Cheer - General Discussion

[kieyra]

Cheer's Monica Aldama Reveals Her Team's Reaction to Their 6 Emmy Nominations 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Coach Monica will be competing on S29 of Dancing with the Stars

[snarts]

NOOOOO!!!!  Jerry under investigation for soliciting minors.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/09/14/jerry-harris-cheer-fbi-investigation-allegedly-solicit-minors-sex-netflix/

[kieyra]

Fuck 2020.

[Stiggs]

3 hours ago, kieyra said:

Fuck 2020.

For real, man. This is just awful. 

[kieyra]

This show has been one of my “comfort food” rewatches during the whole goddamned pandemic.

I realize it’s not about me, it’s about any potential victims he may have harmed. But Jesus, that sucks. I’d like to say “I hope it’s not true” but ...

[Stiggs]

45 minutes ago, kieyra said:

This show has been one of my “comfort food” rewatches during the whole goddamned pandemic.

I realize it’s not about me, it’s about any potential victims he may have harmed. But Jesus, that sucks. I’d like to say “I hope it’s not true” but ...

Yeah, I feel like pulling a Tyra and yelling, “We were all rooting for you!” Obviously the seriousness of the allegations far outweighs a TV show. Ugh. This is just awful. 

[methodwriter85]

31 minutes ago, Stiggs said:

Yeah, I feel like pulling a Tyra and yelling, “We were all rooting for you!” Obviously the seriousness of the allegations far outweighs a TV show. Ugh. This is just awful. 

Jerry probably could have had his pick of legal adult men as a result of this show, and he was trying to get with junior high kiddies. But that's the sickness, right? When I first read the headline I was hoping it was just Jerry being dumb enough to sext a 17-year old. This instead sounds like it was full out predatory and gross.

[Conotocarious]

This doesn’t sound good. I am so tired of there having to be a dark underbelly to EVERYTHING. Nothing can ever be as it seems. It just makes me not want to engage with any of it.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Conotocarious

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

This doesn’t sound good. I am so tired of there having to be a dark underbelly to EVERYTHING. Nothing can ever be as it seems. It just makes me not want to engage with any of it.

I wish I could say I was shocked, but there's been so many stories coming out about predatory behavior against children in sports or Hollywood that I'm not. Again, I was really hoping it was just Jerry being a naive 19-year old sexting a 17-year old. Instead it looks like Jerry was aggressively soliciting nude photos from twin brothers starting when they were 13.

[EarlGreyTea]

4 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

This doesn’t sound good. I am so tired of there having to be a dark underbelly to EVERYTHING. Nothing can ever be as it seems. It just makes me not want to engage with any of it.

Yes. This was quite devastating for me, but it helped me to realize once again that we simply DO NOT know what goes on behind closed doors, and that like anyone else, people on reality shows are not always what they seem.

I feel for the victims and also La'Darius, because of how close he is to Jerry and the abuse he himself experienced as a boy.  This has got to be awful for him.

[threebluestars]

5 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

This doesn’t sound good. I am so tired of there having to be a dark underbelly to EVERYTHING. Nothing can ever be as it seems. It just makes me not want to engage with any of it.

I feel this about everything lately.

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Yes. This was quite devastating for me, but it helped me to realize once again that we simply DO NOT know what goes on behind closed doors, and that like anyone else, people on reality shows are not always what they seem.

I feel for the victims and also La'Darius, because of how close he is to Jerry and the abuse he himself experienced as a boy.  This has got to be awful for him.

I'm just fucking pissed off that I bought Jerry's sadsack act and felt massive sympathy for him; meanwhile he was looking at 13-year old boys and trying to sleep with them. 

[snarts]

I'm certainly not trying to defend Jerry's actions if the accusations are true. 

That said, I find something distasteful about how this family is choosing to go public.  The boys are underage, so why parade them around in the media?

