Make it or Break it

[Pogo]

The gals that played in Stick It, at least looked liked gymnasts, especially Haley.

Maddy Curley, who played Mina Hoyt in "Stick It," was on the UNC-Chapel Hill Gymnastics team. Tarah Paige, who played Tricia Skilken in the same movie, was a gymnast for 15 years, a Senior International Elite for 4 years, and on the U.S. National Team in 2001. So there are gymnasts out there.

However, it is one thing to cast a movie and another to cast for a series on ABC Family.

Still, why don't they just cast some of their stunt gymnasts? Look at this pic:

Yes, Josie Loren is really pretty. However, IMHO Natalie Padilla is certainly attractive enough to be cast as more than just a stunt double.

 

[gymdog]

Nastia is very thin and didn't have the muscles that Shawn has but at least she is a gymnast.

It's the shoulder/upper body to hip ratio. That's the common thread. Nastia has long legs (Shawn doesn't), but within the variation in body type/size, you will probably notice that most or basically all high level gymnasts have torsos built like an upside down triangle. The reason the lead character (new girl, whatever) didn't look like a gymnast is because her shoulders were so slim in relation to her hips. That's not within the range of body type variation for high level gymnastics.

 

[gymjoy]

I just could not get past the Emily character's hair. I found it distracting. My gymmie looked at her and said - ever heard of clips!!
I know it is a detail, but we were distracted by so many details(big and small) they got wrong that I don't think we payed any attention to the actual "show."
Don't think we will be making an effort to watch this again.

 

[Billy]

Here's something unrelated to the quality of the show.

Where is that guy from? The one that girl is sneaking around with dating? He looks so familiar.

He played Max on "Secret Life."

 

[MdGymMom01]

Anyway, my boyfriend (also an addict) and I did an extra credit project in our AP Statistics class to see if Secret Life being on has had an effect on teen pregnancy. The findings-absolutely! We found that teen pregnancies at our school have actually increased since the airing of Secret Life. Now that is only at our school, because it would have been quite the feat to collect data nationally or even state wide, but it would be fascinating to look at data through a professional research company. Also, there is the possibilty that it was a mere coincidence.

Just throwing that piece in the pot.

Now that is pretty scary!!!! Especially when they glorify teen pregnancies on TV and just get the young mothers' mummys and daddys to take care of the baby while they get some sleep or party or whatever. Very unrealistic!!!

I watched the last 15 minutes of Secret life for the first time last night and when I heard the young mother ask her dad to watch the baby while she got cereal and then the dad says "Baby first--you ALWAYS take care of baby first..." shows you how spoiled this young mother is and how she just doesn't understand the responsibility of what it takes to be a mother. This show is not teaching anything...

 

[gymjourneymom]

Now that is pretty scary!!!! Especially when they glorify teen pregnancies on TV and just get the young mothers' mummys and daddys to take care of the baby while they get some sleep or party or whatever. Very unrealistic!!!

I watched the last 15 minutes of Secret life for the first time last night and when I heard the young mother ask her dad to watch the baby while she got cereal and then the dad says "Baby first--you ALWAYS take care of baby first..." shows you how spoiled this young mother is and how she just doesn't understand the responsibility of what it takes to be a mother. This show is not teaching anything...

Seriously, aren't young girls exposed to enough sexual pressure everyday, without having an entire TV series that glorify it in an unrealistic manner???? I have to say I was shocked by the little I saw of Secret Life last night(and I'm no prude). Glad my DD's had no interest in watching it. The cattiness on MIOBI also bothered me. And when the main character Emily lied...maybe it was for a "good reason"...(to get back at the catty girl), but that was wrong too in my book. To me the lie sent a wrong message out too, just as bad as all the catty stuff. I guess growing up watching the type of shows MGM & I mentioned earlier, I just have higher expectations. Those were great shows, well acted & written. Interesting to me as a teenager back then & taught me important life lessons. If they had great shows years ago...why can't we have them now??? Lets have a show that really depicts the life of a teenage girl...hard working young ladies, trying to find their way in life & figure out their plans for the future. I know some WONDERFUL teenage young ladies, most are gymnasts who manage to juggle; practice, meets, school, family, friends, church, other activities, etc. All while making it look easy, although we KNOW it's not! Here's to you young ladies....the REAL teenagers of today!:applause::thumbsup::applause:

 

[gracefulone]

He played Max on "Secret Life."

Thank you very much! That would have bothered me for a long long time

 

[cher062]

And I'm not even that picky. I actually loved Stick It and found it pretty relatable in parts. But the suspension of disbelief wasn't even possible with this one. Also it was pretty boring, which is basically what dealt the fatal blow.

I agree with "Stick It" at least it looked more realistic and the skills looked appropriate for the level. Even real gymnasts in it (Nastia she had to be what 14 or 15)

 

[cher062]

Here's something unrelated to the quality of the show.

Where is that guy from? The one that girl is sneaking around with dating? He looks so familiar.

