‘Total Bellas’: Nikki Causes Tension In Her Relationship With Artem As She Tries To Control His Future

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The current season of Total Bellas was filmed after Artem Chigvintsev was let go from Dancing With The Stars ahead of its 28th season in Sept. 2019. During the show’s April 30 episode, Nikki Bella attempted to get Artem excited about the future again, but it led to some tension between them. Nikki tried to push Artem to make a vision board, and even took him to a magazine stand to give him some suggestions. “I’m the type of person like — strike while the iron’s hot,” Nikki explained. “People want to know what you’re up to next. Artem waits for the right moment, but go GET the moment. That’s what I’m about.”

Nikki made several suggestions about what Artem could put on his vision board, but he was not feeling it. “Just because I don’t have a job right now, you’re trying to get me to find work by doing THIS?” he asked. In a confessional, he added, “Nicole does have a tendency to kind of stir me in the direction she wants to stir. It comes from a very good place, but I just want her to have trust in me that I’m not just sitting around and not doing anything. If she sees it as that, it’s kind of sad.”

Despite Artem’s hesitations, Nikki was confident that she could help push him to find his passion. “I think part of me pushing this vision board is I really want him to find something that he had with Dancing With the Stars,” she explained. “I want him to have that security. I just don’t want him to be jobless forever.”

Eventually, she took it upon herself to make Artem’s vision board. Her sister, Brie Bella, warned her that it wasn’t a good idea, but Nikki went through with it and presented the final product to her man. Needless to say, Artem was not pleased, and questioned whether or not the vision board was meant for him….or for Nikki. “The vision board is terrible,” Artem admitted. “I exist and live how I did for many many years. I did survive on my own before. I kind of know what I’m doing.”

Finally, Artem sat Nikki down and explained where he was coming from. “I just want you to know, I listened, and I take everything very serious,” he said. “But there’s something you need to know about my culture and the way I grew up — my parents are very much realists. They’re not dreamers. They see things more in reality. I feel like I have that side of me, too. All of my dreams and hopes are very real and honest and not just something that I want to put on paper and hope for what might happen or not.”

Artem begged Nikki to “trust” him as he navigated his life after Dancing With the Stars. Of course, she came around and agreed, and told him that she’d be happy as long as he was doing what made him happy. “Artem’s opportunities are going to come,” Nikki concluded. “I need to stop forcing it. I need to just let the universe do its thing and know that he’s going to be getting those knocks on the door, too.”