America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (2024) s01e07 Episode Script

1
[clapping intro of "Car Wash"
by Rose Royce playing]
-["Car Wash" playing faintly in stadium]
-[crowd din]
[man] Did you hear about it?
Hey, Kelli.
Sophy just went back out to do the dance.
[officer] Come with me.
[indistinct chatter]
Okay.
She said while they were walking back out
to do the third quarter at the start,
that he touched her inappropriately,
and she gave her statement to the police.
So they're talking to him.
She asked to press charges.
They're what?
They took Sophy's statement.
And they're talking to him.
Sophy asked police
that she wants to press charges.
-She does?
-She does.
So she's back out doing her dance
for third quarter. Um
She probably should,
if she's really upset
She's one hundred percent on him?
She immediately was like, "It was him."
Then we need to pull her.
She doesn't need to be dancing.
I'll grab her.
If you could, get her back over here.
-She did say she wanted to prosecute.
-[Kelli] Yes, sir.
-[roar of cheering crowd]
-[upbeat country pop music playing]
-[announcer] And there they are
-[women] Five, six, seven!
["El Rey" by Vicente Fernández playing]
[crowd cheering]
[no audible dialogue]
I'm gonna take you inside.
The police wanna talk to you.
Are you okay?
[Sophy] Yeah, I'm fine.
It was more so I was taken off guard,
and then I was like, "I don't know
what to do in this situation."
[Kelli] I'm gonna get you a jacket.
Where would you be
more comfortable sitting?
How about in there?
We'll leave you alone with her
'cause we don't need
Or do you need us?
Sophy, you need some water?
[Sophy] Um, I'm okay.
[Kelli sighs]
Hm. [clicks tongue]
[sighs]
[Sophy] I don't want to let
like, my group down.
[Kelli] You're not letting anybody down.
Don't No! God, no! This is
This is an unfortunate situation.
But you are doing the right thing.
[Judy] That's what we want y'all to know.
We're here to protect y'all.
[Kelli] You're doing the right thing.
You don't have a choice.
[Sophy] Thank you.
I told my parents
so they didn't think I just disappeared.
So I was going out after halftime
to do our third quarter,
and as we started dancing,
and I was facing the audience,
um, a photographer behind
came from behind and grabbed
[swallows forcefully]
[sighs]
[tearfully] He grabbed my butt and waist
and then turned.
And as I was dancing, I turned
to make sure I could see
who exactly this person was.
And then he went to
He was a photographer,
and then went into the end zone
to continue shooting photos.
So then I After we were done dancing,
I immediately looked at my group leader,
and told them the situation,
asked what we should do,
and then from there,
we told security guards,
and then they went to the police,
and then we made sure we figured out
exactly who the person was.
And then, I believe now
they have sent him off the premises,
and he will no longer be allowed
in AT&T Stadium.
And then from here, I'm not exactly sure
I know we're pressing charges and
[sniffles]
This is the first time something like this
has ever happened to me,
so I'm not really sure
what exactly happens from there.
[breathes raggedly, sniffles]
I was mainly, definitely,
right away, in shock. [sniffles]
But I knew that it was unacceptable,
what had happened,
so I made sure
I could see exactly who it was.
'Cause there's so many people,
so I wanted to
When it's something so serious,
I needed to make sure
I knew who the person exactly was.
And then, that was
After we were done dancing,
my, like, first thought was like,
"Something needs to be done
so this doesn't happen
and go further for anyone else."
I'm proud of you. I know that was hard,
and that's the last thing you wanna do.
-[weeping] I'm sorry.
-No! No!
-You're so brave.
-Don't feel bad at all.
We're sorry that happened.
That is completely not fair.
It is not your fault at all.
Really not at all.
You were so brave
to speak up and say something.
-It takes so much courage.
-Yeah.
The first thing you wanna do
is leave it in the past.
By doing this, it makes a difference.
If he were to do it again to someone
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
You saying something
is gonna make a difference.
-Thank you, guys.
-You will inspire lots of people that go
That happens to other people too,
and some people might not have the courage
to say something like you did.
You will inspire people to do that,
and that's huge.
We're proud of you
for standing up for yourself.
That's so scary.
-We missed you.
-[Sophy] I love you guys.
-Love you, Soph.
-We love you, Soph.
-No one touches our Sophy.
-No!
I'm sure you've talked your ear off
about this,
but that makes me wanna punch somebody.
I wanted to give you a quick hug.
-Thank you, Kelcey.
-I'm sorry. It's absolutely disgusting.
-Yes. Thank you.
-You did the right thing, though.
So helpful, too,
all the security guards and Kelli.
That's good. That's good.
The last thing you wanna do
is talk about it more.
That's the other thing. But also,
that was a person's thought today.
Yes! You really looked at someone
and was like
You looked at someone,
thought that, and acted upon it.
"I'm gonna touch her
without her permission."
-Yeah.
-Yes. Totally.
-Why was that
-So much wrong with that. Gross.
[Jada] I don't know.
It's just so disrespectful.
It is. And it's very frustrating too.
Poor sweet Sophy. She's the youngest.
People like that think
they have a right to touch you.
I feel like when you put it on,
everyone's like, "Oh, you."
-I'm like, "Please, don't."
-Like, "Don't touch me."
I'm like, "You can smile. You can say hi.
Don't touch me, though."
That's another thing
I think a lot of us feel.
Just because we put on this uniform
doesn't make us an object.
I am still a human being
who worked hard to wear this uniform.
Treat me with respect,
even when I have this on, you know?
-It's just a violation.
-Yeah.
I would have punched him.
