Total Bellas - General Discussion

[rmontro]

13 hours ago, OnceSane said:

Too bad the season is already in the can.  I might have tuned in to see Nikki's reaction to John Cena getting married yesterday (or the day before).

Maybe his new wife didn't give him the on again/off again treatment.

[ItsObvious]

John Cena seems like a dick. She's better off without him. 

Now I understand partly Nikki and Artem's issues from earlier this year. In their podcast, she explained that Artem got a new job earlier this year, but lost it due to Covid. That made him depressed and took him back to those old sad feelings about being fired from DWTS. She said it was hard on their relationship, and I imagine it was really tough on her being pregnant at the time. (I think I posted it on the previous page, but I even noticed something was different between them)

She said as soon as Artem got offered DWTS again, he got the pep back in his step and instantly turned back into the man she fell in love with. They seem to be doing a lot better. And Matteo is a cutie! 

[WarmSkull]

The new season starts tomorrow and I personally hope they talk about: (1) coming up with the babies’ names; and (2) selling their houses.  I don’t think I was active in the last season’s chat but will hate watch and report back this season. I might do a rewatch of last season to pass the quarantine time.

For the former it still grinds my gears that Buddy Dessert (pronounced desert) is a name 🙄. Yes, I know it’s to honor their families. They are so short sighted and selfish that they don’t contemplate how it impacts their kids through school and into their adult working years. You could still give your kid a normal name and put Bud or Buddy in there. You could spell “desert” correctly and it would still honor your grandma since she pronounces it that way. The “Buddy” annoys me like “Bird” does, but using “dessert” pronounced “desert” infuriates me. Good luck to that kid when he fills out any forms and has to keep correcting people to use the incorrect pronunciation. 

And I recall a rumor that if the baby was a girl then they were considering “Branch.” Not sure if it’s true (maybe this season will tell us) but it wouldn’t surprise me.

(This name hatred is coming from an adult with a name that is for a ‘thing’ but was given to a person. Think “Apple” but for an ordinary person without rich parents. Meeting new people and trying to advance in a career is fuuuunnnn.)

For the latter I can understand that Nikki would want to move so she and Teo can follow Artem. Though it sucks after she just ‘designed’ her dream home.

But, I’m surprised about the Danielsons. Wasn’t this going to be their “forever home?” And how many moves have they done, even if some were short term for filming? And where are they going to next? Are they going to move closer to Brother Bella’s new home?

Both of them moving in the same time makes me wonder if something is wrong with the properties and/or neighborhood. 

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, WarmSkull said:

using “dessert” pronounced “desert” infuriates me. Good luck to that kid when he fills out any forms and has to keep correcting people to use the incorrect pronunciation. 

I share your qualms with the oddity of that name, but really how often does a middle name come up?  I've been filling out forms and signing my signature for years and most of the time I just use my middle initial.

 

3 hours ago, WarmSkull said:

 

Both of them moving in the same time makes me wonder if something is wrong with the properties and/or neighborhood. 

There was an incident last season where there was a suspected break in attempted or planned on Brie's house while Bryan was out of town, so that's pretty scary.  I can't remember the details, but maybe there is an issue with the neighborhood.

[WarmSkull]

59 minutes ago, rmontro said:

There was an incident last season where there was a suspected break in attempted or planned on Brie's house while Bryan was out of town, so that's pretty scary. 

I don’t recall that incident, but definitely very scary. Especially after what happened with Sonya and Paige recently. 
 

Regarding how often the middle name comes into play (since I’m editing the port and the quoting feature isn’t working right): I’ve had instances of filling our forms and having the person read/clarify. Also, I have the experience after introductions when people go “ what’s your first name again? Really? Oh wow, what’s the rest of your name?” That might be more for Birdie but, if a guy told me his real first name was Buddy then I’d need more info. But, I do admit that I’m more sensitive about names. 

Edited November 11, 2020 by WarmSkull

[Marley]

I read online that they both are moving to Napa Valley. They do seem to move a lot lol.

 

[WarmSkull]

I watched the first episode and not a bad foundational start. Not too much to snark about. 

I did like that discussion of all the changes that the body goes through during pregnancy. Nikki is taking one for the team so far about talking about her puffy vaginal area and her hemorrhoids lol. And also I liked the talk about the about the health insurance complications. 

I liked the orange sherbet-color dress on Nikki. But her closet/ room with the busts for the fascinators/hats scares me. I think I’d lock that room at night.

I really hope that the “hi, I’m your ultrasound tech and I know shouldn’t be saying thing but there might be something wrong with your baby” storyline was setup for the show. If not, that is so unprofessional and messed up. 

Finally, the car wash scene with Birdie was everything! I re-watched that a couple of times and Birdie’s reactions were cracking me up.

Edited November 19, 2020 by WarmSkull
Spelling is my friend.

