Making the Team: Get Noticed
For some of the contestants who showed up to Texas Stadium for auditions back in May, their lives changed over night. Others left the stadium that night with their dreams put on hold, dealing with one of life's many disappointments.
We began the day with 600+ contestants, and I have to applaud each and every one of them for having the courage to at least dream big. If you don't know what you want, you won't get anything, but the reality is that there are only 36 places on our squad, and we only have room for the best.
There were mothers, daughters and sisters all competing for one of the 130 spots on the semifinals list, and their backgrounds were as diverse as our fan base. Despite what you may think, we don't have a stereotypical mold of what our squad needs to look like or who they need to be. This year we had a mother- daughter pair, triplets, a veteran DCC's sister and several candidates over 40 try out. Their backgrounds varied from barrel racers to truck drivers and cruise ship dancers to Las Vegas show girls. Over the years, our roster has included doctors, lawyers, actors, entrepreneurs, etc., with hometowns as far away as Japan and Australia.
The judges and Judy and I look for the whole package -- someone who can be a role model, an ambassador for the Dallas Cowboys and a world class performer. We want women who appeal to our huge fan base, and that does not always mean a voluptuous, blue-eyed blonde. If they have potential, we can develop and change them, but they have to want it and be willing to accept the harsh reality of what that entails.
We are in the business of entertainment, and so first and foremost, we are looking for entertainers. To be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, the key ingredient is to get noticed. You need to have rhythm, personality and be able to entertain. The fans sitting in section 118, row 25 should be captivated by a girl's performance on the field. A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader demands attention. So, my advice to you is, get noticed at whatever you do, and be the best in your field of study or work.
From the Director's Chair,
Kelli
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Jessica says:
I really enjoy reading your blogs. Sometimes watching the show it’s hard to tell what you guys are looking for.
Ashley says:
I love the show! Last year Candace Carr was my favorite cheerleader! Does anyone know why she didn’t try out this year?
Alexis says:
I loved the show up until this season. We all know that Trammell’s daughter should not have made the cut. I have season tickets and noticed that she made it. The way I noticed her is because she messed up and just stood there until the next 8 count came around. What a joke! I thought that the DCC had more class than that!
Connie Lopez says:
Hi Kelli
I do love the show and watching the DCC. I have and will always be a loyal DC fan. But I too, question the tryout process if family members are on the judging panel because of a conflict of interest or another good reason acquaintanceship with one of the candidates.
I’ve never seen where there is a fair process if a family member is involved there will always be bias. Most times someone must sacrifice. Trudy should not have been involved in the tryouts process if she wanted her daughter to compete. In other competitions, families of employees cannot participate or similar to a judge if they know the plaintiff or the defendant they must recuse themselves. Trudy should have done the same..then there would be no question or doubt of a conflict of interest.
This is something I do think the DCC leadership should review current policy or put something in place.
Connie Lopez says:
Sorry correction on Judy’s name
Hi Kelli
I do love the show and watching the DCC. I have and will always be a loyal DC fan. But I too, question the tryout process if family members are on the judging panel because of a conflict of interest or another good reason acquaintanceship with one of the candidates.
I’ve never seen where there is a fair process if a family member is involved there will always be bias. Most times someone must sacrifice. Judy should not have been involved in the tryouts process if she wanted her daughter to compete. In other competitions, families of employees cannot participate or similar to a judge if they know the plaintiff or the defendant they must recuse themselves. Judy should have done the same..then there would be no question or doubt of a conflict of interest.
But at this stage…what’s done is done… but I do think the DCC leadership should review current policy or put something in place.
cindy says:
i love to watch your dcc’s they are fantastic…and i know it has been really hard on judy waching her daughter but i truly believe that she will be fair and impartial…i have seen her excuse herself when some of the judging decisions have been made epsically during the interview process…you all are lovely ladies and i never realized how hard the girls actually work and keli and judy i knolw that all of your decison making processes are fair and impartial…even when it hurts you personally i have watched as the two of you cried when you had to send girls home….keep up the fantastic work
cindy
Anonymous says:
Hey, I have to agree!! Trammell’s daughter is not as good as some of the other girls. Judy only excused herself one time and that was with the panel interview. She didn’t excuse herself when her daughters name was brought up in the judges meetings. I fell like her daughter was unfairly placed on the team.
janie says:
Hi Kelli!
