Sitcoms Online: Today we have a special “Seven Questions” interview with the very likeable Melissa Rycroft, who of course won Dancing with the Stars: All Stars last fall! Paired with professional dancer Tony Dovolani, Rycroft “waltzed” her way into America’s hearts and into a third place finish on season eight of the hit ABC series Dancing with the Stars (and later on the All-Star edition). Soon after she took on co-hosting duties on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest for ABC, as well as joined ABC News as a special contributor for Good Morning America, delivering fun and uplifting stories from across the country and from Hollywood’s most glamorous red carpets. She has also been a host or reporter for Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, and Bachelor Pad. In the midst of her entertainment career taking off, Rycroft found time to reconnect with the true love of her life, Tye Strickland. In little time the two were married and welcomed daughter Ava Grace to the world. Rycroft first gained fame as a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, appearing on two seasons of CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Then she followed with a stint on The Bachelor. She has graced the cover of the People magazine and was featured among their 100 Most Beautiful People of 2009. Rycroft has also been named to Maxim’s Hot 100 list. Rycroft graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in marketing and resides in Dallas with Tye and Ava. She had her own CMT reality series last spring called Melissa & Tye, as they packed their bags and moved to L.A.
We talked to her about the Dancing experience obviously, but she is now promoting the launch of the Unconditional Fun Sweepstakes to celebrate the Banana Boat® ultimate fun family! We find out how she got involved with this brand, her experiences on Dancing with the Stars, what she thinks of the Results Show being eliminated next fall and if she has any acting aspirations next. So let’s get right to another installment of “Seven Questions!”
SitcomsOnline: It is so great to finally interview you! We have been a fan and a supporter of yours for quite some time. Hope you remember us and our tweets! Anyway, so glad you have partnered with Energizer Personal Care, the makers of Banana Boat® sunscreen. Can you tell us how you got into this?
Melissa Rycroft: I have always been an active person and was raised in a very athletic family, but since becoming a mom I feel like I’ve been more active than ever! My family really enjoys being outdoors, and during our family fun time outside, I want to be sure we’re protected from the elements. With summer just around the corner, it was the perfect time to partner with Banana Boat® and their Unconditional Fun Sweepstakes to encourage families to get out and experience memorable moments together while protecting their skin from the sun.
Melissa with Tye and Ava
SitcomsOnline: So you mentioned there is a sweepstakes portion for Banana Boat® sunscreen as well. How can families enter and what prizes are in store?
Melissa Rycroft: That’s right! For seven weeks, Banana Boat® is giving families the opportunity to enter to win summer fun prizes including an outdoor swing set, an inflatable waterpark, and bikes for a family of four; and one family will win the ultimate four-day, three-night family getaway to any of the ten U.S. Great Wolf Lodge® Waterpark Resorts. Families can enter to win by uploading a picture of their family having fun in one of the 7 conditions or simply by clicking “Enter to Win” on the Banana Boat brand Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BananaBoatBrand
SitcomsOnline: Your daughter Ava is really an angel and I can’t believe it has been 2 years since she was born! Does she like playing outside in the sun with you and Tye? Using that sunscreen will sure come in handy today in this hot and humid day here in NY. (Note: This interview was conducted last week.)
Melissa Rycroft: Yes! Ava adores being outside in the sun. We love spending time taking family trips to the lake or the beach, or just doing anything outdoors! I also feel like that time outdoors is important not only for building family memories, but also to showing Ava how important a sun protection regimen is to helping keep your skin safe from harmful UV rays. She’s growing up so fast, and I hope that teaching her healthy skin care habits now will give her the tools she needs to continue those habits in the future.
SitcomsOnline: Let’s talk Dancing with the Stars for a bit, you were so great on season eight and then in the All-Star edition. I know you never thought you’d win the all-star edition, but we had a feeling you would. Can you share some secrets from behind the scenes of DWTS that many people probably don’t know about? It seems like such a fun place.
Melissa Rycroft: Dancing with the Stars: All Stars was really an amazing experience, and it definitely topped my first round on dancing–though that’s probably because we won! All around it was a great experience. The cast became so close, rehearsals became fun rather than a chore, and I had a blast with Tony!
SitcomsOnline: Which stars do you think should hit the dance floor on the upcoming fall season?
Melissa Rycroft: You know, I would recommend Dancing with the Stars to anyone and everyone that is considering joining the cast; it’s such a fantastic experience and not one I will ever forget – plus it gets you in incredible shape! I won’t name names, but I can certainly think of a number of people that I would personally love to see hit the floor!
SitcomsOnline: What is your take on the Dancing Results Show being eliminated this fall? How do you think they will handle the elimination process now on the performance show itself? It sounds action-packed!
