7596 replies to this topic

[ElectricBoogalo]

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who watched this special on CMT! I missed the first half (the preliminary tryotus), but I did get to witness stupid activities like the girls being quizzed on current events during a break in their dance rehearsal. WTF? Even worse, one of the girls couldn't name a single current event. Way to combat the stereotype! Anyway, this two hour documentary begins with open auditons and follows them through training camp and up to the first game of the 2005 season. The director says several times that almost 1000 people showed up for the open call (she does say "almost" so I wonder how close to 1000 they really were) and the final squad is "only" 36.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will always have a special place in my heart if for no other reason than the made for tv movie starring Jane Seymour that I watched when I was really young.

[Nycole]

Please, please tell me this is re-airing sometime soon. My love of bad TV knows no end.

[Britty]

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who watched this special on CMT!

Nope, you're not alone. I was hoping for lots of drama, but there wasn't much. The first tryouts were funny and sad. There were a few larger ladies out there shaking their moneymakers. I'm not sure what these girls were thinking because the DCC are more about the look than the the dancing. Although they do expect you to have some kind of dance background. I laughed when someone couldn't even do the splits during the tryout. One girl was on her eighth tryout. She said that Jesus had put it on her heart to be a DCC. Ninth time's a charm!

I felt terrible for Elizabeth(?). The last girl that was cut because I thought she was adorable and a good dancer. She was the one staying with the 5yr veteran and the Jersey girl.

[ChocolateCherry]

I watched it even though it was exactly like the one on the NFL Channel for the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders. "If I knew I was going to die I'd do some stuff that I never thought about doing before". That's nice except the question was "what thing do you have to do before you die?". You can never go wrong if you say that you want to travel around the world.

Please, please tell me this is re-airing sometime soon. My love of bad TV knows no end.

It's on a few more times.

[MaryWebGirl]

I loved that interview section. They asked "What does the uniform mean to you?" and one girl promised she'd keep it clean and turn it in at the end of the season. I also thought it was quite telling that there was one candidate the coaches and choreographers didn't want, but the men on the committee liked her, so they kept her.

I don't get why someone would come from across the country to be on this specific squad.

I'm so glad there's a thread about this!

Edited by MaryWebGirl, Nov 13, 2005 @ 1:47 PM.

[Britty]

I watched it even though it was exactly like the one on the NFL Channel for the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders.

The Sunshine Sports Network (I don't know if anyone outside of Florida gets that) has shown a couple of similar specials for the Miami Heat Dancers. It was so much better because those girls could DANCE. There were tons of really talented girls trying out so it was interesting to see who would make the cut. Of course, I don't remember any of them that claimed it was their lifelong dream to dance for the Heat or that Jesus wanted them to.

[ElectricBoogalo]

I don't get why someone would come from across the country to be on this specific squad.

I saw a similar special on the Charger Girls back when I lived down in San Diego, and there were girls who flew in from Japan to audition. There were a bunch of girls who knew the entire schedule for NFL cheerleading tryouts. Some of them didn't make the cut and said, "It's okay because the ______ are next month." Just...wow. I'm astounded that people make such an effort to make one of the teams considering the whopping $50 per game they make in exchange for 2-5 nights of rehearsal per week. I guess the prestige of jumping around in hot pants is priceless!

ETA: I say this with kindness in my heart because my high school dance coach was an NFL cheerleader and she was a relatively normal (non fame-whorish) person.

[ultimategirl]

Even worse, one of the girls couldn't name a single current event. Way to combat the stereotype!

What I don't get is, if you KNOW that they are going to be asking you these questions (and, the way the judges were discussing the task, they certainly implied that the women know about it in advance), why don't you prepare? Read a newspaper that day? Spend ten minutes watching CNN? And if you're working for the Dallas Cowboys, why don't you check the schedule to see when their first game is?

I loved that interview section. They asked "What does the uniform mean to you?" and one girl promised she'd keep it clean and turn it in at the end of the season.

Oh, I was laughing at her and sympathizing with her at the same time. I loved the head judge (Kelly?) being like "I didn't think the question was that hard!"

