Before she became one of the stars of ‘Jersey Shore’, everyone’s favorite miniature Italian-American was part of the cheerleading team from her high school in Marlboro, New York.
The sport wasn’t a springboard to fame like many of the people on this list – in fact, Polizzi has commented how difficult the team was for her, especially regarding her weight: “Cheerleading was my life in high school, but it wasn’t always easy for me. I started to be anorexic. There were freshmen who were seventy pounds, and I was, like, my spot as a flier is going to get taken away. So I ended up starving myself.”
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul has done plenty, including dancing, acting, and working as a choreographer, but she's mostly known as a singer and songwriter. However, not only did she get her start as part of the cheer squad at Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles (while also succeeding as an honors student), and after graduating, she took her skills to the pros, becoming a Laker Girl – becoming head choreographer – and cheering on the likes of Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson.
Before long, Abdul had been spotted by talent scouts and started her rise in Hollywood, and nowadays, you can see her at the judges' table on "American Idol."
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson's beauty and fame are almost unmatched, and she, like many others, got her start performing as a cheerleader while attending Richardson North Junior High School in Texas. While she dropped out of school at fifteen to pursue her singing career, she went on to become one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys and her husband, Tony Romo.
While Simpson was at J.J. Pearce High School, she impressed Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, who immediately signed her to a record deal. She has preserved her fame in "Nick and Jessica: Newlyweds," and her greatest hit, "I Want to Love you Forever," remains one of her best songs until this day.
Phaedra Parks
From high-powered attorney to reality show star of "Real House Wives of Atlanta," Phaedra Parks got her start as an adorable cheerleader at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. There si more to her than just great looks and cheering talent, and she has reached every goal she has set for herself.
She passed the time cheering for her team as part of the squad, but when she graduated in 1990, she went on to pursue a career in law, leading her to get cheers not only on the field or court but also in the courtroom. Now, if that's not enough, she is also an author, a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a motivational speaker.
Olivia Wilde
While Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, doesn't have a cheerleading team, it does have a “step team,” which is apparently exactly like a cheerleading team, but it has a different name. However, according to Olivia Wilde, stepping is “another form of cheering. If you say so, Wilde.
Wilde is incredibly famous, well-known around the world as a beauty and an actress, but she isn't the most famous person from her school or even from her “step team” – that honor belongs to former president George W. Bush, who has much older photographs that feature him wearing a similar outfit to the one Olivia is sporting here.