The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an American institution, and now, Netflix superstars. The renowned NFL cheer team is the center of the new hit docuseries America's Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which hit streaming on June 20 and has become one of the most popular and best documentaries of the year. Created by Greg Whiteley (of Cheer and Last Chance U fame), the seven-episode show chronicles the team's 2023 season from auditions to playoffs, documenting the epic highs and lows of NFL cheerleading as the year's hopefuls try out for the world-famous organization.
Since the series premiered, countless viewers have been searching for updates on the captivating dancers. Read on to learn what some of the fan-favorites from America's Sweethearts are up to now, including who returned to training camp ahead of this year's football season.
The Veteran Candidates
Kelcey Wetterberg
Kelcey is a pediatric nurse from Omaha, Nebraska, who returned for her fifth year as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in 2023. Per her DCC bio, she started dancing at the age of 3 and began competing by 8, as part of Nebraska Dance Company and Millard West Dance Team. In 2017, she became a gold medalist with the United States National Jazz Team. She also spent two years on the Arizona State University dance team, before becoming the Choreography Captain for the University of Nebraska's Scarlets dance team. She graduated from the school's Medical Center with a degree in Nursing in 2019, the same year she joined DCC.
In 2023, after making it onto the team for her fifth year, Kelcey was named as one of DCC's team captains, a.k.a. a 1st Group Leader. She worked as a nurse during the day and attended DCC practices at night, often leaving the house at 7 a.m. and getting back home at midnight. She said in the docuseries that though her routine was "exhausting," she still "cherished" her time on the team.
Per her Instagram, Kelcey is currently in the midst of wedding planning, after getting engaged to her fiancé Nate Crnkovich during the docuseries' filming. Last year, the dancer shared the pictures from the surprise proposal, along with a sweet caption.
"What a surprise!!! Nate, you are the man of my dreams! You make life so bright and full of love," she wrote. "Our love story has brought so much happiness and growth to my life, & now we get to write a new chapter! I’ll love you forever, I can’t wait to be your wife!!!!!"
Nate replied, saying, "I love you future Mrs. Crnkovich 😉"
Victoria Kalina
Victoria grew up with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders all her life; her mother Tina Kalina was a DCC in the '80s, and Victoria has known the team's director Kelli Finglass since she was born. Growing up in Coppell, Texas, Victoria began dancing at age 2 and competed with Top Hat Dance Centre, later becoming a teacher at the studio in high school, per her DCC bio. When she was 18, she first auditioned for the team in a process chronicled on the CMT show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team, which ran for 16 seasons from 2006 to 2021. Though she was cut from training camp on her first attempt, she returned the next year and made it onto the team at 19.
At the start of America's Sweethearts, Victoria auditions for her fourth year on the team, and makes it through training camp to join the 2023 roster. As the cameras follow her for the season, we see Victoria's home life living with her mother Tina, with whom she's extremely close. Victoria also recalls her tenure on the team and opens up for the first time about her struggles with depression and disordered eating. "Whenever I get into a bad depression, I turn to bad coping skills, which causes bad eating habits," she explains on the show.
In the final moments of America's Sweethearts, Victoria confirmed that she did not plan to re-audition for her fifth year at DCC. Just days after the docuseries arrived on Netflix, the former cheerleader posted her first-ever YouTube video, where she revealed that she's set to move to New York City to continue her dance journey. She mentioned that she has always admired the Radio City Rockettes, but added that she's "open to any and all opportunities that are out there."
“I might go up there and hate it, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen because I’ve been dreaming of New York City being my home forever," she said. "And I’m so excited to say that is finally happening.”
The Rookie Candidates
Anna Kate Sunvold
Anna Kate grew up in Columbia, Missouri in a very athletic family; her sister Caroline is a retired DCC, while their father Jon “Sunny” Sundvold is a retired professional basketball player who played for several NBA teams. Anna Kate competed nationally as a teen, via her local studio Columbia Performing Arts Centre, and went on to join Texas Christian University's dance team, per her DCC bio. According to her LinkedIn, she graduated summa cum laude from Texas Christian University with a degree in business administration in 2023.
After graduating, Anna Kate relocated to Dallas, where she prepared for her audition with the help of Caroline. (She also lived with Caroline in a studio apartment for several months.) Anna Kate made it through training camp and became an official Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. During her rookie year, she also began her career in the financial planning industry.
Anna Kate is currently part of the 2024 training camp for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, as seen by a group photo shared on the team's official account.
On her Instagram, she's shared that she has recently been traveling and spending time with her fellow cheerleaders, including attending Reece Allman's wedding last April. Anna Kate has also celebrated special occasions with her boyfriend of four years.
Anisha Kurukulasuriya
Anisha, 31, is a pediatric orthodontist, dance instructor, and former dancer for both the NBA's Golden State Warriors and the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. She currently serves as an ambassador for the National Desi Dance League. According to her National Desi Dance League bio, she attended the University of Southern California as an undergrad, where she was a member of the Zeher dance team and won the title of Miss Bollywood America. She was previously a key dancer in Lilly Singh’s World Tour: A Trip To Unicorn Island, and she toured with the renowned dance troupe Mystic India.
Anisha auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 2023 and impressed the judges with her Bollyfusion solo, making it into training camp. However, she was eventually cut before the team was finalized. In a sentimental Instagram post, the dancer reflected on her audition and training experience.