[Reece] We're daughters. We're sisters.
We're someone's little girl.
-Like
-[woman] That's so unacceptable.
-So unacceptable.
-It makes me so upset.
-[muted chatter continues]
-[solemn music playing]
[siren wailing in the distance]
[indistinct chatter]
[woman] Just let it all out.
Okay, so, in this updated version
[chatter continues]
She handled the situation really well,
especially for being young and stuff too.
But I felt so bad for her
because she mentioned to us, like,
she can't really press charges or anything
because there's no proof
that he did anything.
And with equipment around him
and stuff, like,
I think that's just a big question mark.
And so she's trying to do the right thing
and speak up about it,
but I think it's hard for her,
because it's like
There's only so much
they can do in that situation, but
It sucks that it wasn't really outlined
in video
so she can actually stand up for herself
and have proof behind it.
I mean, I get them wanting
to protect someone if it was a mistake,
but, I mean, Sophy's not one
to say anything like that
if it didn't actually happen
and make her uncomfortable.
So it sucks that justice is just left to
-She would be the first person to dance.
-Yeah.
[Claire] She said he isn't allowed
back here, which I think for her
-[Kelcey] That's good.
-for her own wellbeing
-Mental health.
-[Claire] Yeah. That's a very good sign.
[Kelcey] Yeah.
[woman] And then I like to
[Kelli] It's my understanding
that the Arlington Police determined
that there wasn't a crime
or an assault involved,
and the case is closed.
But she definitely responded,
I think, very professionally.
[soft, dramatic music playing]
[Kelli] I do worry
about the safety of the girls.
I tell them, with more visibility,
they're vulnerable.
Okay, I wanna show you
[Judy] Wait. Y'all come in a minute.
We have one change.
I can't train them
for every what-if in life.
Sophy's reaction was as pure as they come,
and it's important for young girls
to feel like they can say,
"Hey, I think this just happened."
It's a difficult situation.
-[Judy] Back two yards.
-[Kelli] But we have to move on.
[Judy] Five, and six, seven, eight.
One, and two, and three, and four,
five, six, seven, eight.
One, and two, three
[music fades]
[Kelli] Football season just steamrolls
right through Thanksgiving, Christmas.
-Okay.
-So go ahead.
[Kelli] And we are experiencing
the busiest string of days
I think I can actually remember
in my career.
-Okay, perfect.
-[man] Three
Merry Christmas
from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
["I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus"
by Brenda Lee playing]
[Charlotte] As if we didn't have enough
to do on Thanksgiving and the holidays,
Kelli and I had always dreamed
of having a Rockettes Christmas show.
I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus
And I know just why ♪
Because I'm gonna pull, pull, pull
On his beard ♪
Pull, pull, and see if it's real ♪
I'm gonna tick-tick-tickle him
On the tummy ♪
Because he laughs so funny ♪
He's so jolly and so fine
When he comes around Christmastime ♪
We're approaching our seventh year
of our Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza.
[Charlotte] We have a giant Christmas tree
that is out in the plaza.
Our cheerleaders perform.
We have a countdown to lighting the tree.
[Kelli] It's a tree-lighting ceremony
on steroids.
With my water pistol gun, bang, bang ♪
Kelli is really good at what she does.
She's, like, a visionary.
-[Kelli] Hey, Phil.
-Hey, Kelli.
We're in a rehearsal, and she's thinking,
"We're gonna have light-up costumes."
That's bright. That looks great.
[Caroline] I don't know
if she dreams these things,
but she comes up
with the most incredible ideas.
[Kelli] Oh yes!
This looks great, Phil.
This is first in the world.
[Phil] Yeah.
[Caroline] She's a visionary,
and she doesn't take no for an answer.
If she wants to have pyro coming out
of someone's boots at a game,
it's gonna happen.
[Kelli] Well, we both agree
it's an absolute need for the show, yes?
[man on phone] For sure. It would actually
have to be a guitar that was rigged.
I'm gonna pull, pull, pull
On his beard ♪
Pull, pull, and see if it's real ♪
I'm gonna tick-tick-tickle him ♪
[Judy] With the Christmas shows,
they're performing
every Friday and Saturday night.
[cheering]
We've had games every other weekend.
They will have worked 21 days in a row.
So it's starting
to really take a toll on them.
[Kelli] Fatigue is setting in.
[Judy] Their bodies are hurting.
They're getting sick.
I have strep throat. [laughs]
I'm gonna pop, pop Santa Claus
With my water pistol gun ♪
Squirt, squirt! ♪
And then I'll take his bags of toys
And run ♪
And bring to all the kids
Who don't have none ♪
Probably our biggest challenge
is keeping everybody fresh.
[song fades]
[crowd cheering]
[music playing faintly in the distance]
[treadmills whirring]
-[Claire] Are you working out today?
-[man] I'll get pushups and sit-ups in.
[Reece and Claire] There you go.
[man] Army taught me to work out,
club or not.
-[Claire] Were you in the Army?
-Yeah.
-[Reece] Thank you for your service.
-[man] Thank you.
-And you too. [gasps]
-Aw. He's got a calendar too.
Oh!
-[Claire] Hi.
-Hello.
-[Claire] How are you?
-Good. Can I get a promo?
-[Claire] Absolutely. You wanna do it?
-[Reece] Of course.
-[man] Okay.
-[Claire] We'll give that to you.
-[man] Are you in the calendar?
-[Claire] I am, yes.
[man] All right. We don't have names,
so I don't know who you are.
[laughs] My name is Claire.
[upbeat music playing in gym]
-[Claire] There we go.
-[man] There you are.
