The TLC reality show is supposed to explore the world of competitive cheerleading through the young girls who attend Alisha Dunlap’s Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood, Arkansas. The main focus has been shifted over to the drama-filled, ridiculous, self-centered mothers. The 8 show mini-series, which premiered on December 19, 2012, attracted millions of viewers expecting to see a show about competitive cheerleading. Instead, the viewers got a unrealistic perception of competitive cheerleading and a whole lot of mama drama.

During the show, the moms sit in the practice gym, while the practice is in progress.  In a reality, no one other than the athletes and coaches are allowed into the gym while practice is in session.  Somehow, the only mothers that are ever sitting in the gym during practice are the mothers that have been consistently appearing and participating in interviews for the show. The other mothers are never shown on camera or in the gym during practice unless they have taken part in drama or interviews for the show. The mothers also pull aside and talk to their children and give them critiques from the sidelines which wouldn’t fly in any other cheer gym. It’s just another opportunity for the moms to get on camera.

‘Cheer Perfection’ was scheduled to be a TLC special, but ended up as a mini series; set up in a way that is more similar to ‘Dance Moms’ than ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’. Both shows airing on TLC, focusing mostly on the drama between the mothers and not about anything related to cheerleading.

Most of the show is focused on the unnecessary drama of the moms and the relationships they have with one another. When they should be showing film of the cheerleaders, they are showing the moms bickering over dinner and tattling to the coach over the littlest things. The viewers know very little about any of the girls on the team and know everything inside and out about the mothers, but that is not what viewers were watching for. Over half of the show is based on looking into the details of all the mothers and their problems in the gym. The clips of the girls cheerleading routine is shortened and most of the scenes that the young cheerleaders take part in, they are crying and complaining to their “cheer” moms. All this new hit TV show is, is a bunch of southern rich families bickering over whose status is higher in the gym and whose daughter is the best. The series shows an extremely poor perspective on competitive cheerleading by basically embarrassing the competitive cheerleading world.

It will be interesting to see if this complete copy of Lifetime’s ‘Dance Moms’ will continue onto a second season.