Shake It Up

Dramatic Half Hour Kid Com



Shake It Up is a Disney Channel Original Series, developed by veteran TV producer Chris Thompson that premiered on November 7, 2010.

The series revolves around Cecilia "CeCe" Jones (Bella Thorne) and Raquel "Rocky" Blue (Zendaya Coleman), two thirteen-year-old best friends from inner-city Chicago who find themselves one step closer to their dream of becoming professional dancers when they're hired as backup dancers on Shake It Up Chicago, an American Bandstand-style variety show.

Other characters include:
 * Flynn Jones (Davis Cleveland): CeCe's precocious but annoying younger brother, with an appetite for bacon.
 * Ty Blue (Roshon Fegan): Rocky's older brother, who is himself a skilled dancer. He's also an aspiring rapper, and fancies himself a ladies' man.
 * Martin "Deuce" Martinez (Adam Irigoyen): CeCe and Rocky's long-time friend who is known for his "connections" and his questionable schemes to make a buck.
 * Gunther and Tinka Hessenheffer (Kenton Duty and Caroline Sunshine): A pair of fraternal twins from an indeterminate European country who have been exchange students since the first grade, and also dance on the show. Depending on their mood, they can be either friends or enemies toward the girls.
 * Gary Wilde (R. Brandon Johnson): The handsome and narcissistic host and producer of Shake It Up Chicago.
 * Georgia Jones (Anita Barone): CeCe and Flynn's single mother, who serves as a police officer.
 * Henry Dillon (Buddy Handleson): Child prodigy and Flynn's best friend.

Possibly in the DCLAU due to Teen Court appearing in a recent episode.

Now with its own Getting Crap Past The Radar page. (Considering Chris Thompson previously created The Naked Truth and Action, this isn't surprising...)

Shake It Up provides examples of:
"CeCe: So you did all this just to teach me a lesson? Mrs. Jones: No. We just thought it'd be fun! (she and the coach laugh) But the way you said it makes me sound like a better parent, so let's go with that!"
 * Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male: When Henry (CeCe's tutor) shows up with his clothes torn and multiple bruises, the audience's reaction is "aww." When it's revealed that his abuser is a girl, cue audience laugh track.
 * Actor Allusion:
 * As mentioned below, and so does Bella Thorne.
 * Rocky is a vegetarian, and so is Zendaya.
 * When Cat Deeley guest stars as the Vice Principal in "Wild It Up", CeCe talks about being a dancer on Shake It Up Chicago, to which the Vice Principal responds with "so you think you can dance?"
 * Adorably Precocious Child: Flynn, who handwaves that he's "the only responsible person around here", and even got a model to like him, saying he's adorable, and Henry.
 * An Aesop: Subverted:

"Flynn: Oh yeah? Well I just killed a zombie, stole a bus, and spray painted the word booger on the side of a cop car."
 * Affectionate Nickname: Ty calls Flynn "Little {Noun}", i.e. "Little Dude" or "Little Man".
 * Alpha Bitch: Candy Cho gives off this vibe.
 * Always Someone Better: The dancers of Shake It Up Pittsburgh.
 * Candy Cho to Rocky.
 * Ambiguously Brown: Rocky and Ty (both Zendaya and Roshon Fegan are mixed-race), at least until "Heat It Up". Their mother is shown to be black and their father appears to be mixed race.
 * Ambiguously Bi/CampStraight:
 * Gunther.
 * Henry.
 * Annoying Younger Sibling: Flynn.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Oh, Flynn and his video games.

"Ty: What happened in here? Flynn: Whimpering, begging, and I had to clean up after an accident (Beat) and that was just Deuce.
 * Wait, what? Doesn't that last one count as vandalism?
 * Artistic License Geography: Some episodes are show as being at "Main" station on one of Chicago's elevated rapid transit lines. A "Main" station does exist on the Chicago L, but it's in Evanston, not Chicago itself.
 * Bait and Switch Comparison: When Flynn is dog-sitting:

Ty: So where is that filthy animal?

Flynn: He's in there giving the dog a bath."

