America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Was Everything I Wasn’t Expecting It To Be
Ever dreamt of dedicating your life to the world of professional cheerleading? Neither, but according to Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, it’s pretty common.
In the latest offering from Cheer and Last Chance U creator Greg Whiteley, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is a fascinating look at the reality of attaining a coveted position on one of the most iconic cheer teams in America.
The seven-part documentary series follows the DCC’s Class of 2023, from auditions to training camp to the end of the season, and while this is a life I would never choose for myself (nor would it choose me, obviously), it left me with total admiration for the young women who pursue this very specific dream.
As we learn in the first episode, hundreds of women from around the country audition for a team that only holds 36 positions. You can only be on the team for five years, and every year, you must re-audition for your spot. This separates the team into rookies and veterans. The Director of the DCC is alum Kelli Finglass, a Texan woman who you assume is going to be like Abby Lee Miller from Dance Moms, but is thankfully a lot kinder and more maternal (albeit, tough).
She is accompanied by head choreographer Judy Trammell, a fellow DCC alum and Kelli’s second-in-command. These women cherish the DCC and take its legacy and future incredibly seriously. Their job is to whittle the 76 women selected from initial auditions down to just 36, with assistance from Charlotte Jones, the owner, executive vice president, and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys and various other DCC-affiliated contributors. (It’s a whole Marvel universe, y’all.)
Image credit: Netflix/America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
It’s obvious that each of the 76 selected women is talented, but unfortunately, that isn’t enough to secure a position on the team. As Forbes writer Dana Feldman explains in her review, “This series explores an unpleasant truth: Life isn’t always fair and we don’t always get what we want even if we work hard and have the talent.”
The women are scrutinised over their facial expressions, their bodies, their stamina, and their ability to high kick and do the splits. The latter sounds particularly specific, however, these are signature moves of DCC, and even the most talented dancers will be cut if they cannot perfect this choreography in time.
Image credit: Netflix/America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
After the third episode, the team is officially selected, and we’re privy to the heartbreak of rookies having their dreams dashed and veterans having their dreams ripped away. It’s emotional to watch, but this is where one of the key themes of the series seemed to click for me: Sisterhood.
Everyone is extremely lovely and supportive of each other, and while feuds and diva behaviour would have made the series juicier, it wouldn’t have felt authentic. This show has so much substance and explores so many different facets of this uniquely female experience that any added drama would have seemed completely manufactured.
Pop culture has presented us with stereotypes of the bitchy cheerleader for years, and generally speaking, competitive sport can be cut-throat. But this documentary showcases a group of strong, classy young women who rise above any temptation to be spiteful or jealous and just simply yearn to be a part of this family. Even Kelli and Judy, despite being harsh critics and pushing the girls to great lengths, are kind and caring, and you get a sense that they respect anyone who respects the DCC.
Throughout the rest of the series, we see this new team start the season and there are a few key women that are interviewed. There’s Kelcey, a 5th-year veteran and team leader who grapples with the fact that this will be her last year on the team. There’s Reece, a butter-wouldn’t-melt cutie who takes her faith very seriously (Dallas being a highly religious city) but is able to embody the sexiness required for her performances. There’s Anna Kate and Caroline, two sisters starting and ending their DCC tenure. The latter is recovering from surgery that had been postponed until after the season and is feeling lost about what her future holds.
Then, there’s Victoria. You just want to hold Victoria in your arms and tell her everything is going to be okay. Like many other cheerleaders, Victoria is a second-generation DCC, and her mum Tina is heavily featured. Cheerleading is all that Victoria cares about, and we watch her wrestling with the fact that she almost didn’t make the team as a 4th-year veteran. Victoria opens up about her struggles with eating, and we’re shown the interesting dynamics between her and Kelli/Judy, who are like mother figures to her. She is desperate for their approval, and the women must navigate being honest with Victoria but also staying mindful of her fragility.
Image credit: Netflix/America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The series explores the pressures of professional cheerleading and the countless sacrifices these women have to make, whether it’s physical, emotional or financial. A number of the women have full-time jobs on top of their cheering, and one former veteran compares the salary of a DCC to that of a fast-food worker. This, in contrast with the millions of dollars the football players they cheer for are making, seems bleak.
There’s also the impossible standard that they’re held to as women in the sporting world. Time Magazine’s review of the series, written by Judy Berhman, highlights the expectations these women must live up to. “Men may ruin their bodies playing football or be shunned by the NBA because they aren’t seven feet tall. But no one expects them to fulfil every fan’s fantasy, as sweet surrogate granddaughters to the nursing-home residents we see DCC visit, role models to the little girls who idolize them, eye candy to guys of all demographics.”
In the final episode of the series, titled ‘Sisters For Life’, we learn that 2nd-year veteran Sophy has been inappropriately groped by a photographer during the game. She decides to press charges, which is supported by Kelli and Judy but worries everyone will think she’s making a big deal out of nothing. Once the game is over and Sophy explains her absence during the rest of the game to the girls, we see a touching display of support. They remind her of her courage in speaking up and tell her she will inspire others to do the same. They hug and cry and proclaim, “No one touches our Sophy!”
Image credit: Netflix/America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The episode then moves onto something really special, a half-time feature performance reunion of previous DCC members. “We have about 200 alumni coming in from all over the country that have cheered from the 60s through to our current team,” Kelli explains. During the rehearsal process, we’re exposed to some brilliant women (ages ranging from 19-72) who are absolutely stoked to be back with their pompoms. They detail how much DCC has meant to them, and still means to them. Footage of the performance is a joy to watch. Everyone is so damn happy, and I was genuinely impressed by the athleticism of the women on the more senior end of the lineup.
The series ends with the girls having to inform Kelli and Judy whether or not they plan on re-auditioning next season, as well as an end-of-season banquet celebrating the Class of 2023. Emotions run high, especially for the 5th-year veterans ending their run, and the ladies bask in the fact that regardless of what happens next, they’ll always be bonded by this team.
Time Magazine gives praise to the show’s creator Greg Whiteley for the way in which he captured the complicated nature of the world of DCC. “A feminist-minded viewer could tie herself in knots trying to untangle the show’s –and the squad’s – gender politics, and Whiteley deserves credit for doing justice to that complexity.”
If you’re looking for a series that doesn’t sugarcoat reality, but still delivers on sweetness, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is one to watch.
You can watch America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix now.
Written by Lil Friedmann, a staunch defender of reality television who is now practising her high kick. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: Netflix