The Bella family can’t go very far without a great deal of drama. So, it is no surprise that a simple family photo session turned into an all out brawl.
Kathy, the Bella twins’ mom, wanted a family photo for her birthday, but didn’t want Nikki’s new boyfriend Artem to be in the picture. Understandably, considering Nikki’s history with men, Kathy, didn’t want Artem in the photo until it was certain that he was going to be part of clan.
Apparently, Kathy’s mom had needed to take down two family photos due to Kathy having two ex- husbands. More recently, Brie has had to take down her wedding photo because of Nikki’s ex being in it. Kathy’s request seemed reasonable to me but Nikki felt as though Artem’s feelings would be hurt if he wasn’t included. My thoughts would have been that either Artem didn’t need to be told about the photo, or that Kathy could have gently explained her reasoning to him.
However, Kathy’s more dramatic solution was to take two photos, one before Artem arrived from Los Angeles, and one afterward. This may have worked had other drama not occurred.
JJ, Nikki and Brie’s brother accused Nikki of favoring Brie’s daughter, Birdie, over his daughters, Vivian and Alice. He informed Brie of his feelings first, and Brie told Nikki which resulted in Nikki not showing up to a family barbecue. This further angered her brother who exploded during the photo.
He also informed Artem of how Kathy had not wanted him in the photo. In the end, the photo session was a disaster, but relationships between both Kathy and Artem and Nikki and JJ were repaired. But that doesn’t mean their won’t more drama on the next episode of Total Bellas.
