationals: 431,607 8. Corbin Carroll, D-backs: 425,814 9. Juan Soto, Mets: 421,513

Designated hitter1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 1,165,133 2. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies: 820,009 3. Dominic Smith, Braves: 371,508 4. Christian Yelich, Brewers: 174,746 5. Iván Herrera, Cardinals: 101,738

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Sports"

Source: Sports

Published: June 16, 2026 at 01:27AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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Shohei Ohtani leads in All-Star voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally

Shohei Ohtani leads in AllStar voting as MLB makes first reveal of fan tally Jason OwensTue, June 16, 2026 at 4:37 AM UTC 0 Shoh...

Pat Sajak shares rare life update after &x27;Wheel of Fortune&x27; retirement Charlie Carballo, USA TODAYMon, June 15, 2026 at 11:01 PM UTC 0 Pat Sajak shares rare life update after 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement Pat Sajak shared a rare "update on life" in a video message posted to X. "Hi! I know a lot of you have been wondering, asking me how I&x27;m doing, and I&x27;m enjoying life," the 79yearold said in the June 14 post. "I moved here to Montana and everything is going just great. So, I just want to say hello.

Pat Sajak shares rare life update after 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement

Charlie Carballo, USA TODAYMon, June 15, 2026 at 11:01 PM UTC

Pat Sajak shares rare life update after 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement

Pat Sajak shared a rare "update on life" in a video message posted to X.

"Hi! I know a lot of you have been wondering, asking me how I'm doing, and I'm enjoying life," the 79-year-old said in the June 14 post. "I moved here to Montana and everything is going just great. So, I just want to say hello."

In the video, the former "Wheel of Fortune" host stands in front of an oceanfront swimming pool framed by palm trees.

"You'll have to excuse me, I have some cattle to attend to," he added, in his signature deadpan delivery, before calling out, "Here, boy!" A "moo" sound effect followed.

The retirement update comes more than a year after Sajak stepped away from "Wheel of Fortune," ending a four-decade run as the face of the syndicated game show. His final episode of the weeknight series aired in June 2024, and Ryan Seacrest succeeded him that September. Sajak remained involved with the franchise through "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" until the spinoff's final episode aired in June 2025.

Since "Wheel of Fortune" debuted in syndication in 1983, Sajak had hosted the show alongside Vanna White, who remained with the program following his retirement.

Away from television, Sajak continues to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college in Michigan.

"Hillsdale College is fortunate to have an even closer relationship with Mr. Sajak," a college representative previously told USA TODAY. "Since 2019, we have benefitted from his wisdom, intellect, and good humor as chairman of Hillsdale's board of trustees. We look forward to continuing our important work together and to what we are sure will be a bright future for Mr. Sajak and his family."

Sajak served as vice chairman of Hillsdale's board from 2003 to 2019 before being named chairman in 2019.

Contributing: Joy Ashford, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pat Sajak shares rare life update after 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement

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Pat Sajak shares rare life update after 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement

Pat Sajak shares rare life update after &x27;Wheel of Fortune&x27; retirement Charlie Carballo, USA TODAYMon, June 15, 20...

New Photo - Sherri Shepherd says Milo Ventimiglia was fired from their unaired '90s sitcom

The two were briefly costars on &34;Rewind,&34; a Fox sitcom starring Scott Baio as an advertising exec who frequently &34;rewinds&34; to his youth in the 1970s. Sherri Shepherd says Milo Ventimiglia was fired from their unaired '90s sitcom The two were briefly costars on &34;Rewind,&34; a Fox sitcom starring Scott Baio as an advertising exec who frequently &34;rewinds&34; to his youth in the 1970s. By Kathleen Perricone June 15, 2026 7:36 p.m.

The two were briefly costars on "Rewind," a Fox sitcom starring Scott Baio as an advertising exec who frequently "rewinds" to his youth in the 1970s.

Sherri Shepherd says Milo Ventimiglia was fired from their unaired '90s sitcom

The two were briefly costars on "Rewind," a Fox sitcom starring Scott Baio as an advertising exec who frequently "rewinds" to his youth in the 1970s.

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New Photo - Jennifer Lopez told herself 'you need to f‑‑‑ing figure yourself out' after Ben Affleck divorce

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The "Office Romance" actress and "Good Will Hunting" star have a romantic history that spans over 20 years.

Jennifer Lopez told herself 'you need to f‑‑‑ing figure yourself out' after Ben Affleck divorce

The "Office Romance" actress and "Good Will Hunting" star have a romantic history that spans over 20 years.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

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