‘Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!’ Premieres With Returning Scene-Stealer Cassie Scerbo

Sharknado 3 is getting ready for its big premiere, and returning star Cassie Scerbo is being hailed as the savior of the film.

Cassie Scerbo Is Back In Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

SyFy has done it again – following up last year’s fun-filled Sharknado installment with Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, premiering Wednesday, July 22. While fans eagerly await the film’s premiere, critics have been talking about Cassie Scerbo, who starred as Nova Clarke in the first Sharknado in 2013, but was absent from last summer’s Sharknado 2. Scerbo is back with a vengeance, appearing alongside fellow original Sharknado cast-members Ian Ziering (Fin) and Tara Reid (April).

“She’s really badass. She’s a lot darker than the first time around, and she’s ready to fight. There’s not too much lovey-doveyness with Fin; she’s there to prove herself as a powerful shark slayer,” Scerbo told Bustle.

While Ziering’s Fin and Reid’s April have been busy saving New York from a ‘Sharknado’ (in Sharknado 2), Nova has been collecting an arsenal and preparing herself for the next big ‘Sharknado.’

Rambo-Nova! #teamnova #july22

A photo posted by Cassandra Scerbo (@cassielscerbo) on Jun 7, 2015 at 3:08pm PDT

Sharknado 3 may have stumped some critics, but many have noted Scerbo is a highlight. As one reporter from the New York  Daily News put it, “[Nova] somehow feels more like a real character than most of the others, who are written as cartoons and end up as shark sushi. And that’s fine. That’s the deal. But maybe, when a sharknado hits, you just want someone to hold onto. Thanks, Cassie.”

Scerbo aside, Sharknado 3 is full of celebrity cameos – with Mark Cuban, Chris Jericho, Anthony Weiner and Bo Derek all making an appearance. Even David Hasselhoff makes an appearance as Fin’s dad.

“David Hasselhoff is awesome. He came to set, he was a big fan of the first two movies, and he was very excited and happy to be part of the third,” gushed Ziering.

Sharknado 3 premieres Wednesday, July 22, at 9 p.m. on SyFy.

Click here for the 2015 ESPY Awards Photos Slideshow