Eleven Small Discussions About Season 2 of Cheer
I watched the second season of Cheer in two days, and I have some thoughts. The following article will contain spoilers for both Season 1 and Season 2 of Cheer. Content warning: This article will briefly discuss sexual abuse involving minors in Number 8.
Photo by Emma Oertling and Edited by Haley Bordelon
In no particular order, here’s a list of eleven things from Season 2 of Cheer that I want to talk about:
1. Greg Whiteley
Cheer isn’t the first sports docuseries that director Greg Whiteley has done. He also directed Last Chance U which is like Cheer but for football and Last Chance U: Basketball which is obviously about basketball.
I’ve watched EMCC: Part 1 and some of EMCC: Part 2 from Last Chance U, and pretty much everything that I love about Cheer is in Last Chance U. If you’ve already finished Season 2 like me, Last Chance U will probably keep you entertained for a little while.
2. The Returners to Navarro
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the people that were going to leave at the end of Season 1 should have just left and allowed the rookies for the 2020 season a chance at making mat. The 2020 season felt almost like a redo of the 2019 season.
We obviously have to talk about Gabi’s surprise return. It seemed like she had a guaranteed mat spot, but at one point, Monica is watching them practice and says, “Gabi’s never learned it.” I get that Gabi is talented, but it seemed like such a risk.
I was talking to someone who thinks that maybe so many people came back for the 2020 season because of the fame, and that sounds pretty plausible to me.
3. TVCC Getting More Screen Time
I loved getting to know the TVCC team better this season. I think it made the drama even more intense as audiences rooted for both teams.
I’m not going to lie; I looked up who won the 2021 Daytona competition before Season 2 of Cheer was even announced, so I knew that TVCC won. However, I don’t think it took too much away from my enjoyment because of how Season 2 was organized. The makers of the series created it in a way that audiences were going to have their hearts broken either way.
4. Vontae Johnson
The more I learned about Vontae, the more I liked him as a coach. He’s hungrier for a win than Monica. Monica already has all of these wins under her belt, and I think it’s clear based on how the 2021 season started off for Navarro with Monica in a different location, and the team is led by a newbie assistant coach that she just isn’t as focused as she used to be. I wouldn’t be surprised if Monica stopped coaching soon. On the other hand, Vontae is just getting started.
5. Fame and TVCC
I’m really interested to see how fame affects the TVCC team because last season of Cheer they weren’t featured as much, so they weren’t as affected. After this season, I would be really, really surprised if TVCC doesn’t go through the same changes that Navarro went through because of the fame.
6. Choreography
Some drama happened with Brad Vaughan. I am very surprised that he left Navarro for TVCC. I’d really like to know what happened that caused him to leave especially because his assistant stayed. Was the drama between the two choreographers or did something else happen?
7. Tape Ball
Can we take a second to talk about TVCC’s tape ball? I love it. It’s quirky. It’s motivational. It’s symbolic. Also, I just really appreciate that they have multiples of them, and they’ve been making them for years.
8. Jerry
The docuseries kept a kind of unbiased stance on Jerry’s situation. They had several different perspectives about what happened, but they leave it up to audiences how they should view the entire situation and Jerry. I don’t have a lot to add to the conversation. I am disgusted with what he did, and he should feel ashamed of himself. It breaks my heart that so many children lost their innocence, their safety, and even their community because of his actions.
9. La’Darius
Recently after Season 2 came out, La’Darius went on an Instagram Live and made some very big accusations. I don’t know what to believe at this point because at the end of the docuseries, everything seems better between him and Monica (not great, but better).
I also think that it’s not unfair to start asking what’s the difference between a docuseries and reality tv. If we’re just looking at Cheer, the line seems pretty blurry. This level of drama is the kind that I typically associate with a reality tv show, not a docuseries.
10. Andy
If you are like me, you probably wondered where Andy was in the last half of Season 2. I think he would have been the perfect replacement for Monica while she was on Dancing with the Stars, so it was really surprising to see some new person get the position.
After some hunting, I learned that Andy was starting a new project called Cheer Source. It seems he stepped back from Navarro to focus on that.
11. Season 3?
I have no idea if there is going to be a Season 3. I think Season 2 showed viewers that fame was a double edge sword for the Navarro Team. I think it’s up to the cheer teams to decide if they want to be in another docuseries again, and it’s up to the makers of the actual docuseries if they want to keep doing this project.
If this is the last season we get, I feel pretty satisfied. I can keep up with Daytona all by myself because, at the end of the day, it is just one competition. Nevertheless, I find Cheer addicting. If there’s another season, I will definitely watch it.