Home and Away Spoilers – New faces and goodbyes for 2022

With the new year of Home and Away now well under way, we bring you a roundup of all of the characters set to leave Summer Bay in the coming months, and preview some of the new faces set to call the seaside town home.

Home and Away returned to Australian screens a little over three weeks ago, and the drama has begun in earnest.

As is the case every year, a number of favourites will leave over the course of the next 12 months, and a new host of characters will take their place – some of whom have some surprising connections to the town!

Will your favourite be waving goodbye this year? Let’s find out…

Home and Away Departures

Ari Parata (Rob Kipa-Williams)

Ari’s potential exit has been rumoured for quite some time. With the show filming a significant amount of external scenes at Sydney’s Palm Beach, it’s usually possible to tell when a character has left when fans stop seeing the actor or actress behind them shooting scenes at the famous beach, and actor Rob Kipa-Williams hasn’t been seen filming there for quite some time.

Does Ari Parata die?

When Sam Frost posted an Instagram story from the Paratas’ garden late last year, in which a number of cast members were dressed in black as if attending a wake, it was almost definitive proof that a character would be bowing out in the months to come.

Ari first arrived in Summer Bay at the end of 2019, when he was caught up in the siege at Northern Districts Hospital. He was soon joined by his sister-in-law Gemma (Bree Peters) and nephew Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo), and it wasn’t long before his brother Tane (Ethan Browne) arrived to complete the set.

As the actors behind the remaining members of the Parata clan – Anna Samson (Mia), Kawakawa and Ethan – along with their close friends and partners – Courtney Miller (Bella), Lukas Radovich (Ryder) and Jacqui Purvis (Felicity) – had all been spotted filming after the wake scenes, it soon seemed almost certain that the funeral would be for the Parata patriarch himself.

Ari hasn’t been seen since the 2nd episode of the 2022 season, when he was arrested after confessing to the murder of Matthew Montgomery (James Sweeny). He has since been placed in remand, and the Paratas have visited him on a number of occasions, but unusually, all of this has happened off-screen.

Ari features heavily in spoilers for episodes airing in Australia next week. In the triple-bill airing on Thursday 3rd March, “Ari faces an emergency”.

In the second episode, the spoilers ask “Is Ari facing a death sentence?” while in the final episode, “Ari makes a life or death decision” and “Mia’s dreams are shattered.”

Whilst these episodes would have been filmed around early September, Rob Kipa-Williams’ Instagram posts have shown him to be back in New Zealand since at least October. Rob’s résumé also states that his tenure as Ari ran from 2019-2021, though this isn’t firm proof in itself as they’re often updated periodically to the current point in time.

It’s not yet known whether Rob will actually feature in next week’s episodes, or if the drama will continue to happen off-screen, but the spoilers certainly make it sound like Ari’s final episodes will soon be upon us.

Logan Bennett (Harley Bonner)

One departure we can be certain of is that of Harley Bonner (Logan Bennett), with Seven announcing back in January that the actor had quit the show following the end of production for 2021.

“Channel Seven can confirm Harley will not return to Home and Away when filming returns in the coming weeks” a spokesperson for Seven stated.

“Harley leaves with our best wishes and sincere thanks for his work on the show.”

Although there’s been no comment on the reason behind Harley’s departure, the news came after Seven declared that all staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by 10th January 2022.

Harley first appeared as Dr Logan back in August, as part of the emergency team flown in to help Mia, Nikau and Dean Thompson (Patrick O’Connor) following their car crash. Logan later transferred to Northern Districts Hospital where he soon replaced outgoing Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee) as the Head of Emergency.

This week has seen Logan’s relationship with girlfriend Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir) come under strain following the arrival of his ex, Neve Spicer (Sophie Bloom), and whilst we would ordinarily expect Logan’s departure to air until around June 2022, it’s possible that scenes may have been reworked if his departure wasn’t expected so soon.

Indeed we have already seen evidence of filming being thrown out of kilter during the current climate. Neve’s arrival scenes were originally filmed back in August with Melissa Bonne playing the role, but were later refilmed in the last week of September with Sophie Bloom replacing her.

Whether Neve goes on to play a role in Logan’s departure remains to be seen…

Jasmine Delaney (Sam Frost)

Another confirmed exit is Sam Frost (Jasmine Delaney), whose departure was announced in December. It is understood that the actress will be moving to Melbourne in a bid to be closer to friends and family.

“We support and respect Sam’s decision to leave Home and Away,” a Seven spokesperson said in a statement confirming the news.

“Sam leaves with our sincere thanks and very best wishes for the future.”

Sam initially announced that she would be taking a break from the show whilst she underwent a medical procedure and subsequently got vaccinated, but, just a few weeks later, it was announced that she would be leaving the show entirely.

