Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
Encyclopedia
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is an American reality television
series that premiered in 2006 on Country Music Television
. 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). 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.
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.
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
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.
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
.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series that premiered in 2006 on Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
. The series follows the auditioning process and the making of the annual Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys.- 1960s :The original cheerleading squad was a made up of a male-female group called the CowBelles & Beaux. The group made its sidelines debut in 1960 during the Cowboys' inaugural...
squad. The series features DCC director Kelli McGonagill Finglass
Kelli Finglass
Kelli McGonagill Finglass is the current director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She is also a former member of the squad. She appears in the CMT reality series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Finglass also played herself in the film Dr. T & the Women.-Early life and...
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). 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.
Show style
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 Cowboys Stadium; first the open audition "cattle call", then the 5-person audition "cut-down", then the personal interviews, uniform fittings, BMIBody mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
testing, physical fitness testing, etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
training, mock media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
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
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
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
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
style, poise
Poise
The poise is the unit of dynamic viscosity in the centimetre gram second system of units. It is named after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille ....
, grace, intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
and showmanship
Showmanship (performing)
Showmanship, concerning artistic performing such as in Theatre, is the skill of performing in such a manner that will appeal to an audience or aid in conveying the performance's essential theme or message....
.
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
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
. 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
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
issues, domestic
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
distractions, lack of preparedness and poor time management
Time management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
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.
Seasons
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 is scheduled to begin airing on October 15, 2010.2009 season
Aired on Country Music Television(CMT)CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
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 season
2008 - 2009 SquadVeterans: 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 season
2007 - 2008 SquadGina 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
Melissa Rycroft
Melissa Katherine Rycroft-Strickland , from Dallas, Texas, is a reality television contestant and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She was a drill team officer at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas where she graduated in 2001...
.
2006 season
| 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 Melissa Rycroft Melissa Katherine Rycroft-Strickland , from Dallas, Texas, is a reality television contestant and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She was a drill team officer at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas where she graduated in 2001... |
| Jennifer Nix |
| Nicole Hamilton |
| Becca Gambel |
| Christina Parker |
| Emma Dawson |
| Lisa Henslin |
| Carmen Butler |