I’ll admit, I was a tad late to the game with Netflix’s documentary series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, but once I started, I was hooked. The series documents the journey of a bunch of beautiful, talented women who aspire to become a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader as they go through the gruelling selection process. But as it happens, just as I finished watching the series on Netflix, I discovered on TikTok that a whole new batch of pom-pom thrusting girlie pops were about to start the yearly training camp to make the 2024 team. Now, we know exactly who made the cut — and which fan favourites didn’t.
The squad is usually made up of 36 women. This year 24 members of the team are veterans who were in the 2023 team, with 12 new faces joining the lineup. Excitingly for fans of the doco, the 2024 team includes two gals who didn’t make the cut last year. They did the damn thing!!
Charly Barby and Kelly Villares were both documented in the series, making it right to the end before they were cut by the big dog (AKA the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader director) Kelly Finglass. This time around, they’ve made the cut and of course, they’re fkn stoked.
“BEST DAY OF MY LIFE,” Charly commented on the official DCC Instagram post announcing the new squad.
“My literal dream come true!!!! I would not change a thing and honoured does not even describe how I feel! This organization means the absolute world to me and to be able to call it home now means more than I’ll ever be able to say.”
Kelly Villares echoed similar sentiments.
“Someone needs to pinch me!!!” she wrote.
“I am SO honoured to be a part of this team alongside all these incredible women. My lifelong dream came true today, and this will be a day I will never forget.”
What is America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders about?
The Netflix series lets us into the super intense training camp that the prospective DCC dancers have to go through to make the final team. We get to see the gruelling workouts, dance routines and schedules that the women — who are often also working full time — must go through to be part of the long-standing organisation.
This series also follows particular members of the team giving us an insight into the behind-the-scenes vibes, the tight-knit sisterhood and the very particular rules required of the DCC.
It’s captivating — and slightly problematic (we’ll get to that in a bit) — but a truly fascinating display of skill and resilience nonetheless.
What is the drama surrounding the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?
Toxic beauty standards
One of the most glaring (and saddening) issues on the show is the narrow and toxic beauty standards that the women are up against. To be a member of the DCC, the girls must have the “DCC look” — and it becomes very, very clear that this just means they have to be gorgeous and thin with no visible tattoos or piercings.
After being explicitly told that their uniform cannot be altered after initial fittings, DDC dancers are expected to maintain the weight they are when they make the team. The girls’ appearances are constantly being scrutinised, from their hair to their make-up.
In fact, in the doco series, we get a sneak peek at the DCC rulebook which specifies that the gals must eat a healthy breakfast, drink at least eight glasses of water a day, take vitamins and stop eating after 6pm.
The pressure seems crippling and, for some, damaging to their mental health. In the Netflix series, we meet Victoria Kalina, DCC member who details her struggles with her mental health and eating disorders while she’s on the team.
Insufficient pay
The biggest talking point to come out of the Netflix doco was the feeble amount that the cheerleaders get paid for their work on the team.
According to former DCC member Katherine Puryear, the ladies on the team are paid the same amount as a fast food worker.
“I would say I’m making, like, [as much as] a Chick-fil-A worker that works full time,” she said in the doco.
NBC Sports Boston reports that the gals make $500 USD ($763 AUD) per game and $15-20 USD per hour ($20-$30 AUD).
The (high)kicker? The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are considered to be some of the best-paid NFL cheerleaders in the league with the average NFL cheerleader receiving $150 USD ($229 AUD) per game. Plus, they can earn extra cash from public appearances ranging $50-75 USD ($76- $114) a pop.
Incidentally, it used to be worse. The wage was raised after former DCC member Erica Wilkins claimed that she earnt less than minimum wage as a cheerleader and sued the organisation.
While it sounds like a pretty penny, it feels like nothing compared to the average salary of a Dallas Cowboys football player, which is approximately $2 million USD. Or, if you take into account that the organisation is worth around $9 billion USD.
Food for thought, no?
While it’s technically a part-time job, the expectations of time and effort demanded from the women are no joke. In the series, five-year veteran member Kelsey Wetterberg explains how she juggles her job as a nurse with her DCC career.
“DCC is more of a part-time job as a nurse, I work 7:30am to 4:30pm then go to practice and get home at midnight, sometimes 1:00 am,” she said.
“A lot of us work full-time jobs and come to DCC at night so it can be really exhausting …but there are moments here that are so special. I’ll cherish them for the rest of my life, but it’s worth it.”
That’s a pretty hectic schedule. Add that to the pressures to meet the team’s beauty standards and I’d argue that’s almost a full-time job.
Where can I watch America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?
You can watch the entire seven-episode series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix.
Will there be America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season Two?
So far, there has been no confirmation of another season of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. However, this certainly isn’t the first time that the DCC’s casting process has been front and centre of a TV show.
In 2006, an American TV network released Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team which follows the complete audition process from start to finish. Since then, it’s had a whopping 16 seasons documenting each year of team selection.
It’s worth noting that Making The Team is even more turbo when it comes to the team’s toxic beauty standards.
If you’re craving more DCC drama, you can tune in to Making The Team on Paramount+.
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