“I quit my dream job at Home And Away to look after my mental health,” Sam later stated on Instagram. “I needed to take a step back, go home and be with my family. And most importantly take good care of my health and well-being.”

However, it has since been speculated that Sam Frost may make a return to the show in the coming months. Lynne McGranger, who plays Irene, spoke to NovaFM presenters Fitzy and Wippa and said that “the door is not closed, it’s very much an open door.”

Lynne added that Sam was now vaccinated, “possibly boosted as well,” hinting that her vaccination status may enable her to return to Home and Away in the future.

“The way that she is currently gone from the bay, there is plenty of room for her to come back,” Lynne said. “I’m sure, that as we speak, she is in negotiations with the producers.”

There has currently been no official confirmation that Sam is to return to set, and it is likely we will see Jasmine’s departure around June. Her character is set for a busy few months before her departure, as it looks like at least one relative is set to arrive in the coming weeks…

Ryder Jackson (Lukas Radovich)

We first reported on our speculation that Ryder Jackson would be bidding farewell to Summer Bay back in November.

Ryder turned up unexpectedly in October 2017, shocking Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) by revealing that he was the son of Alf’s estranged daughter Quinn (Lara Cox), and soon made his home in Summer Bay.

Clues to Ryder’s probable departure started when Georgie Parker (Roo Stewart) posted a photo of the Summer Bay House set on Instagram, where a scene was being filmed which appears to show a farewell party. Balloons adorn the living room, with a Bon Voyage poster visible above Lukas.

After Georgie shared another photo of her embracing her on-screen nephew, Courtney Miller later added fuel to the fire when she posted a picture of a special artwork she had created for Lukas, referencing his character.

As with Rob, Lukas’ résumé now states that he played Ryder until 2021, and this week Lukas has been posting snaps from a trip to the UK.

Whatever the scenes in Summer Bay House depict, we estimate them to be airing in Australia around May 2022.

Bella Nixon (Courtney Miller)

The return of Emmett Ellison (see below) immediately fuelled speculation with fans that an exciting career opportunity could be on the horizon for Bella, which may see her depart Summer Bay after 3½ years.

Actor Courtney Miller has not been seen filming at Palm Beach since last year, and recent postings on social media show that Courtney has in fact relocated to Melbourne.

Appearing to be focusing more on her talents as an artist, Courtney has recently opened up an Etsy Store to sell prints.

Bella has only recently gotten back into photography in recent weeks on-screen, and has left the apartment she once shared with brother Colby to move in with Dean and Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) at the farmhouse. With Bella’s relationship with Nikau also back on track, we’re sure that any decision to leave Summer Bay will be a tricky one.

If we do indeed have to say goodbye to Bella, then we may expect to see her departure in approximately June 2022.

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Home and Away Arrivals

With so many departures already confirmed for 2022, the show needs some fresh faces to bring this year’s storylines to life.

Rose Delaney (Kirsty Marillier)

An officially confirmed addition to the cast is Kirsty Marillier, who will be be playing the new regular character of Rose.

Seven announced the casting back in November, at which point Kirsty had already been filming on the show for six weeks, which means we could be seeing Rose on our screens around mid-March.

Scenes filmed at Palm Beach over the past few months have revealed that Rose is another new police officer, providing a colleague to fellow officer Cash Newman (Nicholas Cartwright) who only arrived in town himself back in August.

Whilst Rose’s full name had been kept under wraps by Seven at the time of their initial announcement, an update to Kirsty’s résumé has now revealed it to us… Rose Delaney.

Naturally, can we only presume that Rose has some sort of family connection to Jasmine.

Over the years we have learnt that Jasmine’s mother died in a car accident when she was six years old. Unable to cope with being a single parent, her father left a year later, leaving Jasmine to grow up in the care of foster parents.

Whilst she had a happy life with her foster parents, by the time her wedding to Robbo (Jake Ryan) came around in 2019, Jasmine was upset that she had no family or friends from her old life that she was able to invite.

This would perhaps indicate that Rose could be a relation through her biological parents that Jasmine has no knowledge of, with anything from a half-sister to a cousin, or even a sister-in-law, being possible.

In a move that we’re sure cannot be down to coincidence, Jasmine’s childhood has come up again only this week in Australian episodes, as she explained to boyfriend Cash about her aversion to celebrating birthdays following her mother’s death and father’s disappearance.

Xander (Luke Van Os)

The mystery deepens even further as Luke Van Os joins the show as Xander, another character whose surname is yet to be revealed, and who is described as “a mysterious individual who arrives in the Bay searching for answers”.

It’s been teased by Seven that Luke’s character is the relative of a Summer Bay favourite, and he has also been spotted filming numerous scenes with Sam Frost, with the two looking close as they walk side by side along the beach.

Could Xander also be a Delaney, in the form of Jasmine’s long-lost brother?