[Reece] Oh, beautiful!
-[Claire] There you go.
-Thank you.
-[Claire] You're welcome.
-[Reece] Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you guys.
Hopefully, we'll see you again sometime.
-[Claire] Yes!
-[Reece] Of course.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Can I have you guys sign something
for my boys?
-Yes, absolutely.
-Of course.
-Perfect.
-[Claire] How old are they?
Um, Jacob is 16, and Aiden is 14.
-[both] Aw!
-So they'll they'll like this.
[Claire] Yes!
[Reece groans]
Little sprinkle.
Not as bad as this morning.
-Glad we got to chat.
-I know.
-We haven't had our girl time.
-Our little girl time. Love you.
Love you. Get home safe.
So grateful I got to do the appearance
with you.
Yeah, me too.
I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.
Just, honestly, a few hours.
-I know. Like, really
-[both laugh]
[Reece] I'm busy, for sure.
We're truly in the thick of our season
with just appearances, and performances,
and games, and all sorts of things.
But I didn't think
it was gonna be this much.
Yeah. It's funny,
'cause Will now has a job,
which is super exciting.
But that's definitely a challenge,
just not being able to see him as much.
But he loves it,
I think, at least. [laughs]
[gentle music playing]
[Will] We got the
quarter inch.
We don't have any three-eighths.
[Reece] I know that he works
at a pressure washing dealership.
I don't know [laughing] specifically
all that Will does with his job.
Uh [laughs]
He sells things,
and works with parts,
and orders things,
and talks to people.
Not really a whole lot right now.
No one's calling.
No one's getting anything.
You wanna go watch the pressure washer?
[whirring loudly]
[Will] I reckon today we're gonna go
with a classic deer burger.
[interviewer] Where'd this deer come from?
-It came from Blount County, Alabama.
-[laughs]
[interviewer] Who got that one?
[Will] Miss Reece.
[Reece] Me!
[Will] It was her second one.
-But first buck.
-[Will] First buck. Yeah.
[Reece] Will's a better cook than me.
-[softly] But he's really messy.
-[microwave beeps]
[Will] Messy?
Did I spill anything?
-[Reece] Oh! See? Messy. [laughs]
-[Will] There it goes.
I don't see you slaving away.
[giggles playfully]
I'm working on this okra real hard.
-[Will] So difficult.
-So difficult.
Ow. It's done.
Dear Lord, thank you for today
and everything you've done for us.
Thank you for this food
and the people who provided it.
I pray it nourishes our bodies
and we use our bodies for your service.
In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.
[singsong] Amen.
You're stuck with me forever.
[sarcastically] Yay.
[Reece laughs]
No returns. [giggles]
[gentle music playing]
[dog barking]
[music fades]
Oh, the very first one is "Freak Out."
One, two four,
five, and six, seven, and eight.
One, two, three, four,
five, and six, seven, and eight.
Rock, rock, rock.
Does it matter with the hips?
And then the arms are out, in?
The arms are back and front.
Here it comes.
[Kelli] The feature halftime
for this week's Cowboys game
is going to be a Dallas Cowboys
Cheerleaders reunion performance.
This one's fine.
It's the other one that hurts.
We have about 200 alumni coming in
from all over the country
that have cheered from the '60s
through our current team.
-Oh, God. Why do I look so awful?
-You don't!
Why can't I be eternally young?
Okay, so it would be
forward, two, three, four
[Kelli] It's just going to be
this field of dreams.
And back
[Kelli] Our youngest performer
on the current squad is 19,
and our most senior performer
is 72 years old
and cheered in 1968 at the Cotton Bowl.
Watch this.
["Motivation" by Normani playing]
-[Judy] That's what I did.
-Then I went to the left.
-No.
-[Judy] No. To the right.
We taught the girls to the left
the other day.
Do you think we should change it?
No.
Delta Dawn
What's that flower you have on? ♪
-[Judy] Seventies
-[alumna] Yes?
[Judy] Can y'all gather over here, please?
[shushing]
[chatter]
[Kelli] Good morning.
Good morning!
Welcome home.
-Yay!
-[all cheering]
We are so excited
that we can all come together,
and-and just dance, and be joyful.
And who cares
[Judy gasps]
[laughter]
if the choreography is perfect?
[laughter, cheering]
[alumna] Yeah, you!
[inaudible]
[Kelli] But I'm thrilled that this group
gets to meet and work with you guys.
And I just can't tell y'all,
from the bottom of my heart
It's taken a long time, probably,
for us to realize how blessed we are
to get to be a part of this organization
in the capacity that we are,
but we genuinely appreciate y'all.
We love you, um, and I think
we need to tell each other that more.
And we're just excited.
So like I say,
I'm kind of in an emotional state,
'cause we had
a really serious week this week.
But we are so excited.
We're gonna dance our asses off.
Let's have fun.
[all cheering]
Okay, we're gonna start with '70s
in the middle of the field.
[sentimental piano melody playing]
[alumna 1] It's like living
your glory days all over again.
It really is.
And getting to see everyone,
it's a flashback.
[alumna 2] To tell people
you were a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader,
they all wanted to be your best friend
all of a sudden.
And here's the poster.
Oh.
When you're looking at it,
this is me way over here.
[alumna 2] And I'm next to her.
We got to do it.
We got to be on the very first poster,
a very famous poster.
-And now it's in the Smithsonian.
-Yep.
[Tami Barber] I did two Movies of the Week
and The Love Boat. Yeah, The Love Boat.
I bet you're a real heartbreaker.
Moi?
[Tami] It was wonderful.
It was the best thing that ever happened.
