Back in December, the girls and I, along with the BFF and her daughter, went to check out the set of Nickelodeon’s Bella and the Bulldogs. Not only were we able to see the sets, but we got to meet the cast and watch them rehearse the season 2 finale. This is the only live action show my girls watch, so this was an especially big deal. I didn’t tell the girls because I wanted to surprise them. Once we drove into the Nickelodeon lot and saw all the signs for Bella and the Bulldogs, they were freaking out. To others, this freaking out manifests in quiet, wide-eyed wonder with little smiles (they’re yelling on the inside), but when they’re alone with me, it’s lots of excited chatter and squealing. The BFF’s foster daughter, who’s definitely an extrovert, was enthusiastically chatting with the cast and our tour guide about how much she loves the show.

As we walked around and got a tour of all the sets, we got to open up all the lockers they use on the show. I was giddy with joy as I watched the girls be mesmerized by it all. I was imagining my kid-self walking around the set of Saved by the Bell, and oh man … what a dream that would have been!

After checking out the sets, we met the whole cast. All the kids were so friendly, and while my kids were quiet, BFF’s daughter led the charge in conversation. It was so strange seeing them in real life because they seem so little on the computer screen.

The day ended with getting to experience the rehearsal of a full episode. There was a lot of walking back and forth between sets; there are so many people involved! The kids got to be front and center to watch, and the adult staff on set were noting if/when the kids laughed. When everything was done, our kids got their own scripts. Since then, True has read that thing like 20 times.

Ben’s cousin is one of the creators of this show and arranged this visit for us. It was such a treat be able to experience this and it was pretty amazing to see the whole thing in real life. I remember when he first passed around the pilot script for family members to read. Then, when the first episode came out, and we watched it for family movie night, I kept crying because I was so happy for Gabriel (Ben’s cousin). To see someone’s dream come true, especially when it’s a family member, is so special.

We have our fingers crossed they get picked up for another season. If you haven’t already tuned in to watch Bella and the Bulldogs, we highly recommend it!

Can you guess Glow’s favorite part of the day? The life-size Yoda in the office. Actually, all my girls loved Gabriel’s office because it was littered with Marvel and Star Wars stuff.