Everyone asks about the stunt work in the show, who are the stunt doubles? Below are a list of the doubles/gymnasts who appear with some information and a clip where available:
Natalie Padilla– doubles for Kaylie, University of Iowa gymnast, 23, you will also recognize the end pose of her routine as the same one Kaylie does at the Denver meet
Jordan Schwikert– doubles for Payson, UCLA, named UCLA’s gymnast of the year, 23, Qualified for the 2002 USA Championships but had to withdraw with a back injury (sounds like that could be Payson’s story)
Ariana Berlin– stunt double for Kaylie, 22, UCLA, earned Level 10 status and was training for elite before injuries from a serious car accident forced her retirement in 2001
Tasha Schwikert– two-time NCAA all-around champion and a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team UCLA, 25
Heidi Moneymaker– doubles for Emily- 31, UCLA’s first female NCAA uneven bars champion, Member of the Junior Olympic National Team
Courtney Kupets– doubled for both Payson and Kelly Parker (that just seems wrong), University of Georgia, 23, 2004 all-around national championships (with Carly Patterson as co-champion); individual bronze medal on the uneven bars at the 2004 Olympics,
Ashley Postell– doubles for Lauren, national champion in floor exercise in 2003 and the world champion in balance beam in 2002, you’ll recognize Lauren’s little foot move here (the thing we always see her practicing even though it’s the least important part of the routine), 23
Jen Hansen– University of Kentucky, won three consecutive NCAA All-Around Championships between 1993 and 1995
Renae Moneymaker-San Jose State, 22
Chrissy Weathersby– Michigan State University, 31, stunt woman (including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Spiderman 3, Resident evil: Extinction…)
Tarah Paige– 27, won the bronze medal on the balance beam at 2001 Nationals
Lindsay Orton– Junior Olympics, stunt woman
Jessica Miyagi– Junior Olympics, gymnastic stunts
Steven McCain– Carter’s double I’m guessing, member of the men’s 2000 U.S. Olympic Team and was an alternate on the 2004 Olympic squad
Jessie Graff– stunt woman, 25
Kristina Baskett– University of Utah, 22, All-around, vault and floor champion at the 2005 USA Junior Olympic Championships
Nicole Butler– Louisiana State University
Meggin Penkal– doubles for Emily, stuntwoman with n extensive background in gymnastics, interestingly, she has also doubled for Cassie Scerbo (though in the movie Soccer Mom)
An interesting quote from Holly Sorensen, the show’s creator about the cast members of the show: “Ayla Kell (who plays Payson Keeler) is like a full-fledged ballerina. She can do some stuff on the floor that even the gymnasts can’t do.” I’d like to see that.
Check out the episode summaries:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
And misc. show things:
What Might Happen
General Thoughts
Stunt Doubles
The Cast
Chalked Up by National Champion Jennifer Sey Book Review
Feel No Fear by Bela Karolyi Book Review
August 7, 2010 at 8:43 pm
wow ..im kind of disapointed i never new there were stunt dubles……
i wish i cud do that…
March 26, 2012 at 12:35 pm
me too! i really thought they could do that on their own , i was amazed that there were actors out there with gymnastics in their backround… 😦
July 26, 2011 at 4:25 am
[…] on TV when they’re not really musicians. Kind of makes me wish the show not only splurged on gymnast doubles but also voice doubles. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via […]
November 28, 2012 at 11:15 am
You could tell how they never do close ups when they are doing tricks. They do close ups of the lower part of the body. Stars of a show aren’t allowed to get hurt or else it could be a huge loss for the production. When Lauren was doing a trick, the girl had dark roots, something Lauren doesn’t have. You could also tell because the actors don’t have enough muscle definition anywhere in their bodies.
January 16, 2013 at 8:50 pm
Hi there, You have done a great job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
February 17, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Thanks! Great post! Exactly what I was looking for.
May 23, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked
hard on. Any recommendations?