Young & Restless’ Victor is planning a big surprise for Abby and Devon’s wedding after taking matters into his own hands when their venue canceled at the last minute. But it was the Mustache’s portrayer Eric Braeden who ended up reeling from the unexpected recently, when a huge reveal ahead of the soap’s 13,000th episode threw him for a loop… and he wasn’t the only one!

As viewers will soon see, Victor has had the old ranch (which was burned down by Sharon in the throes of her bipolar disorder) rebuilt as a surprise for Nikki, and intends it to be the location at which Abby and Devon’s wedding will take place. All this, of course, is a secret, including to “Dabby” and their guests, who have yet to be told where to go to attend the November nuptials.

SOAPS readers caught a glimpse of the new/old ranch set when Braeden shared photos on Twitter/X of him and his co-workers in fancy dress, but at that point, nothing was officially confirmed.

Now, Deadline has shared the first look at the new ranch in a clip that takes Young & Restless fans behind the scenes to witness Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott getting their first glimpse of their characters’ restored former home. Although they knew a new set was in the cards, they were stunned to see the old ranch set refurbished.

As Braeden explains in the video, he was “moved to tears”, as was Thomas Scott, who can be seen in the video exclaiming over the staircase in “my house” before sharing an emotional embrace with her onscreen husband.

Executive Producer and Headwriter, Josh Griffith, remarked, “The Newman Ranch burning down was an emotional story for the Newmans, but it was not lost on us that the Newman family and Genoa City just weren’t the same without Victor and Nikki’s original home.” He added that they “decided that its return around Y&R’s 13,000th episode would be perfect timing to help celebrate this incredible milestone as well as the legacy of Victor and Nikki.” We couldn’t agree with this line of thinking more!

The surprise reveal of the new/old ranch is set to air on Friday, November 8, with the 13,000th episode airing on Wednesday, November 13. You can watch Braeden and Thomas Scott’s video here.