I really love the show, I watch every week.
I just finished watching the first week of training camp episode. I thought Erika Jenkins was cut after finals, then tonight I noticed that she was at training camp.
Did I miss something?
Also, what happened to Loni, she was one of my favorites?
loyal viewer,
Janie
stacey says:
I just love your show!
I really admire you as well. You “tell it how it is”, but you aren’t nasty or stupid about it.
Great blog, applies to lots of talents, like you say, just not cheerleading!
Carmen says:
I absolutely love this show. I love the way you combine “old-fashioned” standarda with modern day opinions of how women should conduct themselves. I particularly like how the girls are held to a higher standard.
It is so important for them to recognize their influence on young girls and what they are exposed to.
I also like how you require them to speak articulately and with intelligence.
Isabella says:
Cassie should have been cut by now. She isn’t Good enough!To be a DCC. If she makes the team It’s clearly because who her mother is. Kellie, I expected more from you!
BellyDancer says:
You have to LOVE what you do if you don’t it will show. I think some of the girls are trying out for the DCC’s for the wrong reasons.
Julie says:
I agree, Cassie should not have made the team. She messes up every time she dances. She does not have what it takes to make it on Kelli’s team if she was not Judy’s daughter. Shame they cut 5 veterans to put her on the squad. She’s just sad!
Susie says:
You say the DCC are the “Best of the Best” and have to pass a number of excrutiating litmus tests; yet one of the squad’s veterans couldn’t pass the quiz on the history of the Dallas Cowboys and current events.
WOW! Consider me enlightened! Let’s not kid oursleves here..these gals aren’t exactly curing cancer. However, if kick lines are your thing and white GO GO boots are what makes you get of bed in the morning, so be it.
stacie says:
I love you erica
Melissa says:
You guys are terrible. Cassie is incredibly talented. And as far as her messing up on the field, maybe it’s that little thing called nerves. Nobody is perfect. I was a NFL cheerleader and it’s impossible to please everyone. Such cattiness here.
LBerner says:
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight Melissa—you were AN NFL cheerleader? Sure….. I agree that Cassie should’ve been cut. She pulled the asthma card when they started asking if she ran out of gas. How sad. Must be nice to have her mother there convincing people to keep her.
donnat says:
I agree Cassie should not be a DCC. She needs to be cut NOW. I love how she wasn’t yelled at once in rehearsals or dragged in the office for a talk (except for the running out of gas thing.)At the very least, her mother should have disassociated herself from the entire process where her daughter was concerned. Still, who was going to tell her mother “NO”?
Anonymous says:
Cassie has every right to be there. She probably knows more about what it takes to be a DCC than any one there since she grew up on the field. Also, she’s been a cheerleader her whole life. Congrats Cassie!!
Missy says:
There’s a difference between being a cheerleader and being a dancer/cheerleader, which the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders clearly are. Though sweet and pretty, Cassie is clearly out of her league here, IMO.
Monica says:
Uh, I think its a little too late to cut Cassie. Thanks to her Momma Bear Judy, and her massive defense of her cubby, Cassie is an official DCC. Lousy audition, asthma and mono excuses, “running out of gas,” and as plain faced as Harriet Olson on Little House on the Prarie. But Momma is Judy Trammell. SO, they cut vets, and tossed out perfectly good rookie candidates to make space for Miss Cassie. Great job! No ethics, but you’re the boss Kell.
dcc fan says:
Mean people stink! and Jealosy hurts! I knew from week 1 you were going to get this kind of thing…Fools!!.. People the decisions aren’t based on the little bits and peices that your able to see on TV… Having said that. I thought Cassie was very exciting, the little bit I saw of her and wish I could have seen more!
