Amanda Dillon (Killer Cheer Mom)

## Amanda Dillon

The evil Amanda Dillon (aka Mallory Rivers)

**Amanda Dillon**, aka **Mallory Rivers** (Denise Richards), is the main villainess from the 2021 Lifetime film, *Killer Cheer Mom* (airdate August 28, 2021).

## Backstory

Mallory Rivers' backstory revealed that she was engaged in an affair with her married co-worker, Tim Anders, though it wasn't revealed how long their affair lasted. In time, Mallory's affections for Tim became an obsession, with Tim's wife, Sarah, ordering her husband to end his affair. Having seen Sarah as a threat to her relationship with Tim, Mallory turned heel and planned to kill Sarah, doing so by tampering with the brakes in her car. However, Tim ended up driving his wife's car, and because of his deranged lover's sabotage, he ended up killed in a car crash.

## Events

Mallory avoided suspicion due to Tim's death being labeled a suicide, and afterwards, the villainess changed her name to Amanda Barkley and met James Dillon, leading to the couple becoming husband and wife. Amanda took James and his daughter, main protagonist Riley Dillon and moved them out of Chicago to smaller town, and at her school, Riley was trying out for the cheerleading squad. Amanda portrayed herself as a supporting stepmother and put herself in Riley's corner in her quest to become cheerleader, even going as far as approach the squad's coach, Toni, regarding Riley's progress.

In actuality, Amanda overheard Riley vent about the move and voice her desires to return to Chicago, and knowing this, the villainess used her sinister tactics to make sure Riley ended upon on the squad and thus not want to move back. After tampering with Dee's medical records failed, Amanda attempted to set up another cheerleader, Ariel Clemens, as a drug user, stealing a prescription note from her psychiatrist, Dr. Schafer, to obtain a sports steroid that she planted in Ariel's purse. Later on, Amanda used her video editing skills to place Tiana and Ariel's faces on a video featuring teenagers drinking, with her modified video leading to both girls being kicked off the squad.

Also as a result, two spots were open on the squad, but after seeing Riley with cheer captain Chloe Morris, the evil Amanda attempted to have Chloe killed to increase Riley's chances. The maniacal villainess tampered with Chloe's brakes, resulting in a crash that left her hospitalized. As for Riley, she ended up suspected in not only the attempt on Chloe, but also sabotaging Tiana and Ariel as well. As for Amanda, she only voiced her concern for Riley's tryouts, with Riley lashing out at her stepmother in response. After learning that the police were involved, Amanda tracked Detective Sanchez to a care facility where she was visiting her mother, and later left a threatening note on Sanchez's windshield, which ordered her to leave Riley alone.

## Climax and Arrest

Riley began to suspect that something was off about Amanda, along with her boyfriend, Cooper (happens to be Chloe's brother) went to look into Amanda. She remembered Amanda mentioning her last lover, Tim, and claiming that they were in love until his suicide, only for an online search to reveal that he was killed in a car crash. Riley and Cooper visited Tim's widow, Sarah Anders, who identified Amanda under her real name, Mallory Rivers, and revealed her affair with Tim. In addition, Sarah revealed that Tim's death was caused by Mallory, who was attempting eliminate Sarah in her quest to be with Tim.

Riley attempted to warn James about Amanda/Mallory, but her statements fell on deaf ears. Later that evening, Amanda appeared to Riley as she was sleeping, and berated her for attempting to ruin her chances of having a family of her own, while referring to her stepdaughter as "ungrateful" and demanding an apology. The film's saw Riley and Cooper at Dr. Schafer's office regarding Amanda, who later appeared and knocked out Cooper before chloroforming Riley.

The villainess took her stepdaughter to an abandoned shack and tied her up, after which Amanda doused the shack with gasoline as part of her plan to kill Riley. In response to Riley's pleas, Amanda snarled that she wouldn't have to commit her actions if Riley was "better at cheerleading," and voiced her desire to avoid returning to Chicago, where she was suspected of murder. Riley reminded Amanda that she killed her last lover, with the evil madwoman claiming that it was done out of love and revealing her plan to kill Riley and be at James' side afterwards. Just as Amanda activated the lighter, she was tackled by Riley, which was followed by James arriving and rescuing his daughter. Amanda's escape was thwarted by Sanchez, who ordered her to get out of her car, leading to Amanda fretting about losing her "happily ever after" as she was arrested.

## Victims

* Tim Anders (ran over)
* Sarah Anders (attempted and failed)
* Chloe Morris (ran over, sent to hospital and survived)
* Cooper Morris (knocked out but survived)
* Riley Dillon (chloroformed when attempted to burn to death, saved by James)

## Trivia

* This was Denise Richards' first villainous Lifetime movie role; she is best known for playing villainess Kelly Van Ryan in *Wild Things.*