Home and Away fans accuse Channel 7 of ‘ratings’ play after Brax and Ricky disappear again
After a decade of absence, Brax and Ricky came back to Summer Bay in a highly anticipated TV event.
Home and Away viewers are torn after beloved duo Brax and Ricky have departed Summer Bay for the second time.
Legendary characters Darryl ‘Brax’ Braxton (Stephen Peacocke) and Erica ‘Ricky’ Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen) left Summer Bay back in 2016 searching for a fresh start.
The long-running Channel 7 drama announced their return in August last year for a landmark 2026 event in outback Western Australia, which revealed where their lives have taken them in the decade since.
But on Monday night’s episode, the couple decided it was best to move back to the outback with their son Casey for a quiet life on a remote cattle station.
Fans expressed their disappointment on social media, with majority hoping the pair would remain on the show for longer.
“Going to miss them, [it] was so nice having them back on screen again if only for a little while. We got some great scenes, so happy they agreed to come back,” one wrote.
“I wanted them to stay,” another said.
“Please don’t go, come back,” a third added.
Another said she only started watching Home and Away again when the pair came back.
Someone else was far more brutal and said the pair only returned to “get the ratings up”, while another said the couple’s return was a “waste of time”.
“Wish it was for longer but I’ll take it!” another added.
Why did Brax and Ricky leave Home and Away in 2016?
Brax and Ricky first said farewell to Summer Bay in 2016 to start a new life, following a series of tumultuous events.
Brax was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2015 for the murder of Dean Sanderson (Kevin Kiernan-Molloy), a crime he didn’t commit.
While he was locked up in solitary confinement, Ricky gave birth to their son Casey.
Brax couldn’t picture a life without his family, so he took a desperate shot at freedom, turning to Ash (George Mason) and Kyle (Nic Westaway) for help, and Ricky chose to join him on the run.
But during a transfer, one of Gunno’s (Diarmid Heidenreich) associates forced the police car off the road, sending it crashing into a pond.
After pulling the guard to safety, Brax made his escape and reunited with Ash at a safe house arranged by Kyle.
With his family convinced he’d died in the crash, Brax left Summer Bay behind.
Thinking Brax had died, Ricky eventually moved on with Nate (Kyle Pryor) and the couple got engaged.
But Ash later said Brax is in fact still alive, sending her into shock.
When Brax returned, he begged Ricky to run away with him but she turned him down.
In 2016, Brax was cleared of Dean’s death and finally regained his freedom.
As his marriage to Ricky fell apart, Nate reached out to Brax, believing he was still the one she truly loved.
After finding their way back to each other, Brax and Ricky left the Bay with Casey, choosing to start fresh closer to Heath (Dan Ewing), Bianca (Lisa Gormley), and Kyle.
