The winner of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2022 has been charged with stealing a dance routine.

In the UAAP Cheerdance Competition held on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena, the NU Pep Squad outperformed the other participating schools. The Bulldogs, who were dressed in eye-catching shades of pink, blue, and yellow, fought back to win their sixth UAAP CDC championship in nine seasons by engaging in daring “cheerobics” performances.

The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad, which had won the competition just last May, was defeated by the NU PEP Squad in order for it to retain its 2019 championship. The Bulldogs scored 723 points overall, followed by FEU with 719 and UST with 640.

The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe finally made it onto the podium by taking bronze with a Lady Gaga dance, while the FEU Cheering Squad settled for silver with a Francis M-routine. UE Pep Squad places fourth with their P-Pop performance, and Adamson Pep Squad takes fifth with the “Reinvention” theme.

In contrast, the UP Pep Squad took sixth place, followed by the DLSU Animo Squad in seventh, and Ateneo once again in last.

After all, the NU Pep Squad’s victory wasn’t an easy one. Internet users accused the group of stealing a dance routine after their winning performance.

This led other online users to stand up for the group. They assert that there is no plagiarism in the winning team’s dance routine. The response from some online users is shown here: