Brie Bella Recalls Getting “All This Heat Backstage” For Working On Total Divas

On her latest episode of The Bellas Podcast, Brie Bella reunited with Total Divas cast members Natalya, JoJo and Ariane to reminisce about their reality series (per Wrestling Inc). Bella discussed the backstage tension and drama that accompanied the filming and production. You can read a few highlights from Bella and listen to the complete episode for perspectives from the other cast members below.

On the impact of filming the series around other WWE talent: “I’m so grateful for the first season cast because it was really scary. I’ll never forget when we were almost done filming the first season, and Russ [Executive Producer Russell Jay] was like, ‘I really wish this pilot goes through.’ I was like, ‘Pilot? What do you mean?’ He told me the show was not sure to be picked up, and I was like, ‘Wait, I’m so confused. Please don’t tell me we got all this heat backstage for no reason.'”

On her gratitude for her castmates: “The heat was for real. I’ll never forget when it aired, and we were pretty much neck-to-neck [in the ratings] with the Kardashians, we became this instant hit, and I was so grateful for all of you [original cast members] for putting your lives out there, for dealing with the backstage drama of everyone hating on all of us for filming. Also, when it aired, we knew we were going to be everyone’s punching bag — with people either loving or hating it. Through the whole drama, we all had smiles on our faces, and kept filming, making amazing television — breaking barriers for women’s wrestling, globally, and opening doors for women in wrestling.”

On her evaluation of the final product: “And all that for not a lot of money. I always tell everyone that I’m so grateful for all the women of Total Divas because we put up with so much, and still made amazing TV.”