<P> Despite the controversy that stemmed from Will's murder, Wilson received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Ben . Michael Fairman who praised the story as a "deeply affection and riveting arc" said "Wilson owned every second of Ben's troubled inner life and turmoil ." Soap Opera Digest made the climax it's "Editor's Choice" and praised Wilson and his co-stars for making the "stakes feel higher" and "infusing the action with blistering intensity ." The magazine said "Wilson was mesmerizing as his character slipped in and out of lucidity . Wilson expertly highlighted Ben's struggle to stay cognizant as the manic part of his personality threatened complete dominance ." On - Air On - Soaps deemed the plot twist as the "Most Shocking Storyline" for the year 2015 . The website also praised Ben as the "Most Revived Character" and Wilson as one of the "Best" supporting actors . Soap Opera Digest further praised the character's "revitalization" describing Ben as a "ho - hum character whose appeal increased as Wilson plumbed the depths of his alter ego's insanity ." Hope Campbell of Soap Hub noted that some fans suspected Ben had been faking his break from reality . </P> <P> Wilson's omission from the Daytime Emmy Award pre-nominations invoked a strong outcry from fans on social media . On - Air On - Soaps said Wilson's omission from the nominees was one of the more noticeable ones . Fame10 included Wilson on its 2016 list of "Most Shocking Soap Opera Emmy Snubs ." Dorathy Gass declared Wilson's omission was "sheer craziness!" She hoped Wilson would get the well - deserved the Supporting Actor nomination in 2017 . Hollie Deese of Soaps.com said Wilson's exclusion was a "glaring oversight" because "I think he took it all this year, hands down ." Deese hailed Wilson as one of the "top young actors in the genre ." </P> <P> Hope Campbell of Soap Hub said Wilson's 2016 return would surely "shake things up" just in time for February Sweeps . Michael Fairman praised Wilson for his "incredibly twisted" portrayal during Ben's final confrontation with Kate Mansi's Abigail in April 2015 . Michael Goldberg from Serial Scoop said the scenes were "magnificent ." Despite Ben terrorizing Abigail, "to many fans, Ben was a treat ." Hope Campbell said Wilson's performance kept viewers "enthralled" during his return . In a sample poll of nearly 2,000 votes, 65% of viewers hoped the character would return . A Gold Derby poll saw 56% of voters were excited for Ben's return . </P> <P> When Wilson reprised his role in 2017, Ryan White - Nobles excitedly declared "The sexiest serial killer in soap history is returning to Days of our Lives!" "If Will is returning to Salem, it should only make sense that the man who' killed' him does, too, right?" Michael Fairman described the December 2017 scenes in which Ben attempts to re-enact Will's murder, as "riveting" "can't - miss soap opera!" He said the scenes were "portrayed masterfully" by Wilson and his co-stars, Alison Sweeney and Chandler Massey . The three "all played their beats to perfection in this very dark and twisted plotpoint ." On - Air On - Soaps said Wilson had the "Best Performance by a recurring" actor for the year 2017 . Fairman said "Wilson has taken this disturbed character and brought him to soap opera cult status ." Gold Derby and Soap Hub credited Ben's 2017 return with helping the show win its 4th Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series as one of the episodes submitted featured Wilson's reappearance as Ben . </P>

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