"CeCe: Bill for Mom. Bill for me that I'll give to Mom. Catalog for Mom that I'll take for me."
 * Bilingual Bonus: In "Weird It Up", Ty asks Deuce to be a translator for his date with a foreign exchange student that only speaks Spanish.
 * Bill, Bill, Junk, Bill: Parodied in "Apply It Up":

"Gunther: I'm Gunther! Tinka: And I'm Tinka! Together: And we are THE HESSENHEFFERS!"
 * Blondes Are Evil: Gunther and Tinka.
 * Broken Aesop: In one episode when Gunther learns to be cool and uses an American accent (which amounts to being obnoxious and acting like he came straight out of MTV) he has girls swooning over him. The aesop ends up being "be yourself" but that doesn't stop an unintended aesop of "act like everyone else and people will like you better" from appearing.
 * Brother-Sister Incest: Tinka had to let Gunther know that they wouldn't grow old and get married. Cue Gunther looking depressed.
 * Butt Monkey: Flynn. Rocky and CeCe can also become this at times too.
 * Deuce also has his Butt Monkey moments.
 * Actually, every character takes a turn to be the Butt Monkey at times.
 * Call Back: "Hello, Bay-BEE!"
 * Camp Gay: The famous choreographer Theodore Vainglorious in the episode "Double Pegasus It Up".
 * Catch Phrase:

"Flynn: I'll get it, Mom!"
 * Parodied from time to time. Others would introduce themselves in that manner, finishing with, "and we are STAYING!" or "and you are UNEMPLOYED!"
 * Also Flynn's shout when he answers the door:

"Rocky: Ohmigosh, Gunther and Tinka are the normal ones."
 * The shout is subverted in "Vatalihootsit It Up", when he screams it as the phone rings, it's his mom on the line.
 * Cannot Tell a Joke: Rocky.
 * Celebrity Paradox: Between the two of them Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman have three songs that have been played on the show during dance numbers, yet no one in the Shake It Up universe wonders why CeCe and Rocky look like them. Could be explained by the fact that the singers of those songs are only heard and never seen, so there's no reason to believe anyone in-universe actually knows what they look like.
 * Chained Heat:
 * Child Prodigy: Henry.
 * Cloudcuckooland: Gunther and Tinka's homeland. Lampshaded when Rocky and Ce Ce meet their family:

"(Destiny, Flynn's crush, is twice his age.) Ty: Whoa! Little dude, you left out one tiny detail about Destiny. Flynn: Didn't I mention she's blonde?"
 * Clown Car Base: Ty's "Man-cave".
 * Comically Missing the Point:

"CeCe: She's a gold finger. Rocky: Digger. CeCe: No, I don't dig her. She's a user."
 * Also:

"Deuce: Man, that would be painful even if the air wasn't running out in here."
 * Compressed Vice: It is never brought up again.
 * Credit Card Plot:
 * Crossover: with Good Luck Charlie, entitled "Charlie Shakes it Up".
 * Dawson Casting: In-universe example in the episode "Age It Up": "teen sensation" Justin Starr is really 24 and married (his wife goes on tour with him as his "manager"), and plays 16 to appeal to teenage girls. The show itself avoids this--none of the leads are in their twenties, with only Roshon Fegan (whose character is older than the rest anyway) being over 16.
 * Deadpan Snarker:
 * Flynn.
 * Rocky and CeCe also have their moments when dealing with each other. Especially Rocky.
 * Also, Deuce.
 * Also, Deuce.

"CeCe: We're frenemies, right? And the first part of that is "friends." Tinka: And the last part is "enemies.""
 * Ty can snark pretty well too.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Also, in the episode "Party It Up", they meet boys from Elk Grove High School, who proceed to cheer "goo Elks!" Elk Grove's mascot is actually the Grenadier.
 * Disappeared Dad: The only thing we know about CeCe's dad is he isn't there.
 * Do-It-Yourself Theme Tune: Averted. Selena Gomez sings the theme song but so far hasn't appeared in the show itself. But Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman do sing the song "Watch Me" which has been played a few times during the Shake It Up Chicago dance numbers. Zendaya Coleman also sings "Something To Dance For" in "Apply It Up". Bella Thorne also sings "TTYLXOX" in "Judge It Up".
 * Downer Ending: "Party It Up".
 * "Show It Up", which is also a The Bad Guy Wins ending.
 * Enfant Terrible: Gunther and Tinka's nephew, Klause.
 * Embarrassing First Name: Cecilia and Raquel are not particularly fond of their first names. It doesn't help that one always laughs upon hearing the other's real name.
 * Enter Stage Window: CeCe and Rocky live in the same apartment building. As such, Rocky usually enters via the fire escape.
 * Expy: Word of God has it that Gunther and Tinka were inspired by Ryan and Sharpay Evans. Right down to the Brother-Sister Incest.
 * An Ambiguously Gay (aside from said sister incest) guy. However, unlike Sharpay, Tinka isn't an Alpha Bitch (in fact, her status as a Funny Foreigner makes her a target for real Alpha Bitches). That gets to Gunther... a bit.
 * Flynn is very similar to Gabe Duncan from Good Luck Charlie, as are Henry and Austin. And he also resembles Matt McGuire from Lizzie McGuire.
 * CeCe is similar to Chelsea from That's So Raven, right down to the nearly-identical hair color. In the episode "Reunion It Up", Anneliese Van der Pol, who played Chelsea, guest-starred as CeCe's older Captain Ersatz.
 * Everything's Deader with Zombies: In "Hot Mess It Up",
 * Fair Cop: CeCe's police officer mom Georgia.
 * Fake Guest Star: For the first season, Caroline Sunshine as Tinka. She doesn't appear in the opening until Season 2, even though her character appeared in one episode more than Gunther.
 * Flanderization: CeCe goes from being an average student to a girl who doesn't know what Pittsburgh is in one episode.
 * Foe Yay / Friendly Enemy: Gunther and Tinka to Rocky and CeCe.
 * Foe Yay / Friendly Enemy: Gunther and Tinka to Rocky and CeCe.

