It’s Draft Day 2006! The Bucs hold a huge party at Raymond James Stadium and the girls pose for photographs and sign autographs. We see a montage of overzealous Bucs fans: Buccaneer Elvis, guys with Bucanneer tattoos, guys with videocameras. Some of the guys go to so many appearances that the girls know them by name; in fact one guy asks Kayla if she’s “graduating this year”. She tells the guy she already graduated and they high five. Fans are flattering but I wonder if these girls ever get freaked out.
We catch up with DeShay at the driving range. Apparently she takes golf for college credits. I think this is one of those classes you take as Senior to kill time, you know, like Matt Leinert and the ballroom dancing. Like an idiot, I graduated early so I never really took the ridiculously easy classes. If I would have known then how fantastic my life was going to turn out, I would have taken golf, ballroom dancing and SCUBA Diving (this was actually offered) and probably would still be in school.
It’s makeover time! I wish I could tell you the official salon of the TBBC, but the sign outside just says “Salon” so I don’t have much to go on. Sandy supervises the makeovers and wants Mily to look like Rhianna. Oh Mily, I hope you have your umbrella-ella-ella-ay! handy. Of course, I should point out that this is the Rhianna of yesteryear, so Mily is getting extensions and not that alien, asymentrical cut that Rhianna sports now. As promised, Rachel goes back to blonde. Other cheerleaders get their natural colors softened or touched up. Sandy thinks that Aubrey would look great as a strawberry blonde. Unfortunately Aubrey’s hair doesn’t cooperate and her hair comes out looking more blonde. Another appointment is made so that her hair can be color corrected.
Proving that the Bucs Cheerleaders keep it real, they select their bathing suits for the calendar shoot from the local Everything But Water. True story, I’ve modeled for Everything But Water, but it was in high school in my school’s auditorium not in some tropical locale with professional lighting and photographers. After trying on a few suits, Sandy selects a white and gold bikini for Veronica. Kayla tries on a sparkly coral suit. Aubrey, whose hair is still too light, will wear a brown suit for the shoot.
After the commercial break, we’re at Kayla’s family tropical fish farm. Her family has 438 ponds where they breed tropical fish. Since I love aquariums, I find this segment really interesting. I am a nerd. For all you tropical fish enthusiasts, their top seller is the red velvet sword. They also breed tropical stingrays. I had no idea tropical stingrays existed. See, Making the Squad is educational.
Now we’re back at Everything but Water. Rachel tries on a suit that looks like something Mary Ann would wear on Gilligan’s Island. Sandy passes on it and they select a sexier suit. Sandy hands Tiffany a pink coverup, photographs her and tells her that she’ll wear that at the calendar shoot. Tiffany’s kind of “um, okay” and goes with it. Sandy laughs and tells Tiffany that she wouldn’t make her pose in a coverup. Tiffany interviews that if Sandy truly wanted her to wear it, she’s wear it. Sandy must rule the roost like Miranda Preistly.
Aubrey arrives with really red hair. Sandy explains that the salon went too far with Aubrey’s hair and it needs to be corrected…again. Sandy calls the salon herself (which we now learn is called “New Identities”) and agrees to supervise while Aubrey’s hair is dyed for the umpteenth time. It’s 1:00 am and Aubrey’s hair is still not done. I really like that Sandy stayed the whole time, it would be really awful to be in the stylist’s chair for two full days by yourself. Finally, Aubrey’s hair reaches the desired color and all is right with the world. If you’ve seen this show, or you get a chance to watch in the near future, doesn’t Aubrey end up looking like Isla Fisher, Borat’s girlfirend and star of Wedding Crashers?
This year’s calendar will be shot in the Florida Keys and the girls arrive in style by an eight hour bus ride. Eight hours, unbelievable! You could fly from Tampa to Los Angeles in less time. Apparently the girls are staying in a rental house or something. It looks really nice.
The shoot begins with Crystal. Sandy adjusts Crystal’s top so it appears “smaller”. That scene right there is the whole reason why this show was produced. Rachel is up next and poses topless with her back to the camera so you can’t see anything. This calender seems a little racy. Erica is also without a top and covers her chest with her hands. Now Mily’s got her top off and is covering herself. I could never be in this calendar! Not that I have a problem with nudity (well my own) but I’d be afraid that I would never be able to get a job again. I made my MySpace private and I don’t have anything close to risque on there, imagine being in a swimsuit calendar that is widely distributed around your town (and the rest of the United States)?
Sany explains that she is on hand so the pictures don’t cross the lines and that the girls are more comfortable with her adjusting the suits. She then moves on to Jeni who will pose in bikini bottoms and strategically placed red, silver and black Mardi Gras beads. How much of a moneymaker do you think this calendar is?
We learn that this calendar shoot is eight days long. Do you have to be there for the entire eight days? What if you work? Why must I always ask practical questions? I think one of the reasons the shoot is so long as it appears that all 28 cheerleaders get to attend as opposed to just the Veterans or a select few. The girls are given a list of expressions that they should utilize during the shoot. The expressions include: sexy, sultry, shy, annoyed, excited, happy, flirty, anoyed, intense, and blank. Mine would be “deer in the headlights” or “I’m so going to get fired for posing without a bikini top”. We are treated to a montage of the girls trying out various expressions. DeShay isn’t very good at “sultry” so she’s having trouble with her shoot. Finally they let her smile and her pictures start come out much better.
Cheerleaders at Play! In their off-time, the girls play around in the pool and in kayaks. The girls struggle with paddling and navigating in their kayaks. And that’s the end of that segment!
Monica wears a bright orange two piece and poses in a variety of uncomfortable positions. Monica and the other girls discuss how difficult some of these poses can be. You have to suck in your stomach, and stick your chest and butt out all while making your “sultry” face. Tomoko has a little trouble understanding direction do the language barrier. She explains that when someone tells her she’s “hot” she misunderstands that and replies that she feels “fine” and then mimes like she’s cold.
Brittany’s shoot is rained out but the other girls decide to perform Esther Merman-esque water ballet routines in the pool. Other girls go to the gym to work on their fitness. The next day, Brittany poses in the pool shower in the rain. She’s shivering. I feel for her, I hate being cold.
Sandy explains that each Rookie acts as an assistant during the other girls’ photo shoots. Aubrey has to slather oil on DeShay. Veronica has to flatten out grass during Lauren’s shoot. That’s right, Lauren has to pose on a golf course or something. In the rain. I’d be pissed.
We wrap up with each of the girls interviewing how special it is to be on the squad. I like this squad because they seem really genuine and enjoy spending time together. Not that other squads don’t per se, I just think that this documentary really captured that friendship vibe and sold it. Plus the uniforms are precious!
Next up: Making the Squad: The San Diego Chargers Cheerleaders!