"I know I had joked about fighting for my life every day in training camp, but I truly have no regrets about auditioning; it was an extraordinary experience to dance alongside these incredibly talented and compassionate women and I’m grateful for the friends I’ve made along the way through @dccheerleaders," she wrote. "Representing the South Asian community on such a prestigious platform was a true honor, and I hope it opens doors for others in our community to excel in this industry."
Per Anisha's Instagram bio, she splits her time between L.A. and Dallas, and she regularly hosts dance workshops in both cities. She has also taught classes in cities including London, Chicago, and N.Y.C. She doesn't appear to be part of the 2024 DCC training camp.
Charly Barby
Charly grew up in the San Francisco area in Livermore, California, and began dancing ballet when she was 2-years-old. She shared her love of dance in the docuseries, explaining, "Ballet is a great base to have…there’s a right and a wrong to technique, and I always like to get it right.” While attending Arizona State University, Charly danced on the school's dance team and competed nationally. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in communications and a minor in media analysis in 2023.
Charly stunned the judges with her impressive technique during the 2023 auditions, and easily made it into the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' training camp. However, she was dropped from the team during the final cut. She reflected on her experience in an emotional comment, accompanied by an Instagram reel of her practices throughout the camp. "The amount of hard work, determination and dedication it takes to chase this dream is unlike anything, and I absolutely thrive off of it," she wrote, later signing off, "I’ll see you next year ;)"
Over the past year, Charly has shared many dance and travel posts on Instagram, including a birthday trip to Hawaii and a solo trip to N.Y.C., where she met up with her fellow rookie candidate Kelly Villares. On June 26, 2024, the official DCC Instagram account revealed that Charly is currently part of the training camp for the 2024 team.
Kelly Villares
Kelly is a Weehawken, New Jersey, native who has dreamed of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader for most of her life. In interviews with her parents, Lina Londono and Onel Villares, the now-divorced couple shares that Kelly has loved dance since she could walk and that they stayed married throughout her childhood partly so they could afford her lessons. Kelly trained at Studio L Dance Company in New Jersey and competed nationally on the studio's award-winning team, per her Instagram. In 2023, she graduated from Rutgers University, where she was a co-captain of the school's dance team, and soon after traveled to Dallas to audition for the team.
On America's Sweethearts, she shows off her 20 years of dance experience with a lyrical-jazz solo to Céline Dion's "Ashes," and she makes it into training camp. Kelly even gets a makeover as part of the training, where she dyes her hair brunette after several years as a blonde. However, in episode 3, Kelly gets cut from training camp, due to her lack of experience with the DCC's choreography and style of dance.
Now at 22, Kelly is currently taking part in her second year of training camp, as a rookie candidate for DCC's 2024 team. On June 26, 2024, the franchise's official Instagram shared a photo of Kelly from her latest audition for the team, along with this year's set of potential rookies. The dancer shared her excitement for this year's training camp in a comment on the post.
"I am so privileged and honored to be back in Training Camp," she wrote. "Grateful is an understatement!! Thank you for this opportunity 🥹🤍"
The New Jersey native has also shared updates from her life post-show on Instagram. She appears to have spent the months training for this year's auditions and spending time with the friends she made during the 2023 training camp. Last April, she joined Charly Barby, Anna Kate Sundvold, Camille Sturdivant, and other familiar faces in Florida to celebrate Reece Allman's wedding.
Reece Allman
Reece was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where she began dancing at the age of 3, per her DCC bio. She attended a School of the Arts for grade school and competed in pageants as a teen, winning Miss Florida Outstanding Teen in 2017. For college, she attended the University of Alabama, where she received a degree in dance after being a member of the school's dance team for four years. She is also a devout Christian, who says in the docuseries that she believes her dancing abilities are a gift from God.
Allman was an instant star as soon as she appeared on America's Sweethearts, thanks in part to her skilled Latin ballroom-inspired tryout solo. She tried out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 2023 after graduating from college, and once she got through training camp, she became an official rookie on the team. She relocated to Dallas alongside her then-fiancé Will Allman, who she met when they were students at Bama (and who was her "first-ever boyfriend.")
In April 2024, Reece and Will were married in a gorgeous ceremony in Jacksonville. Per a wedding Reel shared on Reece's Instagram, the bride even performed a DCC dance routine at the reception. Many of the friends Reece met in the docuseries attended the wedding as well.
In another post, Will wrote of the occasion, "Married the woman of my dreams in front of 250 of my best friends and family. A perfect day that will never be forgotten. Thank you to all of you who were able to come celebrate Reece and I!"
Reece recently auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' 2024 team, per an Instagram Reel shared by the franchise's official account. She's currently part of the 2024 training camp.
The Alums
Caroline Sunvold
Caroline, 28, is a dancer and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, who performed on the team for five years before retiring after the 2022 season. The Columbia, Missouri native discovered her love of dance as a toddler and has trained for most of her life. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s in business administration with a minor in finance in 2018. Just months later, she passed training camp and became a DCC rookie, eventually earning titles for both Rookie of the Year in 2018 and Veteran of the Year in 2022.
When America's Sweethearts began filming in the summer of 2023, Caroline was still recovering from foot and hip reconstruction surgeries, the latter of which she had put off to complete her final DCC season. After she helped coach her sister Anna Kate in preparation for the 2023 audition, Caroline attended alumni events and reflected on the next stage of her life after being a DCC (and the emotional crash that comes with so much change).
Caroline currently works as an account manager for a Dallas-area medical device company, per her LinkedIn. She also recently received a certificate in mastering sales from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. On the personal front, the dancer has also shared snapshots of her recent travels to Tulum, Mexico and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on her Instagram.
