You’ll never hear ACDC’s Thunderstruck again without wanting to break into elaborate choreography. After all, it’s a song that has become synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, largely thanks to a hit Netflix documentary series that swept viewers into the behind-the-scenes lives of those on the sidelines.
While outwardly it seems to be all glitter and gamedays, the show highlights the grueling process these want-to-be cheerleaders face in the hopes of becoming an “American Sweetheart.” With the recent release of season two, audiences are introduced to new hopefuls, get reacquainted with seasoned veterans and delve deeper into the problems behind the pom-poms.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is certainly not the first foray into the intricate world of professional cheerleading. County Music Television (naturally) had a long-running reality show called Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team that ended in 2022 and was even grittier than what you see now. A few years later, enter Netflix, enter Netflix production money and the world of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) exploded. In seven episodes of season one, audiences were enthralled by a series that seemed to combine intense athleticism with beauty queen pageantry and let’s be honest, a not-so-subtle cattiness to fuel it all.
Kelli Finglass, DCC director and cheerleader alum, is back in season two to orchestrate a rigorous training process to cut hundreds of hopefuls into a team of 36 for the upcoming football season. After multiple auditions, and a nerve-racking solo performance, hopefuls are then recruited into training camp. Both cheerleader veterans and novices then go through weeks of training in the most tanned, toned version of Survivor you’ll ever watch. Their looks are scrutinized, their weight is questioned and their skills are nit-picked until absolute perfection is achieved. The craziest part? The majority of these women already have full-time jobs and are simply looking to join the team because they see it as the highest honor.
One of the hopefuls of season one was a full-time orthodontist, leaving her office at the end of the day to go to cheerleading practice where selected individuals will make a salary equivalent to that of a fast-food worker!!
It’s insane…and for that reason, you simply can’t look away. (Although this season, thanks to perhaps season one’s popularity, the girls have received a 400% pay raise.)
Many of these girls come from intense dancing backgrounds, transferring their talents from a stage to a field where every movement is scrutinized on the jumbotron. A lot of them are also legacies, with their mothers having cheered for the Cowboys in their time. It’s a type of sorority in which members never truly leave the institution, many retiring as cheerleaders but staying on as consultants, choreographers or stylists. Season two has a particularly interesting storyline in that the head choreographer’s daughter is reauditioning this year for a spot on the team and well, she’s just not that good…
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is certainly not your average sports documentary, but one could argue it certainly falls into that respective category. It takes an intricate look into the professional aspect of the cheerleading world, while also highlighting the personal backgrounds of each girl. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have become an institution in and of themselves and with that has come both praise and scrutiny.
It’s a documentary that will either enthrall you or perhaps really piss you off. There’s a lot that’s not a good look (a makeover episode, a not-so-subtle “let’s talk about your diet” conversation, a predominately white team, etc.) and a lot that tries to emphasize how empowered they are. It’s a dichotomy that season two definitely touches on given how season one exploded in the cultural zeitgeist, but there’s no doubt that DCC knows exactly who they are and are unapologetic about that fact.
They say everything’s bigger in Texas and it’s clear that this show, and these cheerleaders, won’t be shying away from the massive spotlight to mitigate potential criticism.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix.
