Total Bellas: Mother knows best
When Brie and Nikki don't heed mom Kathy's business advice, it's – surprise – aspiring businessman Daniel Bryan who takes Mama Bella's side. Total Bellas airs Wednesdays at 9/8 C on E!.
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Prank city
With Daniel Bryan in tow, The Bella family is headed to Sonoma, Calif. this week for both business and pleasure: The twins are about to launch their wine, Belle Radici (“beautiful roots” in Italian), and they decide to get a little family vacation in while they’re at it. (John Cena and JJ’s family stay at home for this one, though they both drop in via FaceTime.)
All this business talk is a little too fussy for JJ, who decides to liven up the mood by playing an increasingly disruptive series of pranks, and his first target is Mama Bella (more on her in a bit). Nikki gets the better of JJ by shoving him in a pool, but baby brother’s grand finale — he literally jumps out of the bushes and yells — ends up going too far when Nikki tumbles down the steps and hurts her hand. Everyone’s annoyed at JJ, and he’s left to give an embarrassed apology, making him, like so many others, both the winner and loser of the prank war he started.
Vintage Brie
The launch of the Bellas’ wine is a triumphant occasion for everyone except Brie Bella, who is pregnant and unable to give herself a taste. While some say she can try it without worrying about the baby, Bryan is having none of that idea, and Brie decides this isn’t the hill to die on. It does lead to a fun social experiment where Nikki straps on a fake baby belly and has a drink at a winery to see how people react (they’re wary but admit to dabbling themselves once Nikki explains the situation). Thus, Brie decides not to try the wine and leave quality control to everyone else for the time being, a pleasantly low-key move for such a drama-filled episode.
Mama (Bella) knows best
It’s been a long time since Mama Bella got the spotlight on her daughters’ show, but Total Bellas casts its eye toward the matriarch, and we get a very stressful insight on what it’s like to be her. For one, Kathy attempts to give her kids business advice before the Belle Radici meetings, only to be met with dismissiveness, if not outright sarcasm. Bryan, who’s debating a business venture of his own, is the only one who considers what she has to say.
Sensing blood in the water, the kids bust their mom’s chops for the duration of the trip, and while some of it is all in good fun (a Mama Bella rap gets rave reviews), Bryan and John Laurinaitis point out that it starts to cross the line at a certain point. Which, of course, it does, and Kathy breaks down in front of the whole family. The kids back down and insist their jokes are all in good fun, and everyone settles down and gives Kathy three cheers by way of an apology. Of course, five minutes later, JJ pranks Nikki and she hurts her hand, but, you know, you take the wins when you can get them.
Total Bellas airs Wednesdays at 9/8 C on E!.