Kelly (Chest+Back+Balance) was my first cast profile!
As I was searching for information about cast members of P90X and P90X2 for the Cast Profile series, I came across a blog post from 2012 titled Ranking the P90X Supporting Cast From Worst to Best. There are 23 cast members listed, which I guess covers everyone. Some are flattering to the cast members. Most are snarky, and maybe a little mean. Hey, I guess once we’ve had an opportunity to study these DVDs for 90 days (and maybe multiple rounds), we become a little cynical? I give the author credit for selecting all the screen shots, which I find as challenging as writing a cast profile.
Inspired by that blog post, I would like to offer my own analysis of the P90X2 cast. I’ve had the opportunity to research many of the cast members, become an online follower or friend, and in some cases even exchange messages. Rather than create a “Worst to Best” list, which would be difficult and not really my style, I thought it would be interesting to categorize the cast members instead, according to their backgrounds and strengths. Some might appear in several categories, to the best of my ability, but you’ll get the idea. Links to cast members’ profiles on the blog are provided where available.
The Actors
Let’s get this out of the way: As far as I can tell, Roberto and Taylor were brought in for the workouts without any Beachbody affiliation. Roberto is called “a human pogo stick” by Beachbody guru Steve Edwards. Taylor is described as an actor.
The Employees
It’s sort of cool that some Beachbody employees were brought into the P90X2 cast. As a matter of fact, Collette is such a popular search on my blog that she was one of the inspirations for creating the Cast Profile series. (I mean, if no one is reading my P90X2 workout blog, then why not give the people what they want?) She is also in three of the workouts! Ani is there with the X shaved into his head for X2 Total Body. Cedric brings a lot of humor and personality to one of the most difficult workouts, P.A.P. Lower, and the most relaxing, Recovery and Mobility.
The Coaches
Here’s a big difference between P90X and P90X2: The creation of the Team Beachbody coaching program, a multilevel marketing structure which also provides support for users of the Beachbody workouts. Alfonso is featured in two workouts. Barbie, Christina, Dale, Garrett, Jason, Josh, Jeremy, Juan, Julie, Kit, Mark Briggs, Monica, Robert, Sean, Traci Morrow, Wayne, and Kristi/Christie (how does she spell it?), only one workout. (Traci and Mark were also in the P90X+ DVDs. Aaron is a former coach.) By reading their cast profiles, at least the ones I have so far, you can see these are very successful coaches who demonstrate they also “walk the talk” of health and fitness.
The Celebrities
Some cast members are famous because of their previous appearances in P90X or P90X+ (that would be Bobby Stephenson, Dreya Weber, Mark Briggs, and Traci Morrow). Kit (Horton) Caldicott is really Tony’s sister (not “like a sister”). And there is an actual musical celebrity: Jason Scheff, lead singer of the band Chicago, who’s had a long, successful career.
Tony’s Friends
I don’t mean to sound condescending here, because Tony has some very fit friends, which should be no surprise. Steve Holmsen is one of the designers of P90X2, and he certainly deserves a spot on the cast. The same goes for Ted McDonald, who helped develop the X2 Yoga routine. Melissa (or Missy) is Tony’s personal chef, and fortunately pretty good at yoga, too. Brian and Sean are both “Sunday workout buddies” (just like we saw some in P90X), and now also coaches. (By the way, I happen to know that Sean is now married, but I’m not sure about Brian, the “single guy” in Shoulders + Arms!) Shawna, another very popular search on the blog, is Tony’s “special someone” who also received a dedication in his book. Jason knew Tony back in the days when they were poor unknowns, and look where they ended up! Oh, one more friend of Tony’s: Dreya Weber, of course!
The Moms
P90X2 Moms board (Pinterest)
In the P90X cast, I can only recall one mom (Laura). In P90X2, it seems they made an effort to show that busy moms can also be super fit! Christina, Julie, Kit, Monica, and Traci Morrow are here to “represent” for the moms! (There is also some overlap with the fact that they are all top-level Beachbody coaches who know their stuff.)
The Survivors
Many of the cast members overcame physical challenges or personal tragedies. Juan (Recovery and Mobility) is a double heart attack survivor. Dale (Core) lost 75 lbs. Barbie (Core) and Mark Briggs struggled with divorce-related depression and career setbacks. Jeremy (Total Body) lost 180 lbs, despite a sugically-fused ankle due to an injury. Aaron (Chest Back and Balance) started at 275 lbs when he decided to regain his health with P90X. All of their inspiring stories can help people to realize it’s possible to get healthy and fit at any stage in their lives.
The Athletes
Collette was a high school track and field athlete, and “an Olympic-style weightlifter” in college. Now she competes in CrossFit. Julie also had an athletic background, became an English teacher, then returned to her first love (sports and fitness) as an instructor, college cheerleading coach, and fitness model. Dreya has been famous since P90X for “flying through the air” as an aerialist, dancer, and choreographer. Kelly was a college athlete who became a personal trainer, health/fitness writer, and fitness model. Monica was involved with competitive sports since childhood, and in her adult life became a bodybuilder and model.
The Military
Over the years since P90X was released, Beachbody has increased their involvement with the U.S. military, providing support through motivational tours with cast members, product discounts, and more. Adam, Alfonso, Cogen, Dan, Garrett, and Mark Briggs all served in various branches of the military. Robert accompanied Tony Horton (who grew up as a “military kid”) on one of those motivational tours in Japan.
My Opinion of the Cast Members
Finally! How do I really feel about these people? When I create a cast profile, I send a message (usually on Facebook) to let the person know what I am doing, and why. In most cases, this has resulted in a nice reply, a message announcing the blog post to their followers, and a nice spike in my blog traffic for the day. Occasionally, I don’t receive a reply, which is fine. As I have followed these folks online, I have replied to their Facebook posts, joined a P90X group on Facebook hosted by Joe Bovino, etc. They are generally very nice people, with a lot of helpful information to share. Of course there are varying degrees of Beachbody-related advertising, too. I’m OK with that, because I like the products and I understand how the coaches have reached their level of success. (By the way, for a fun time, check out Dale‘s Facebook page, or Barbie‘s. They are hilarious!)
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings about the P90X2 cast. If so, please share it with your friends, and check out the cast profiles for P90X, P90X2 (of course!), Insanity, and more! (For a nice overview, check out this board on Pinterest. I have other boards with indivdual cast lists, too.)
