Let's be real for a second. Most scripted dramas about professional sports teams tend to flame out after a season or two. They get cheesy. They lose the rhythm. But Hit the Floor was different. When it premiered on VH1 back in 2013, it didn't just showcase some dance moves; it dropped us into the cutthroat, sweaty, and high-stakes world of the Los Angeles Devil Girls. The cast of Hit the Floor wasn't just a group of actors playing parts; they were athletes, dancers, and soap opera veterans who turned a show about basketball cheerleading into a cult phenomenon that survived network hops and massive cast overhauls.
It’s been years since the series finale aired on BET, yet the obsession hasn't cooled down. Why? Because the chemistry was lightning in a bottle. You had Taylour Paige, who has since become an indie film darling, and McKinley Freeman, who basically redefined the "troubled superstar" trope. The show thrived on messy relationships and even messier power struggles.
The Core Players Who Made the Devil Girls Iconic
At the center of everything was Ahsha Hayes. Taylour Paige played her with this perfect mix of wide-eyed innocence and "don't mess with me" grit. It’s wild to look back at her performance now, knowing she’d go on to star in critically acclaimed projects like Zola. Back then, she was just the girl trying to outrun the shadow of her mother, Sloane Hayes, played by the legendary Kimberly Elise.
Kimberly Elise brought a level of prestige to the show that it honestly needed. She wasn't just a "dance mom." She was the moral compass in a room full of people who had sold their souls for a championship ring. The tension between her and Pete Davenport—played by Dean Cain—was the kind of slow-burn adult drama that kept the older demographic tuned in while the younger fans were screaming about "Zasha."
Speaking of "Zasha," we have to talk about Logan Browning. As Jelena Howard, she was the villain we all loved to hate, then eventually just loved. Browning played the "mean girl" archetype but gave her so much trauma and depth that you ended up rooting for her to burn the whole arena down. Her rivalry with Ahsha was the engine of the show. If you've seen her in Dear White People, you know she’s a powerhouse, but Hit the Floor is where she really proved she could carry a franchise on her back.
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The Men of the Devils: More Than Just Eye Candy
While the show was titled around the dancers, the basketball side of the equation was just as intense. McKinley Freeman as Derek Roman was a stroke of casting genius. He had the physical presence of an NBA shooting guard, but he played Derek with a vulnerability that broke the "playboy athlete" mold. His obsession with Ahsha felt earned, not creepy.
Then there was Robert Christopher Riley as Terrence Wall. He was the veteran, the guy playing through the pain, and his relationship with Jelena was arguably the most complex dynamic on the screen. It was toxic, sure. It was also deeply loyal.
Don't forget the bench. Katherine Bailess as Kyle Hart was the comedic relief we desperately needed. She was unapologetic about using her looks to get ahead, yet she was often the smartest person in the room. Her journey from a "gold digger" caricature to a woman who owned her own power was one of the best character arcs James LaRosa ever wrote.
Behind the Scenes Drama and the Move to BET
Things got weird around Season 4. If you were following the trades at the time, you knew the move from VH1 to BET was going to change things. The cast of Hit the Floor saw a massive shakeup. Taylour Paige and Logan Browning both left. For many fans, that was the death knell. How do you have the Devil Girls without the two women who defined the team?
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BET tried, though. They brought in Teyana Taylor, who is a literal force of nature on a dance floor. Kyndall Ferguson came in as the new rookie, Jamie. While the fourth season had its moments—and the dancing was arguably even more technical—the soul of the show felt a bit fractured. The absence of the original "Zasha" dynamic left a hole that even the high-production dance numbers couldn't quite fill.
Why the Fans Won't Let Go
Check Twitter or TikTok on any given Tuesday and you’ll still see clips of the Devils' routines. The choreography, led by Michael Rooney, was world-class. These weren't just actors doing "jazz hands"; these were professional-grade routines that required the cast to train like actual athletes.
The show also leaned hard into LGBTQ+ representation before it was a standard checkbox for networks. The relationship between Jude (Brent Antonello) and Zero (Adam Senn) was a massive storyline. "Zude" fans were—and still are—some of the most vocal members of the fanbase. It wasn't just a side plot; it was a front-and-center romance involving the team's superstar and the owner's son. That was a big deal in 2015.
Where is the Cast Now?
Life after the Devils has been pretty lucrative for this group.
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- Taylour Paige: She’s the breakout star. Between Zola, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, she has transitioned into a legitimate A-list actress.
- Logan Browning: After leading Dear White People on Netflix for four seasons, she has become a prominent voice in the industry, focusing on both acting and activism.
- McKinley Freeman: He’s been a staple on television, appearing in Our Kind of People and various film projects. He also maintains a huge fitness following, which makes sense if you ever saw him in a Devils jersey.
- Katherine Bailess: She’s continued acting and remains very close with her former castmates. If you follow her on Instagram, the nostalgia hits hard.
- Valery Ortiz: Played Raquel Saldana. She’s stayed busy in the hosting world and acting in series like Gabby Duran & the Unsittables.
The Legacy of the Devil Girls
The show was a soap opera at heart. It had secret babies, shooting mysteries, and corporate espionage. But at its core, it was about the hustle. It captured that specific Los Angeles energy where everyone is one break away from fame or one injury away from obscurity.
The cast of Hit the Floor represented a specific era of "prestige" reality-adjacent scripted TV. It was glossy, it was loud, and it didn't apologize for being "extra." When people look back at the 2010s TV landscape, this show stands out because it didn't try to be anything other than a high-octane drama.
How to Experience the Show Today
If you're looking to dive back in or see it for the first time, you have to look at it through the lens of its time. The fashion is very "mid-2010s club," and the cliffhangers are stressful.
- Watch for the Choreography: Pay attention to the background dancers. Many of them are elite industry professionals who have toured with Beyoncé and Janet Jackson.
- Trace the Career Paths: It’s fun to see Taylour Paige before she was an indie darling. You can see the raw talent even in the early VH1 episodes.
- The "Zude" Arc: If you want to see how to write a compelling "enemies to lovers" trope in a sports setting, Season 2 and 3 are a masterclass.
The show might be over, but the impact it had on dance-centric media is permanent. It paved the way for shows like Step Up: High Water and proved that there was a massive audience for scripted stories about the world of professional dance.
To stay updated on what the actors are doing today, your best bet is following their individual production companies or catching them on the festival circuit. Most of the original stars have moved into producing or directing, proving that the drive they portrayed on the Devil Girls' floor was very real.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators:
- Study the Cross-Training: If you’re a performer, notice how the cast handled the transition from acting to high-intensity athletics. It’s a rare skill set.
- Social Media Archiving: Much of the behind-the-scenes content for Hit the Floor exists only on old Instagram tags and fan Tumblrs. If you're a media historian, archiving these "lost" digital eras of TV promotion is a growing niche.
- Support the Indie Projects: Follow Taylour Paige’s filmography through A24 and other independent studios to see how a "TV dancer" became one of the most respected dramatic actresses of the 2020s.
The Devil Girls might have hung up their pom-poms, but the standard they set for sports dramas remains the bar to clear.