The ups and downs, the desire for victory, intrigue and the struggle for a place in the team - this is the series “Gymnasts”, whose actors showed the inner world of elite sports.
Sports drama
“Make it or break it” is the original name for the television drama that started on ABC Family in June 2009. The pilot series gathered 2.5 million viewers at the screens.
The reason for the resounding success, thanks to which the series lasted three seasons, was the sports theme. The author of the idea, Holly Sorensen, together with producer Paul Stupin, were able to keep the drama fans in suspense, because it was almost impossible to predict the plot.
Do you like the series “Gymnasts”? Actors (whose biography, unfortunately, is the topic of a separate review) and interesting facts will be described in our article.
In the center of the plot
The fight for the podium in the US national championship is the main goal in the life of Kylie Cruz, Payson Keeler and Lauren Tanner. The girls have known each other since childhood, because the training base in the town of Boulder has long been their second home.
Suddenly, among the gymnasts, a new contender for the medal appears - Emily Kmetko. She had to grow up quite early and bear responsibility for her disabled brother and mother, who is struggling to cope with her parental responsibilities. Financial problems, uncertainty about the future and the lack of a mentor prevent Kmetko’s talent from being fully revealed.
Another feature of the series “Gymnasts” - actors and actresses were supposed to portray not only professional athletes, but also teenagers. According to fans, Chelsea Hobbs (Emily Kmetko) did it best. Interestingly, in the career of an actress, this is not the first role of a gymnast - in 1997, the Canadian starred in the film “The Perfect Figure”.
Worst of all, Loren Tanner reacted to joining the “new” team. “Queen of logs” after the mother left the family was spoiled by a loving father. In the series, Cassie Lynn Serbo got a negative character. Loren speaks and does nasty things, thinks only of herself. At some point, she realizes that she was wrong, but the insight does not last long. On the path to success, Tanner uses all available methods - intrigue, betrayal of his best friend, and even a coach.
Golden Girl
Kaylee Cruz has everything you can dream of. A goal in life and a favorite pastime, an ideal family, a boyfriend and the best advertising campaigns - from the first minutes, Kayleigh became the favorite of everyone who watched the series “Gymnasts”.
Actors and roles, according to fans, matched perfectly. The image of the talented Cruz was a great success for the American Josie Lauren. The captain of the team also fell a lot of tests. Parental divorce, girlfriend's betrayal, exhausting workouts and the fight against eating disorder - for a moment it seemed to everyone that the fragile Cayley could not cope with problems and would lose her distance.
And finally, the stubborn, bold and hardy Payson Keeler. This gymnast is obsessed with sports, she accepts and complies with all the rules. From the screenwriters of the series, clever Payson gets a serious back injury, after which any other girl would end her career. However, Keeler does not give up, is recovering from an injury and is again included in the fight for a ticket to the Olympic Games.
Before shooting in the series “Gymnasts”, the actors perfected their sports form for four months. The performer of the role of Payson Keeler - Isla Kell was the easiest, because she has been practicing ballet professionally since she was 14.
Success and criticism
For many, a surprising discovery was the fact that the actors of the series “Gymnasts” are not professional athletes. The shooting was attended by a whole team of understudies, whose brilliant performances got into the frame. Interestingly, the approval of the actresses for the main roles occurred after the selection of gymnasts.
During the training, Hobbs, Kell, Serbo and Lauren, under the guidance of a Canadian coach, mastered simple gymnastic elements, and the gym in Boulder was equipped with real gym equipment.
From the very beginning, the critics did not share the enthusiasm of the audience - for them, the soap opera was more like the series Gymnasts. The actors were perfectly matched, but from season to season no new twists in the plot took place. The life of young athletes consisted of preparing for the competition, the competition itself and problems with parents and boyfriends. Monotony ultimately affected the ratings - viewers who were interested in the premiere of the third season were 40% less. After eight episodes, the story of the drama “Gymnastics” was over.