The University of Hawaii cheer squad is basking in the national spotlight. In November, they passed up the national cheerleading championships to compete on a new reality show for MTV, hosted by Paula Abdul.

"A couple things were told to us maybe two days prior," said head coach and advisor Mike Baker. "So we were in the midst of traveling. So we were working on things at the airport, coming together, coming up with routines for certain things."

The squad and four other teams from across the country traveled to New York and endured two 16-hour days of grueling competition. MTV's cameras were rolling the entire time.

The teams were put through different challenges; one was eliminated after each round. Not a problem for the UH cheer squad. They nailed their routines every time.

"When we were going through this whole experience, and going one by one through the challenges and nailing every single one, nothing came down. I think that just felt so incredible," said cheerleader Kelvin Lam.

"You'll be able to see how well this team works together, how well they kind of unite, trust each other, rely on each other," Baker said. "That's really the magic of what goes on with us."

The squad also got valuable one on one time with Paula. She taught them choreography and critiqued their routines.

"She's just like you see on TV. She was so nice, and she was just so energetic and just so like passionate," said cheerleader Annie Scruggs. "She gave really good criticism and she was super sweet."

In the end, Hawaii came out on top.

"I was like, we won? We won!" Lam recalled.

"It was almost like surreal," said Scruggs. "Like we came all the way to New York City and we won. It was really cool."

And viewers were impressed. Since the show first aired, Coach Baker has been flooded with calls and e-mails from people interested in the cheerleading program.

"We're really able to showcase the team as a whole," he said. "You get to see the individuals and the working dynamics. And the dynamics, the working dynamics of this squad is what we pride ourselves in."

The squad wins a feature in American Cheerleader magazine and a trip to MTV's Spring Break. if you'd like to catch a rerun of "Rah," it's replaying on MTV Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

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