Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is an American reality television series that premiered in 2006 on Country Music Television.[1] The series follows the auditioning process and the making of the annual Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad. The series features DCC director Kelli McGonagill Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell (both of whom are former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders from the 1980s), and former Army drill sergeant Jay Johnson (who is the founder of "Boot Camp Fitness" and is responsible for the conditioning drills each girl must perform for testing).[1] Hundreds of young women audition each year and are put through the DCC "training camp" system before being cut down to the final 36 squad members for the first home football game of the Dallas Cowboys' preseason.
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The show tracks the progression each candidate must follow in order to make the final roster and premiere on opening day at Texas Stadium (seasons 1-3) and going forward to Cowboys Stadium; first the open audition "cattle call", then the 5-person audition "cut-down", then the personal interviews, uniform fittings, BMI testing, physical fitness testing, etiquette training, mock media interviews, calendar shoots; knowledge testing of the Dallas Cowboys and their history, NFL Football in general and the rules of the game, and general history and current events; and grueling elite dance choreography that tests each girl's capacity to grasp dance combinations and perform the trademark kick-line/jump-split routine for which the DCC is known. Girls 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 DCC training camp opens, the girls are put through a program of elite dance training and physical conditioning that is comparable to some professional sports training programs. If a girl is struggling, she is generally given a warning stating the nature of her difficulty and an opportunity to correct the shortcoming(s) before she is excused from the squad. Common reasons for being cut are (1) failure to correctly perform mandatory dance routines, (2) failure to display an elite level of dance skill, and (3) a lack of physical fitness and/or failing to meet body fat requirements. Candidates have also been cut due to past legal problems, morality issues, domestic distractions, lack of preparedness and poor time management skills. And rookie candidates haven't been the only ones who have been cut; even veterans have been cut due to some of the aforementioned reasons.
The series returned for a second season in 2007, and with the success of the program, the series returned for a third season on October 4, 2008. The fourth season started on October 10, 2009. The fifth season began airing on October 15, 2010.
Aired on Country Music Television(CMT) on Saturdays at 9pm ET.
Veterans: Sarah Gourley, Nicole Hamilton, Justine Phillips, Trisha Trevino, Tobie Percival, Brooke Sorenson, Kristen Gauthier, Abigail Klein, Meredith Oden, Meagan Sharp, Ally Traylor, Tia Williams, Jordan Baum, Jordan Chanley, Sydney Durso, Brittany Evans, Kaitlin Ilseng, Whitney Isleib, Melissa Kellerman, Michelle Keys, Amy Reese, Kelsi Reich, Cassie Trammell, Crystal Trevino
Rookies: Evan Anderson, Jacqueline Bob, Sunni Cranfill, Carey DePasquale, Mia Greenhouse, Vanessa Jenkins, Brandi Kilby, Joannah Liad, Meagan McVay, Malia Morales, Ashton Torres
Cut: Rachel Buckmaster, Cathleen Williams, Margaret Martinez, Megan Martinez, Zoe Szekeres, Ashley Kelly, Grace Lee Sells, Kaime O'Teter
Withdrew: Kenley Minchew, Lacey Minchew
2008 - 2009 Squad
Veterans: Sarah Clay, Deryn Derbigny, Kristen Gauthier, Sarah Gourley, Nicole Hamilton, Kandi Harris, Julie Jacobs, Erica Jenkins, Abigail Klein, Dara McFarlane, Meredith Oden, Tobie Percival, Justine Phillips-Orf, Ryan Ray, Meagan Sharp, Brooke Sorenson, Makenzi Swicegood, Ally Traylor, Trisha Trevino and Tia Williams
Rookies: Jordan Baum, Lauren Castillo, Jordan Chanley, Sydney Blaine Durso, Brittany Thornton Evans, Kaitlin Taylor Ilseng, Whitney Christine Isleib, Melissa Rae Kellerman, Jordyn Ashlee Ketchum, Michelle Christina Keys, Jennifer Lynn McMahon, Stefani Peterson, Amy Reese, Kelsi Reich, Cassie Trammell, Crystal Michelle Trevino.
2007 - 2008 Squad: Gina Becchetti, Kelly Jo Stauffacher, Natalie Woods, Dara McFarlane, Erica Perry, Michelle Mozek, Sarah Clay, Ryan Ray, Kristen Gauthier, Meredith Oden, Sarah Shelton, Christina Murphy,Candice Carr, Tobie Percival, Tia Williams, Kandi Harris, Leah Mullinax, Meagan Sharp, Ally Traylor, Julie Jacobs, Brooke Sorenson, Misty Duncan, Erica Jenkins, Christina Parker, Andrea Rogers, Sarah Gourley, Starr Spangler, Carmen Butler, Justine Phillips, Jennifer Nix, Nicole Hamilton, Makenzi Swicegood, Deryn Derbigny, Abigail Klein, Trisha Trevino, Megan Fox, Loni Lindsey and Melissa Rycroft .
| 2006-2007 Squad |
|---|
| Deryn Derbigny |
| Tobie Percival |
| Andrea Rogers |
| Leah Mullinax |
| Kristin Hager |
| Yoshiko Danjo |
| Dulce Rosales |
| Brooke Sorenson |
| Julie Jacobs |
| Jen Hill |
| Sarah Gourley |
| Makenzi Swicegood |
| Cori Robinson Brown |
| Megan Fox |
| Whitney Ott |
| Kandi Harris |
| Leah Wilkins |
| Misty Duncan |
| Justine Phillips |
| Lynlee Allen |
| Elizabeth Davis |
| Starr Spangler |
| Trisha Trevino |
| Erica Perry |
| Monica Moore |
| Carrie Stilwell |
| Andrea Richards |
| Melissa Rycroft |
| Jennifer Nix |
| Nicole Hamilton |
| Becca Gambel |
| Christina Parker |
| Emma Dawson |
| Lisa Henslin |
| Carmen Butler |