Carlos says:
Had the chance to see the final episode…I’m sure Kelli and Judy had to face certain issues concerning the tryouts, including Cassie Trammell trying out, but Kelli and Judy screened out those and now they have their final team. I’m sure if there are cuts that would be made, it will happen.
Juilliard dancer says:
Just what I expected from a “professional” cheerleading team. All anorexic blondes, responding to one name (this time “jordan or jordache” something like that)and all without any real dance knowledge. I danced for years at Juilliard–cheerleading is looked on as one up from a pole dancer. Girls, in the world of dance, you earn more as a pole dancer, you’ll be respected more for your “dance” as a back up dancer and if you had any real talent at all at dance you wouldn’t be half naked jirating in front of half drunkened men and call it dance. No jealousy, just facts.
Missy says:
Really not a fair comparison, Juilliard dancer. My daughter has taken ballet and Pointe classes for years and competes in national competitions–I don’t think she’s probably at Juilliard standards, but she’s pretty good. This year, in a complete 180, she auditioned for and made her high school drill team, which does similar, albeit less risque, dances as the DCC. She’s finding that she uses an entirely different group of muscles for drill team and is challenged every day at practice–doing 60-70 high kicks in one routine isn’t easy, but it is fun and she’s having a blast. Make fun of them if you want but I’m pretty sure that the DCC work hard. Wouldn’t it be boring if every dancer peformed the same style of dance?
Christina says:
I think Cassie’s GREAT!! Shame on all of you who only think she made the team b/c of her Mom. She obviously has the talent and skills required to be a DCC.
**Cassie, you know who you are, and how hard you’ve worked to get where you are. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters…..not people’s opinions.
Keep up the great work!
Look forward to seeing all the DCC dance. God Bless.
Juilliard dancer says:
Cheerleading is hard, it’s athletics–what the NFL is passing off as dance it is not. Check out the Baltimore Ravens for that type of cheerleading and I’m great with that. It’s hard work and is appreciated.
So-called professional cheerleader’s career: No pay, dismissal for you due to a player’s or fan’s unasked for advances, promoting anorexia (see DCC’s Barbie)and wiggly your ass and calling it dance–no wonder my dancers face worry in their careers. Your personal life is more vetted than a Secretary of State. No player’s life is checked out like that.
Look if you want to be a dancer great–get a real dance job on your resume. I put on many shows in NY, Europe and Japan. What the producers of these shows don’t tell you is cheerleaders are the last picked for many of these professional dance jobs. They’re not viewed as dancers. I’ve had more first year dance students make dance troupes than four-year cheerleading vets make one.
Finally, DCC cheerleaders, that’s not a proper pas de bouree.
Anounomous says:
I think it is sad that most of you are talking bad about Cassie because most of you probably dont even have the courage to audition! She earned her spot on that squad. There were times on the show where her mother was nervous for her during the audition process, and that is clearly because she knew her daughter was being judged fairly and was able to be cut if she messed up! Just remember that it is easier to judge others and say negative things. focus more on yourselves and just be happy for her because she deserves to be on that team :)
V says:
I think that Cassie Trammel is one of the BEST girls on the squad. Just because her mother is involved in the judging process it doesn’t mean that she had it easy. She probably had even MORE pressure on her. She’s my favorite!
vicki says:
do anyone know the names of the girls that made it to dcc camp?
NoLongerAFan says:
Show lost all credibility with the acceptance of the talentless Cassie Trammell. The judges should be ashamed of themselves for the total lack of integrity and obvious nepostism. Did they think we wouldn’t notice? Shame Shame Shame
Hayley says:
I’m sorry, I’m SURE that Cassie is a lovely girl, but she made it because of her mother. Her dancing is not adequate. Judy ABSOLUTELY should not have been allowed to be ANY part of the judging process. Of course Cassie is going to make it with her mom on the judging pannel. Kelli, I love you, but this lost a great deal of credibility for the squad, yourself, and the DCC organization. I am saddened and disappointed that this was not handled in a more professional manner.