[lightninggirl]

When they saw their father with their bumps and went out to eat with him just the three of them, his response to their talking to him about their book was to go off on this long rant about HIMSELF. He never once said "I'm sorry" - it was all about how he was wronged as a child, what he did because of his addiction, and then rounds it out with "forgive ME for what I've done because..." So selfish.

Makes me understand Brie's attraction to Bryan.  Sad.

[rmontro]

On 11/12/2020 at 11:17 PM, Marley said:

I read online that they both are moving to Napa Valley. They do seem to move a lot lol.

You're right, they do move a lot.  I moved around a decade ago and it was such a pain I never want to do it again.  I guess they just hire moving people to do most of it, but still.  If they're like me, they still have a lot of stuff in boxes from the last move.

[Marley]

Their dad is a loser and obv doesn’t give a fuck how he scarred them back in the day. I don't blame their mom and bro being annoyed they are having a relationship with him. Like he is a jerk and only cares about himself he doesn’t deserve contact from his kids.  

Edited November 25, 2020 by Marley

[WarmSkull]

The second episode was okay. I appreciate the the talk about pregnancy prep and delivery realities. But, we are still following previous seasons where Brian is the voice of reason for Brie: “Hey, it’s ok to have either a VBAC or a c-section because the baby will be healthy. Let me show you the end of Birdie’s births video.” Cue Brie to say that she understands now and everything is ok. That was one thing that I hated about Total Bellas/Divas - the women were always ‘confused’ or set in their ways until their male partner showed them the error of their ways. 

I agree with the previous posters that Father Bella is a jerk. I didn’t like him last season and hope we saw the last of him this season. Maybe having him in the season is the way to help him profit long term (assuming he gets paid for the episodes)?

And I want details about the politics discussion that drove a wedge between Nikki and Brother Bella/JJ. I don’t need to see JJ on my screen but I am curious about details. 

I always like vacation episodes so I am excited to see next week’s Flagstaff episode. 
 

Edit to add: I noticed that the family kept saying “Nikki’s first child” rather than her “only child.” So seems that she and Artem may plan for kids in the future! 

Edited November 24, 2020 by WarmSkull
.

[spunky]

I'm in agreement with Nikki, JJ seems really toxic and should not be around Matteo.  I'm not surprised that "politics " was the last straw for Nikki. When she posted about racism during the summer,  lots of people told her to check her racist Trump supporting brother.  Out of curiosity I checked his social media and that man is vile.  I can understand why someone like Nikki who is proud of being half Mexican would want to distance herself and her child from JJ. 

Last season JJ's toxicity came out when he kept trying to gaslight Nikki by saying she didn't love his kids. I saw Nikki's behavior more as avoidance.  She didn't and does not want anything to do with him and his wife.  I can imagine that Artem isn't too fond of him either as he's barely seen interacting with him and is also out spoken about racism.  

[Tatum]

17 hours ago, spunky said:

I'm in agreement with Nikki, JJ seems really toxic and should not be around Matteo.  I'm not surprised that "politics " was the last straw for Nikki. When she posted about racism during the summer,  lots of people told her to check her racist Trump supporting brother.  Out of curiosity I checked his social media and that man is vile.  I can understand why someone like Nikki who is proud of being half Mexican would want to distance herself and her child from JJ. 

Last season JJ's toxicity came out when he kept trying to gaslight Nikki by saying she didn't love his kids. I saw Nikki's behavior more as avoidance.  She didn't and does not want anything to do with him and his wife.  I can imagine that Artem isn't too fond of him either as he's barely seen interacting with him and is also out spoken about racism.  

What did he say? I went on his Instagram and all I saw was a bunch of plugs for whatever product he's hocking. (and there are a lot).

 

I go back and forth on JJ. (The fact that he's a racist Trump lover is news to me, so this is all said in ignorance of that). While he can certainly obnoxious, I do feel sorry for him. It's obvious he's spent a lifetime feeling hurt and left out by the twins' bond and also saw some shit go down between his parents that clearly traumatized him.

 

And the Bellas' dad is a total asshole. I remember one scene from last season where he was basically whining about how all that shit needs to stay in the past because he's a different person now. Yeah, dickwad, people can change, but that doesn't mean they should be excused from the consequences their actions caused, or that no one is allowed to acknowledge the hurt he caused. He's just lucky the twins obviously have daddy issues and still clamor for his love and approval or they would have written him off with his attitude.

[spunky]

On 11/23/2020 at 11:18 AM, Tatum said:

What did he say? I went on his Instagram and all I saw was a bunch of plugs for whatever product he's hocking. (and there are a lot).

 

I go back and forth on JJ. (The fact that he's a racist Trump lover is news to me, so this is all said in ignorance of that). While he can certainly obnoxious, I do feel sorry for him. It's obvious he's spent a lifetime feeling hurt and left out by the twins' bond and also saw some shit go down between his parents that clearly traumatized him.

