‘Cheer’ Coach Monica Aldama Says “We Basically Went From Zero To 100” Amid Series’ Success – Contenders TV: Docs + Unscripted:

The producers behind Netflix’s breakout hit Cheer didn’t go into Season 2 with a plan on what to cover — and fortunately they didn’t have to. The show’s massive success and how fame impacted head coach Monica Aldama became the tale to tell, and whether it would put her competitive cheer team at Navarro Community College in Texas at a disadvantage.

“I don’t think anybody knew that this show was gonna be so big. I certainly didn’t. It’s cheerleading. It has a stereotype,” said Aldama, speaking at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event along with the docuseries’ director/executive producer Greg Whiteley and Vontae Johnson, head coach of rival Trinity Valley Community College. “I was just hoping people in the cheer community would watch it. I had zero expectation and we basically went from zero to 100 really fast. None of us were prepared for it in any form or fashion. We got invited to go on Ellen. That was a moment where you’re like, ‘Whoa, this is really way bigger than maybe I even knew it could ever be.’ ”

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“But at the same time, there was a lot of chatter from media that we were not gonna be focused … with everything that was going on,” continued Aldama, who got a gig on Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars because of the fame (she placed 10th). “And yes, I was working 14-hour days because I was doing interviews and people were pulling us in all directions, but at the same time, we were so determined to prove everybody wrong. We, when we went inside the gym, we were completely focused on our job of getting ready for Daytona.”

Netflix has yet to announce a third season of Cheer.

View this article at Deadline.