I'm currently in treatment
for ovarian cancer.
I'm not even supposed to be on the planet,
so it means the world to me to be here.
[gentle, uplifting music playing]
[music fades]
-Hi.
-HI.
-How are you?
-Good. How are you?
-Happy game day. Happy performance day.
-Oh my goodness.
I feel like I'm auditioning for the squad.
Don't mess up.
Oh, I'm, like, nervous.
I'm sure my surgeon would be thrilled
that I'm doing alumni halftime.
-Your left hip is, like, destroyed.
-"Ow."
Here we go.
[dance music playing faintly]
[Caroline] My favorite are
the ladies of the '70s.
-They started this whole thing.
-[Anna Kate] True.
[Caroline] It's 2023,
and people are still
-[Anna Kate] Obsessed.
-obsessed, including me.
I was there like, "I love DCC."
-Did you whiten your teeth, Mom?
-No.
All right, let's do it.
Okay, this is for your top teeth.
There's the sticky side.
-All right, got it. Oh, they are.
-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
It's really fun for me
to get to see girls that I cheered with
who don't live here anymore.
When we get together,
it feels like no time has passed.
["Sunny" by Boney M. playing]
Sunny ♪
Yesterday, my life was filled ♪
And I cheered in the '90s,
so my hair has to be big.
[alumna] I love my '80s hair now.
My daughter's always like,
"Why do you keep teasing it?"
The bigger the hair,
the closer to God, ladies.
[Judy] Y'all, we got seven minutes
before you dance.
-[woman] Whoo!
-[Judy] Zip the bag up.
[Claire] I like to be calm
versus being, like, amped up.
-[Judy] Have I ever stressed y'all out?
-Who likes to be amped up?
-[Judy] I have?
-Not me.
No. We can sense when you're stressed.
It stresses us out.
-It's a new thing.
-This just makes me happy.
[giggling]
[Kelli] Y'all are sensing stress
out of Judy today and not me?
Kelli, she's trying to get a hug.
[Kelli] No.
[laughter]
You gave to me your all and all ♪
And now I feel ten feet tall ♪
Is it ready? Am I ready? Am I ready?
-You're ready.
-We're ready, ladies.
I love you ♪
Sunny ♪
Oh God, here we go!
We got this.
[cheering]
Sunny ♪
[scattered whooping]
Thank you for the facts from A to Z ♪
[announcer] Prescott, looking to throw
inside for the touchdown with Gallup.
And the rock was formed
When you held my hand ♪
Sunny, one so true ♪
I love you ♪
-Ready?
-Yes, we're ready.
Sunny ♪
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
[crowd cheering]
Sunny ♪
Thank you for the facts from A to Z ♪
My life was torn
Like the windblown sand ♪
And the rock was formed
When you held my hand ♪
Sunny, one so true ♪
I love you ♪
Sunny ♪
["Sunny" continues]
[crowd cheering]
Oh, yeah ♪
Sunny ♪
It was great. I thought they were awesome.
It touched me.
I'm proud, very proud.
Okay. One, two, three
DCC!
Whoo!
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] The Dallas Cowboys,
impressive here tonight.
Sunny, one so true ♪
I love you ♪
[Kelli] Out of everything
that these ladies go through
to make it into this locker room,
they have ten regular season
home game performances.
If the Cowboys keep winning,
the Cheerleaders team is still together,
and they keep performing.
Let's say we won. Here we go.
[Kelli] And our goal is
to see them perform at the Super Bowl.
-We won!
-[shrieks joyfully]
-Thank you so much.
-[driver] You're welcome.
[Kristi] So, ho-hum, another blowout win.
To say that the offensive is on a roll
is an understatement.
If the playoffs were to begin today,
we would win the division.
The main thing is if you win the division,
guys, we know
we get at least one home game.
So huge step tonight, but hard road ahead.
[cheering]
[chanting] Judy! Judy! Judy!
Judy! Judy! Judy! Judy!
Judy! Judy! Judy!
-Judy, are you mentally letting down yet?
-Yes.
I don't
I don't know when I've been this tired.
-[Kelli] I don't either.
-Mentally and Yeah.
-It's been since
-Yesterday you were on adren
-You really were on adrenaline.
-I couldn't stop. Yeah.
[to "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"]
But do you recall ♪
The most famous cheerleader of all? ♪
Judy, the long-blonde cheerleader ♪
Had some very long, curly
Long, blonde hair ♪
[laughter]
And when she did hairography ♪
No one would look
At any of the other ones of us ♪
Ever, ever ♪
[laughs]
Never, ever ♪
[woman] Never, ever ♪
All of the other cheerleaders ♪
Wished we had long goldilocks ♪
-But we still used our twisters ♪
-[woman] Oh my gosh.
And Final Net and sprayed our locks ♪
[Judy] How do you think of this
as you're going?
[Kelli] Then one shiny Christmas ♪
When December comes,
and we're
at our last regular season home game,
nobody knows if this is
their last game together as a team,
or maybe you're on the horizon
of the first game of playoffs,
maybe even the Super Bowl.
-Me-ga!
-We can text.
[Kelli] The Eagles had to lose,
and then we had to beat Washington
for the cheerleaders to have
a home game performance in the playoffs.
-Love you.
-Love you.
Do you?
-Always!
-[laughs]
And sure enough, thank goodness,
both of those things happened.
[announcer] Cowboys pick up their
12th win. They're NFC East champs again,
and they've got at least one home game.
The number two seed locked up in the NFC
with a 38-10 win.