 

And the Bellas' dad is a total asshole. I remember one scene from last season where he was basically whining about how all that shit needs to stay in the past because he's a different person now. Yeah, dickwad, people can change, but that doesn't mean they should be excused from the consequences their actions caused, or that no one is allowed to acknowledge the hurt he caused. He's just lucky the twins obviously have daddy issues and still clamor for his love and approval or they would have written him off with his attitude.

His Twitter account is where he posts all of his conspiracy theories.  I understand being envious of the twins bond, however his behavior last season was distasteful.  I think Nikki was actively trying to avoid him and his wife.  Now that he's angered her, she's openly saying she doesn't want him anywhere near her child. 

Their dad thinks that because he's changed, everyone should just move on. I commend the twins for choosing to forgive him and move on. I think they understand that forgiveness is never for the other person,  but to help themselves heal.

Edited November 24, 2020 by spunky

[WarmSkull]

On 11/22/2020 at 5:50 PM, spunky said:

I'm in agreement with Nikki, JJ seems really toxic and should not be around Matteo.  I'm not surprised that "politics " was the last straw for Nikki. When she posted about racism during the summer,  lots of people told her to check her racist Trump supporting brother.  Out of curiosity I checked his social media and that man is vile.  I can understand why someone like Nikki who is proud of being half Mexican would want to distance herself and her child from JJ. 

Oh wow. Thank you for the clarification. 
I’m going to edit my previous post where I labeled Nikki as dumb. I feel like after she left John she has matured more and has left behind some of her cutesy infantile tendencies.

JJ has always seems like he rides coattails. I’m not surprised he is hocking products so he can follow the influencer life his wife has setup. 

 

[spunky]

43 minutes ago, WarmSkull said:

Oh wow. Thank you for the clarification. 
I’m going to edit my previous post where I labeled Nikki as dumb. I feel like after she left John she has matured more and has left behind some of her cutesy infantile tendencies.

JJ has always seems like he rides coattails. I’m not surprised he is hocking products so he can follow the influencer life his wife has setup. 

 

You're welcome.  He's truly something else. I'm guessing Nikki can't even pretend to like him enough to have him on the show. So now that he's messed up his gravy train he has to look elsewhere. 

[Tatum]

7 hours ago, WarmSkull said:

I feel like after she left John she has matured more and has left behind some of her cutesy infantile tendencies.

I like Nikki, but I wouldn't go that far. I would not call her methods of conflict resolution with Artem particularly mature. She either flew off the handle at him or, when delivering news she knew he wouldn't like, did this really annoying thing where she'd duck away from him or walk several steps ahead of him while wearing this inexplicable smirk on her face, while telling him something in this weird sing song-y voice. It's like she was convinced she was being so adorable that Artem wouldn't even get mad at her (or hurt, or annoyed, or whatever). Plus I think on at least one occasion she intentionally told him something she knew he wouldn't like while they were being filmed so he wouldn't have a huge reaction.

 

I actually found her a lot less appealing on the post-Cena seasons.

[lightninggirl]

On 11/23/2020 at 2:05 PM, spunky said:

His Twitter account is where he pots all of his conspiracy theories.  I understand being envious of the twins bond, however his behavior last season was distasteful.  I think Nikki was actively trying to avoid him and his wife.  Now that he's angered her, she's openly saying she doesn't want him anywhere near her child.

When I saw the episode about JJ being pissed off at Nikki because he (and his product-shilling wife - her Insta is ridiculous, posing with a Swiffer and her daughters perfectly angled/framed in the shot) felt that his kids were ignored while Nikki fawned all over Birdie. I related to this as my family dotes on my younger brother and his children because he's the favorite, and my kids were constantly downplayed and visited less. I also didn't understand why he was confrontational to Nikki because I thought it was more about her reconnecting with their father, but Brie was the one who'd visited the dad and had more communication with Nikki. I just thought that JJ felt that Nikki was more flippant and irresponsible because she'd dumped his buddy Jon Cena and was single.

Now that I heard her talk about her rift with JJ & the wife and have seen JJ's Twitter, it's making sense why Nikki distanced herself from JJ and his wife. It all makes sense now, and I really thought that Nikki was being selfish and just doing a "twin/close sister thing" where you spend more time with one sibling/person you're just more naturally close to.

[Tatum]

1 hour ago, lightninggirl said:

When I saw the episode about JJ being pissed off at Nikki because he (and his product-shilling wife - her Insta is ridiculous, posing with a Swiffer and her daughters perfectly angled/framed in the shot) felt that his kids were ignored while Nikki fawned all over Birdie. I related to this as my family dotes on my younger brother and his children because he's the favorite, and my kids were constantly downplayed and visited less. I also didn't understand why he was confrontational to Nikki because I thought it was more about her reconnecting with their father, but Brie was the one who'd visited the dad and had more communication with Nikki. I just thought that JJ felt that Nikki was more flippant and irresponsible because she'd dumped his buddy Jon Cena and was single.

