A Simon Says elimination game is an unusual way to begin a competition supposedly designed to identify the best cheerleader in the country, and that tension shapes the entire event. Contestants ranging from very young children to accomplished older athletes are tested through flexibility, tumbling, balance, teamwork, flying, and increasingly difficult flips, but they are also removed for mistakes that have little to do with overall cheer ability. The result works better as a fast-paced entertainment challenge than as a definitive measure of who is actually the nation’s best cheerleader.
The early rounds establish an energetic mix of skill and personality. Standing back tucks, splits, tumbling passes, handstands, and a bullseye landing challenge quickly reveal major differences among the competitors, while the younger contestants often become some of the strongest performers. The bullseye round is particularly effective because it demands control rather than simply maximum power, forcing athletes to manage landings carefully instead of relying on their most explosive tumbling.
Cash offers and special choices keep the format unpredictable, though they also make the competitive structure increasingly arbitrary. One contestant accepts $500 and leaves, another is allowed to take money while bringing back someone who had already been eliminated, and a successful bullseye gives a competitor the power to remove another participant entirely. Those twists generate suspense, but they weaken the claim that advancement consistently reflects cheerleading performance.
The teamwork round broadens the contest beyond individual tricks by asking two groups to create routines in only 15 minutes. That is a useful change of pace because cheerleading depends heavily on coordination, timing, and group performance, not just tumbling ability. However, eliminating an entire team based on a single judge’s decision, then restoring one contestant through audience applause, again emphasizes entertainment mechanics over a carefully standardized athletic evaluation.
The add-on round produces some of the best competitive moments because contestants must reproduce increasingly difficult sequences while deciding how far they are willing to push themselves. One especially responsible moment comes when a young competitor declines to attempt a standing full she has never performed before. The adults immediately praise that choice rather than pressuring her into an unfamiliar skill, which is important given how frequently the challenges encourage children to attempt demanding tumbling under competitive pressure.
The later flying and high-flip challenges create an effective underdog story around number 11, who repeatedly succeeds despite having little or no cheer experience compared with several decorated competitors. His decision to reject a $500 exit offer before successfully competing in the basket challenge gives the final rounds a clear narrative thread. The last duel against number 12 is simple and visually understandable: each athlete must keep clearing a rising bar until one cannot.
Sportsmanship ultimately gives the ending more substance than the exaggerated title of “greatest cheerleader” or “best cheerleader in the nation.” Number 12 explains that she hopes to donate part of her winnings to St. Jude because of her mother’s experience with cancer, while number 11 says he wants to give his prize to his mother. After number 11 wins the $2,000 competition, the host also offers a $2,000 donation connected to number 12’s charitable goal, allowing both finalists to leave with meaningful outcomes even though only one wins the contest.
Pros
- Showcases a wide range of cheer-related abilities, including tumbling, flexibility, landing control, teamwork, flying, and aerial height.
- Builds several genuinely suspenseful challenges around competitors with noticeably different strengths and experience levels.
- Treats a young contestant’s decision not to attempt an unfamiliar standing full as a positive safety choice rather than a failure of courage.
- The final rounds develop a strong underdog narrative while preserving supportive interactions between competitors.
- The charitable conclusion gives the competition a warmer payoff beyond simply awarding the cash prize.
Cons
- Simon Says mistakes, audience applause, cash buyouts, reinstatements, and contestant-selected eliminations make advancement an inconsistent measure of actual cheerleading ability.
- Repeated claims that the winner is the best or greatest cheerleader in the country are far broader than the competition format can establish.
- Some highly accomplished contestants are eliminated before their overall cheer abilities can be meaningfully evaluated.
- Several rounds reward isolated gymnastics or tumbling skills more heavily than the broader combination of qualities associated with cheerleading.
- The frequent rule twists create excitement but occasionally make the competition feel constructed around surprises rather than fair comparison.
The competition succeeds as an energetic youth challenge built around impressive tumbling, likable personalities, and an increasingly engaging underdog story. Its playful elimination mechanics make for lively entertainment, but they are far too inconsistent to justify the sweeping claim that the eventual winner has been proven the country’s best cheerleader. The supportive treatment of young athletes and generous ending nevertheless leave the event on a satisfying note.
