Whether we ever find out exactly what parts of the last month’s worth of Nikki Bella/John Cena split and reconciliation stories were real or manufactured, it became crystal clear Nikki and sister Brie hoped the attention would get fans to tune in when their reality show, Total Bellas, premiered on Sunday night (May 20).
Did it work?
Ehhh...
Per Showbuzz Daily, with a .27 rating from the 18 - 49 demographic, the show came in 24th among cable originals on Sunday. E! got 517,000 viewers for their 9PM Eastern hour, making Total Bellas one of the least watched of the top 50 shows on the day (it ranked 47th).
PWInsider’s been tracking the series viewership over its history, and the comps aren’t any better there. In fact, the season three premiere drew the smallest audience in the show’s history - down more than 150K viewers from season two’s premiere and finale did in 2017.
Will audiences come back to find out how John and Nikki get back together? Or has the public drama turned people off from the show, and maybe the couple in general?
Find out next Sunday (see, we can do it too)!