Now that I heard her talk about her rift with JJ & the wife and have seen JJ's Twitter, it's making sense why Nikki distanced herself from JJ and his wife. It all makes sense now, and I really thought that Nikki was being selfish and just doing a "twin/close sister thing" where you spend more time with one sibling/person you're just more naturally close to.

I think the rift happened later though. The episode where JJ got mad at Nikki was probably filmed mid/late 2019. She wasn't pregnant yet.

 

If I recall, what got JJ sore was that he, Kathy and Brie were all living in the Phoenix area, and whenever Nikki visited from CA she would only make plans with Brie or Kathy. If JJ invited her to his house, she told him just to bring his family over to Brie's or Kathy's so she wouldn't have to travel further. I also think there might be something to his complaints because when he was whining to Brie, Brie was defending Nikki and Kathy just sat there silently while JJ and Lauren vented. And then there was the issue where Brie told Nikki it would really mean a lot to JJ if Nikki would come to his house for dinner, and Nikki said she would "maybe" come then didn't bother to let him know either way, didn't come, and wasn't going to until Brie called and asked here she was. Nikki very petulantly said, I never said for sure I was coming, which is rude as fuck in my opinion. She knew what she was doing. Not trying to defend JJ but Nikki can be a real bitch when she wants to be.

 

ETA: Most of the seasons of the show have shown that the three siblings are pretty close (obviously the twins are closer to each other, but it seems that all three were in pretty close contact with each other) so I think this rift is fairly new.

 

Also, Brie was pretty insightful for once when she said last season that when Nikki gets defensive (this was in reference to another situation, nothing to do with JJ I don't think)- she gets really mean.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Tatum

[lightninggirl]

39 minutes ago, Tatum said:

ETA: Most of the seasons of the show have shown that the three siblings are pretty close (obviously the twins are closer to each other, but it seems that all three were in pretty close contact with each other) so I think this rift is fairly new.

Aha - yes, I agree with this. I took a quick spin down JJ's twitter and it seems that the pro-trump stuff came around March, like COVID-19 galvanized his right-wing views. There was probably some resentment there toward Nikki previously and then it scaled up to >10.

[WarmSkull]

On 11/24/2020 at 7:30 PM, Tatum said:

Also, Brie was pretty insightful for once when she said last season that when Nikki gets defensive (this was in reference to another situation, nothing to do with JJ I don't think)- she gets really mean.

I think being mean runs in the family. Brie previously mentioned that she cut off contact with her father because he pissed her off. JJ had his pranks which escalated issues and the pranks were mean. Also, Brie laughing and telling Bryan that she couldn’t want to see what “slutty” outfits Nikki would wear after Nikki signed with Dancing with the Stars. 
I believe they have said that their family is competitive. But they also seem judgmental and stubborn. It was only a matter of time for a rift. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by WarmSkull

[Tatum]

14 hours ago, WarmSkull said:

I think being mean runs in the family. Brie previously mentioned that she cut off contact with her father because he pissed her off. JJ had his pranks which escalated issues and the pranks were mean. Also, Brie laughing and telling Bryan that she couldn’t want to see what “slutty” outfits Nikki would wear after Nikki signed with Dancing with the Stars. 
I believe they have said that their family is competitive. But they also seem judgmental and stubborn. It was only a matter of time for a rift. 

Oh I am sure a family therapist would have an absolute field day with these schmucks.

 

Generally I find Nikki to most the most palatable of the Bella Family (the three siblings and their mother), but she certainly has it in her to be an asshole. Brie is just completely overwhelmed at life and also delusional about her own work ethic and general contribution to anything productive. In 15 years, Birdie is going to be the adult in the room when it's just her and Brie. Nikki is mostly decent but hyper hyper sensitive, quick to immediately assume the worst possible intentions of someone, won't admit when she's wrong and won't try to see anything from anyone else's perspective. JJ is whiny and lazy and rude to his wife, and that's not even getting into whatever may be on his social media.

 

And Kathy. Yeesh. I think she might be the worst of them. I don't think she's particularly malicious and she's obviously a hard worker, but oh my god is that woman an endless pit of need for validation. She is constantly pumping her kids for that validation, fishing for compliments about her parenting and turning every situation so it's about her. It's obvious she carries a lot of guilt over whatever mistakes she made in the kids' formative years, and instead of getting therapy to learn how to forgive herself and move on, she instead puts the responsibility on her kids to reassure her that she's a good mother. I was pretty appalled at the season premiere when she first spoke to Nikki about what she read in the book and really highlights just how imbalanced Kathy is.

