02x05 - The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA

[bunniefuu]

[Kelli] I just want to kinda give you
the impression that you've left us with,

so that you'll leave here knowing
with no uncertainty

how we feel about your performance
during training camp.

We feel strongly about you.

Your dance background is, um,

sufficient to make this team,

and it literally
just comes down to… [sighs]

…you can sometimes get lost on the field.

It's just, "Do you have experience
with a hundred-yard stage?"

[Jenna] Yes, ma'am.

I think you peaked at the right time

for a strong impression for the next time.

But you peaked maybe a little too late
for the decision at hand for this season,

'cause everybody else was starting
to gel as well.

Well, thank you so much.

This experience has truly…

[voice breaking]
…transformed me as a person and a dancer.

-[Kelli] You should be very proud. Okay.
-Thank you so much.

[Kelli] Congratulations.

-You did great. You really did.
-Thank you.

-[Jenna] I appreciate it. Thank you.
-Okay.

[excited chatter]

[upbeat music playing on stereo]

[Kelli] Should I stop it?

-[music stops]
-[women cheering]

[woman] Don't even…

[Kelli] We're not warming up yet.
We didn't want to start yet.

But I appreciate y'all starting early.
Thank you, leaders.

Y'all come in.

[Charly] Oh my God.

[Kelli] We have good news
to share with you,

and we have a special person
to share that good news with you.

[expectant music playing]

[Kelli] Our leader, Miss Charlotte Jones!
Come on in!

[all cheering and applauding]

She's such a queen.

[Charlotte] I know y'all have had

a lot of action here
the last several weeks

since I've seen you through auditions,

and I'm sorry I've made y'all delay
all of this incredible excitement,

but I had to be the one to tell you all…

you are the next new squad
of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!

-[all cheering]
-[heartwarming music playing]

Thank you so much!

Literally, thank you so much.

-Yes!
-[Chandi] Love you.

[heartwarming music continues]

[Ava] I don't believe them.
I'm like, "Are you for real?"

[excited chatter]

[gentle music playing]

[Kelli] This uniform we tried
to give out last year,

but it wanted a little bit more time.

It is ready for Miss Charly.

[all cheering]

Thank you so much. Seriously.

[Judy] Abby.

[cheering continues]

-Thank you!
-[Judy] Congratulations.

[Charlotte] Ariel!

[all cheering]

[Ariel exclaiming]

Y'all better take care of this girl.
She's our baby on the team.

-Madie!
-[all cheering]

-Thank you! Thank you so much.
-Congratulations.

[Judy] Super, super well-deserved.

She's getting it back
because she's worked so hard. Miss Kayla.

[all cheering]

Thank you so much.

[Judy] Aw! We love you.

Thank you. I love you guys.

[all cheering]

Finally getting her uniform. Miss Ava.

[all cheering]

-So proud of you.
-Thank you.

Another one that's been
sitting on the shelf a little too long.

-Kelly!
-[all cheering]

[Kelly V] Thank you.

[all cheering]

Oh my God!

[man on phone]
Oh my gosh!

Oh my…

Honey, I'm so proud of you.

-[emotional music playing]
-[excited chatter in background]

[Kelly V sniffling]

[sobbing]

[cheering on phone]
Go, Abby! Go, Abby! Go, Abby!

I love you guys!

[squealing] I made it!

[Jan on phone]
Oh my gosh, Madie!

I know!

[Ava laughing] Look!

You need to go tell Momo
and everybody else.

[laughing and crying]

Like, "What?"

[Michele] You're gonna put these on
as soon as the locker room clears.

-Y'all are gonna put 'em on.
-[gasps] Today?

Yes.

Yes! Today!

-No way!
-You're a DCC now!

["The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA"
by Donna Fargo playing]

♪ Walk with me, world
It's a skip-a-dee-doo-da day ♪

♪ I'm the happiest girl in the whole USA ♪

♪ Good morning, morning
Hello, sunshine ♪

♪ Wake up, sleepyhead ♪

♪ Why'd we move that bojangle clock ♪

♪ So far away from the bed? ♪

♪ Just one more… ♪

[Charly] We are like…
I don't know how to describe it.

Like, be a part of each other's lives
forever now.

Forever!

[Ava] You know what we get to do?
"Thunder" at each other's weddings.

[all exclaiming]

-[Ariel] Who's first?
-[Kelly V] I'm gonna cry.

