The Spartan Cheerleaders
Encyclopedia
The Spartan Cheerleaders, often referred to as simply "The Spartans", were recurring characters on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live
during the 1990s. They consisted of students Arianna (Cheri Oteri
) and Craig (Will Ferrell
), a pair of awkward, self-conscious pariahs who led unusual cheerleading routines at school functions to which they had not been invited.
In the first "Spartans" sketch, it's made clear that Craig and Arianna tried out unsuccessfully for the East Lake High Spartan Spirit cheerleading squad, but after being cut, made off with the uniforms and began cheering on their own. They begin at a football game, but after being told to leave by a real Spartan (Quentin Tarantino
), they move to more unusual school functions where cheerleaders are usually not present, such as chess tournaments and swim meets. Eventually they were shown entirely out of school context, at places like Halloween parties and Hickory Farms
.
In between cheers, Arianna spars with her off-camera arch-nemesis Alexis. Alexis does not make an appearance until the "Candy Striper Spartans" episode (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt
), in which the Spartan Cheerleaders find her in labor in the hospital at which they volunteer.
An example of the Spartans' most common cheer format is: (Craig:) "Who's that Spartan in my teepee
?" (Arianna): "It's me, it's me" (Craig:) "Who's that Spartan in my teepee?" (Arianna): "It's me, it's me." (Together): "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" "Native Americans!" Most skits ended with what they called "The Perfect Cheer", which would be an elaborate routine to a popular song they would play from a boombox
music player.
The fictional East Lake High School Spartans were loosely based on the Bainbridge Island High School Spartans where Chris Kattan
attended school. Kattan created the Spartans for SNL.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
during the 1990s. They consisted of students Arianna (Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
) and Craig (Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
), a pair of awkward, self-conscious pariahs who led unusual cheerleading routines at school functions to which they had not been invited.
In the first "Spartans" sketch, it's made clear that Craig and Arianna tried out unsuccessfully for the East Lake High Spartan Spirit cheerleading squad, but after being cut, made off with the uniforms and began cheering on their own. They begin at a football game, but after being told to leave by a real Spartan (Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
), they move to more unusual school functions where cheerleaders are usually not present, such as chess tournaments and swim meets. Eventually they were shown entirely out of school context, at places like Halloween parties and Hickory Farms
Hickory Farms
Hickory Farms is an American specialty foods company based in Maumee, Ohio. The company was established in 1951 when founder Richard Ransom began selling hand cut cheese at local fairs. By 1959, the company added summer sausage and opened their first retail store outside Toledo, Ohio...
.
In between cheers, Arianna spars with her off-camera arch-nemesis Alexis. Alexis does not make an appearance until the "Candy Striper Spartans" episode (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
), in which the Spartan Cheerleaders find her in labor in the hospital at which they volunteer.
An example of the Spartans' most common cheer format is: (Craig:) "Who's that Spartan in my teepee
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
?" (Arianna): "It's me, it's me" (Craig:) "Who's that Spartan in my teepee?" (Arianna): "It's me, it's me." (Together): "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" "Native Americans!" Most skits ended with what they called "The Perfect Cheer", which would be an elaborate routine to a popular song they would play from a boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
music player.
The fictional East Lake High School Spartans were loosely based on the Bainbridge Island High School Spartans where Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
attended school. Kattan created the Spartans for SNL.
List of SNL episodes featuring the Spartans
- "Spartans Football Game" November 11, 1995 host: Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
- "Spartans Basketball Game" December 16, 1995 host: Madeline KahnMadeline KahnMadeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
- "Spartans Chess Tournament" January 20, 1996 host: Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
- "Spartans Swim Meet" February 24, 1996 host: Elle MacphersonElle MacphersonElle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
- "Spartans Math Competition" April 20, 1996 host: Teri HatcherTeri HatcherTeri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
- "Spartans Wrestling Tournament" May 18, 1996 host: Jim CarreyJim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
- "Spartans Ping-Pong Tournament" September 28, 1996 host: Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
- "Spartans Bowling Tournament" November 16, 1996 host: Robert Downey, Jr.
- "Hickory Farms Spartans" December 14, 1996 host: Rosie O'DonnellRosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
- "Sidney & The Spartans" February 8, 1997 host: Neve CampbellNeve CampbellNeve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager...
- "Baywatch Spartans" April 19, 1997 host: Pamela Lee
- "Spartans Practice" October 4, 1997 host: Matthew PerryMatthew PerryMatthew Perry is Canadian-American television and film actor.Matthew Perry or Matt Perry may also refer to:*Matthew C. Perry , American naval officer who forcibly opened Japan to trade with the West...
- "Spartans Dream" December 6, 1997 host: Nathan LaneNathan LaneNathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
- "The Spartans at the Movies" March 7, 1998 host: Scott WolfScott WolfScott Richard Wolf is an American actor, known for his roles on the television series Party of Five as Bailey Salinger and on Everwood as Dr. Jake Hartman. Since 2009, he has appeared in the Sci-Fi series V as the morally ambiguous journalist, Chad Decker.-Early life:Wolf was born in Boston,...
- "Spartans Summer Camp" May 9, 1998 host: David DuchovnyDavid DuchovnyDavid William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
- "Candy Striper Spartans" November 21, 1998 host: Jennifer Love HewittJennifer Love HewittJennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
- "Spartans Holiday Parade" December 4, 1999 host: Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
See also
- Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketchesRecurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketchesSee also: Listed chronologically, Listed by cast member, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000s-A:-B:-C:-D:-E:-F:-G:-H:-I:-J:-K:-L:-M:-N:-O:-P:-Q to R:-S:-T:-U to V:-W:-X to Z:...