 

Now, for the record, I do feel sorry for Kathy in the season premiere. There is obviously no ideal way to learn your child has been raped, but to learn about it while reading her memoir is a particularly bad way to learn. That said, it's Nikki's story and her choice to tell it how she wants, when she wants. Kathy can privately feel all the guilt, all the regret, whatever after learning it. But the first words out of her mouth were "I feel really bad I couldn't have helped you when it happened" or something like that. Sure, that's a valid feeling. But how about we start with, do you want to talk about this now? Because it seemed pretty clear that Nikki didn't, or she would have talked to Kathy about it years earlier, and was only willing to do it now since she'd published the story in the memoir.  But no, once again, it's all about Kathy. The last thing Nikki needs as a rape survivor is to now be responsible for helping Kathy manage that guilt and regret. If Kathy needs to discuss that, it should be with a therapist.

[Tatum]

I'm reading their memoir now (well, skimming it- it's a little boring).

Some brief highlights:

• Nikki's dad was physically abusive and once hit her in the face. She said it wasn't the first time but she only discusses one incident. She was 15.
• Nikki ran away after this incident and told the cops she wouldn't go home unless her mom kicked her dad out. The cops told Kathy they would not allow Nikki home unless the dad left. Kathy grudgingly kicked him out but was somewhat resentful the twins forced her to choose
• Her dad cheated on her mom throughout their marriage and briefly left the family to run off with the mother of JJ's baseball teammate when the twins were in either high school or middle school
• The twins hold Kathy as responsible as they do their dad for not protecting them and JJ from their dad's abuse
• It is implied that Kathy, though not physically abusive, wasn't a very good mother in her early years (she had the twins at 19)
• Both twins experienced a lot of racism when they were training for WWE in Florida and Alabama
• Nikki in particular has been a  victim of  numerous incidents of sexual harassment and assault along with the two incidents of rape she discusses in the book (I really skimmed here- I didn't want to read about that). Brie to a much lesser extent. Not sure if it really happened less to Brie or she just didn't want to talk about it.
• John Cena did not get paid any money from E! for Total Divas (which was probably chump change to him anyways)
• Nikki was a very talented soccer player but an injury and a poor surgeon and subpar physical therapy ended her career in late high school. As of the date of this book, she is still a little angry about it. Brie claims she was also talented but didn't like soccer- her parents forced her to play
• Both girls were asked to get implants when they auditioned with the WWE. Nikki was told she had to lose weight so her body was identical to Brie's. Brie was actually asked to lose weight as well, although not as much as Nikki. At the time, Brie was 5'6 and weighed 117 pounds. I don't think Nikki said how much weight they wanted Brie to lose
• A lot of the book talks about their early years and the boys they dated before they became famous. That gets kind of boring
• I'm about 2/3 of the way through. The book doesn't have much of an order to it (it jumps back and forth between time periods and specific events in their lives)- and the book reads like the way these women talk, so if they had a ghostwriter, the ghostwriter had minimal interference, I think. I would bet it was edited for grammar and clarification only.

Edited December 3, 2020 by Tatum

[WarmSkull]

15 minutes ago, Tatum said:

Brie claims she was also talented

I don’t know why but this made my laugh out loud. It conjures up all the times when Nikki said “let’s try to start this business,” only for Brie to say “you wont succeed.” Then cut to Brie proclaiming that she’s a business woman and takes an active part in the companies/industries that Nikki originally mentioned.

15 minutes ago, Tatum said:

so if they had a ghostwriter, the ghostwriter had minimal interference, I think. I would bet it was edited for grammar and clarification only.

I believe in the first episode of the new season they said they had a ghostwriter. I got wine drunk a couple of weeks ago and requested the digital copy from my library. There’s a wait but between your review and the one I saw on Reddit I think I’ll remove my hold. I don’t like when timelines jump around. Also, I don’t know if I can sit through a book “in their voice.”  

Edited December 3, 2020 by WarmSkull

[Tatum]

6 minutes ago, WarmSkull said:

I don’t know why but this made my laugh out loud. It conjures up all the times when Nikki said “let’s try to start this business,” only for Brie to say “you wont succeed.” Then cut to Brie proclaiming that she’s a business woman and takes an active part in the companies/industries that Nikki originally mentioned.

I believe in the first episode of the new season they said they had a ghostwriter. I got wine drunk a couple of weeks ago and requested the digital copy from my library. There’s a wait but between your review and the one I saw on Reddit I think I’ll remove my hold. I don’t like when timelines jump around. Also, I don’t know if I can sit through a book “in their voice.”  

It really hops around- and they also include a lot of what they've learned in therapy about forgiveness and loving yourself and it gets a little tiresome.

 

Nikki tries to throw Brie a bone and says, I was better at soccer, but Brie was way better at ballet.  What I'll infer from that is that neither girl had a particular affinity for it but Brie sucked a little less than Nikki,

 

If you're a Bella superfan who is really intrigued by their life before they were famous, you might like the book. If you're looking to get any dirt or learn stuff you didn't know about the WWE, I think you'll be disappointed.