"Gary: You have the right to remain foxy!"
 * Funny Foreigner: Gunther and Tinka.
 * Friends Rent Control
 * G-Rated Drug: Energy drinks. Rocky lampshades this by comparing it to steroid use and painting a Slippery Slope Fallacy picture of what will happen to her and CeCe if they resort to them.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Now with its own page.
 * Handshake Substitute: CeCe and Rocky do a slap swear instead of a Pinky Swear.
 * Handsome Lech: Gary Wilde, using lines such as:

"Gunther: I know they're calling us losers, but they do it in such an entertaining way that it's infectious!"
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Gunther and Tinka.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners/Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: CeCe and Rocky, who do absolutely everything together, and have the same hopes and dreams. Reinforced by Rocky's refusal to be on the show if CeCe can't be on.
 * Hollywood Nerd: Rocky.
 * Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The episodes are titled as "(Plot Point) It Up", with the sole (so far) exception of "Shake It Up, Up And Away", which, due to the Title Drop episode name, still has the words 'It' and 'Up', however those two words aren't at the end of the episode name like all other episodes.
 * Idiot Ball:
 * Imagine the Audience Naked: CeCe suggests this to Rocky at the audition so she's not intimidated by the other dancers. It backfires horribly when this produces some rather disturbing mental images.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: Deuce and Flynn's jokes during the talent show.
 * Informed Ability: CeCe's matchmaking skills. It's only brought up in one episode, and the match in that episode didn't hold up so well.
 * Ironic Echo: At least once an episode.
 * Jerkass Dissonance: Invoked In-Universe by Gunther and Tinka towards the Bulldogs' cheerleaders:
 * Jerkass Dissonance: Invoked In-Universe by Gunther and Tinka towards the Bulldogs' cheerleaders:

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 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: CeCe Jones.
 * Large Ham: From the pageant episode, when

"Gary: Look Coco, Ricky, I like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have even bothered to remember your names.
 * Gunther and Tinka have their moments of this too.
 * Little Boy Seeks Big Girl: Flynn towards Destiny in one episode.
 * Local Hangout: Crusty's Pizza Shop, as of Season 2.
 * Loony Fan: Subverted in the episode "Copy Kat It Up", wherein a shy, socially-awkward girl named Kat seems to have a near-stalkerish obsession with the girls, especially CeCe.
 * Malaproper: In "Hook It Up", Gary is seen consistently using incorrect names for everyone he talks to:
 * Malaproper: In "Hook It Up", Gary is seen consistently using incorrect names for everyone he talks to:

Cece: You didn't. It's CeCe and Rocky."

"Gary (and later, CeCe): Stop reading my e-mails."
 * Matchmaker Crush: Subverted.
 * Meaningful Name: The nickname Deuce doesn't make much sense until his real name is revealed to be Martin Martinez.
 * Missing Episode: "Party It Up", after the Disney Channel pulled it out of rotation after Demi Lovato called the show out on Twitter for a joke in the episode ridiculing anorexic models.
 * Episode is back on the air, but said joke is deleted.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Ty Blue and Deuce.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: Gary Wilde sometimes has trouble remembering the names of his dancers.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Gary Wilde to Ryan Seacrest.
 * No Sense of Personal Space: Gunther, sort of.

"Flynn: Who is it? Deuce: Deuce. Flynn: Deuce who? Deuce: How many Deuces do you know?"
 * One Steve Limit: Invoked in-universe.

