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.

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

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."

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:

**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.**

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- *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

- EW's Binge Podcast Episodes

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Published: October 28, 2025 at 09:12PM on Source: ShowBiz MAG

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byAlex Perish

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October 28, 2025

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 ...

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This Was the Late Prunella Scales’ Favorite ‘Fawlty Towers’ Scene

This Was the Late Prunella Scales' Favorite 'Fawlty Towers' Scene JM McNabOctober 29, 2025 at 2:45 AM 0 Sad news in the world of farcical hotel management: Prunella Scales, who played Sybil Fawlty on Fawlty Towers has passed away at the age of 93.

- - This Was the Late Prunella Scales' Favorite 'Fawlty Towers' Scene

JM McNabOctober 29, 2025 at 2:45 AM

0

Sad news in the world of farcical hotel management: Prunella Scales, who played Sybil Fawlty on Fawlty Towers has passed away at the age of 93.

In a statement, Scales' co-star, and the co-author of the series, John Cleese called the news "very sad," noting that "Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I've recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect."

"She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologizing," he added. "I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her."

While Cleese's wildly unhinged Basil Fawlty may have been the loudest part of the show, his comic antics simply wouldn't have worked without the stellar supporting cast, including Scales. Her take on Sybil grounded each episode, fleshing out the routinely fraught marital relationship that was so pivotal to Fawlty Towers.

Thanks to the perspective offered by the show's co-writer Connie Booth, who would point out that "a woman wouldn't say that" in response to some of Cleese's lines for Sybil, the character largely avoided being portrayed as a two-dimensional nagging wife. If anything, we sympathize with Sybil more than any other character because she so frequently had to put up with Basil's nonsense. And she was often the only one capable of correcting his ridiculous mistakes.

Scales' performance also gave us hints about where this woman came from, and how falling in love with a man her parents didn't approve of led her to a not-so-glamorous life in the Torquay service industry.

In the 2009 documentary Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened, Scales revealed that one of her favorite moments from the show was when Sybil actually walked out on Basil. In Season Two's "The Anniversary," Basil arranges for a surprise party for Sybil, inviting some friends to the hotel to celebrate their wedding anniversary. But she mistakenly thinks that he's forgotten all about it and takes off. So Basil enlists Polly to impersonate his wife, and pretend to be sick in bed. When the real Sybil returns and confronts Basil, announcing her intentions to separate, Basil tries to shoo her away, because he would rather torpedo his marriage than suffer any kind of embarrassment.

"I think the scene I look back on with great fondness is when they've had a fight and she's sort of trying to make it up," Scales explained. "And you realize that actually she's emotionally quite dependent on him."

Cleese called the scene an "extraordinarily sad moment where you see Sybil's vulnerability" because "she's trying to establish connection with Basil," and he couldn't care less.

Scales' passing is yet another reason why Cleese's planned reboot should never be spoken about ever again.

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Published: October 28, 2025 at 09:09PM on Source: ShowBiz MAG

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byAlex Perish

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October 28, 2025

This Was the Late Prunella Scales’ Favorite ‘Fawlty Towers’ Scene

This Was the Late Prunella Scales' Favorite 'Fawlty Towers' Scene JM McNabOctober 29, 2025 at 2:45 AM 0 ...

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Vanna White’s Son Nikko Santo Pietro Reveals His Relationship Status After Viral Fame (Exclusive)

Vanna White's Son Nikko Santo Pietro Reveals His Relationship Status After Viral Fame (Exclusive) Stephanie WengerOctober 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM 31 Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Nikko Santo Pietro at 'Watch What Happens Live' Vanna White's son Nikko Santo Pietro is revealing his relationship status to ...

- - Vanna White's Son Nikko Santo Pietro Reveals His Relationship Status After Viral Fame (Exclusive)

Stephanie WengerOctober 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM

31

Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Nikko Santo Pietro at 'Watch What Happens Live' -

Vanna White's son Nikko Santo Pietro is revealing his relationship status to PEOPLE after experiencing viral fame last year

The Wheel of Fortune co-host also shares that she doesn't "put any pressure on my kids about who they're dating"

Nikko captured social media's attention with a spontaneous Instagram post of him cooking white wine chicken thighs with his mom

He may be the Internet's boyfriend, but Vanna White's son Nikko Santo Pietro isn't single and ready to mingle.

When asked if he was in a relationship, Nikko, 31, tells PEOPLE, "I am seeing someone."

"So we started dating somewhat recently," he adds. "So I would say right now things are moving well into the direction of me having a girlfriend."