[gentle, dreamy music playing]
[pop music plays in locker room]
[gentle music fades]
[Kelcey] We had our last regular season
game a couple weeks ago,
and we really thought
we were gonna be done
because the Eagles were winning.
So I cried my eyes out all day.
I was bawling. It was so embarrassing.
And then, all of a sudden,
the Eagles lost, and now we're back.
So I wasn't expecting to be here.
I never know
when my last game is gonna be.
It could be today. It could be next week.
It could be the Super Bowl, I really hope.
But just kind of enjoying
the last couple of games that we get,
the last few hours in this locker room
with my team, and
doing our best to enjoy it.
But I will say I got all of the tears out
last game, so that's good.
It was pretty embarrassing. [laughs]
There's a lot of talk
saying that the Cowboys
are on a good momentum right now.
And if that means
that we can scoot our way into the Bowl,
what a year it would be. What a year.
But we gotta just take it
one game at a time.
[tense music playing]
[McKenna] You guys wanna know
something crazy?
If I go to the Super Bowl,
my dad's gonna go.
He would've watched
my mom dance in the Super Bowl
and me dance in the Super Bowl.
-No way! That's cute.
-There's all these pictures.
-[Reece] It's happening.
-Are we gonna get Super Bowl rings?
-[McKenna] They did.
-[Brooklyn] So, my mom had my ring sized.
I'm actually size seven.
It's gonna happen.
[Kelli] Okay. Well, I don't think
any of us really were for sure
we were gonna get to be here today,
but we had hope.
So y'all circle up,
and let's win this game.
[cheering]
[fan] Yeah!
Here we go! Here we go!
Here we go!
[cheering]
[Kelli] If there was ever gonna be a year
where I thought,
"This feels like Super Bowl momentum,"
it was this year.
[tuts] And then it didn't.
[announcer] Jones again running left,
up the middle,
and running in for a touchdown,
the third today for Aaron Jones.
We all felt confident. I don't wanna say
we knew we were gonna win,
but we felt great,
and I thought we were going
to be having another playoff game.
And then, as the game turned out,
it was like, "What? Are you kidding me?"
[announcer] Love, back foot. Has a man
wide open!
It's gonna be caught by Musgrave.
Racing towards the end zone.
He is in.
Touchdown, Green Bay.
This is ugly. I know.
[tense electronic music playing]
And then it became really sad.
[announcer] Love zips it in there.
It's caught for the touchdown.
[Tina] Am I in a nightmare?
Am I in a nightmare?
Am I Am I in a nightmare? Are y'all real?
[indistinct referee call]
Was not expecting this.
[Kelli] I was standing
near Kelcey's group,
and I was watching
the clock just tick down.
Five, six, seven, eight.
[Kelli] You could just feel it.
It was just a heaviness. It was weighted.
Memories and social media content.
And there's not much you can say
to make anybody feel better at that point.
-[announcer] And that will do it.
-[whistle trills]
They come into Dallas.
They hand them a first loss here all year.
Stop. You're gonna make me cry.
I love you.
[woman] We're gonna miss you so much.
[crowd cheering]
[music fades]
-Bring it on in.
-Bring it in. [laughs]
Mm.
I love you.
-Oh, no.
-Thank you for everything.
[Kelli] I was crying with you out there.
-Thank you.
-It's hard. I know. I know.
Yeah. [exclaims]
I don't know why I'm crying so hard.
[Judy] Think of the things
you have to look forward to.
-I know. I still have so much to do.
-[Judy] I know.
-When are you getting married?
-Um, in probably May 2025.
-[Judy] You have a I'm about to sneeze.
-I have time.
I'm probably not gonna be able
to say much, but, um
Out of all five years Ugh!
[tearfully] Out of all five years, like,
this team has been so incredible.
[melancholy music playing]
[Kelcey]
Like, this team has been unmatched.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you for your positive attitudes,
and just keep carrying that
into your next years to come.
But it really has been so fun this year.
[sniffles]
I love you guys.
[Kelli] I will say we have been
and we always will be
very proud of this team.
You guys had a winning season.
Sport is sport.
You lose some, and you win some.
But I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
This is a tough day.
This is the last time we will be
in this room together as a team.
And there's nothing like it.
It's the best time of your life.
There's no other time like it
in your life.
What amazes me and makes me most proud is
that you guys started
kind of as a sheet of paper for us,
and then you become
these brilliant performers
that are representing your communities
from all over the country.
It doesn't have to stop here.
What you've learned here,
and who you influence and who you inspire,
it can go on. This can go on.
It can be endless.
One, two, three, DCC!
Whoo!
-It's your last day.
-[Kelcey] I know. It's terrible.
-[woman 1] We left holes in the wall.
-[woman 2] You did? I didn't see.
[chatter and laughter continue]
[woman] You're gonna do great things.
[sniffles]
[soft, emotional music playing]
[music fades]
[chatter]
-[Kelcey] Are you coming back next year?
-[Victoria] What do you think?
[Kelcey] I think you should.
I think I would regret
not doing a fifth year.
[Kelcey] I think so too.
[Victoria] There are still some moments
where I feel like
I don't know, like,
my footing or my place yet.
You need to know
that everyone respects your voice,
and your experience, and your talent.
I feel like I'm, like, still terrified
of Kelli and Judy.
-Why?
-I don't know.
Yeah.
-It's never gone away.
-Yeah.
-But they terrify me.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-I think Judy hates me.
-I get that.
Well, she does not. That's not true.
We all think Judy and Kelli hate us.
I didn't get
the "You're doing great" from them.
I didn't get that
for my first three years.
So I had to kind of realize, like,
"Okay, I'm not ever gonna get that,
so I need to be confident
in what I'm bringing to the table."