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/09/14/jerry-harris-cheerleader-netflix-cheer-fbi-investigation-search-warrant-alleged-sexual-misconduct/5741805002/

They've also already filed a civil suit.  Hmmm.

https://people.com/crime/jerry-harris-netflix-cheer-sued-allegedly-solicited-sex-from-minors/

https://www.tmz.com/2020/09/15/netflix-cheer-star-jerry-harris-sued-minors-sex-abuse-minors/

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Monica on week 1 of Dancing with the Stars

 

[onatrek]

New today:

Quote

Celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris has been arrested by the FBI and charged with producing child pornography, the U.S. attorney's office said Thursday. According to federal court records, Harris admitted to agents that he solicited and received explicit messages on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 individuals he knew were minors, had sex with a 15-year-old at a cheerleading competition in 2019 and offered a 17-year-old money in exchange for nude photos.

Also:

Quote

If convicted, Harris faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison. The U.S. attorney's office encouraged others who may be "a victim of sexual exploitation by Jeremiah Harris" to contact the FBI at (312) 421-6700.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/09/17/jerry-harris-cheer-charged-production-child-pornography/3482276001/

Edited September 17, 2020 by onatrek

[Conotocarious]

Yeah. Well, there’s a feel good story straight down the tubes into the depths.

[ClassicShowsFan]

Cheer's Monica Aldama Continues to Coach Navarro Squad While Competing on DWTS

Monica Aldama Talks Cheer’s 6 Emmy Nominations—and Those Season 2 Rumors

Why Cheer’s Monica Aldama Feels Pressure to Win ‘DWTS’ — Plus, What Dance She Is ‘Terrified’ to Perform?

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Yeah. Well, there’s a feel good story straight down the tubes into the depths.

I hate this so much. I’ve mentioned before that I know this isn’t about my feelings, but I’m definitely grieving for the show I loved.

I hope it doesn’t negatively attach to anyone else involved, or torpedo a season 2 if there was going to be one.

RPDR has been having a lot of problems with predation among former competitors too.

Why does everyone and everything have to suck. 

[methodwriter85]

4 hours ago, kieyra said:

I hate this so much. I’ve mentioned before that I know this isn’t about my feelings, but I’m definitely grieving for the show I loved.

I hope it doesn’t negatively attach to anyone else involved, or torpedo a season 2 if there was going to be one.

RPDR has been having a lot of problems with predation among former competitors too.

Why does everyone and everything have to suck. 

Lucky enough Jerry is part of an ensemble and not the entire show; hope a season 2 does happen. The show is basically built to have a revolving cast due to the nature of the sport. Hell, we were even visited by previous members of the team. 

[lidarose9]

More than likely it means someone did it to him. Not to excuse him, but this is how this works. 

[pasdetrois]

Quote

They've also already filed a civil suit.  Hmmm.

I agree. This is a calculated move by the parents and their attorneys. Plus, how much money can Jerry possibly have, after paying for attorneys, and then if he goes to prison?

[GaT]

21 hours ago, kieyra said:

Why does everyone and everything have to suck. 

It feels like the entire world has just gone insane. Obviously, there has always been terrible things happening, but it just seems like it's all happening at once & all the time & it's been ramped up 1000 times more. I'm not someone who normally suffers from depression, & I've always had things that made me happy, but I'm really struggling to find the good in the world. There's some commercial (I can't even remember for what) that I keep seeing that starts off with just words "how are you?" "good?" "happy?" & then the last two are "angry?" & "exhausted?", & every time I see it, I realize that "angry" & "exhausted" is how I feel all the time. I am so, so tired of being angry & exhausted, but I just can't feel anything else.

[libgirl2]

I live a county over from where he is from. Heard on the news this morning he has confessed. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

20 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I live a county over from where he is from. Heard on the news this morning he has confessed. 

In the article posted yesterday by @onatrek (see above), it says "According to federal court records, Harris admitted to agents that he solicited and received explicit messages on Snapchat from at least 10 to 15 individuals he knew were minors, had sex with a 15-year-old at a cheerleading competition in 2019 and paid a 17-year-old money in exchange for nude photos."

Responses to Jerry's arrest:

A spokesperson for Harris told PEOPLE, "We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed."

A Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to EW, "Like everyone we are shocked by this news. Any abuse of minors is a terrible crime and we respect the legal process."

Monica:

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ellenr33]

I hope Jerry gets the full sentence. I believe he get a large check from the Ellen show, got to go to The Oscars, met many celebrities, and appeared on many talk shows all for a guy who was a creep the whole time. I feel bad for these other cast members who did nothing but work their butt off to get where they are now who are probably going to reap the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately this show is probably going to be remembered as the show with the guy who abused minors. These other cast members deserved their 15 minutes of fame. I hope this doesn’t effect Monica on Dancing With The Stars because she truly seems like someone who if she knew for a second what had happened wouldn’t tolerate it and would have kicked his perverted self to the curb. I hope he has to pay these kids every bit of money he made and more for what he did too them.

[Loves2Dance]

For the sake of the timeline, Cheer Athletics was alerted to these allegations in May. I have a very hard time believing the family didn't also reach out to Monica. 

[Conotocarious]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cheer-stars-gabi-butler-ladarius-031752187.html

 

Statements from LaDarius Marshall and Gabi Butler.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

List of Emmys that Cheer won:

OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A REALITY PROGRAM - Daytona
OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR AN UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM - God Bless Texas

[xtwheeler]

On 9/18/2020 at 5:37 AM, pasdetrois said:

I agree. This is a calculated move by the parents and their attorneys. Plus, how much money can Jerry possibly have, after paying for attorneys, and then if he goes to prison?

One hires a lawyer specifically to receive advice that is "calculated" and strategic. There's nothing wrong with timing your lawsuit to have maximum impact. That's what you're supposed to do for your clients. It has no bearing on whether or not the complainants are telling the truth. 

Publicity is a powerful motivator for defendants' willingness to settle, and these strategic concerns are precisely what you're paying a lawyer to handle. 

Finally, while Jerry may not have lots of money to pay off a judgment, but I'd bet my bottom dollar that the suit managed to include allegations against the school, which will have a hefty insurance policy. One could allege all kinds of negligence & other causes of action. If the school in included, any judgment would likely make the school pay out for Jerry's damages, too (joint & several liability). 

Long story short, there's nothing unethical or inappropriately predatory about filing a suit against Jerry, regardless of the timing. You use whatever you have as leverage for your client. Plus, filing sooner rather than later makes it easier to serve all the defendants locally or in your jurisdiction. 

I can't believe the number of concussions these kids had! My daughter plays HS waterpolo, a concussion-heavy sport. She has a cognitive baseline done every year so a concussion is easier to identify. School policy is 3 concussions over 4 years makes you ineligible to play any sport. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

I can't believe the number of concussions these kids had! My daughter plays HS waterpolo, a concussion-heavy sport. She has a cognitive baseline done every year so a concussion is easier to identify. School policy is 3 concussions over 4 years makes you ineligible to play any sport. 

I am so glad that more schools are monitoring concussions because it is a HUGE problem. The complication is that cheer is not classified as a sport at most schools, so they don't fall under the umbrella of sports monitoring (and clearly cheerleaders have more concussions than a lot of other sports so they really need this monitoring!).

[methodwriter85]

Poor LaDarius. This has to be hell for him. It does remind me to remain suspicious of grown men like Jerry who have childish mannerisms/voices. They always seems to turn out to be creeps.

[methadonna]

On 9/29/2020 at 5:20 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Poor LaDarius. This has to be hell for him. It does remind me to remain suspicious of grown men like Jerry who have childish mannerisms/voices. They always seems to turn out to be creeps.

I'm generally far more suspicious of the instinct to attribute the terrible behavior shown by a few or even many with a specific physical or outward presentation unrelated to the abhorrent acts--behavior tragically also displayed by many more people who don't fall under such categorization--onto entire groups of people who happen to share that specific trait. 

Being generally suspicious of, or not blindly trusting, anyone just because you don't know that they're not some creep is wise.