[ElectricBoogalo]

ITA - go to yahoo and just look at the news headlines on the front page right before you leave for rehearsal!

I tried to catch the beginning of this tonight but I still managed to miss the first half hour or so, but I did see the uniform interview question. I thought Kelli asked her how they knew they could trust the new girl with her uniform, which seemed like a stupid question. It's much more non-sequiturish if they asked what the uniform means to the girls!

According to the audition FAQ, the day that the girls do their individual dances (during the second weekend of tryouts) they are also given a verbal football quiz and a written test that covers the football team, the cheerleading team's history, the NFL, and current events. That means by the time the finalists have made it to training camp, they should KNOW they need to have minimal knowledge of current events and team information.

[texaslynn]

This was great bad TV! The director of the cheerleaders, Kelly McGonagill F. is such a typical Dallas bitch! I have had the unfortunate experience of having to work with some women exactly like her: thinks she is an example of the way a "real lady" acts, looks down her nose at anyone who is even slightly different, preaches on about her devotion to God and family, but is really such a judgmental bitch who devotes SO MUCH of her life to the DCC organization, I don't know how she could have time for God, family, etc.

If it wasn't being filmed, there is no way they would have allowed some of the chubby girls to get that far in the tryout process. I am sure it was done to make "good TV" - a few scenes of body fat jiggling among all those Barbie dolls. The Hispanic girl (Darlene?) was so cute but had a little bit of an ass on her. GOD FORBID you have an ass on DCC!!

I loved seeing their "performance pieces" - reminded me of stuff you would see in child beauty pageants.

I also agree that it was unfair to cut the Elizabeth(?) girl who, to her credit, stood up the McGonagill and said that she had only been given praise at all her evaluations and had no warning that she would be cut.

How do these girls make money? They don't get paid much for performances and they have to practice a lot - doesn't leave a lot of time for a real job.

Edited by texaslynn, Nov 14, 2005 @ 9:29 AM.

[njbarmaid]

The editing to me wasn't done well. They made it appear that the cuts were happening over several nights, however Kelli is wearing the same outfit for over half the cut interviews as well as "Media Day" training.

As for the girl who couldn't name a current event, and then to blank out again in the media training, wanted another chance? She should have gotten a clue the first time she wasn't prepared.

What would have been great would be if they ran the old movie with Jane Seymour as the undercover reporter trying out for the team, then this show. I swear not much has changed in the 20+ years since that movie.

[luckyroll3]

How do these girls make money? They don't get paid much for performances and they have to practice a lot - doesn't leave a lot of time for a real job.

I had a roommate and two other friends who were Miami Heat dancers. It's true, they hardly get paid anything for games and they don't get paid for practices which are usually 4 times a week for several hours, usually after 6.

Most of the girls work real, full-time jobs (while some live off of mommy and daddy). However, they make tons from appearances. My roommate got paid anywhere from $100-$400 just to go to a boat show or charity event in her uniform for 2 hours on Saturday.

Now I have to check if I get CMT, because I think I would love this show.

Edited by luckyroll3, Nov 14, 2005 @ 11:05 AM.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Several are college students, so they aren't giving up much besides hitting the bars every night of the week. When my dance team coach was a Charger Girl, she worked full time at the high school during the day which didn't interfere with night rehearsals or games. She said the cheerleaders were given a discount if they lived at the apartment complex across the street from the stadium, which is why several of the girls moved in together (rehearsals were held at the complex which made it convenient to just walk upstairs and collapse into bed). This was back in the day when they weren't getting jack for appearances.

I love that the rules and regulations specify that the girls must either be students or employed (although they do count being a mother/homemaker as a job and they specify you can be part time in school or work). So you're not allowed to be a trophy wife until AFTER your cheerleading career?

They made it appear that the cuts were happening over several nights, however Kelli is wearing the same outfit for over half the cut interviews as well as "Media Day" training.

I noticed that pink jacket throughout the show too!

[Diesel77]

I loved this show--CMT did a much better job than I expected. I was glad that Jersey Melissa made it in the end, but it seemed really unfair to cut Elizabeth, who clearly was a better dancer in the scenes where she was helping Melissa avoid the cut.