They're gonna think what they want.
Half the time, you have to ignore it
and put it out of your head.
I feel like once you can stop thinking
about what they think of you,
you are just gonna soar.
People are gonna really respect you.
You're gonna be such a great leader.
I promise you that.
You just have to have the courage
and the confidence in yourself to do it.
I think I'm at peace
with not expecting anything,
or wanting anything outside
to really persuade my decision.
I think I really want it
to come from, like
me.
[gentle, dramatic music playing]
She has been associated with DCC
since she was a little, tiny girl.
If you have any doubt at all
that it's your last year,
you don't retire.
Because you will regret it.
[gentle music playing]
This is all next year's calendar.
Although it's gonna be the 2025 calendar,
it comes out in September of '24,
which will be this upcoming squad.
So finding out who's trying out
could affect who's in this.
So I have three calendars
that we're publishing
with proposed covers.
But if somebody surprises us
and says they're not trying out
So
-Okay, kick us off here.
-No. I don't want to.
The right rack is,
"No, I'm not re-auditioning."
And the left rack is yes, you are.
You want me to just go over there?
Do you wanna come with me?
Do I have to go by myself?
Yeah, because then we're finding out
while you do.
The right side is
[Kelli] Is no, you're not re-auditioning.
Left is yes.
'Cause "left" has an "E" in it.
[laughs] Okay.
[sighs]
-[Kelli] Okay.
-I'm the first one.
-[Kelli] Yeah.
-[Judy] You are.
I'm gonna cry.
[laughs nervously, sniffles]
-[Kelli] We're gonna need tissue.
-Yeah.
[sniffles] Sorry I'm not starting you off
super happy.
[Kelli] Do you feel good
about your decision?
Yeah, I do. I think [sniffles]
I feel, like, at peace with
with it, which is good,
but it's just hard, you know? But
[exclaims softly, laughs]
-Hugs!
-Oh
Judy will miss her nightly
I love you. I love you guys.
[Kelli] Reece, if you're re-auditioning
-Yes, ma'am. On the left? Okay.
-Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Word's spread.
-[Kelli] If you're not, on the right.
[gentle music playing]
-[Kelli] And Will supports that?
-Yes, ma'am, he does.
[Kelli] He's something else,
now that I've met him.
-I was honestly
-[Kelli] He's not at all what I expected.
-Really?
-Yeah.
What were your expectations?
Well, I remembered you telling me
you met him through social media
from a football game, right?
So I guess I was expecting
an Alabama football player or
-Someone really tall and massive?
-[Kelli] Yeah.
[Reece] Mmm-mm.
-Well, he's delightful.
-Good. I'm glad y'all got to meet him.
And to be seated here
is just such an honor,
so thank you for this year.
It's been truly surreal
and such a blessing.
Oh gosh. This is hard, but
[Kelli] If you put it on the wrong rack,
you can't change your mind.
-[Judy] Okay.
-[laughs]
Yeah. [laughs]
[gentle music continues]
Is this the trying out again?
-[Kelli] That's all the ones that are not.
-I'm assuming that one is.
I will be trying out again.
-[Kelli] Are you 100% sure?
-I'm 100% sure.
-[Judy] Good.
-Yes.
[Judy] Oh. Hello.
-[Kelli] Hello.
-[Victoria] Hello.
[Kelli] All right, you wanna talk first
or hang first?
Um
-I don't know. Maybe talk a little bit.
-Okay.
'Cause at the end of the day,
we need you to hang your uniform
on the "Yes, I'm re-auditioning"
-or "No, I'm not re-auditioning."
-Yes, ma'am.
-[Kelli] What do you wanna talk about?
-Um, I just want to
'Cause I really I really
You know how much I love this,
and I could do this for my whole life.
But I don't want
to come back for a fifth year
if y'all don't see any more growth in me
or anything.
'Cause, like, you know how you have,
like, different goals within DCC,
group leader, second group leader?
Those have always been
one of my goals to reach,
and if y'all don't think I could get there
within, like, my tenure of being a DCC
in my career,
then I'm okay with that.
I just wanna know.
From this past year, I didn't even think
that was a passion of yours.
[Victoria] Really?
[Judy] I-I-I didn't
-I didn't see you ever standing up or
-[Victoria] Yeah.
I just want to, like
My love and my heart and soul are here.
And I wanna know that, like,
it's reciprocated, kind of.
Well, we love you,
and your heart, and your soul.
[Victoria] And I don't want my fifth year
being like a blender.
If you just see me as a blending
You're not a blender.
But what you're not, right now,
is a leader, either.
[Victoria] Mm-hmm.
[Kelli] But those are things that I know
they've been brought to your attention.
So I don't wanna talk about it too much.
But if you're wanting to re-audition
because group leader
is what is your dream,
I wouldn't make the decision
based on that.
I know that, like, as a fifth year
I still, this year, didn't feel
like I could have a say or anything.
And, like, I know that I could
feel like I would be very talented and
like, give that aspect
of just choreographing or anything.
Would I be able
to get, like, those opportunities?
Victoria, where are you coming up
with this?
Where are these goals coming from?
I don't even know.
I just really didn't know whether or not
[voice breaking] I should say
yes or no today.
I really have been contemplating this
this whole month.
[Kelli] That's fair. That's why
we wanna have this conversation.
[inhales deeply, grunts softly]
I'm sorry.
[Kelli] The decision is yours,
and the challenge is yours.
I just I don't want to
Like, if it's my time to go,
I want y'all to tell me.
If y'all don't see me, like, moving on
or moving forward in this organization.
