The Dominic Theory That Would Change Everything About The Young And The Restless

Little Dominic Chancellor (currently played by Rainn and River Ware) has had quite the tumultuous life on CBS' "The Young and the Restless," and he's not even passed his first birthday. Dominic was born of a surrogacy agreement between Abby Neman (Melissa Ordway) and friends Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) and Devon Hamilton (Bryton James). Devon donated his sperm and Abby her ovum, which were then implanted in Mariah and carried to term by her. Mariah agreed to give the baby to Abby and her husband Phillip "Chance" Chancellor II (Conner Floyd). His little life has been fraught with drama ever since his conception.

First, Chance disappeared during a mission and was presumed dead. Dominic was then kidnapped in utero when Abby's ex, Ben "Stitch" Rayburn (Sean Carrigan) held Mariah hostage during the last few months of her pregnancy. He was born just after she was rescued in her safe room, delivered by Devon and Mariah's fiancée, Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks). Since then everyone around him has been in crisis — both Mariah and Devon have had trouble parting from their biological child. Chance has had issues bonding with him, and Abby has had a hard time coping with it all. And quite recently, the baby has had a health crisis. Talk about a hard knock life.

One would think all of that drama would be enough for some viewers, but when you love a soap opera sometimes a little drama isn't enough. That's where fan theories come in, and "Young and the Restless" fans definitely have a few theories about whether or not Dominic's illness might presage a revelation about him that would change the show's dynamic forever.

Remember when we mentioned that Stitch kidnapped little Dominic while he was still in utero? u/bullfishie has a theory about that, and they posted it to the "Y&R" subreddit. "Could Dominic actually be Ben Rayburn's child?" they wonder. This would explain why Stich decided to kidnap Dominic. They point out that as a doctor, Stitch would have access to the lab where the embryo that became Dominic was put together. He could easily swap his own sperm for Devon's, in the hope that Abby would eventually forgive him.

Reaction to the theory was mixed on the subreddit. u/Tg11T said, "I would love it if Stitch turns out to be the father of Abby's son." Furthermore, multiple fans weighed in expressing their disappointment in Devon's behavior during the custody battle, saying he "deserves" to be locked biologically out of Dominic's life.

"Surely if the parentage changes it'll be that Abby isn't the mom," said u/kaninhund, pointing out that several characters have noticed Devon and Dominic's physical resemblance to one another. But others called the writer's capabilities into question. "That storyline would be too much for these writers to handle," said u/waknlibrarian. Fans will find out if Dominic pulls through his illness soon, as "Young and the Restless" airs every weekday on CBS.