Her mother, Indu, is a Russian from New York who converted to Hinduism and teaches yoga; her father is from India and is a physician in Cincinnati.

[5] She began taking gymnastics classes at the age of four in her hometown, Cincinnati,[5] where she attended Seven Hills School.

[5] Bhardwaj's reputation as a wild child scared off some NCAA recruiters, but Valorie Kondos Field, the head coach for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team, awarded her a full scholarship.

Her partying continued through her freshman year, prompting Kondos to issue her an ultimatum to remain on the team.

[1] CSUF, and Southern Utah After ending her UCLA career, Bhardwaj returned to elite competition.

She was named to the American team for the 2001 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, where she contributed to the U.S. squad's bronze medal.

[7][11] Off the national team and running low on funds, she took odd jobs, such as waitressing and delivering pizzas, to pay for her training and personal expenses.

[4][7][12] At the 2004 Nationals, Bhardwaj placed a disappointing 12th in the all-around, only securing the final spot in the Olympic Trials when Ashley Postell fell on bars.

She finished eighth all-around in qualifying, behind teammates Carly Patterson (1st) and Courtney Kupets (4th), but was not among the 24 gymnasts to advance because of a rule limiting each country to two competitors in the final.