I wish you would, but I don't think
you've had your strongest
Let's say this last half of the season
I don't think has been your strongest.
[Victoria] Okay.
That's not the strongest place to start
for a fifth year.
[Victoria] So then
[Kelli] And I wish
we weren't out of time on this season,
but we almost are.
You'd have to compete.
I mean, it's probably more
than you'd like to think you would
with four years under your belt.
[Victoria] Mm-hmm.
Can you, like, tell me a little bit more?
What do you mean?
[Kelli] Um Well, for example,
like, I didn't think
In general, I thought you had less energy
at some of the games this year.
[Victoria] Okay.
And your extensions
have always been beautiful.
I didn't think your high kicks
were as high and straight.
It didn't seem like you had
as much stamina this year.
I don't think you had
your strongest performance.
I would hate to think
you've plateaued as a performer here,
but this season, I thought
I know we've talked about kicks
-[Judy] Your last game was, like, alar
-[Kelli] energy.
Like, you didn't look like you felt good.
-We couldn't figure it out.
-Mm-hmm.
And we both independently went
and said something to you
and didn't know
what the other was thinking.
-'Cause I asked, "Are you okay?"
-Yeah.
"Something feels off this game."
And it wasn't mistakes.
It was it was energy. And
[Kelli] Energy, kicks.
Just like-like a fatigue
that wasn't your first-year fatigue.
Okay.
Well, that's not how
I want y'all to remember me,
so I wanna come back
and, like, exclamation point my ending.
[Kelli] That's kinda what I was thinking.
-If you were gonna try out
-I don't wanna
right now,
you're gonna have to fight for your spot.
And I will.
[Kelli] Um
Are you saying
I'd get cut as a fifth year?
-You could.
-Okay.
-It's going on the "yes" rack.
-[Kelli] Okay.
[Kelli laughs]
-[Judy] I thought she was gonna put it
-[Kelli] I know. Like, "Wrong rack."
[Judy] Oh, please turn it around.
You know how that
No. It's right. It's right.
You're right. You're right.
[Kelli] You need any more Kleenex?
You good?
I'll take one more.
-Are you okay? You promise?
-Yes. I promise.
-We'll see you at banquet?
-Yes.
-We love you, Victoria.
-I love y'all too.
We do expect a lot out of you.
But we don't want that to
You got enough pressure.
Just try to relax and enjoy.
Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
Okay.
[Judy] Oh, I wonder, wonder, wonder
We're gonna make this light.
It's light. It's light.
-I know. It's a light conversation.
-Right.
-Okay, good.
-[Judy] Lighten up.
-It's okay, Kelcey. Just lighten up.
-Go ahead and start.
I just looked at you.
[Judy] You've had
an incredible five years.
-I know. No matter when, it's hard.
-Yeah.
It's happy tears, so happy, but
-Hard chapter to close.
-[Kelli] Yeah.
I just wanna say thank you to you guys
for trusting in me and believing in me,
'cause I really think I would have been
a lot more insecure of a leader
if I didn't feel I had your guys' support,
so thank you.
A lot of people,
in conversations that you'd never hear,
your name comes up
as their impactful, inspiring role model.
[Kelcey] Thank you.
-Is this the right one?
-[Kelli] Yeah.
[Judy] It's gonna be okay.
[Kelcey] It is.
These are really happy tears.
[Judy] We're all gonna have withdrawals.
You have a lot of life new life chapters
ahead of you.
Yeah. They're all happy tears.
It's just like
I'm very proud of my time here,
and it's been a lot of fun, and [sniffs]
Yeah, I found a lot of purpose
in leading and stuff, so
Just a hard chapter to close, but
[sniffles]
-Love you, guys. Thanks for everything.
-Love you.
Mm.
[tender, sentimental music playing]
[Kelli] We're excited
to welcome in the eight rookies
that are about to receive
their Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' rings
that welcome them into achievement,
and completion, and honor, and tradition.
[cheering, applause]
So, our first ring has been given
to a sibling of hers,
and now it is her own ring, Anna Kate.
[all cheering]
-It's perfect.
-It's perfect!
And our next rookie ring goes to Brooklyn.
[all cheering]
[Kelli] Camille!
[all cheering]
[Kelli] Reece.
[all cheering]
[Kelli] A ring, much like
an engagement ring or a wedding ring,
represents commitment.
Commitment to a person,
or in this case, a group of people,
and a commitment
to those that came before us.
And now that we all have this ring,
now we all do. Congratulations, rookies.
-[all cheering]
-[shrieks joyfully]
Use your torch,
use your candle, use your light,
and make everybody else's lives better.
And with that
Amen?
[women] Amen!
[Kelli] And with that, we want
to introduce a new talent on our team.
We're gonna lift this room up.
We're gonna get the Holy Spirit going.
We're gonna lift it up with DJ B.
[cheering]
[Kelli] DJ B's gonna take us out.
[air horn sound effect]
[upbeat dance music playing]
["Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
cover by Buzzy Lee playing]
I come home in the morning light ♪
My mother says
"When you gonna live your life right?" ♪
Oh, mama dear
We're not the fortunate ones ♪
And girls, they wanna have fun ♪
Oh, girls just wanna have fun ♪
[vocalizing softly]
[Sharpie] When I decided to retire,
it was the hardest decision,
because I couldn't picture my world,
my life, without DCC.
[Tina] We're sisters for life.
Nothing can take that away from us.
[Shannon] A lot of us go, "Okay, let's
move on. What's after Cowboy Cheerleader?"
But I love the fact that
we're gonna stay sisters, no matter what.
[alumna] Some people can't let go.
