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“Being an NFL cheerleader is not for the weak,” said Funsch, 28, who hails from Upper Saddle River. “People love to tear us apart online. You deal with angry fans, train hard, and always have to keep smiling.”
So when she got cast on "The Snake," Funsch relied on her cheer-tough exterior — even while facing cockroach baths, shock collars, and sleep-deprived social warfare.
“I didn’t want people in the house to know I was freaking out,” said Funsch, now heading into her fourth season on the Colts' cheer squad. “So I put on my cheer smile and acted like I was fine.”
Funsch was flown to Argentina with just two days’ notice and spent more than a month filming with 14 other contestants. The cast (in part) includes a pastor, poker player, pro boxer, and an OnlyFans model — all competing in what FOX calls a “social survival of the fittest” game.
Funsch faced a nonstop stream of outrageous challenges — from solving a puzzle while cockroaches were dumped on her head, to running and leaping over water, to wearing a shock collar and zapping other contestants whenever someone got a question wrong.
Oh, and there were cameras everywhere — including in closets and ceilings. Contestants were mic’d up 24/7.
“They even asked me about something I whispered to myself while folding laundry,” she said.
Before her NFL days, Funsch danced competitively at Studio L and launched the first-ever competitive dance team at Highlands. She later graduated from Penn State, moved to Indiana after making the Colts squad, and was working in marketing when she got the call from FOX.
Now in between jobs, she says the experience on "The Snake" changed her.
“If I knew how gross and intense it would be, I might’ve chickened out,” she said. “But I found this weird adrenaline junkie side of me. At this point, I’d do 'Fear Factor.'”
Funsch still calls New Jersey home — “mostly for the bagels,” she joked — but she’s more than ready for America to see her in a new light.
"The Snake" premieres Tuesday, June 10 at 9 p.m. on FOX.
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