Melissa Rycroft: I think there are lots of viewers that look forward to the results show (and I know I did as a contestant!), but there will still be two full seasons next year and it will give the competitors more time to train for their dances and competition. As for how they will handle the elimination process moving forward? I guess we’ll all have to tune in and watch!
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SitcomsOnline: Finally, what’s coming up next for Melissa Rycroft? Any more GMA correspondent stories or another series? You need to be on TV every day. Frankly, we think you have the charisma and charm to star in a sitcom…any acting aspirations? Thank you for your time and hope we can actually meet one day!
Melissa Rycroft: Thank you! To be honest, right now I’m enjoying my family time. Summer is definitely the best time to take a few months off and relax with loved ones. We’ll see what’s in store in the future, but right now my focus is on family.
We definitely appreciate Melissa for taking the time to give us an interview to promote Banana Boat® and their Unconditional Fun Sweepstakes. She is so very nice and don’t forget to enter the sweepstakes for your chance to win! That’ll do it for this installment of “Seven Questions,” stay tuned next time for another brand new interview! But first, don’t forget to check out Melissa Rycroft all over the web and social media. Follow her everywhere!
Melissa Rycroft Official Website
Melissa Rycroft on Twitter
Melissa Rycroft on Facebook
Melissa Rycroft on Instagram
Banana Boat Website
The team has been selected! Click here for more on this year’s squad.
By WKBN
Monday, June 3, 2013
A Howland teen’s dancing skill has landed her a recurring role on a new television series on VH-1.
Howland High School graduate Alaina Hoolihan, 19, has been dancing since the age of 3 at the James Dance and Performing Arts Center on North River Road. Now, she can be seen in the Dean Cain drama, “Hit the Floor.”
Hoolihan said it was her first audition ever and she couldn’t believe she landed the show.
“This is my 16th year of dancing and the show is all dancing,” said Hoolihan. “It’s about the Los Angeles Devil Girls, and we are the premier basketball dance team. We are like the best of the best. They wanted the best of the best dancers for this show.”
Hoolihan was still in high school when she landed the role. She was visiting her sister at the time of the audition.
“It’s crazy how it happened so fast because it usually never happens that way, but I’m thankful I can dance this young and so everything this young,”Hoolihan said.
The second episode of Hit the Floor airs Monday at 9 p.m. on VH-1.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders website has an official group photo of this year’s training camp candidates. Hopefully we’ll have all of the names sorted out soon, so we’ll know who is who. Click here to see the full size version.
Patriots.com
May 29, 2013
With the help of Andy Berler, creator of BMAX, the Patriots Cheerleaders are training hard to be strong, healthy and super fit for the upcoming calendar shoot in St. Lucia and the for NFL season. The training sessions are difficult but unique and fun, and are essential for optimal game day performances. The Gillette Stadium field was the setting for the last workout and it proved to be the toughest one yet.
Joe Shooman
The Cayman Compass
May 31, 2013
Cayman is arguably the most beautiful place in the world.
But even the white sands, clear azure seas and year-round sunshine can be improved.
How? Add cheerleaders, of course.
That would be the New York Jets’ Flight Crew, who came to Cayman recently to shoot their 2014 calendar. Needless to say, the girls were mostly excited about meeting Weekender, so we did our best to make that dream come true.
“We had our calendar shoot at different locations,” explains Natalie N. (the ladies only use the first letter of their surnames for security reasons.)
“We have been having an amazing time and had extravagant excursions which is a great plus. We are very blessed to be here.”
Shoots took place in a number of locations including Little Cayman, the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and of course the beautiful waterscape that makes the Cayman Islands world-famous. There was even time for a Jet Pack session – scary, but fun, apparently.
It’s clear the girls loved their time in Cayman, even if their schedules were pretty much work, work and more work.
“The park is 65 acres of wonderful tropical, beautiful land,” offers Roselinda G.
“I had a lot of colourful leaves behind my shoot, it was such an amazing experience. We met the Blue Iguanas and also met the Rock Iguanas on Little Cayman.”
The Flight Crew also added a New York sign to the post up at Rum Point. Danielle S. says that she has taken care to process the surroundings and enjoy the experience as much as possible.
“We took a moment when we were paddleboarding to just enjoy the scenery, to take in the water and the blue sky. It will take a while to process but when we are back in New York it will sink in that we had such an awesome time.”
Cheerleading, Roselinda says, was a natural next step as she is a dancer.
“I feel like all activities like dance, cheerleading, performing – it takes a long time and a lot of dedication. You have to work hard and keep the standards up.
“Every year we re-audition to keep your spot. In the post-season you just reflect on an awesome season and just want to be out there again. You train, work hard and pray, hope and cross your fingers that you get your spot back and the dream comes true all over again,” she says.
Natalie’s in her first season as a cheerleader and says she always remembers her first performance.
“It was with the Junior Flight Crew, in our home opener against the Giants. My heart nearly stopped beating for a second as I was running on to the field with the girls. As soon as I started performing, everything fit into place and I realised it was where I wanted to be and where I wanted to do.
