Warning: The following contains spoiler for Cheer Season 2, now streaming on Netflix.
Cheer’s hotly-anticipated second season was packed with competition in more ways than one. The Netflix docu-series shot the cheerleaders and coaches of Navarro College to stardom quicker than they could comprehend. The fame included a lengthy list of opportunities pulling them away from cheerleading: public appearances, interviews, photoshoots, meet and greets and a spot on another reality show.
Thanks to the popularity of Cheer, Navarro coach Monica Aldama was surprised to get a call from the producers of Dancing with the Stars. She jumped at the chance to appear on the show’s 29th season as a longtime fan of the show. While it was a thrilling opportunity for her — and another chance for the champion coach to compete again — Monica’s decision divided the cheerleaders on the Navarro squad, with their drama playing out during Cheer Season 2.
Cheer’s second season started off with Navarro training for the Daytona Beach National Cheerleading Championships under Coach Monica’s watchful eye. However, with mere weeks to go, the coronavirus pandemic shut down sporting events worldwide including the planned finals at Daytona. During the subsequent downtime, Monica agreed to compete on Dancing with the Stars — much to the surprise of her squad.
Between seasons, Navarro lost of some of their strongest veterans, whose cheerleading careers were cut short due to the pandemic. There were also a handful of rookies coming to Navarro specifically to train with Monica, and they were surprised when they arrived in Corsicana to find her absent from Navarro’s practices. Monica’s impressive track record of fourteen national titles was part of Navarro’s appeal for many of these new arrivals, so her absence was a massive disappointment. What was the point of training and giving 100 percent on the mat for a coach who wasn’t even there?
To further complicate matters, the Navarro veterans were also unhappy with the replacement coach Monica hired to fill in for her. Coach Kailee Peppers, a former Navarro cheerleader herself, struggled with getting respect from squad members close to her own age and trying to uphold Monica’s impossibly high expectations. The Navarro name included pressure to always be the best and the team couldn’t seem to find a good rhythm in practices with Kailee. Coming back to Navarro after an unfulfilled season with a coach that wasn’t Monica threw even the most seasoned Navarro pros for a loop; Gabi Butler was temporarily absent and another key member quit the squad entirely.
Monica’s absence in the second half of Cheer Season 2 threw the entire team — and the show itself — out of whack. However, after her short stint on Dancing with the Stars (she was eliminated sixth), fans were happy to see Monica return to Navarro and pursue the kind of victory she was already known for when Navarro returned to Daytona Beach.
To see how the Navarro squad adjusts to Monica’s absence, Cheer is now streaming on Netflix.
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