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, Tatum said:

Nikki in particular has been a  victim of  numerous incidents of sexual harassment and assault along with the two incidents of rape she discusses in the book (I really skimmed here- I didn't want to read about that). Brie to a much lesser extent. Not sure if it really happened less to Brie or she just didn't want to talk about it.

I'm saying this as an observation, but I'm not particularly taken with either one of them.  Nikki seems to exude a raw sexuality that Brie doesn't appear to have, and it's not just the implants.  That's not to say any of those incidents are her fault, I'm not saying that at all.  But I could see how it would make her a target, more so than Brie.  Brie would actually be my favorite, not because she's better, but mainly because she seems to be the "underdog" of the two.

Were there other examples of how their father was abusive, other than hitting Nikki in the face once?

[Tatum]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

I'm saying this as an observation, but I'm not particularly taken with either one of them.  Nikki seems to exude a raw sexuality that Brie doesn't appear to have, and it's not just the implants.  That's not to say any of those incidents are her fault, I'm not saying that at all.  But I could see how it would make her a target, more so than Brie.  Brie would actually be my favorite, not because she's better, but mainly because she seems to be the "underdog" of the two.

Were there other examples of how their father was abusive, other than hitting Nikki in the face once?

The only other specific incident she mentioned was a time he brought her to school and threw a Kleenex box at her head. This happened in front of school officials and they got involved. 
 

When her dad hit her it was hard enough to leave marks- she mentions the police taking pictures of her injuries. 
 

She also says Kathy was abused but gives no specifics. 

[rmontro]

Can't blame Nikki for not picking Bryan as a godfather to her baby after he gave that speech on baptism.  Yikes.  Catholic baptism does not choose religion for a child.  When the child comes to the age where he can choose for himself, that is what Confirmation is for.  The individual then confirms his baptism, or not.  Anyway, obviously Bryan was not into the spirit of the thing.

It was funny when the twins went out into the woods to find their men, and saw Artem wrapped up in a blanket.  She said something like "Artem was swaddled like a baby in a blanket - Bryan probably did it".

[Marley]

Not really about the episode but Artem’s Russian accent really makes him attractive to me lol. I don’t know how their relationship really is but I find Artem and Nicole cute and funny together.

That’s pretty crazy info about the dad. I don’t know how they can forgive him and want to be in his life. Especially when he doesn’t seem sorry and won’t even talk about it.

JJ not being on the show is good. He’s an annoying jerk lol.

 

[WarmSkull]

I watched episode 4 this weekend. 
 

I appreciate the  different vibe the show has this season. Not sure if that is due to the new production team (I think the team started last season), the pregnancy during COVID storylines or what. But, I find the discussions about changing bodies, not feeling beautiful to your partner, etc more engaging. And to no ones surprise Nikki is always horny. The episodes seem to go fast.

I laughed when Bryan went to Artem and said “this is uncomfortable. Nikki asked Brie to ask me to talk to you.” 

How many times will Tracy McMillans name be said on this show? Does she get paid per mention? 

The baby shower looked nice. I’m not surprised Kathy was pushy to want faaaaaamily there and initially didn’t seem to care about the attendance rules. 
 

One scene threw me off- when Brie was FaceTiming Bryan about Nikki and Artem’s lack of sex situation. She, Bryan and Birdie were wearing the same clothes as a Facetime scene in Episode 1. Birdie playing in the fountain while they were on an outside patio seemed familiar. And yup, Episode 1 had the same setup. Maybe a post production “sit here and film multiple scenes to push different storylines through.” 

[spunky]

On 12/3/2020 at 5:18 PM, rmontro said:

I'm saying this as an observation, but I'm not particularly taken with either one of them.  Nikki seems to exude a raw sexuality that Brie doesn't appear to have, and it's not just the implants.  That's not to say any of those incidents are her fault, I'm not saying that at all.  But I could see how it would make her a target, more so than Brie.  Brie would actually be my favorite, not because she's better, but mainly because she seems to be the "underdog" of the two.

Were there other examples of how their father was abusive, other than hitting Nikki in the face once?

Sometimes sexual assault survivors, exude raw sexuality to regain the power their rapist stole from them.

I'm so happy Tracy professionally put Kathy in her place.  It's about time someone told her, it's not all about her. I applaud Nikki for being cordial with Lauren and then politely excusing herself.

Edited December 13, 2020 by spunky

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, spunky said:

I'm so happy Tracy professionally put Kathy in her place.  It's about time someone told her, it's not all about her. I applaud Nikki for being cordial with Lauren and then politely excusing herself.

I was more impressed she and her brother extended some olive branches.  I also thought it was telling that even though they were thinking of excluding the family, they ended up hanging out with them anyway.  At least from what we saw.

I didn't really need to be a fly on the wall while Artem and Nikki were supposedly getting into some sexual foreplay or whatever was happening there.  I did find the conversation he and Bryan had entertaining though.  They were right, that was a subject that isn't brought up often on TV.  Thankfully, I guess.