I totally want to see the whole individual performance of the girl with the trophy saddle and chaps. That so would have been me (if I had the body to pull off an outfit like that....)

My favorite scene was the judges snarking on the girl who gave the extremely literal answer to the uniform question.

[texaslynn]

Found a quote from an actress named Allison McCurdy, who used to be a DCC -

Bell: In addition, I read that you were a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Anything you would like to share with us about that?

McCurdy: Being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader was a lot of fun, along with a lot of work both physically and mentally. The director Kelli McGonagill Finglass is not the nicest woman on earth nor were most of the other cheerleaders. A lot of catty, insecure women. But I must say it did help me book a lot of other jobs once I moved here. I am still friends with one of the girls that I cheered with: she moved out here to LA about a year before I did.

[MelsW]

Kelly just looks like she would be a megabitch in real life.

I saw bits and pieces of this show on two different nights and wish I could have seen it in its entirety. After they cut the mass of girls who wouldn’t be going to training camp, the sea of tears was just too much. People are really that devastated that they won’t be a DCC? Some girls were seriously bawling, not just your run of the mill tears of disappointment.

I loved their performance pieces, some of the props were just over the top. I would die of embarrassment even just thinking of routines like that.

[Hailey]

I assume the lady representing the family that owns the Dallas Cowboys was Jerry Jones' daughter? She looked just like him. If she would have said, "and I own a 12 person hot tub shaped just like Texas Stadium...That's right" I would have fallen in love with this show even more. It was fantastic.

The poor girl with the brown and yellow hair and maroon eyebrows begging and sobbing with her to please don't cut me was one of my favorites. You go ahead and bawl shamelessly on national TV, honey.

And finally, did makeup lesson day include a free jet-black eyeliner pencil for each of the girls to take home? Every single one of them during the last few days of tryouts had on way too much of it. White blonde hair with a quarter inch of jet-black eyeliner around your entire eyes is a very harsh, unflattering look and kind of makes you look like a stripper.

[jackiecarr]

I saw a little bit of this, but it's too bad that it's not a series, I would probably watch every week.

I love that the rules and regulations specify that the girls must either be students or employed (although they do count being a mother/homemaker as a job and they specify you can be part time in school or work). So you're not allowed to be a trophy wife until AFTER your cheerleading career?

I get the feeling that this is just a way to keep track of them to make sure they're not escorting, doing porn, or slutting it up with too many sugar daddies on the side. I think TPTB get a bit nervous about- yeah, we're sort of exploiting the fact that these are hot girls, yet we still want to look good to the moral police. They want to avoid this type of situation,

[abqgirl]

How do these girls make money? They don't get paid much for performances and they have to practice a lot - doesn't leave a lot of time for a real job.

My friends who work within the NFL have heard rumors through the years that the DCC is one of the few squads in the NFL where the cheerleaders could actually live off their apperance fees and royalties generated from the calendar and such.

Personally, my favorite was the girl from Utah who said the Lord was telling her that she belonged back in Utah where she would marry the man of her dreams.

Really? I thought she was heading back to Utah because she was cut.

Goodness I am a sucker for t.v. like this.

[ElectricBoogalo]

The poor girl with the brown and yellow hair and maroon eyebrows begging and sobbing with her to please don't cut me was one of my favorites. You go ahead and bawl shamelessly on national TV, honey.

I don't need dignity or pride - I just need to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader!

I get the feeling that this is just a way to keep track of them to make sure they're not escorting, doing porn, or slutting it up with too many sugar daddies on the side. I think TPTB get a bit nervous about- yeah, we're sort of exploiting the fact that these are hot girls, yet we still want to look good to the moral police. They want to avoid this type of situation,

ITA that they are trying to walk a fine line, but I think it's just silly. Women who are married, have kids, work, or are in school can just as easily STILL be doing porn, escort, or working their way through sugar daddies. I understand what the organization is trying to achieve through this clause, but it's so outdated and the morality clause covers those types of scenarios far better.

I loved their performance pieces, some of the props were just over the top. I would die of embarrassment even just thinking of routines like that.