The Wheel of Fortune co-host, 68, also reveals the relationship advice she gives Nikko and her daughter, Gigi, 28, both of whom she shares with ex-husband George Santo Pietro.

"I just say be yourself, listen to your heart, don't listen to anybody else," she says. "I think we all know if you really listen to yourself, you know if it's the right person or the wrong person, you just have to stay focused and be happy as long as you're happy and healthy and that person makes you feel good and you feel good."

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

From left: Nikko Santo Pietro at Hulu's Get Real House held at Casa Lago on April 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

The television personality adds that she doesn't "ever put any pressure on my kids about who they're dating."

"It's their life and it's their personality and their connection," White says. "So, I'm supportive in whatever choices they make."

When asked if his mother's advice has helped him navigate his love life, Nikko admits, "I don't really think about my mother when I'm navigating my love life," to which White agrees, saying, "Good answer."

But, that doesn't mean that the Los Angeles-based real estate agent hasn't learned a thing or two from his mom since catching social media's attention with an Instagram post of him cooking alongside White in December 2024.

"She is always in good grace with the camera and the way that she carries herself," he says. "So the biggest lesson that I've learned is really, number one, be yourself, which means be authentic and speak your truth, and then just be ready for anything."

Mike Pont/Getty

From left: Niko Santo Pietro, Gigi Santo Pietro, Vanna White, and George Santo Pietro in 2017

The attention earned Nikko nearly 24,000 Instagram followers, which he says has "been great" for his business. He now shares real estate content with some cooking videos mixed in.

With the new-found fame, Nikko has experienced "a couple shocking moments."

"I've been recognized multiple times, which is really odd to me just walking into the grocery store and people saying my name and shaking my hand and I'm like, 'That's crazy how big the reach was,' " he says.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights (check local listings) and is available to stream the next day on Peacock and Hulu.

on People

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Vanna White’s Son Nikko Santo Pietro Reveals His Relationship Status After Viral Fame (Exclusive)

Vanna White's Son Nikko Santo Pietro Reveals His Relationship Status After Viral Fame (Exclusive) Stephanie Weng...

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Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

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

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

By Samantha Highfill

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 18, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Katherine Pierce was a staple of the *Vampire Diaries* universe. But at one point in the series, the writers had to fight to tell more of her story.

"We had to negotiate for the right to let Nina [Dobrev] play Katherine again because the season 2 Katherine [story] had really taken everything out of her and the network was being very protective," executive producer Julie Plec says about the show's fifth season during episode 5 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. "[The network] and studio were being very protective and they were like, 'You can't do that anymore, you can't have Katherine.'"

On an earlier episode of the podcast, Dobrev spoke about how exhausted she was at the end of season 2, the first season in which she played both Elena and Katherine in the present day. So when it came time to make Katherine human and even introduce a third Petrova doppelgänger, the writers had to get creative. "We had to basically beg the network to let us even write story for Katherine," Plec says, noting that "the triplegänger made the whole thing worth it."

Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Tina Rowden/The CW

Fans will remember that season 5 featured Katherine taking over Elena's body, which meant that for a good chunk of the season, Dobrev only had one character to play. And then, eventually, Katherine met her demise, a decision that also came about following those negotiations. "I literally think we had to say we'll kill her in order to get permission to use her," Plec recalls.

Additionally, during the podcast, Plec discusses the choice to have Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) be the two characters who "die" together at the end of season 5, which led to a discussion about Bamon, the popular ship. "Bonnie and Damon had a thing in the books we had sort of always said, 'We don't buy a romantic connection between Bonnie and Damon because Damon's just done too many terrible things and Bonnie just has more integrity than that,'" Plec says. "But we wanted to service that relationship in the canon a little bit."

For more about season 5—and the series overall—listen to the full episode 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* 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

- *Vampire Diaries* star Paul Wesley on Stelena's season 2 split: I was 'dealing with my own stuff' on screen

- *Vampire Diaries* creators talk season 1 Katherine twist, the fan response that left them 'aghast'

- EW's Binge Podcast Episodes

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Source: ShowBiz MAG

Published: October 28, 2025 at 07:12PM on Source: ShowBiz MAG

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byAlex Perish

in

October 28, 2025

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

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherin...

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Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement

Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement Vance CariagaOctober 28, 2025 at 10:55 PM 0 Rudy Balasko / Shutterstock.

- - Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement

Vance CariagaOctober 28, 2025 at 10:55 PM

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Rudy Balasko / Shutterstock.com

Research from Mass Mutual found that the typical American retires at age 62, which means most people spend about 40 years working before they finally retire.