[Tatum]

9 hours ago, spunky said:

I'm so happy Tracy professionally put Kathy in her place.  It's about time someone told her, it's not all about her. I applaud Nikki for being cordial with Lauren and then politely excusing herself.

I'll have to check that out. Kathy is really obnoxious, bordering on loathsome. I really think she has a personality disorder. Also, if you ever watch her talking to one of her kids while they are venting about one of their siblings, she actually fans that fire. I think she likes it when the kids aren't getting along. I bet when the camera is off she actively eggs on whatever kid feels like he or she has been wronged.

[ItsObvious]

This season is pretty boring in my opinion. It's really suprising to me the things that Nikki and Brie allow to be flimed and air, especially Nikki. Nikki doesn't know where to draw the line. She gives people too much gossip fodder and reasons to judge her.

And I don't like the way Kathy and Brie are constantly trying to put doubt into Nikki's relationship. And as for Brie and Nikki living super close in Napa, I think it's a bad idea. They need some family separation. The ratings are down a lot. I don't think there's anyway this show will last another season, and that's a good thing. Get off TV and live your lives more privately.

[rmontro]

19 minutes ago, ItsObvious said:

And I don't like the way Kathy and Brie are constantly trying to put doubt into Nikki's relationship. 

Nikki does a good enough job of that on her own.

[spunky]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

I was more impressed she and her brother extended some olive branches.  I also thought it was telling that even though they were thinking of excluding the family, they ended up hanging out with them anyway.  At least from what we saw.

I didn't really need to be a fly on the wall while Artem and Nikki were supposedly getting into some sexual foreplay or whatever was happening there.  I did find the conversation he and Bryan had entertaining though.  They were right, that was a subject that isn't brought up often on TV.  Thankfully, I guess.

I agree,  I definitely could have done without their foreplay. Nikki seemed happier to see the kids than she was seeing JJ and Lauren. 

2 hours ago, Tatum said:

I'll have to check that out. Kathy is really obnoxious, bordering on loathsome. I really think she has a personality disorder. Also, if you ever watch her talking to one of her kids while they are venting about one of their siblings, she actually fans that fire. I think she likes it when the kids aren't getting along. I bet when the camera is off she actively eggs on whatever kid feels like he or she has been wronged.

Kathy is the worst. 

[Tatum]

On 12/13/2020 at 8:14 AM, spunky said:

I'm so happy Tracy professionally put Kathy in her place.  It's about time someone told her, it's not all about her.

So, I watched that scene, and thought it was really great how Tracy explained that Kathy was prioritizing her own comfort over the twins' comfort, and basically asking them to be the grownups in the situation while Kathy was the kid. It was incredibly insightful.

 

At first, I was really impressed with how well Kathy took the rebuke, but...you know what I bet she did? I would bet she immediately got on the phone with one of her offspring and sobbed over what a horrible, selfish mother she was, and once again put one of her kids in the position to reassure her that she's not selfish, or horrible.

 

And you'll notice she did end up getting her way.

 

Brie and Nikki think Kathy has conceded when she pulls this, but she really is just manipulating them still.

 

She's emotionally stunted at 19, I think.

[spunky]

2 hours ago, Tatum said:

So, I watched that scene, and thought it was really great how Tracy explained that Kathy was prioritizing her own comfort over the twins' comfort, and basically asking them to be the grownups in the situation while Kathy was the kid. It was incredibly insightful.

 

At first, I was really impressed with how well Kathy took the rebuke, but...you know what I bet she did? I would bet she immediately got on the phone with one of her offspring and sobbed over what a horrible, selfish mother she was, and once again put one of her kids in the position to reassure her that she's not selfish, or horrible.

 

And you'll notice she did end up getting her way.

 

Brie and Nikki think Kathy has conceded when she pulls this, but she really is just manipulating them still.

 

She's emotionally stunted at 19, I think.

I wouldn't be surprised if she called them sobbing. If she called anyone it was probably Brie since she seems to be the "peacemaker".

[rmontro]

20 hours ago, spunky said:

Nikki seemed happier to see the kids than she was seeing JJ and Lauren. 

Well, she's pregnant, so maybe she has kids on the brain.  Plus she had been accused before of not favoring them, so maybe she was trying to up the attention she gives them.

[spunky]

1 minute ago, rmontro said:

Well, she's pregnant, so maybe she has kids on the brain.  Plus she had been accused before of not favoring them, so maybe she was trying to up the attention she gives them.

I think she's always had kids on the brain.  I honestly think she's been trying to avoid JJ for the longest.  He always seems to attack her for whatever reason. 

[WarmSkull]

On 12/13/2020 at 9:02 PM, ItsObvious said:

This season is pretty boring in my opinion.