What I found interesting about the performance pieces is that many of them were AWFUL. I didn't particularly care for the choreography that was taught at the tryouts, but at least the girls were just working with what they were given. The performance pieces, on the other hand, were of their own choosing so you'd think they would choose costumes and choreography that would showcase their strengths and mask their weaknesses, but no. Many of the performance pieces revealed how badly some of them dance. I guess this was just one more indicator that the DCC do not have the best dancers.

Edited by ElectricBoogalo, Nov 16, 2005 @ 3:50 PM.

[texaslynn]

I loved the unveiling of their official group portrait! Their picture didn't look anything like them at all! They were all close up to it, oohing and aahing, but honestly the way they were photographed did not resemble how they truly look in the least. Blame airbrushing, I guess.

I also loved the phrase the directors kept telling the cut girls: "you have to work on your memory getting faster". We could also phrase it another way - "you are really stupid, vapid, and slow". How does one work on getting their memory faster?

The girl that Kelli said was out of shape has my sympathy. She ended up being a DCC, but imagine the hell she is going to go through every time Kelli sees her, watching to see if her ass is smaller, watching everything she eats, etc. Too much pressure.

[Sbeet]

I too watched this dreck. I'm so glad that I wasn't the only one! I was at the hairdresser's today and we cracked up because we both admitted to watching it. I marvel at how these women can jump around and work out without tying their hair back. Before yesterday, my hair was halfway down my back, and it was up and out of my face 90 percent of the time!

As for the girl who couldn't name a current event, and then to blank out again in the media training, wanted another chance? She should have gotten a clue the first time she wasn't prepared.

That girl was dumber than a box of hair. She needs some help, or a brain transplant. Yikes.

I was laughing when they took the rookies to get makeovers - which included a Mystic Tan, garish makeup, foils, and lots of hairspray. The shocker? One girl (named Starr Spangler - HA!) was actually convinced to go from blonde to brown with highlights. She said she'd been blonde all her life. I'm like, "yeah, from a BOTTLE." She did actually look better though.

As for the girl with the weight problem. She said on camera that she was 118. She was tiny when they showed her getting measured for that craptastic outfit. It's just those outfits are so insane.

Does anyone know if those cheesy boots are made special for dance? I can't imagine trying to dance in them.

[fonfon]

I couldn't get past "Starr Spangler". I haven't laughed so hard in a week! (Hey, Trading Spouses was last week!)

[ElectricBoogalo]

Does anyone know if those cheesy boots are made special for dance? I can't imagine trying to dance in them.

I don't personally know about which shoes the DCC (yep, I'm hip to the lingo!) wear, but there are special boots made for dancing and kicklines. Most dance teams wear dance shoes, some of which look like street shoes.

[Benedictine]

Hallelujah! I am so glad to see that some of my fellow TWOP'ers also saw this glorious train wreck. I watched it last night with Mrs. Benedictine, and we haven't laugh so hard in ages.

How can one even start to snark on this? I can think of three things:

1. To the girl who had no idea what was going on in the world and could only come up with "Oh, I know something! The Cowboys were 6 and 10 last year!" Did you just hear that sound? That was the sound of many jaws dropping at the same time. Hint to the poor girl: do NOT highlight the failures of the organization in which you are suppose to be cheering!

2. Deanna. What was wrong with her? NOTHING! She was very pretty and had just the right proportions for a young lady of her height. I mean come on, Kelli, not all girls can be tall and thinner than a rail! Some girls are a bit thick in certain parts yet still look great! Having he lose weight and calling her a "project" behind her back was just wrong on so many levels.

3. Starr Spangler? Uh huh. Hee!

Oh man (wiping tears from my eyes). THAT was good television!

[MaryWebGirl]

I marvel at how these women can jump around and work out without tying their hair back.

I think that interview texaslynn posted explains some of that. I've never understood women who work out in cute little matching outfits (since I'm slobbing in baggy track pants and an old, probably free in some way, t-shirt) with hair and makeup done, but I bet if a member showed up in a ponytail and no makeup she'd hear whispers before she even got to the locker room. I also wouldn't be surprised if Kelli told them to be sure to look nice since there were cameras around.

Edited by MaryWebGirl, Nov 17, 2005 @ 9:49 AM.