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Johannesburg - WWE superstars The Bella Twins, John Cena and Daniel Bryan move in under one roof in new spin-off series premiering 31st October at 21:00 on E! (DStv 124).
The raw and real lives of Nikki and Brie Bella will be exposed on Total Bellas a spin-off of E!’s mega-hit series Total Divas.
We had quick chat with Nikki about the new show, the family drama and being a reality star.
How is Total Bellas different from your previous reality show, Total Divas?
Total Bellas is a reality show unlike any other out there right now. Here you have this family that hasn’t lived together for almost fourteen years, who have now come together to live under one roof. So that already is so different. But it’s what happens during that time there that you couldn’t even write or expect.
I bring my family in because I am going through this potentially career ending and very intense neck surgery, and I need my family’s help. And right before they move in, Bryan is forced to retire and he is going through all these emotions and a lot of stuff we didn’t realise. You will see that this season. The depression he had to fight with. John gets surgery two weeks before me on his shoulder and must go through intense rehab. My mum and my brother are trying to run a company. My brother’s wife gets pregnant and then my mum gets engage to my former boss, Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis).
A lot happens and that makes Total Bellas even more different from Total Divas. You always see the perspective through the women superstars, but on our show you are going to see the perspective from Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Johnny Ace and my brother’s eyes. It’s nice to have that male perspective too, because I think, especially women watching, want to know what men are thinking as well in a lot of situations. You know on Total Divas sometimes there is so much going on, there are so many girls – here you are just watching one family live their lives and go through stuff that is extremely relatable to everyone that is out there.
What was it like living with your family again under one roof?
I would do it again. I like it because I am very old fashioned, like I think how the olden days did it perfectly. Everyone was all in one house. I have been a twin my whole life, so I am used to having someone by my side, so I enjoy it.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of tough moments when you want to be like, “Leave me alone! Get out of my house!” You definitely have those, but I realised, “Nicole get in your car and go drive, go to happy hour and it will be all okay”.
There are annoying moments, but I don’t know if I can do it for life, especially Bryan and I. I think we would end up killing each other, because we are so opposite, and you will see it this season in Total Bellas. We get in our first fight and I hate that the cameras were rolling, because I have to keep reliving it and I am like, “geez I was so mean”, but he just got me to my breaking point, like made me snap. It was definitely difficult.
During filming of the series each of you were going through personal challenges. Was it difficult having the cameras follow you around when you’re facing personal challenges?
Oh, my goodness, 100%. I act professional because I know at the end of the day that is what I signed up for, but you have those moments when you are like, “please turn the cameras off”. Like you get to this moment where you can usually walk away and be in a room by yourself, but for us walking away, you have a camera crew following you. It was even crazy being wheeled into and waking up from the surgery and the cameras were in my face. I am like, “What? Come-on!”, but I know what I signed up for. It’s not like it’s a piece of equipment standing there, there is a person running it. So, you are having these meltdown moments with all these people looking at you, and then a million viewers are about to look at you going through it, so it is difficult.
What were some of your memorable moments during filming?
My mother’s wedding and you will see that in the season finale. It was so beautiful, there was so much love and also our Downton Abbey dinners – our formal dinners we did every week and you get to see that in every episode. There is something about putting the cellphones away, dressing up for each other and sitting down and having a nice dinner. I urge every family to do that. Be at home, have a family dinner, put your phones away and just talk about life, about what’s going on, and I must say we haven’t done that in so long. Usually at a family dinner everyone meets at a restaurant and everyone is on their phones and there is a lot going on. I haven’t had a family dinner in so long, so I must say those were memorable moments.
What will surprise people about you?
I think seeing how I interact more with my family. I think to see Bryan and I’s relationship. I think some people think I am high maintenance, but on the show, you see how I am not. I guess maybe compared to my sister and Bryan, but we are just a lowkey relatable family. We kind of live like everyone else. We do about the same things and I think people will be surprise and be like, ‘Whoa! That’s what we do, that’s crazy!’
What are some of your favourite reality shows to watch?
Besides Total Bellas, I love the Chrisleys. Chrisley Knows Best, they are hilarious to me. Again, it’s when you watch these families and you like, “Oh my gosh, it’s how my brother and I fight, or how my mum and I are.” They make me laugh, I love it.
When the Kardashians first came out. I loved watching the sisters and was like, “OMG, it’s so Brie and I”. Like how Kris was like with the girls, I was like that’s so my mum, and Rob was like my brother. You start to realise when you watch families how relatable everyone is and those are the reality shows I like.
I am more into scripted shows. My favourite show right now is Walking Dead, but I think what tops my list is Game of Thrones and I am like, “Come on get the new season out!”
Why should viewers tune into the show?
You are going to see a reality show that is nothing like you have been seeing lately. You are going to get to be on this ride with Brie and I, you are going to be captured by it, you are going to feel happy and sad. You will get a more intimate look not only at family life, but at our relationships with Daniel and John. For the first time ever, you will get to hear their side of the story, the arguments and what’s going on in our lives, and that alone is worth watching. For the wrestling fans, I think it’s going to be fun for them to see Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Johnny Ace and you are going to see a glimpse of NXT and different things throughout the show. You are going to see two women that are trying to create this empire, but who put family first, and have a lot of troubles just like everyone else and how we conquer them and go on.
Watch the trailer here:
Tune in for all the drama tonight at 21:00 on E! (DStv 124)
