Spartan Cheerleaders

The Spartan Cheerleaders is a sketch from the hit TV show Saturday Night Live.  Running from 1995 until 1999, it focus on a duo of awkward teenage cheerleaders and their routines.  The big punch line, most of the school events that they played, they weren't suppossed to be at.  What kind of school would have a two person cheerleading squad anyway?

The characters in this very popular sketch were Arianna, who was played by Cheri Oteri, and Craig, who was played by Will Ferrell.  There were 17 Spartan Cheerleaders sketches in the 1990s, with each focusing on the duo performing there very bizarre routines and equally bizarre locals, going from a nomral school function like a football game, and digressing into chess and swim meets, eventually ending up in places like Hickory Farms.  Their odd little chants and cheer would usually be provided with an aggressive or offensive response from the crowds they were tryin to please. 

The sketch was originally created by Chris Kattan, and featured a wide array of character, many of whom rarely made an actual on screen appearance.  Instead, the two main Spartan Cheerleaders would yell things to off camera character, rarely even getting a response.  Alexis is one of the prime examples of these character, who was only played on screen once by Jennifer Love Hewitt.  More often than not, Arianna would just scream something to her off screen. 

The Actors Playing The Roles

Cheri Oteri- Cheri Oteri is most well known for performing skits like the Spartan Cheerleaders on Saturday Night Live, as well as few other roles in shows like Arrested Development.  She went to Los Angeles at 25 in search of starting a comedy career.  On SNL, she played several roles, including

• Rita DelVecchio, a angry New York women who would often say cruel things to children
• Mickey, a masculine lesbian who worke as a cable repair person
• Nadeen, best known as the Simma Down lady

She is currently set to voice a character on a new Fox series.

Will Ferrell- Ferrell worked on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002, later emerging as a movie actor, making several widely successful comedy hits like Talladega Nights, and even some movies based off of his SNL characters, like Night At The Roxbury.  He played several large character beside one of the Spartan Cheerleaders, including

• George Bush
• Al Gore
• Sadaam Hussein
• Neil Diamond
• Alex Trebek

He has a new movie, a remake of Land Of The Lost, set for release in 2009.

The series  of Spartan Cheerleaders sketches have become so popular, they are often immitated on sites like Youtube.  They've even spawned a line of very realistic Halloween costumes, for those who trule love the skit.

Here's an example of a couple of high school students immitating the Spartan Cheerleaders.