Zack Able - He was on Secret Life of American Teen this past season
He also appeared in 2007 for a few CSI episoids
and played Johna on the web series "my Alibi"

 

[cher062]

I feel like they could have done a better job casting. Sure, they can act, but the body types were not very accurate at all. Where were the gymnast muscles and 6-packs! A true gymnast can be spotted a mile away just on her physique, which makes up part of the beauty of the sport. This is what makes people look at a gymnast and say "I want to look like her!". Someone mentioned that it is difficult to get real gymnasts to take the time for shows like this but how hard could it be to find actors that do some serious working out, maybe lifting weights to get that muscular look? (Check out some of those Hollywood gyms for some actor-wannabes!) The gals that played in Stick It, at least looked liked gymnasts, especially Haley. And what about the hair? Comeon, I've never seen a gymnast in competition have hair falling down in her face like Emily in the show. A gymast would not even consider a cut like that that can not be ponytailed to keep it up and out of the way unless it was really short. There were way too many inaccuracies in this series to even be compared to real gymnastics. That's my two cents worth.

I agree especially on the hair and especially at that level. For meets everyone at Our gym is in a bun period and sprayed to the max!!! not one hair flyaway and I think we should own stock in the cheap plaster hairspray and hair clip compaines. Even gyms that allow ponytails they too are sprayed to the max and that messy hair do would never happen. It takes a good 1 - 2 hours to get my DD's hair up so it won't come out in a meet - its thick and long down to the bottom of her bum. When I'm done nothing short of a hurricain would even move a hair out of place.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

O.K. so we're in Tampa for the week and couldn't find ABC Family in the hotel!! Sounds like I missed NOTHING!! HA! I am super curious now, though, to see what everyone's has already seen! Oh well... maybe they'll post the episode on the ABC Family website soon...

 

[lil_gymnast_alanna]

oh man!!!!
they didnt air it in Australia shame. I've been on the web for hours trying to find a website that will let me watch it.
Unfortunatly the ABC family website only lets people fomr the US watch stuff for some legal reason...maybe i should move to the US for a few weeks

 

[LiveLaughTumble047]

O.K. so we're in Tampa for the week and couldn't find ABC Family in the hotel!! Sounds like I missed NOTHING!! HA! I am super curious now, though, to see what everyone's has already seen! Oh well... maybe they'll post the episode on the ABC Family website soon...

well if you're super curious its going to be on again on thursday after they play stick it..can't remember the time but i jsut saw a commercial, sometime around 7 or 8 ish i think?

 

[cher062]

O.K. so we're in Tampa for the week and couldn't find ABC Family in the hotel!! Sounds like I missed NOTHING!! HA! I am super curious now, though, to see what everyone's has already seen! Oh well... maybe they'll post the episode on the ABC Family website soon...

The movie Stick It and this show are playing again on Thurs Night.

 

[cathiann]

Saw it yesterday finally (we taped it). The gymnastics was laughable. I can understand why Emily's leo didn't fit properly and why her hair was messy--I think it was to show the contrast between her and the girls from the club--she's out of it and doesn't know what she's doing style-wise. The other girls are slick and presented. I think they did it on purpose.

The rest of it? I didn't hate it as much as most of you. It's drama. That's what they're going for. I certainly hope most parents of elite gymnasts don't behave like Lauren's dad, but who knows! With what's at stake, maybe they do?? Thankfully we don't have those issues at our gym

 

[nicci1999]

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I will probably watch the next episode for the simple fact to see what happens now. I like the way the ended it, because it was like a soap opera the way they keep you hanging. Other than that, I wish they had shown more gymnastics in it, but its a teenage drama with bits of gymnastics in it. I was very dissapointed in the lack of physique in the girls, I have been doing gym for 7 months, and have a more noticeable muscle tone(even through my leo) than any of those girls did.

 

[socko]

at our gym, they'd be Level 7s ,maybe 8s but there's no way that show should have portrayed them as Elite hopefuls and used the A/B scoring system..people who don't understand gymnastics (as well as people who do) will have a hard time understanding that scoring system.

 

[socko]

and to respond to Cathiann's comment about elite parents...the Elite parents I have known do not behave like Lauren's dad...but I have seen some crazy behavior in parents of lower level girls who think their child is headed to the Olympics!! We had one family in our gym who went ballistic when their 9 yo Level 4 only placed 4th at the State meet (not even a sanctioned level!!) .

 

[mbphoto]

My 11yr. old level 8 dd, who still watches handy manny, didn't even like it. She was so excited about it coming on. She said it was ridiculous and that it stunk. Says she will not watch it next time but I would wager a bet on that one. I think they could have made a really great show but fell a little short. Many times the pilot is not what the show ends up being so we can all hope that is the case.

 

[mbphoto]

I forgot to mention, why didn't they make this show more like Stick It? That was such a great movie and the gymnastics community obviously loved it. My kid and her gym friends must have watched that move over 100 times.

This is my Bailey on the right in the pink to with Maddy Curley from the movie Stick It.