For 16 years, we watched the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ grueling audition process through the CMT reality show. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. However, for the 2023 team, the action has been moved to Netflix and instead of just showing the tryouts and training camp, cameras follow the team throughout the season.
LOVES OF AMERICA: DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Initial shot: A group of cheerleaders in bright two-piece outfits are being led to a rehearsal on the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
The essence: America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is a 7-episode documentary series examining the 2023-24 season of the famed Dallas Cowboys cheerleading team, referred to throughout by its initials, “DCC.”
We start at the beginning of the process, where director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell, both DCC alumni, begin watching videos of the 2023 rookie candidates for the 35-person team. Everyone has to audition for the team every year, whether they are rookies or veterans, and both Finglass and Trammell know they will have to make tough decisions as the overall talent of both veterans and rookies is greater than ever.
This means that veterans have to turn in their uniforms (yes, the vest, the boots, the whole thing) in hopes of getting them back if they make the team. And not everyone treats them well.
Finglass and Trammell don’t just look for technical dance skills while reviewing audition videos of hopefuls; They are looking for a presence that stands out when on the field, along with the ability to represent the Cowboys brand well.
We follow some hopefuls, both veterans and newbies. Victoria will audition for her fourth year on the team; her mother is a DCC student in the 80s and helps train her during her dance audition; Her mother and Finglass are close friends, which makes Finglass’ job more difficult, given how long he has known Victoria.
Kelcey is a fifth-year candidate and juggles a full-time job as a nurse with her role as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. In fact, the unequal pay cheerleaders receive compared to Cowboys players is a major theme in the first episode, and Charlotte Jones, daughter of team owner Jerry Jones and the team’s brand director, tells many that of team members. , the privilege of being on the team outweighs the relatively paltry salary.
Reece, a first-time candidate, credits the contest system and Jesus for getting her this far. Anisha, another rookie candidate, is one of the first people of Indian descent to try out for the team.
We watch the tryouts, which take place in the atrium of the team’s headquarters in Frisco, TX, followed by an on-field routine at AT&T Stadium. Of the 70 hopefuls, only 45 will be chosen for training camp, and then the pool will be whittled down to 35 for the season.
What shows will it remind you of? America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is more or less a continuation of the long-running CMT reality series. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, but made by different producers in a more docuseries format than the reality format of the original show. In essence, it is hard hitsexcept focus on the cheerleaders instead of the players.
Our opinion: He hard hits The reference seems appropriate to us, because America’s sweethearts is trying to show how difficult it is to be a cheerleader for an NFL team. Due to the iconic nature of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the high standards and hard work that any NFL cheer team operates with is amplified. And this docu-series gives viewers a good look at how, despite being a dream gig, being a DCC member can be just as stressful as being a musician, and for a lot less money.
What we do hope to see is more people like Kelcey, who has to juggle many long days to maintain her dream of being at DCC. We hope the pay discrepancy is addressed more during the series, even if not directly. We’re pretty sure the team has a lot of people like Kelcey, who have careers outside of cheerleading or dance, because not only do they have ambitions beyond the five years they have at DCC, but, well, because they need to make ends meet. month.
The issue of the salary discrepancy was dealt with too superficially in the first episode, and Charlotte Jones’ point of view seemed quite retrograde to us. It’s a surprise, given that Jones is one of the few owners of an American sports team (she has the title of “owner,” although her father Jerry is more visible even when she’s in her 80s). We don’t expect cheerleaders to be paid the same millions as players, but since many of the team members appropriately view being on the team as a job, they should be paid a living wage to do that job.
The auditions were fun to watch, despite some superficial comments from Jones, Finglass, Trammell and some of the other judges. These women don’t waste time; They are all fantastic dancers. Whether we can say that it “exploded” or not is another question. We also want to see more bits of DCC history, which we saw in the first episode, especially in regards to how the team has persified over the last 50 years.
Sex and skin: Beyond the skimpy cheerleading outfits, there aren’t any.
Parting Shot: Jones and Finglass begin announcing the 45 women who will make up the team for training camp.
Sleeping star: Victoria is under a lot of pressure, given that her mother is a student, and it shows on her face as she talks to producers about joining the team again in 2023.
Most pilot line: Finglass and Trammell continue to say that one of the hopefuls needs a makeover. We didn’t see anything wrong with her and we wonder how this hopeful will feel if he watches the show and sees that.
Our call: TRANSMIT IT. While America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders It won’t get too dark or delve too deeply into real issues, it’s still a good behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most famous cheerleading teams in the world prepares for the spotlight.
Joel Keller@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and technology, but make no mistake: he’s a couch potato. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and other places.