8-foot waves battered cast and crew as Kristen Bell recalls near death experience while filming Nobody Wants Season 3, everyone screaming

A demanding beach scene

Bell described the incident on Monday’s episode of her husband Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. She said she was filming on a beach for the Netflix series when she was told to enter the water.

She wore a scuba suit below the waist while pretending to be nude, Bell said. She went into water up to at least her sternum with about nine or 10 crew members, each accompanied by a stunt performer bracing them.

The waves reached 8 feet, and Bell recalled trying to speak Hebrew before dunking herself as a wave approached. She said stunt performers began screaming just before it crashed.

Crew faced rough conditions

Bell said two stunt women lifted her out of the water, while other stunt performers pushed crew members into the sand. The show’s A camera operator, Aaron, was hit by the waves, and both cameras went underwater, she recalled.

After the director said they had not captured the shot and needed another take, Bell warned that someone might be swept away. The group eventually filmed the scene successfully.

The finished scene

Bell said she had asked for the scene to be filmed in a water tank, but that suggestion was not taken up. She also said she planned to spend as little time as possible in the water. The actress said viewers would see only the side angle because the head-on version was “horrific to watch.” Despite the experience, she described the scene as “amazing.”

Bell’s role in the series

Bell stars as podcaster Joann Williams in the comedic romance series, opposite Adam Brody, who plays progressive rabbi Noah Roklov. The show is filmed in various locations across Los Angeles.

In July 2025, Shepard celebrated Bell’s first Emmy nomination in an Instagram post featuring a photo of her doing yoga in socks. He wrote that viewers might not know what went on behind the scenes of an Emmy-nominated performance.