Luke may be new in Summer Bay, but he’s got a familial connection to the Sydney soap. He’s the cousin of Chris Hemsworth, who starred as Kim Hyde from 2004 to 2007 before heading to Hollywood.

Talking to Australia’s The Daily Telegraph, Luke revealed that he turned to his cousin for advice before his audition.

“When I was asked for a callback for the chemistry test, I actually zoomed with Chris the night before and we ran [the scene] and kind of just got into a good headspace,” Luke explained.

Luke filmed his first scenes in late October, and we estimate he should making his debut appearance towards the end of March.

Dimitri Poulos (Salvatore Coco)

Late last year, we revealed that Salvatore Coco would be reprising the role of Dimitri Poulos, some 17 years after he last appeared in the show. The eldest of the Poulos siblings, Leah’s (Ada Nicodemou) brother was last seen at her 2005 wedding to Dan Baker.

There’s been little mention of Dimitri since then, but the recent arrival of his son, Theo (Matt Evans), brought him back into the minds of viewers. It was revealed that Theo and his father didn’t get along, and Dimitri kicked Theo out after discovering that he had been defrauding the customers of his car garage.

Dimitri’s return was confirmed when a fan photo depicted Salvatore filming at Palm Beach alongside Lynne McGranger (Irene) and Harley Bonner.

In response to our story about Dimitri’s return, Salvatore commented on Instagram that the bay isn’t going to know what’s hit it!

“The material I was given was so fulfilling as an actor I had so much to work with and @thisismattevans was really awesome to work with” he said.

Dimitri was always shown to be the most hot-headed of the Poulos siblings, as he strived to live up to his father’s expectations and maintain the family’s traditions—but could following his own father’s footsteps, or perhaps going even further, have contributed to his strained relationship with his son?

It seems that we’re soon going to be delving more into Theo’s upbringing very soon, with spoilers for next week indicating that Theo will be recalling his “traumatic past”.

A glimpse of a filming schedule, seen in a photo on a crew member’s Instagram post last year, also shows that Dimitri’s actions are going to cause issues for his sister, with Leah apparently taking the difficult decision to ‘report’ her brother for an unknown misdemeanour!

Dependent on Seven’s irregular scheduling of the show, we expect Dimitri’s first scenes to air around April of this year.

Emmett Ellison (JR Reyne)

Emmett Ellison arrived in Summer Bay last year as a photographer working for Sienna Blake (Rose Riley), the agent who hired Nikau as a fashion model.

Before long, Bella was working as his apprentice, and the two bonded over a shared love of photography. Emmett saw serious potential in Bella’s work, and soon invited her to co-organise an exhibition in the city, showcasing their work to Sydney’s top art lovers.

Bella was left devastated when Emmett was head-hunted and landed a job with a top New York agency. The opportunity was too good for him to pass up, and he left Summer Bay for the states in late July (early September in the UK), promising Bella that if she ever needed anything – “a reference for a gallery, a couch to sleep on in NYC” – he would have her covered.

In early December, JR Reyne posted a photo to Instagram from Palm Beach, the real life location for many of Summer Bay’s external scenes.

Just a few days later, fan account @theking.j.r posted another photo of JR on set. This time, he was wearing the same black leather jacket that characterised his character, giving serious weight to the idea that Emmett will be back in the new year in what we expect to be a short guest role.

Tex Wheeler (Lucas Linehan)

Spotted for first time on set this week was another new face in the form of actor Lucas Linehan, with his résumé confirming that he is playing a character named Tex Wheeler.

Kawakawa posted an Instagram story of Lucas filming with Ethan Browne outside the surf club, in a scene which was also seen by witnessed by fans on the Home and Away Tour.

Another scene filmed also appears to show Tex getting up close and personal with new copper Rose.

At this moment in time nothing further is known about the character, or how long he’ll be around for.

Unknown characters (Angelina Thomson, Rob Mallett and Jamaica Vaughan)

Recent photos taken at Palm Beach have shown three new characters set to join the show later in the year.

Photos from the Daily Mail showed actors Jamaica Vaughan, Angelina Thomson and Rob Mallett filming scenes for the show earlier this month.

Rob Mallett was seen wearing a blue singlet and black trilby hat, while looking at a poster for a live music night at Salt, named ‘Lyric’. The character took one of the posters as he had an animated discussion with Angelina Thomson’s character.

From his look and the attention he’s paying the poster, fans of the show are speculating that he could be a musician, but whether he’s a backpacker in town for a brief performance at the live music night, or a newcomer who’ll be sticking around in Summer Bay, remains to be seen.

In photos taken of a separate scene, Jamaica Vaughan was seen standing on the beach, but the images showed no further context. Her character was seen to have a large snake-like tattoo on her forearm.

Nothing further is currently known about any of the character, or whether they’re sticking around in Summer Bay long-term. We estimate to see them on-screen around June.