If you binged America’s Sweethearts, you need these four shows about Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Lucky you, you've got all of Making the Team to watch
Did you plough through season three of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders too quickly? Have you already watched that Netflix show too many times? Do you feel a strong urge to see old footage of Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell with a variety of era-appropriate hairstyles? Fear not, because there are so many other reality TV shows and documentaries out there about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Here are four you really need in your life (and precisely where you can watch them).
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
This reality show followed the audition process and training camp stages for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team each year. Much like the Netflix show America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell feature heavily.
Making the Team aired on CMT from 2006 to 2021. There are 140 whole episodes, stretched across 16 seasons. Plenty of fan favourites on America’s Sweethearts actually debuted in Making the Team, which explains why they were already pretty popular at the start of the Netflix show. For instance, Kelcey Wetterberg joined the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders during season 14 of this show, and Kleine Powell came into our lives in season 16.
The older cheerleaders on America’s Sweethearts do sometimes allude to Making the Team. For instance, in season three episode seven, Kat and Kleine compare the new rookies’ approach to social media to how they used social media back on the day “when we were on the other show”.
If you live in the USA, you can stream Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team on Paramount+. Or, you can watch large chunks of it on the show’s extensive YouTube channel.
People based in the UK have the added options of streaming seasons three to 16 on Now, or for free on Channel 5.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Brides
This is a spin-off of Making the Team. The hour-long show aired on CMT in June 2012. It features three cheerleaders – Sunni Cranfill, Cassie Trammell and Trisha Trevino – planning weddings. Yup, you read that correctly – Cassie is Judy’s daughter. The show mostly consists of Judy planning an overly elaborate, cowboy-themed wedding. Somehow, Kelli seems to get more screen time than two of the actual brides.
The wedding special isn’t available to stream alongside the rest of Making the Team. Many fans taped the show when it aired.
Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
This is a documentary from 2018, which is almost as long as its title. The 86-minute documentary is mostly about Suzanne Mitchell, who was the director of the team between 1972 and 1989, and is responsible for a lot of the DCC’s traditions.
Many former cheerleaders are interviewed about how the DCC evolved during this time period. You might find the lore of the DCC interesting if some aspects of America’s Sweethearts bewildered you.
US viewers can watch this documentary here on Apple TV. If you’re in the UK, you can view it for free on Rakuten TV.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Special
This is an hour-long TV documentary from 1992. The show goes behind-the scenes of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team. You get a detailed look at the audition process, the rehearsals, and charity performances. It’s like an episode of America’s Sweethearts… except it’s from nearly three decades ago.
Both Judy and Kelli are interviewed in the show. They recite pretty much the exact same spiel about how only “special” girls make the DCC as they will reel off 25 years later on Netflix.
This documentary is not available on any streaming services right now (although many DCC fans appear to have recorded it).
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