I agree and yet disagree. It’s definitely boring in terms of what they used to air for Total Divas/Bellas. But if I re-adjust my expectations to take into the consideration that they filmed during quarantine and while pregnant, then I’m ok with the storylines. Definitely not the most exciting storylines. But the episodes go fast for me. I am grateful for minimal Father and Brother Bella. And thankfully (?) the biggest will they/won’t they storyline is if Nikki will have the baby in Arizona or not.

One of the things I found most endearing this season is Nikki and Artem’s connection to her family, especially Birdie. 
 

And I agree with all those above that state that Kathy is the worst. 

[Marley]

I have liked this season. Maybe cause there’s nothing else on, but I’ve enjoyed it. I really like Artem. 

I don’t know why but Artem and Nikki leaving made me sad too lol. Artem is really cute with Birdie.

[DkNNy79]

I’m enjoying the season just to see the twins’ pregnancy.  However I’m over the will they or won’t they have the baby in Phoenix.  I’m not sure why Nicole would get Brie/Kathy’s hopes up if she doesn’t have a definitive answer.  To tell them she might be able to and then turn around and say no she can’t.    I guess for storyline reasons.

I am also happy for minimal daddy and brother Bella.  Don’t like either of them.  Glad the twins chose partners who are the opposite of daddy Bella.

[Tatum]

This season is SO boring. On top of that, what's with them constantly panning to Nikki's rack during her talking heads? I feel like we could make a drinking game every time they zoom in on her cleavage.

 

Artem must really, really, really love Nikki to put up with her obnoxious family. Kathy is just a complete energy suck. I am not sure why she invited herself to Flagstaff if all she was going to do was go off and pout alone so her kids would have to come find her and reassure her of her awesomeness. Never mind, I just answered my own question.

 

I am loving the shift in the Brie and Bryan power dynamic though. Bullshit on Bryan's "I'm learning to go with the flow" speech. I think what he really means is Brie has one foot out the door, even pregnant with #2, and Bryan knows he can't bully her anymore. I would bet off camera Brie had some kind of "we're doing things my way now and if you don't like it, leave" Come to Jesus moment with Brian and she is not bluffing.

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, Tatum said:

what's with them constantly panning to Nikki's rack during her talking heads? I feel like we could make a drinking game every time they zoom in on her cleavage.

To be fair, it is hard not to look at it.  It's not like she isn't putting it out there.

[Tatum]

18 hours ago, rmontro said:

To be fair, it is hard not to look at it.  It's not like she isn't putting it out there.

Well she is the executive producer. I am sure the booby shots are Nikki-sanctioned :). It's just really overt. The camera will zoom in to her face, then pan down and zoom in on her boobs.

[rmontro]

Got to say, I felt bad for Kathy going through what she did with the brain tumor or whatever it was.  At least she got through the surgery okay, I hope she makes a full recovery.

[rmontro]

Twin magic!  I don't know how many birthing scenes I've had to sit through over the years, but I really felt the pain with these.  I suppose the wrestling background helped them out, Nikki seemed like a trooper.  And call me ignorant, but I never realized women were awake during c-sections.  Anyway, congrats to the parents.  And I still feel bad for Kathy.

[J80134]

I love Artem. He is such a nice man at his core. I wish that Nikki wouldn't take such advantage of that. It is her world and he's just along for the ride (role reversal from her Cena relationship).

I'm tired of nikki complaining about how hard it is to take care of Mateo on her own. B**** you're rich. Some of us had to take care of our newborns all by ourselves on top of a full-time job. Hire a nanny and shut up.

Bryan is such a nurturing dad/uncle. A bit too judgy granola for my taste, but a decent guy overall. Brie seems bored. She spent years molding herself to be the hippy chick of her husband's dreams (re-watching season 1 of total divas today), but she wants to be more zen chic than minimalist. Yes she loves a good poncho...with a designer label. Yes she wants to garden and compost...on her large Napa property. Yes she wants her house sprinkled with hippy decor... amongst the high end furnishings. Yes she wants to go on zen retreats...in Bali. 

[Tatum]

46 minutes ago, J80134 said:

Brie seems bored. She spent years molding herself to be the hippy chick of her husband's dreams (re-watching season 1 of total divas today), but she wants to be more zen chic than minimalist. Yes she loves a good poncho...with a designer label. Yes she wants to garden and compost...on her large Napa property. Yes she wants her house sprinkled with hippy decor... amongst the high end furnishings. Yes she wants to go on zen retreats...in Bali. 

I agree. I think she was kind of hoping he'd leave her in the previous season so she wouldn't have to be the one to call it.

 

That scene last season (or maybe the season before) where Bryan has his tribal freakout and is telling Brie about it, and said something like, this just makes me realize how much I love you and need you, to Brie, and Brie gets this look on her face that can only be described as a deer in the headlights. She recovers, but I really don't think she was expecting that and she was not surprised in a good way.

 

Usually she gave in whenever they disagreed (if she was even ballsy enough to disagree in the first place) and now she's just like, this is what we're doing. Come along if you want. Byeee.