Universalizing the known creepdom of an individual to all others who share an outward trait with them, particularly one that may not be displayed by the majority or seen as fitting current social norms but inherently unrelated to the aberrant behavior?

There are a lot of words I'd ascribe to such an act or belief.

"Wise" is far from any of them.

[methodwriter85]

Thanks for the verbal bitchslap. You're totally right, Methadona! 😀

[lasu]

Wow @methadonna and @methodwriter85, that was kinda awesome to watch.  It's really refreshing to see Person A say why they think Person B's opinion is wrong, and Person B doesn't get mad and huff off all offended!

Cheers to you both! (See how I tied that topic in!?!)

[methodwriter85]

3 minutes ago, lasu said:

Wow @methadonna and @methodwriter85, that was kinda awesome to watch.  It's really refreshing to see Person A say why they think Person B's opinion is wrong, and Person B doesn't get mad and huff off all offended!

Cheers to you both! (See how I tied that topic in!?!)

Speaking of, if they can bring the show back, I kind of want to see them switch focus to the rival college. I think this show would work best as an anthology that focuses on a different team every year. Candid reality shows with continual casts never feel the same anyway. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by methodwriter85

[MsJamieDornan]

On 9/17/2020 at 8:58 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Lucky enough Jerry is part of an ensemble and not the entire show; hope a season 2 does happen. The show is basically built to have a revolving cast due to the nature of the sport

But it seems like none of them ever leave. Some had chances to move on to great schools but they came back to Navarro.  It's a 2 year school, but they seem to stay a long time. And I'm not sure they get any degrees either.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Two Cheerleaders In Netflix's "Cheer" Have Been Charged With Sex Crimes Involving Minors

Quote

Robert Joseph Scianna Jr. and Mitchell Ryan were separately arrested and charged this week.

Ryan, a member of the Navarro College cheerleading team that was the focus of the Netflix series, was arrested in Texas on Wednesday. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor over an incident that allegedly took place in July 2020, the Dallas County Sheriff's Department told BuzzFeed News.

Ryan posted bond Friday morning and was released, the Sheriff's Department said.

Scianna, whose website says that he is an NCA champion and a two-time world champion, was arrested Wednesday by Chesterfield County police in Virginia, USA Today reported.

He has been charged with indecent liberties with a minor and using a communication system to solicit sex, a spokesperson for the Chesterfield County Jail confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

Police said that Scianna arranged a meeting to have sex with a juvenile he'd met on social media, USA Today reported.

The USASF, however, said that it became aware of the allegations against Ryan after receiving a complaint in late October and "immediately ensured that it had been reported to law enforcement and later began an investigation of [its] own, which was ongoing when he was arrested."

The organization told BuzzFeed News that Scianna and Ryan have been placed on the "Unified Ineligibility List."

The charges against the two cheerleaders involved in the Netflix docuseries come after Jerry Harris, a star of the show, was hit with additional child pornography charges in December.

Harris had been arrested in September on suspicion of producing child pornography, and prosecutors later alleged in a pretrial detention hearing that he may have victimized at least 10 boys.

In a statement to ABC News at the time of his arrest, a spokesperson for Harris said that they "categorically dispute" the allegations against him. However, the initial criminal complaint filed against him stated that he admitted to investigators that he had sex with a minor at a cheer competition in 2019.

 

[greekmom]

Finally got around to watching this.

I don't understand why these kids are not wearing protective equipment during practice?! There must be something out there or at least some enterprising person in the cheer community to invent something. These kids are going to have issues in their 30s and probably won't be able to function later on in their 50s.

[kieyra]

4 hours ago, greekmom said:

Finally got around to watching this.

I don't understand why these kids are not wearing protective equipment during practice?! There must be something out there or at least some enterprising person in the cheer community to invent something. These kids are going to have issues in their 30s and probably won't be able to function later on in their 50s.

I watched this documentary about a thousand times during the start of the pandemic. Hard to watch the girls counting off the number of concussions they’d had. And I’ve watched that scene with Sherbs on slo-mo a few times trying to figure out why she had the one catastrophic fall. (Answer: people just didn’t move fast enough to catch her.) It’s crazy.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

American Cinema Editors award!

