Back in 2006 a story broke about a group of out of control teenage cheerleaders who got away with just about anything in their suburban Texas town. Calling themselves the “Fab Five,” the girls disregarded rules and authority on a regular basis. Their parents and teachers weren’t doing anything to stop it and it probably would’ve gone on, had their cheerleading coach not gone to the press with it.
It sounds a little like a movie and in fact, that’s exactly what the Lifetime channel plans to do with the story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lifetime just green-lit the project and Tatum O’Neal, Jenna Dewan and Ashley Benson have already signed on to star in the film.
I hadn’t heard this story of a bunch of high school girls gone wild so I did a bit of research. Apparently, the scandal involved photos of the girls posing near penis-shaped candles in a condom store posted on a MySpace page and some other misdeeds ranging from walking out of class, ignoring school rules and playing pranks on their cheerleading coach. The pranks involved sending racy text messages from the coach’s home to her husband and another coach. They also reportedly gave her a “chocolate tampon.” I have no idea what that is and considered googling it but then thought better of it.
Anyway, the coach had enough and after getting no support from the principal (who also happened to be the mother of one of the girls), she went to the press and that’s how the story got out.
Lifetime senior VP Tanya Lopez commented on the project, saying “The real-life story of these cheerleaders shocked many when the story broke, not only for their racy and inappropriate behavior but also for the inaction of the school's administrators and parents.” She went on to say, “We hope this movie reminds parents how important it is to set limits on their children.”
The movie will be called Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal and should air sometime this summer. Benson is set to play the role of Brooke, the captain of the cheerleading squad and daughter to the school principal, Lorene (who will be played by O’Neal). Dewan is signed on to play the role of Emma Car, the teacher/cheerleading coach who goes to the press with the Fab Five’s story.