But a lot depends on how much you have saved for retirement — and your location. You can reach retirement much quicker in some states than in others, according to a recent study from John Stevenson, a Nevada-based financial and retirement advisor.

Explore More: Savings Needed To Be Rich in America's Most Popular Retirement Destinations

Read Next: 5 Clever Ways Retirees Are Earning Up To $1K Per Month From Home

One thing the study found is that if you want to retire comfortably, without having to stress over money in your golden years, you might need to build a nest egg of $800,000 or more. If you live where expenses are especially high, you should aim to save more than $1 million.

Unfortunately, most people don't get anywhere near that goal. According to Federal Reserve data, the average retirement savings for Americans ages 65 to 74 was $200,000 as of 2022, the most recent year data are available.

For their study, John Stevenson's researchers looked at average incomes and expenses for each state to determine how many years it would take to reach the ideal retirement savings goal.

The number of years ranged from less than 30 to more than 70. This basically means that if you earn an average salary in some states, you'll either need to retire very late in life, move elsewhere, or depend on more than just your savings to retire comfortably. In the case of Hawaii, expenses are so high that it's not possible to reach the ideal retirement goal on an average salary, according to the study.

Here's a look at the 10 fastest and slowest states for retirement.

Also find out how much a comfortable retirement costs in each state in 2025.

Trending Now: Suze Orman's Secret to a Wealthy Retirement--Have You Made This Money Move?

Fastest States for RetirementIllinois -

Years to retire: 26

Retirement goal: $873,646

Average wages: $69,020 per year

Average annual living expenses: $34,893

Minnesota -

Years to retire: 26

Retirement goal: $870,642

Average wages: $68,880

Average annual expenses: $35,911

Check Out: How Long $2 Million in Retirement Will Last in Every State

Georgia -

Years to retire: 27

Retirement goal: $813,559

Average wages: $64,210

Average annual expenses: $34,180

Michigan -

Years to retire: 29

Retirement goal: $825,577

Average wages: $63,120

Average annual expenses: $34,540

Virginia -

Years to retire: 29

Retirement goal: $948,755

Average wages: $72,060

Average annual expenses: $39,406

Texas -

Years to retire: 29

Retirement goal: $830,083

Average wages: $63,660

Average annual expenses: $35,094

Kansas -

Years to retire: 29

Retirement goal: $741,455

Average wages: $58,230

Average annual expenses: $33,031

Missouri -

Years to retire: 30

Retirement goal: $776,005

Average wages: $59,630

Average annual expenses: $33,594

Maryland -

Years to retire: 31

Retirement goal: $924,720

Average wages: $76,130

Average annual expenses: $45,944

Colorado -

Years to retire: 31

Retirement goal: $981,803

Average wages: $71,960

Average annual expenses: $40,652

Slowest States for RetirementHawaii -

Years to retire: N/A (not able to retire solely on average wages)

Retirement goal: $2,212,084

Average wages: $68,280

Average annual expenses: $76,828

California -

Years to retire: 71

Retirement goal: $1,612,716

Average wages: $79,900

Average annual expenses: $57,195

Massachusetts -

Years to retire: 71

Retirement goal: $1,645,764

Average wages: $83,050

Average annual expenses: $59,797

Alaska -

Years to retire: 56

Retirement goal: $1,292,753

Average wages: $72,810

Average annual expenses: $49,887

Vermont -

Years to retire: 55

Retirement goal: $1,153,051

Average wages: $66,330

Average annual expenses: $45,500

Maine -

Years to retire: 54

Retirement goal: $1,144,038

Average wages: $63,760

Average annual expenses: $42,393

Arizona -

Years to retire: 48

Retirement goal: $1,133,522

Average wages: $65,740

Average annual expenses: $42,083

Nevada -

Years to retire: 47

Retirement goal: $942,746

Average wages: $60,310

Average annual expenses: $40,354

Idaho -

Years to retire: 47

Retirement goal: $971,288

Average wages: $58,440

Average annual expenses: $37,706

Montana -

Years to retire: 46

Retirement goal: $851,114

Average wages: $58,160

Average annual expenses: $39,468

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Money"

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Published: October 28, 2025 at 07:18PM on Source: ShowBiz MAG

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byAlex Perish

in

October 28, 2025

Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement

Want To Retire Early? These Are the 10 Fastest and Slowest States for Retirement Vance CariagaOctober 28, 2025 at 10...

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