The Unofficial Chairman of Hearts: Why Carter Walton Breaks the Internet

The notifications on Shauna’s phone were going nuclear. Every five seconds, a new heart, a fire emoji, or an all-caps declaration of love pulsed across the screen.

Shauna, a dedicated fan and moderator of the ‘B&B Fanatics’ Facebook group, leaned back in her chair, a victorious smile spreading across her face. She had posted the question thirty minutes ago:

“Is it just me or is Carter literally the MOST handsome man on the show right now? Who wants to marry him? Be honest!”

The response was immediate, overwhelming, and utterly unanimous.

“Not just you, Shauna! He’s the whole snack table! 💍”

“I’m filing for divorce from my real husband just to have a shot. He’s too good-looking for this level of drama.”

“It’s the suits, the dimples, the way he says ‘Forrester Creations’—I’m done. Take me now, Carter!”

Shauna laughed, scrolling through the comments. It was a phenomenon she had watched unfold for years. No matter the storyline—whether he was chasing Quinn, being betrayed by Zoe, or having clandestine office affairs with Paris—the consensus on Carter Walton remained the same: irresistible.

“Look at him,” Shauna muttered to her cat, Mr. Whiskers, who was deeply unimpressed with the love lives of fictional Los Angeles fashion elite. On her TV, Carter, played by the ridiculously photogenic Lawrence Saint-Victor, was delivering a stern but perfectly modulated warning to Ridge. Even when he was scolding someone, he managed to look like he belonged on the cover of GQ.

It wasn’t just the physical appearance, Shauna mused, although the man was sculpted by the gods of daytime television. It was the package. He was a successful lawyer—the Chief Operating Officer, no less—meaning he was intelligent and ambitious. He was always well-dressed, always polite (even when being scandalous), and he possessed a deep, soulful vulnerability that seemed to attract every woman in the show’s orbit, usually with disastrous results.

Shauna typed a reply to a commenter named ‘BoldLover67’ who complained about Carter’s perpetual bad luck in love.

“That’s the beauty of Carter, LOL! He’s too good for all of them. Quinn, Zoe, Paris—they were all chaos, and he just wanted a stable, beautiful love. That’s why we want to marry him! We can fix him!”

She knew the sentiment was shared by thousands. They didn’t just want the character; they wanted the idea of Carter: the successful, sensitive, handsome man who just needed one good woman to appreciate his dimples and his legal expertise.

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The Fictional Reality vs. Fan Desire

Later that night, after the episode had ended, Shauna started drafting a more detailed blog post for the fan site she managed. She titled it: ‘Why Carter Walton is the Hottest Mess We All Want to Marry.’

She began to dissect the character’s appeal, contrasting his professional excellence with his romantic trainwreck status.

1. The Suit of Armor: Carter was constantly in flawless tailoring. He was the definition of corporate success. In the chaos of Forrester Creations, where affairs were currency and screaming matches were business meetings, Carter was the anchor of professionalism. This stability, even if only sartorial, made him profoundly attractive. “He looks like he could actually pay the mortgage, unlike certain other male leads who just scream about designs,” she wrote.

2. The Sensitive Soul: Despite being a powerful executive, Carter was always the one left heartbroken. Zoe betrayed him on their wedding day; Quinn used him for passion but went back to Eric; Paris strung him along before leaving him for Zende (briefly, anyway). He always recovered, he always forgave, and he always approached the next relationship with sincere, open vulnerability. This tragic flaw—the willingness to be hurt—made him relatable. It made the fans want to hug him and protect him from the writers.

3. The Forbidden Factor: Let’s face it, his romances were spicy. Shauna recalled the infamous “Quinn on the floor” scene, the clandestine meetings, the forbidden passion. Carter wasn’t just handsome; he was a spark plug of unexpected heat. This blend of professionalism and passionate abandon was intoxicating. “He’s the man you take home to meet your parents, and then take back to the CEO’s office for a very long lunch break,” Shauna typed, winking at the screen.

As she wrote, Shauna realized the power of Carter’s appeal lay in the hope he represented. In a landscape dominated by entrenched, often toxic relationships (Ridge/Brooke, Bill/Katie), Carter was the wild card. He was the one who, theoretically, could still find perfect love. The writers kept him single enough, just dysfunctional enough, for the audience to believe they could be the one to complete him.

She even mused about the actor himself. Lawrence Saint-Victor brought a level of gravitas and sincerity to the role that transcended the often-absurd plots. When Carter was sad, the audience was sad. When Carter was happy, the fans cheered. He was the emotional barometer of the show’s secondary relationships, and the writers, whether they knew it or not, had created a romantic anti-hero for the modern soap opera.

The Grand Fan Fantasy

Shauna finished her blog post with a playful, elaborate fantasy scenario, imagining what it would be like to actually marry the fictional Carter Walton.

“The wedding would be small, classy, and NOT interrupted by an angry ex-wife on a zip line. We’d wear custom designs from Hope for the Future—nothing Brooke has touched, thank you—and the reception would be on the roof of Forrester Creations (with proper security to keep the Forresters out).”

“Our life? It wouldn’t be all drama, that’s for sure. Carter would come home from work, take off his bespoke suit, and we’d discuss actual legal strategies, not who slept with whom in the design office. He’d have his quiet, sensitive moments where he confesses he’s still a bit scarred by his past, and I would assure him that the past is the past. We’d have a healthy relationship with clear boundaries, mutual respect, and occasional, passionate bursts of office-supply-closet romance—just to keep things spicy.”

She paused, reading over her words. It was pure escapism, a perfect blend of the character’s best traits and a fan’s desire for a non-toxic relationship.

She published the post, adding the original, explosive fan quote at the top: “Is it just me or is Carter literally the MOST handsome man on the show right now? Who wants to marry him? Be honest!”

Within minutes, the comments section was exploding again, fueling the fire. The initial Facebook thread had now jumped to Twitter and Instagram.

“@ShaunaB&BFanatics – YES! The divorce papers would be filed immediately for me too! Carter is the only man on this show who deserves happiness.”

“It’s not just you. He’s Peak Handsome. I’m starting a petition for the writers to give him a NICE, NORMAL, non-toxic woman who appreciates his perfect face and his massive legal brain.”

Shauna smiled again. It wasn’t just a TV show; it was a weekly referendum on romance, loyalty, and good looks. And this week, and most weeks, Carter Walton was the undisputed champion. He was the ultimate fan fantasy: the perfect man caught in perfectly terrible, perfect-for-TV situations. He was the unofficial Chairman of Hearts at Forrester Creations, and his stock, at least with the fans, was only going up. He might be unlucky in fictional love, but in the court of fan opinion, he was married to thousands.