Carmella Garcia is a mom of four, real estate agent, former Playboy playmate, and even a former WWE wrestler. The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20 newbie briefly mentioned her time in the WWE during the RHOC Season 20 premiere and on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
How to Watch
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.
Carmella appeared on WWHL on Sept. 17, alongside the reigning WWE women’s champion, Chelsea Green. During the WWHL After Show, Chelsea mentioned that Carmella had also spent some time in the WWE. “Carmella was a Diva. Everyone should know that. She was a WWE Diva,” Chelsea said, as seen in the video above.Â
“What do you mean you were a WWE Diva?” WWHL host Andy Cohen asked Carmela. Although Carmella played coy about her past career to Andy, there is so much more to learn about her time in the WWE. Read on for more details.
When was Carmella Garcia in the WWE?
Carmella Garcia (who went by Carmella DeCesare at the time) was a runner-up in the 2004 WWE Diva Search, according to her online profile. She said during a November 2022 podcast appearance on Girls Next Level that she got into wrestling through an “open call.” “It was an open call in some rando city, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be a wrestler,'” she said during the episode.
RELATED: Everything to Know About The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20
How was Carmella Garcia’s experience in the WWE?
Carmella admitted, however, that she did not have the best experience during the Diva Search with the other competitors. She said during the podcast episode, “I wanted to work. Even after, I wanted to continue working for WWE because once the contest portion was done, then it was fun. And I actually liked the winner. The winner was nice. It was tough. And I wish I would have continued to work for them because I do love the company. I did like working for them. I just didn’t like how aggressive the contest was.”
RELATED: Meet the RHOC Season 20 Cast (Official Bios and Photos)
Are there videos of Carmella Garcia in the WWE?
Although there are no videos of Carmella wrestling, there is a video of Carmella exchanging her last words to the 2004 WWE Diva Search winner, Christy Hemme, on YouTube, before Taboo Tuesday Raw on October 18, 2004.
How does being on RHOC compare to being in the WWE for Carmella Garcia?
Carmella spoke with Bravo Insider in September 2026, where she admitted that being in the WWE more than 20 years ago prepared her for RHOC. “So there was a lot of drama with the WWE,” she said. “Those women were pretty mean, and not to say that we haven’t had mean moments on Housewives, but we typically get to resolution a lot faster.”
What is Carmella Garcia’s job now?
Carmella now works as a real estate agent and developer at The Oppenheim Group in their Corona Del Mar office. And she is now one of the Real Housewives. Fans can also see more of Carmella on RHOC Season 20. In a separate interview with Bravo Insider earlier this year, she opened up about joining RHOC as a cast member for the landmark season.
 “I feel like people either love me or they hate me or they can’t live without me,” she said. She added that she’s “probably” causing the most drama this season.  “Just because I’m the new person,” she explained. “I think I just came in, and I just do me. And it was either gonna go one of two ways. It was either going to be accepted or not, and I was OK with either side of it, but I think we’re going strong at this point.”
Learn more about what’s still in store for Carmella for the rest of RHOC Season 20.
— Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
