Total Bellas Episode 5 Recap: Bella Family Secrets
Even though Daniel Bryan has left Florida and returned home to deal with doctor’s appointments and battling depression, the Bellas are still in party mode. Kathy’s bachelorette weekend is in full swing, and the girls are having a great time. Kudos to Kathy for being a 51 year old mom and in the shape she is in! Brie lets the family know at dinner that she will be returning home to Phoenix to be with Bryan for future doctor’s appointments. Nikki is sad to see her sister go, but understands. The twins have a heart to heart and both agree to try harder in their relationship.
Meanwhile, JJ makes continuous comments about how he wants his unborn child to be a boy. His wife Lauren expresses to Nikki that she just wants the baby to be healthy no matter what the gender is. She just wants JJ to feel the same way. Nikki pulls JJ aside later and lets him know how Lauren is feeling. JJ says that he is wanting a boy so that he can have the father-son relationship with him that he didn't have with his own father. JJ makes it a point to apologize to her in front of the family at dinner and wants her to know that he will be happy no matter what the gender is.
Back at John’s house, Cena has been dealing with Winston on his own and is not happy about it. Nikki, John, and JJ go to a canvas and cocktail night. If you choose to watch any part of the episode for laughs, this is the scene to watch. John’s painting is a can’t miss, you’ll see why. (Spoiler alert: it's a penis made of fruit with wings.)
Brie returns home to a very morose Bryan. He seems indifferent when she first returns home. When she gets to have a conversation with him, he tells her that the doctor said that he had about a one percent chance of ever getting back in the ring. To him, it's still a chance. You can tell that this is the small amount of hope he has been hanging onto. Brie tells him that they have gone to multiple doctors, and they are all in agreement about not clearing Bryan. She gently tells him that he is not going to be able to get back in the ring and Bryan just breaks down. This moment is one of the most genuine I have ever seen in any reality tv show. You just really feel his pain and hurt. Brie is going through a difficult time trying to juggle the last couple of weeks of her career and Bryan’s wellness. This is a challenge for any couple, let alone doing it in the spotlight.
Back at John and Nikki’s, more drama ensues when we find out that Kathy has found lumps on her breast. She discusses this with her fiancé John Laurinaitis and he pushes her to tell her kids. She doesn't want to since this is right before their wedding. Laurinaitis tells her that she should've told them three weeks ago when she first discovered it. He takes matters into his own hands and tells Nikki and JJ for her. The kids confront Kathy and insist she go right away to have it looked at. Nikki goes with her to the doctor and we find out that Kathy has actually known about this for six weeks. This actually can make such a huge difference if this is something serious. Especially since breast cancer runs in their family.
Next week is the season finale! Is Kathy’s health ok? Will Bryan’s depression improve? Will Nikki and Brie fight it out defending their men? Will Winston be part of the wedding? At least we learned in this episode that he has indeed learned to walk down some stairs.
Total Bellas airs on Wednesday evenings on the E! Channel.
