There was a possibility that The Young and the Restless would lose two of its high-profile blonde actresses. Both Sharon Case (Sharon Newman) and Lauren Woodland (Brittany Hodges) have been in intense contract negotiations with the show - and as of the present time, only one has reached a deal with the show.

Due to the extra inning contract talks, both Sharon and Brittany will not be seen on-screen for a short time. This is because both actresses were without contracts and show execs opted to have them remain out of sight until new deals were ironed out.

Woodland and show execs were able to come to an agreement in mid-February. An inside source indicates that Y&R execs would not have recast the role of Brittany if Woodland decided not to ink her name on a new contract.

Woodland joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in March 2000. She is not the first actress to play Brittany. Vanessa Lee portrayed Brittany on a recurring basis from late-1999 to February 2000.

Case remains in contract talks with the show and it is unclear how close the two sides are to reaching an agreement. However, the same source that said Brittany would have been written out hints that Sharon will be written off the show's canvas in the event that a deal cannot be reached with the actress.

Case, a Daytime Emmy winner in 1999 for Outstanding Supporting Actress, arrived in Genoa City in 1994. In addition to her Emmy win, Case has amassed another three nominations.