Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is an American reality television series that aired on CMT from September 29, 2006, to November 27, 2021. The series follows the auditioning process and the forming of the Dallas Cowboys' annual Cheerleading squad. The series features director Kelli McGonagill Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell.
In April 2022, it was reported that CMT canceled the series after 16 seasons. A successor series, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders was ordered by Netflix and premiered on June 20, 2024.
Summary
The show tracks the progression of women who are in the audition process of trying to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. The show begins at Texas Stadium, then moves with the team to AT&T Stadium in subsequent seasons: first the open audition "cattle call", then the five-person audition "cut-down", followed by personal interviews, uniform fittings, BMI testing, physical fitness testing, etiquette training, mock media interviews, and calendar shoots. Successful candidates must also complete a knowledge test on various subjects including, but not limited to: the Dallas Cowboys and their history, NFL Football in general and the rules of the game, general history, government, and current events.There is also the grueling elite dance choreography that tests each woman's capacity to grasp dance combinations and perform the trademark kick-line/jump-split routine for which the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is known.
Women are judged by a hand-picked panel of experts, and scoring is based on physical appearance, physical fitness, dance style, poise, grace, intelligence, and showmanship.
Once training camp opens, the women are put through a program of elite dance training and physical conditioning that is comparable to some professional sports training programs. If a contestant is struggling, she is called into Finglass' office to discuss the nature of her difficulty and is generally given an opportunity to correct the shortcoming to avoid being dismissed from the squad.
Due to Covid protocols, auditions went virtual in 2020, and have remained so through 2021, with finals held in-person.
Cast
- Note: Cheerleaders in bold indicate legacy cheerleaders. Cheerleaders in italics indicate group leaders.
2021 season (Season 16)
| Returning Veterans | Rookies | Retired / Cut / Resigned | Roles / Awards | Show Group | - |
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2020 season (Season 15)
2020–21 Squad| Returning Veterans | Rookies | Retired / Cut / Resigned | Roles / Awards | Show Group |
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2019 season (Season 14)
2019–20 Squad| Returning Veterans | Rookies | Retired / Cut | Roles / Awards | Show Group |
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2018 season (Season 13)
2018–19 Squad| Returning Veterans | Rookies | Retired / Cut / Resigned | Roles / Awards | Show Group |
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2017 season (Season 12)
2017-18 Squad| Returning Veterans | Rookies | Retired / Cut / Resigned | Roles / Awards | Show Group |
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