"Flynn: What? "Hi Flynn?" Where's the insult? Where's the big words I'll have to look up after you leave?"
 * Only One Name: Zendaya, who plays Rocky.
 * OOC Is Serious Business: In "Apply It Up", when Flynn begins the Running Gag mentioned below, Henry simply responds "Hi Flynn", which prompts the following response:

"CeCe: You know, you scare me when you move your head like that!"
 * Pac-Man Fever: A Bland-Name Product Modern Warfare that plays on Nintendo64, a system older than most of the cast. Bonus points for playing it with wireless PlayStation controllers.
 * Pardon My Klingon: In "Split It Up", upon hearing that Gary has chosen CeCe over her as Gunther's dance partner for a Wake Up Chicago appearance, Tinka rattles off a blue streak in her native tongue that Gunther declines to translate.
 * Performance Anxiety:
 * Refuge in Audacity: CeCe at the beginning of "Meatball It Up".
 * Running Gag: Flynn: Hello (long-winded description of Henry that includes mockery of Henry's nerdiness). Henry: Hello (equally long-winded description of Flynn that includes a derisive comment about his lack of intelligence).
 * Rocky and CeCe's occasional speaking in-sync.
 * "I'LL GET IT MOM!"
 * Ruritania: Wherever it is Gunther and Tinka are from.
 * Sassy Black Woman: Rocky's mom, and Rocky when she gets mad (though Rocky's brown, not black).

"Coach: I was babysitting my niece this weekend, and she begged me to turn on her favorite show. Guess what it was. CeCe: Wizards of Waverly Place... Coach: Shake It Up Chicago."
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: Tinka,
 * Also, Ilene in "Glitz It Up".
 * Shipper on Deck: Rocky towards CeCe and Gunther in "Hot Mess It Up" as a way of teasing the former.
 * Shout-Out: In the episode where CeCe's mom and Coach go out, we get this:

"Flynn: Excuse me, it was on the internet. It must be true."
 * According to Gunther, the twelfth thing on CeCe's list of things to do before she's 16 is to have werewolves and vampires fight over her.
 * The girls attend John Hughes Junior High, home of the Bulldogs.
 * CeCe often uses Hannah Montana's "Ya think?" Catch Phrase.
 * Show Within a Show: Shake It Up Chicago.
 * Silent Snarker: Rocky, especially when Ty brags.
 * When CeCe is lying to her gym coach about her injured leg, we see reaction shots of Rocky scoffing and rolling her eyes.
 * Slippery Slope Fallacy: Rocky commits this fallacy once in "Start It Up", regarding energy drinks. She does this again in "Wild It Up", regarding cutting class.
 * Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond: Rocky Blue is particularly adamant that everyone likes her, and spends an entire episode trying to win the favor of the cantankerous old witch Mrs. Locassio.
 * Spiritual Successor: To Hannah Montana.
 * Spit Take: Played for Laughs. In "Age It Up", both CeCe and Rocky hear something outrageous, pause for a second, take a swig of water, and do a spit take.
 * Sudden School Uniform: in Protest it Up. CeCe did not take the news well. Gunther and Tinka, on the other hand, had over-the-top amounts of free time opened up by no longer coming up with over-the-top outfits on a daily basis.
 * Suspiciously Similar Song: A reasonable facsimile of "Bad to the Bone" plays as Rocky enters detention clad in her new "bad girl" outfit.
 * Take That: Against Child Beauty Pagents.
 * Thematic Theme Tune: "Shake It Up" sung by Disney Channel veteran Selena Gomez.
 * Token White: CeCe among her circle of friends.
 * Tomboy: Ilene in "Glitz It Up".
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: According to Bella Thorne, CeCe and Rocky, respectively. However, recent episodes tend to have them randomly swap these roles, Depending on the Writer.
 * Tomboyish Name: Rocky. Just her name, thank you. Mostly.
 * Too Soon: Shake It Up, Up and Away was originally scheduled to air on September 18, 2011, but had to be pulled at the last minute due to plane crashes at the Reno Air Show in Nevada. It was replaced with an airing of another new episode that and would air in October, though.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Flynn and his Bacon Addiction. At the end of the pilot, he comes home with several pounds of it.
 * TV Never Lies

"Henry: Mock me now, but when I invent time travel, I'm going to come back and slap you."
 * Two Lines, No Waiting: Often divided by gender, although Gunther could be used in either one.
 * Unlimited Wardrobe: Especially noticable with CeCe and Rocky, due to their wacky fashions, though other characters may qualify.
 * Justified though, as that's what they spend their Shake It Up Chicago money on.
 * Very Special Episode: "Add It Up",
 * Wearing a Flag on Your Head: CeCe is particularly fond of the Union Jack, and wears it on everything from jackets to karate uniforms.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Debit cards, debit cards, debit cards.
 * What the Hell Is That Accent?: Gunther and Tinka.
 * Will They or Won't They?: Ty and Tinka after "Add It Up".
 * The Windy City
 * With Friends Like These...: Henry/Flynn. Flynn mocks Henry for being an Insufferable Genius; Henry makes fun of Flynn for being a Ridiculously Average Guy.


 * Young Entrepreneur: Deuce, who sells everything from defective watches to counterfeit Lady Gaga tickets.