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES: Cheer, “God Blessed Texas”: Kate Hackett, Arielle Kilker, Daniel McDonald, Mark Morgan, David Nordstrom, Sharon Weaver, Ted Woerner

[TrixieTrue]

Has anyone else gone back and rewatched Cheer? I did a re-watch in the summer and last week. I skipped over basically everything with Jerry and even some of Gabi's family stuff. I was more interested in the practices. 

Gabi is now at Weber State and I have to wonder if she would have gone there without Cheer. At the end of the documentary, she said she was going back home since she had been traveling and living away from home since she was around 14. She had also been homeschooled and I had to wonder if Navarro was more intensive than what she was used to. (Not including that one teacher. You know who I mean). 

Morgan is living an influencer life and said she had enough associate degrees at the end of the series. I follow her on instagram and someone asked her about going back to school and she said she had her degree and was done. I also think she did at least a year at a school in Montana before Navarro and cheered there, so I wonder how much experience she had before Navarro. Because Monica said she (Morgan) knew nothing when she came there.   

Rewatching the scene with Lexi, Monica, and the police, it's interesting to see how Lexi is imitating Monica's body language and comes across as more confident. I have no idea of what she's up to, but hope she's doing okay. Same with La'Darius and some of the others.

I also realized that Texas Tech was at the showcase they did before Daytona and quite a few Navarro alumni have gone on to cheer there. I wonder how long that relationship has been going on.  

[GaT]

Season 2 is coming January 12th!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/28/entertainment/cheer-netflix/index.html

 

[auntiemel]

Really glad they're dropping a second season. I think it makes so much sense, and is healthier, to deal with what happened rather than ignoring it.

[methodwriter85]

On 12/31/2021 at 10:06 AM, auntiemel said:

Really glad they're dropping a second season. I think it makes so much sense, and is healthier, to deal with what happened rather than ignoring it.

I'm glad as well, although wow it is hard to watch the Jerry scenes. I skipped over his background story about his mother but it's still pretty much impossible to ignore Jerry in this show. I started wincing when Jerry talked about trying to go to Louisville University, like he has a future when we all know he pretty much threw his away. 

 

[Conotocarious]

Anyone watching today? Am I the only one who woke up and was like SEASON TWO DROPS TODAY.

[Hanahope]

Its on my list to watch, but i'll be away at a big All Stars cheerleading competition this weekend (haha timing!) so i probably won't have time to start watching until next week.

[EarlGreyTea]

Well, I've seen the first episode and I love how much of the focus is now on Trinity Valley. Navarro is, in some ways, now not as rootable for me. They aren't the scrappy underdogs anymore - that's Trinity Valley, and their hunger to prove themselves, especially in the face of the Navarro burst of fame, is really intriguing. I liked Vontae, their coach, last season, and I'm really interested to hear what he has to say.

Of course, I wish all the best for the Navarro students, but from an entertainment standpoint - Trinity Valley intrigues me more.

I did like how it will probably be warts and all - they went right in with the Jerry sexual abuse mess. I'm glad it wasn't swept under the rug.

[Conotocarious]

I finished the season.

Hurry up, guys!

It’s a LOT. Definitely a ton of stuff happened. I won’t spoil it for anybody except to say they do address the Jerry stuff in a whole episode and its hard to watch.

[meatball77]

I'm on the Jerry episode now.  Do they mention the other two Navarro cheerleaders who were arrested for child sex abuse because it was three of them!  Jerry's was specifically bad, he couldn't even stop abusing kids when he was out on bail (and he was denied bail because of that).

I'm glad they didn't just erase Jerry from the second season and instead acknowledged it and supported those two (male) victims.  Amazing for those boys for being willing to speak up, they are heroes.

I'm also wondering how many semesters some of those cheerleaders were attending Junior College and I wonder what they end up doing after.  It didn't sound like that Monica was pushing the kids to move to a four year school.