Sabrina Bryan

The words "Cheetah-licious" and "Growl power" may not have made much sense, but any 13-year-old girl in 2007 would have told you they were catchphrases popularized by the pop teen group, the Cheetah Girls. Sabrina Bryan was one-third of the singing and touring group, along with Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams, who were a massive hit with the "tween" crowd - a demographic made up of pre-teen girls obsessed with reading Tiger Beat magazine, "Hairspray" (2007) actor Zac Efron and rockers the Jonas Brothers.

Aside from her time recording and making movies with the Cheetah Girls, Bryan made entertainment headlines in 2007 when she became the frontrunner in the fifth season of "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 2005- ), receiving the highest score of all the contestants on the first week of the show.

The young star was born Reba Sabrina Hinojos on Sept. 16, 1984 in Yorba Linda, CA, an Orange County suburb about 15 minutes away from Disneyland. Bryan was the second daughter of a Caucasian woman and a Mexican man; both of whom were real estate agents. She had a sister named Starr, who Bryan described as her complete opposite - an athletic tomboy.

The future Cheetah Girl loved dancing as a little girl, taking dance classes after school and immediately fell in love with performing. But it was not enough. After Bryan asked her parents if she could get into the acting business, they hesitated at first, but finally decided their little girl was ready for the spotlight.

Bryan started her acting career doing commercials, until her first onscreen role - a minor part alongside Angela Lansbury in "Mrs. Santa Claus" (1996). It led to appearances on several short-lived sitcoms such as "The Geena Davis Show" (ABC, 2000-01) and "Grounded for Life" (FOX, 2001-02; WB, 2002-05).

In 2003, the Disney Channel aired a film titled "The Cheetah Girls," based on a popular book series by author Deborah Gregory. The story centered around four New York teens from different walks of life who dreamed of becoming a pop group. It starred child star and TV veteran Raven Symone, who stole the hearts of millions as little Olivia on "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992). Bryan, Bailon and Williams made up the other Cheetahs.

The movie became such a worldwide hit among the "tween" age group, that it spawned a 2006 sequel, "The Cheetah Girls 2," which was set in Barcelona, Spain and beat the viewing records of previous record holder, "High School Musical" (2006).

The Disney machine knew the Cheetah Girls franchise was not going away any time soon, so branched them into the music world, releasing several albums and a 2006 tour. Missing from the tour, however, was Symone, who pursued a behind-the-scenes approach to her career, producing "The Cheetah Girls 2" and its successful soundtrack. Bryan pursued solo work as well. Her love for dance, combined with her passion to educate and inspire her fans about proper exercise, led to "BYOU." Bryan hosted the workout DVD and CD geared towards young women with the message of "Be Happy, Be Healthy - B YOU!"

When the fifth season of ABC's hit reality/competition show aired in the fall of 2007, one member was highly recognizable to younger viewers. Along with her dance partner and choreographer Mark Ballas, the girl from Yorba Linda impressed the show's tough judges and millions of audiences. Bryan's first week score of 26 out of 30 for the cha-cha-cha tied Season 3 favorites actor Mario Lopez and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

Week after week, Bryan continued to wow the show's critics and followers with her high-energy skill and glowing smile. It came as a great shock then, that only weeks before the semi-finals, Bryan was voted off to the surprise of everyone across the country. Even her fellow competitors were speechless, as they surrounded the obviously distraught youngster who, talent-wise, should have gone to the finals.

All was not lost however. Not only had Bryan raised her profile nationally by joining the show, she also found a new boyfriend in her professional dance partner, Ballas. In fact, viewers were left to wonder how close the couple had come, when during their goodbyes, he leaned down, kissed her on the forehead and said "I love you." Days after her dismissal from the show, the couple went public with their romance.

Her fancy footwork on "DWTS," however, did not prevent Bryan from her much-loved Cheetah Girl duties. The group released the album TCG in 2007 - a blend of pop, Latin and hip-hop - that had their fans singing and dancing to a little more grown-up - albeit, Disney Channel-approved - sound. Bryan and her band mates also filmed a third Cheetah Girls movie on location in India before embarking on another concert tour.