“Cheer” Star Monica Aldama Talks Exciting Journey – Emmy Confidential
“We can! We will! We must!”
If team Navarro brings forth the same relentless energy they deliver on the mat come Emmys night, the cast of Netflix’s Cheer just might sweep their competition. Since its debut on the streaming service in January, viewers have fallen in love with the star athletes of Navarro College and the coaches who inspire them.
Now, they’re gearing up for the 2020 Emmys, where Cheer has been nominated for six awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program and Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
Speaking to E! News, Navarro coach Monica Aldama revealed what it’s like to garner so much praise for her run on the show.
“We are so excited about being nominated for six Emmys,” Aldama said. “I mean, that’s something that we’re not familiar with and obviously we love trophies. So any time you get a trophy, it’s not really about the piece of metal that you’re actually receiving, it’s about being recognized for an accomplishment.”
She continued, “Those two go together. That’s what we work so hard for in cheerleading, in practice and stuff, to be successful and to be recognized for that accomplishment. So the same for the Emmys, that feeling of recognition is why you keep pushing yourself on a daily basis.”
Greg Endries/Bravo
In the clip above, Aldama, who’s gearing up as a season 29 contestant on Dancing With the Stars, also discussed why she decided to participate in the show despite normally keeping a low profile. The answer? Her athletes.
“I think cheerleading has a bad stereotype at times where it’s these mean, popular girls and that’s not what it is at all,” she said, pointing out the Navarro squad is uniquely diverse and “such a loving, inclusive environment.”
Elsewhere, she also discussed which athlete she considers the best mat talker (hint: he’s a fan favorite) and what it was like to receive a cardigan from the queen of folklore herself, Taylor Swift.
As for those rumors about a potential season two of Cheer? She didn’t spill too much: “I don’t know anything about a season two. We are just happy to keep enjoying all of the wonderful things that are happening with season one.”
Which reminds us, now’s the perfect time to re-watch the series from start to finish. After all, did we ever really figure out what happened during Sherb’s hard-to-watch fall?
Watch our Live From E!: Emmys coverage starting Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT followed by the 2020 Emmy Awards telecast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC!