But when it comes time
to make the right choice,
you have to make the right choice.
Nobody ever wants to stop what they love.
[Sharpie] Would I be the same person,
or will I just disappear?
[Caroline] I felt like queen of the world.
A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader,
and I was a captain.
And then everything was stripped away.
[Kat] It's a weird transition out,
because you put on this Superwoman cape,
and you feel
like you can conquer the world.
Then you take the cape off,
and they're like,
"Okay, well, you're not qualified."
Like [laughs]
-Now that we're out of it
-Do you think you're gonna change now?
I think so.
[Caroline] And now, I just feel happier.
Everything's good, okay?
Absolutely. Wait. Absolutely.
My extensions are not in right now.
My hair is getting healthier.
My nails are my nails.
I don't have any tips on right now.
Now we have two bedrooms,
two bathrooms, two nice closets.
We both seem a lot happier.
I'm in this renewed energy era, you know?
Things are good. I think 2024 is gonna be,
hopefully, my comeback year.
And hide her away
From the rest of the world ♪
I wanna be the one ♪
[Kelcey] I feel like the reason
I've been so emotional,
maybe just 'cause I've lived
so much life these past five years.
I've been through so many highs and lows,
you know?
When you grow with a place for so long,
you put your whole world into it.
-It's a really long time.
-It's time to go. It's a good thing.
I'm ready to retire, and get married,
and live a slower life, but
I think it feels like
it's time for me to retire,
but I'm gonna miss it a lot.
They wanna have fun ♪
Oh, girls just wanna have ♪
[Reece] For me,
this is the start of a journey.
This year has been an absolute dream.
-Do we have a Home Depot registry?
-[Reece] Yes.
[Will] I added something to the registry.
-Is it practical?
-Yeah.
-Weed eater.
-[Reece] Oh.
There have been
some very challenging moments.
But I'm so grateful for them,
because I know that in every season,
the Lord always produces fruit.
I'm so thankful to be around
a bunch of incredible women.
I'm surrounded by my best friends.
And so, I mean, what better job to have?
That's all they really want ♪
[Madeline] To be part of a sisterhood,
to be part of a family,
that's something
that is just so incredibly powerful.
People can be like,
"Is this really worth it?"
"Do you really wanna do DCC?"
If I know I'm finding joy out of it,
no one else opinions matters.
Just wanna ♪
[Kelli] What the girls can't forget
is this won't last forever.
But the most important thing you can do
is be grateful,
because it's so dramatic
to go from every hour of every day
being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
to turning in your uniform,
and tomorrow, "Who am I?"
But that's the reality.
A beautiful girl ♪
And we're already picking the next team.
From the rest of the world ♪
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun ♪
Girls, they wanna have fun ♪
Oh, girls just wanna have ♪
That's all they really want ♪
Some fun ♪
[Victoria] I'm not
in the party mood right now,
and I'm just ready to go home.
We had our meetings on Thursday,
and that was kind of just
a hard pill to swallow at first.
Didn't see it coming at all, um,
and I just kinda wanted to sleep on it.
I have decided to hang up my pom-poms.
I haven't told Kelli and Judy yet,
but I plan on telling them.
Yes, I could prove them wrong,
and I would love to, but I don't need to.
I know that I've proved them, like,
over and over, time and time again.
I don't need to do it again.
I feel like people,
when they hear "Victoria,"
they automatically, boom, "equals DCC."
So when I take that away,
I feel like I'm just being stripped naked
[whispers] and it scares
the shit out of me.
They just wanna ♪
When the working day is done ♪
Oh, girls, they wanna have fun ♪
Oh, girls just wanna have fun ♪
[song notes echo, fade]
[gentle, reflective music playing]
Not level.
You're dying to hit me.
Five Oh, sorry.
I am dying to hit her. [laughs]
-I'm just gonna save my nose.
-Sorry.
[interviewer] Tell me about
your wedding date.
Four twenty.
Yep.
That just ended up
being the date. [laughs]
It's funny because I didn't even know
what that date meant. [laughs]
Like, Will had to explain that to me,
and I was like
I don't even know
what that means, like, still.
Like, why is that even a day?
Like, I don't understand.
But it's cute, because it's 4/20/24.
[interviewer] You and Will do not smoke
a lot of weed Are you saying that?
No! Not at all.
[Kelli clucking softly to herself]
So I might just tell you
the good things I saw.
Um
Armani, tighter pos Oh!
[women gasp]
-[woman] Are you okay?
-[Judy cackles] Oh God!
[Kelcey] Oh no!
[Judy] Forever!
-Forever!
-[Kelli laughs]
-And there you go. Armani
-[Judy] And there you go.
Feet, look at those feet ♪
Look at those legs
Look at those kicks ♪
I'm gonna be a cat lady.
And that's gonna be really sad,
'cause I'm allergic to cats.
You can get turtles.
[Victoria] I'll get turtles.
You work at an orthodontist,
not a dentist.
-Yeah.
-Oh! So you can check my Invisalign.
-Yeah. Do you have Invisalign?
-I do. I have, like, eight trays left.
-Oh, okay, nice. Are you wearing them?
-Nope.
Okay! I was like,
"I've never seen you wear your trays."
Don't tell my orthodontist.
I'm Dumb. She's Dumber.
-I'm Dumb.
-No, I'm Dumb.
No, I'm Dumb, and you're Dumber.
[woman] You guys are both Dumber.
[laughing mockingly]
Greg, here's my snake stick.
That's what that's
[Greg] You just want to scare them, right?
No. We kill them.
We have to.
[gentle music continues]
[music fades]