Twin stars from Cheaper By The Dozen are now Jiu Jitsu fighters

Brent and Shane Kinsman of Cheaper by the Dozen fame have seemingly forged new career paths since starring in the hit comedy, as both have taken up Jiu Jitsu and are performing to a high level in the combat sport.

Playing young twin bothers Kyle and Nigel Baker in the 2003 film, the pair managed to make their big screens debuts before they'd even turned six.

Cheaper by the Dozen, which also started legendary actor Steve Martin and a young Hilary Duff, wouldn't be the only film the young brother's would feature in, however.

In addition, the youngsters reprised their roles as Nigel and Kyle in sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2, which was released in 2005.

The acting roles seemingly dried up for them as they entered their teenage years, but thankfully, they'd soon find another calling in life.

Both Brent and Shane would star in multiple episodes of Desperate Housewives between 2005 and 2008, as well as TV drama ER.

As can be seen from Shane's personal Instagram, both he and his twin brother have started to compete in Jiu Jitsu at high level competitions around the US – and specifically in their home state of California.

Back in June, Shane uploaded a picture of himself standing at the top of a Jiu Jitsu World League podium, taken from a competition at California State University.

"First Jiu Jitsu tournament in the books! There’s infinite room for improvement, but I’m loving the journey. Back to the drawing board," the former child actor wrote in the caption.

Not to be outdone, twin Brent also looks to have picked up the sport, which has exploded in popularity since the rise of Mixed Martial Arts, and more specifically the UFC.

Since the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the early 1990s, Jiu Jitsu – a martial art which originates from Brazil – has become an increasingly important skill for high end fighters to master.

Famous proponents and practitioners of Jiu Jitsu include podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Ashton Kutcher, and Keanu Reeves.

As for Shane and Brent, the former looks to be the more advanced fighter.

In a post from 2021, Brent describes being 'almost one year' into his Jiu Jitsu journey, while Shane is already competing in global tournaments.

While the sport is clearly keeping the pair busy, they haven't given up on acting just yet. In a recent interview, the Kinsmans talked about their desire to resume acting, having now graduated from college.

"Just before our teenage years, we decided to take a hiatus from acting to focus on our studies and sports, knowing that we might pick it back up later in life," Brent told Authority Magazine at the start of the year.

"At some point in college, we decided that we’d get back into the entertainment industry once we completed our degrees, and that’s where we are now."

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