“People do not realise how much hard work we put into it. There is so much training but when everything fell into place it was one of the happiest moments of my life.”
Train hard
During the season, the cheerleaders rehearse three times a week, explains Danielle.
“Two of those days are working in the studio with choreographers, getting to know routines, preparing new rookies and so on. Then we go outside into the elements to learn doing that outside which can be the hard part. You train and work hard during the summer but you perform when it is cold and it could be snowing or raining which makes it more difficult.”
Of course, the girls are primarily there to whip up the crowd and add atmosphere to the games themselves, Danielle continues.
“The players know we are there for them, to cheer the team on and help them to win. We help to bring the fans closer to the players because we all want the same thing – we all want the Jets to win in the end. It’s a big family.”
As for the budding Cayman cheerleaders. Natalie has some sage advice.
“Always follow your heart and follow your passions. Even if you think you can’t do it [go for it], if you can imagine it, you can do it.
“There is a girl who has just made the team and she tried out four times before she was successful. Keep trying; work your hardest, train your hardest and you will get what you want one day.
“Never give up – it is a cliche, but it’s the truth.”
The 2014 calendar will be released at pre-season toward the end of the summer. The trip was arranged in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.
You gotta love someone willing to go to these lengths just to give a member of her team a warm fuzzy.
[Check out the photo gallery!]
“Barbie Goes Red”
By Kelli Finglass (Director, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
DallasCowboysCheerleaders.com
May 30, 2013
Every now and then I get a wacky idea that is next to impossible to execute, but I will fixate until the mission is accomplished.
Each year at auditions, I select a few Director’s Choice Awards for outstanding solos performed by the candidates. The prize? My pride and joy in my journey as DCC director – the coveted DCC Barbie.
The DCC Barbie represents determination to me because, beginning in 1992, I wrote letters and made phone calls to Mattel with the hope of partnering on a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Barbie. I have all the copies of my letters and the “Thanks, but no thanks” responses I received back from Mattel in my file of “determination.”
Long story short, in 2006 I received a phone call from Robert Best, who was a designer for the Barbie Collectible Division. Robert also was the lead designer for the annual Holiday Barbie! He was based in Hollywood, had been a judge on Project Runway and was a fan of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team on CMT. He continued the call by asking if I would ever consider lending the DCC image to a Collectible Barbie. He mentioned he was originally from Dallas and he loved the DCC uniform and how it could translate on Barbie.
I squealed, laughed at the fact that I had been writing my annual letter to Mattel each year, never took no for an answer, and the final ask came from Mattel to me by a lovely designer who was a Dallas native!
With impressive attention to detail in designing Barbie’s makeup, uniform and boots, every detail was articulate, right down to the crystal earrings she wore. In 2007, Barbie hit the market and sold out in just three days.
Told you so!
We released a blonde, brunette and an African-American Barbie as part of the collection, and you can now only find them on EBay and similar websites.
Fast forward to the present, and I am awarding Emma Mary, a third-year DCC veteran, the artistic excellence award for her outstanding solo at Final Auditions.
Challenge: Emma has red hair and we didn’t make a redheaded Barbie, a mistake I admit now.
Blonde barbie safe in her box Because I’m a visual perfectionist, and can be “over the top” on gift giving, I was bound and determined to transform one of my treasured Barbies (that we keep locked in a closet) into a vibrant REDHEAD. I mentioned it to my staff in a team meeting, and they all rolled their eyes with one of those “you gotta be kidding” moments. (This motivates me even more, by the way.)
So, my own hair color appointment was the next week at Premier Atelier, and I thought I’d take Barbie along for the ride, and see … just see … if the experts at the Salon could help me achieve my vision of “Making Barbie Red.” My concern was Barbie’s hair was synthetic, and we’d probably wind up with “Bald Barbie” instead of a vibrant redhead like Emma.
Barbie got a consultation and giggles from the pros at Premier Atelier, and it was decided that instead of doing permanent color and foils, Barbie would get a spray on color by the fashionable Bumble and Bumble product line.
After a painful attempt at getting Barbie out of her Collector’s Edition Box without damaging the packaging, we then had to get her “unwired” from the box. We almost made the fatal decision of pulling her head off for the procedure.
Jonny and Lindsay began the process of coloring Barbie as I looked on. I was getting my red refreshed, too! When the initial color was done, Lindsay did some touch-up red to Barbie’s roots and then laid her down to process. Barbie looked as if she was in post-surgery on a steel table as she was wrapped in a towel while her hair was “processing.”
Barbie checks out her new look
At the conclusion, the Barbie was a vibrant redhead and sat in the salon chair admiring her now look! We all giggled with pride and anticipation of how shocked Emma would be to not only win the Barbie, but also be the ONLY person in the world to have an Official Custom Redhead Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Barbie!
