Barbara Jean Blank was born on January 15, 1987 in Jacksonville, Florida, to a Jewish father and Christian mother.[1][7] She was a fan of professional wrestling as a child, and cites Stone Cold Steve Austin as her favorite wrestler.[3] While growing up, she participated in gymnastics for ten years, before she was forced to quit due to an injury.[1] She later took up cheerleading.[1] She attended University Christian School and graduated from Englewood High School.[9] She then attended Florida Community College at Jacksonville,[9] where she studied broadcast journalism, hoping to become a television anchor.[1][5] She was also a Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear bikini model before she entered professional wrestling.[1][10]