NBC’s cheerleading mockumentary Stumble returned from winter break with Episode 7, “Lorraine,” which was packed with nods to the 2000 cheer comedy film Bring It On.
In the prior episode, junior college cheerleading coach Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon) was fuming after learning that her former assistant coach, Tammy Istiny (Kristin Chenoweth), was the one who leaked the video that got her fired. She was even angrier after hearing Tammy, who was promoted to Courteney’s old head coach gig, vow to win the cheer championship at Daytona.
So Courteney, now coach at a different school, raged: “You know what, Tammy, in the words of my favorite movie — ‘Bring it on.'”
The homage to the beloved teen comedy flick that starred Kirsten Dunst continued in Episode 7, which aired on NBC on Friday, January 16, and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day. With Courteney’s Headltston State Junior College Buttons team being far from winning material, she brought in the country’s premier choreographer — at great personal cost to her.
But she could only afford four hours of his time, and his lesson got interrupted by a surprise HR training session that the squad was forced to take on the spot, which took up the entire choreography session.
With no choreographer to help the struggling Headltston squad, they took matters into their own hands — and borrowed a little something from Bring It On.
How does Stumble pay tribute to Bring It On in Episode 7?
Knowing their coach was upset that she wasted her money on a choreography lesson that never happened, her cheer squad came up with a routine to lift her spirits.
Courteney watched it, then chided: “I love it … almost as much as when I saw it in the theater 25 years ago. I can’t believe ya’ll stole a routine from a movie about cheerleaders who stole a routine.”
The squad then admitted that they watched a movie the night before and that that’s where the routine must have come from. Though Bring It On wasn’t mentioned by name, it was clear that was the movie they watched considering when it hit theaters and that the film dealt with stolen cheer routines.
“Last night was the first time we truly bonded,” Courteney’s star flyer star flyer Krystal (Anissa Borrego) told the coach. “We went from being a team, to a family.”
Stumble’s Anissa Borrego calls Bring It On “Impacful”
Borrego, who was a cheerleader and gymnast before turning to acting, was thrilled at the Bring It On references in Episode 7 of Stumble.
“Because there aren’t so many shows or movies about cheer, the ones that are there are very impactful,” Borrego told NBC Insider in a January 2026 interview. “I was a cheerleader, so anything cheer or gymnastics, I gravitated towards and was obsessed with. And everyone talks about Bring It On on our show. We’re always trying to think of ways, even as cast and in the social media we do, how can we wink at Bring It On. I think this episode does it in a really fun way.”
Since the end of the pilot episode of Stumble, Borrego’s character, Krystal, has been mostly-grounded by an unfortunate fall and injury, which landed her in a wheelchair.
While Krystal has been gently hoisted into some routines, she primarily shifted her time and attention to healing while growing her social media “cheerlebrity” status. But in the “Lorraine” episode, she was back in action!
“This is Krystal’s first routine where she’s not with her crutch, which is so exciting for her,” Borrego told NBC Insider. “When we were shooting, I had so much fun this episode because I was like, ‘Yeah, I get to really get into the dance!'”
Episode 7 also saw Krystal get a new roommate, with Sally (Georgie Murphy) moving into her dorm room.
Things got off to a rough start though, with social media- and brand-focused Krystal pressuring sweet Sally to take on menial tasks like signing Krystal’s name on products she’s selling to her fans, or shipping her products.
“I’m really excited for everyone to see Krystal and Sally’s dorm,” Borrego said. “It’s gonna be really a hoot. When I first saw it, I just melted. It’s such a funny set to be on. And [Krystal] has some great products that she’s selling in this episode that I think are also really funny.”