Emma and her BarbieI felt the joy of Christmas when I presented Emma her Director’s Choice Barbie, and the DCC in the room squealed when we revealed the one and only “Emma Barbie.”
In total, I awarded nine Director’s Choice Awards from this season’s Final Auditions: Jacie Scott, Olivia Rene, Carisa Rose, Hannah Alexandra, Mackenzie Lee, Mia Greenhouse, Jennifer Alexis, Ashley Marie, and Emma Mary. A fun time for all!
Vikings.com: The 2013 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar is in the works! Now we just need to decide which MVC should grace this year’s cover…….so we are asking Vikings fans to help us with the selection process! We have paired the TOP 8 cover model finalists, selected during our audition process for the 2013 team, and now we need you to vote each week and let us know who you think the MVC representative should be on our cover. We have paired the ladies up – so week by week you can select which MVC should move to the next round for a chance at the cover. [Here] are the match ups to get us started! This year’s version of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders calendar will be unveiled during the week of July 4.
Click here to cast your votes!
Week #1 Matchup: Lauryn vs. Jeanne
The network’s second scripted series, about a professional dance squad, premieres Monday night at 9 p.m. ET
Tony Maglio
The Wrap
May 27, 2013
VH1 is entering uncharted territory by treating its new scripted series as a reality show — at least when it comes to social media.
The network is launching a number of websites over various social media platforms on Monday, the same day that “Hit the Floor” will premiere. The transmedia strategy will see writers and producers of the series operating character-owned Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the week in an effort to drive conversation similar to VH1’s popular reality television stars.
“What we’d really love to do here is take that social fervor and bring it to a scripted show…It’s really kind of a cross-disciplinary kind of effort that we’re super-excited about,” senior vice president of connected content Dan Sacher told TheWrap. “We’re testing the boundaries of the TV experience, we’re really trying to make it a seven-days-a-week extended storyline.”
The series, which premieres Monday night at 9 p.m. ET, is a scripted show about a fictional basketball dance squad, the Devil Girls, famous in its own fabricated world. The Devil Girls, who dance for (and occasionally sleep with) the professional Los Angeles Devils men’s basketball team, are kind of like the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders with (more) attitude.
PICK AND ROLL: Valery Ortiz, Taylour Paige, Logan Browning and Katherine Bailess, from left, play basketball cheerleaders in ‘Hit the Floor.’
Boston Herald
May 27, 2013
“Hit the Floor” Series premiere tonight at 9 on VH1. Grade: C
You might have trouble figuring out who the Los Angeles Devil Girls are supposed to be in the new VH1 scripted series “Hit the Floor.”
Are they cheerleaders, dancers, prostitutes or toys for the pro basketball players?
Don’t worry. The producers apparently have the same problem in this minor scripted night-time soap.
Our heroine Ahsha Hayes (newcomer Taylour Paige) ditches a bank job interview her mom Sloane (Kimberly Elise, “Close to Home”) set up so she can live her dream to audition for the Devil Girls, the cheerleading squad allegedly more popular than the team for whom they root.
Mom was an original Devil Girl and practically crosses herself and throws salt over her shoulder when reminded of her sordid past.
Team captain Jelena (Logan Browning, “Meet the Browns”) immediately loathes the talented upstart and does everything but grease the floor to trip her up.
Much of the hour consists of extended dance numbers that come off as “Showgirls” outtakes crossed with community college aerobics.
The athletes leer at the women and view them as their private hookup pool. How long before Ahsha forgets about nice-guy boyfriend German (Jonathan “Lil J” McDaniel) for cocksure player Derek (McKinley Freeman)?
Not everyone here is completely despicable: Raquel (Valery Ortiz) is a single mom embroiled in a nasty custody case with the guy who manages half the players. Kyle (Katherine Bailess, “One Tree Hill”) is the Southern ex-stripper who will do anything — anything — to advance her career. Unconcerned about how the other cheerleaders view her, she’s camp fun.
“These girls will eat you alive,” she advises Ahsha. “The ones that eat at all.”
Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) and Charlotte Ross (“NYPD Blue”) fill out supporting roles as Pete Davenport, the ex-player now coaching the basketball team, and Olivia Vincent, the squad manager, respectively.
Cain chews a lot of gum. Ross looks, umm, tightened since last seen on the small screen. It seems unfortunate that both their careers have led to this dead end.
There’s a minor mystery involving a dancer named Mia who ran out of town. The show isn’t interested, why should you be?
In the last 30 seconds or so of tonight’s pilot, somebody remembers some drama is needed to hook viewers into coming back in a week. This sure isn’t “Scandal.” The plot twist is so hokey and delivered so matter-of-factly, it even insults the minor reality of this show.
“Hit the Floor” shakes a lot of booty but could use a few kicks itself.
