CJ Perry has reflected on her time as part of VH1’s 2022 reboot of The Surreal Life, describing the production as one of the wildest experiences of her life.
Perry, widely known to wrestling audiences as Lana, was among the celebrity cast members brought together for the revival of the reality series. The format placed a group of public figures in the same residence for several weeks, documenting the unpredictable relationships, activities and tensions that developed while they shared a living environment.
For Perry, the opportunity had significance well before filming began. She explained that The Surreal Life had been influential during her younger years, making the invitation to participate in the reboot feel particularly meaningful.
“When they asked me to be on it, I was blown away. Because again, it’s so impactful — that show — and influential on my younger years so, I was like, ‘Of course I wanna be on it,’ and it was insane.”
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The 2022 season assembled a cast with markedly different backgrounds in entertainment, sports, music and pop culture. Perry appeared alongside August Alsina, Tamar Braxton, Kim Coles, Stormy Daniels, Manny Mua, Frankie Muniz and NBA icon Dennis Rodman. That mix was central to the premise: personalities who would not ordinarily live or work together were placed in close quarters and asked to navigate daily life as a group.
Perry singled out the unusual nature of living with Rodman as a defining part of the experience. The season was filmed in Mexico City, where the cast spent three weeks together. Given Rodman’s status as one of the most recognizable and unconventional figures in professional basketball history, Perry said the arrangement was unlike anything she had previously encountered.
“It’s still to this day one of the most insane experiences I’ve ever been through, and living with Dennis Rodman for three weeks in Mexico City is nuts.”
A Reality Format Built on Unlikely Pairings
The Surreal Life has long centered on the idea that celebrity identities can change when people are removed from their normal routines. Rather than meeting for a brief appearance, cast members live together over an extended stretch. That setting creates a different kind of television from a red-carpet interview, a wrestling promo, a concert performance or a sports broadcast.
For someone whose public career has included the highly theatrical world of professional wrestling, Perry was no stranger to presenting herself before an audience. Her Lana character became a familiar presence for WWE viewers, and wrestling itself often requires performers to build relationships, react in real time and communicate character through heightened situations. Reality television, however, asks something different. The premise is less about a scripted match or a planned segment and more about the friction and friendships that can develop from shared living.
Perry’s comments emphasize that she entered the project as a genuine fan of the concept. Her reaction to being contacted was not merely about adding another television credit. She viewed the program as something that had mattered to her earlier in life, which made becoming part of its reboot especially striking.
That perspective also helps explain why she remembered the season in such vivid terms years after its release. A three-week stay in Mexico City with an eclectic cast would already be outside the normal rhythm of most performers’ careers. When the fellow residents include figures from music, comedy, beauty content, acting, politics and elite athletics, the experience becomes even more singular.
Perry’s Career Beyond the Wrestling Ring
Perry remains recognizable to fans through the Lana name, but her career has extended across different entertainment spaces. Her appearance on The Surreal Life represented an opportunity to be seen in a setting separate from the presentation of a wrestling storyline. It also placed her in a cast where she was not introduced simply through a wrestling role, but as one personality among a diverse group of celebrities.
That distinction can matter for wrestlers and wrestling-adjacent performers who cross into reality programming. Professional wrestling is built around audience connection, larger-than-life personas and emotional storytelling. Reality television can offer viewers another lens, often highlighting the person’s reactions, humor, conflicts and interactions away from the arena environment. Perry’s recollection does not frame the show as routine television work; instead, she characterizes it as an intense experience that stayed with her.
Her use of the word “insane” is especially fitting for a format that depends on unfamiliar people adapting to one another. There is no need to overstate what occurred during filming to understand the point she was making. Simply living for three weeks with a group that included Dennis Rodman is an uncommon situation, and Perry made clear that the setting in Mexico City remains one of the most extraordinary periods she has experienced.
The cast itself also illustrates why the reboot had an inherently unpredictable dynamic. Alsina brought a music background, Braxton arrived with extensive experience in music and reality television, Coles is known for comedy and acting, Daniels has been a widely discussed media figure, Mua emerged through digital beauty content, Muniz has a lengthy acting background, and Rodman’s athletic career made him a globally known sports personality. Perry entered that group with her own background in wrestling and entertainment.
A Major Personal Chapter Ahead
While looking back at the 2022 reality project, Perry is also preparing for an important new chapter in her personal life. She and Miro Barnyashev, known to wrestling fans as Rusev, are expecting their first child together.
Perry has shared that the couple are expecting a baby boy, with the child due in April 2027. The news marks a significant moment for Perry and Barnyashev, whose respective careers have made them familiar names to a wide range of wrestling viewers.
The contrast between Perry’s memories of The Surreal Life and her current family news is notable. On one hand, she is revisiting a project defined by an unexpected celebrity household and a three-week stay far from a conventional routine. On the other, she and Barnyashev are looking ahead to becoming parents for the first time. Both subjects reflect the varied path Perry has taken beyond the moments that initially made her known to wrestling audiences.
Perry is also promoting her book, Bulletproof Angel. The title gives fans another avenue to hear from her in her own voice, while her comments about The Surreal Life show that she continues to look back candidly at projects outside wrestling.
Why the Experience Still Stands Out
Celebrity reality shows are often remembered for isolated arguments, surprises or viral moments. Perry’s recollection focused instead on the broader feeling of taking part in a program she had admired when she was younger. That personal connection made the invitation meaningful, and the actual production exceeded any ordinary expectation she might have had.
Her description does not need embellishment: a former WWE personality living in Mexico City for three weeks with Dennis Rodman and a collection of celebrities from vastly different fields is already an unusual television experience. Perry’s comments make clear that it remains high on the list of the most remarkable situations she has encountered.
For fans who know Perry primarily as Lana, the reflection is a reminder that careers in wrestling can lead performers into many different worlds. Some opportunities involve the ring, some involve acting or media work, and some involve stepping into a shared house with seven strangers for reality television. In Perry’s case, the latter left a lasting impression.
As she prepares for the arrival of her son in April 2027 and continues to discuss her work beyond wrestling, Perry’s memories of The Surreal Life remain defined by excitement, disbelief and a sense that the experience was impossible to replicate. She wanted to be part of a show that had helped shape her younger years. Once she got there, she found herself living through what she still calls one of the most insane experiences of her life.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.