[Madie K] It's weird to think y'all
are gonna go through college with me.

[all exclaiming]

-Literally everything. My whole life.
-Your whole life!

We're gonna be the little grandmas
in the alumni halftime.

-[all laughing]
-I know! It's like, that's so cute though.

[uplifting song continues playing]

-[woman] Hello, ladies!
-[all exclaiming]

-Congratulations!
-[cheerleader] Oh my God!

[all cheering]

[Ava] This is how people felt when
they made the team? That's incredible.

[excited chatter and laughter]

[Charly] Okay, guys,
we got one more dance in us tonight.

♪ Now shine on me, sunshine
Walk with me, world ♪

♪ It's a skip-a-dee-doo-da day ♪

[Kelly V] I have the need
to do a jump split.

[all laughing]

♪ I'm the happiest girl in the whole USA ♪

♪ Shine on me, sunshine ♪

♪ Walk with me, world
It's a skip-a-dee-doo-da day ♪

♪ The happiest girl ♪

-♪ In the whole USA ♪
-[song fades]

[excited chatter]

[chatter continues]

[all clapping]

Hi, my name is Nicole. I am one
of the nurse injectors at Atomic Beauty.

So I mainly deal
with the Botox and the fillers.

So if you're ever interested in that,
we can go supernatural. I'm your girl.

And then on the note of the free services,

we would love it if you guys would
give us a shout-out on your social media

when you come in
and get your services from us.

[all clapping]

[woman] And then we'll go
to our nails and lashes,

our press-on nails and lashes.

You guys receive one nail kit per week
and then one to two lashes kits per week,

depending on what time it is
in the season.

And then of course, the lash glue.

Our sponsorship showcase
gives our corporate partners the chance

to showcase their products

and all the great things
the girls get as a cheerleader.

We are here for all of your hair needs,

whether that's color, cut,
or extension maintenance.

["Sweet Happy Life" by Peggy Lee playing]

Hey, guys.

So some of the girls
already come to see us,

and they get a beautiful custom wig,

sew-ins, ponytails,
silk presses, all the good stuff.

Every service that we do offer
to y'all is free, so lash lifts.

-[laughing] Get the lash lifts for sure.
-Yes.

We do meal prep, help you guys get fueled.

We get you $ a week in meals
that you guys can have.

-[song continues]
-♪ Stars for your smile… ♪

[Kelli] There's a lot of
corporate sponsors that go into

a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
looking the way she does.

They get tanning services.

We got a sheer hosiery sponsor,
gym memberships,

meals, nails, makeup, skin products,

and skin treatments, and teeth whitening,

and the dentist,

and all the great things they get
as a part of their compensation package

when they're a cheerleader.

♪ My wish for you… ♪

-Oh wow!
-Thank you.

[woman] So are you girls gonna come in
for your HydraFacial?

Yes, I was so excited
when y'all said that.

[Ava] OMG.

[Kelli] When I was a cheerleader,

we used to have to
wear our own rehearsal attire.

We had to pay for our pantyhose.

And then we spent money on hair,
a lot of money on hair.

And I mean that sounds…
that may sound like not a lot.

But it adds up. It's very expensive.

-[man] There y'all go. Take that.
-Thank you!

-[woman] How cute are these?
-[Kayla] Love!

[cheerleader] My hands full
by the end of all this.

[Kelli] Now they get
hair services provided,

and tanning, same thing.

Those were all projects or opportunities
that I went after

to try to create
cost-saving opportunities for them.

Thank you!

We do try to provide them
as much as we can.

-And we'll continue to.
-[enticing song continues]

-[Kelly V] All these goodies!
-[Charly] I know! I grabbed three.

-You grabbed three?
-I'm gonna bring 'em with me.

-[Kelly V] That's smart.
-I know.

-♪ Sweet, happy life ♪
-[song fades]

-[bag zipping]
-[Jada] I don't have a mirror.

After we heard from all of our sponsors,

we were given contracts.

There's some things
we were hoping to see change that didn't.

The biggest thing is the pay.

[pensive music playing]

We're required to sign
a contract every season.

Um…

But this year, I just feel like we…

honestly,
almost as a whole collective group,

just feel like they're not… up to par.

-[pensive music continues]
-[Sophy] Do you want ginger?

[Kylie scoffs] Oh, well, yeah!

We got our contracts
and probably wrongly assumed

that it maybe would have been different
just because of everything that was on TV.

I mean, the world was kinda telling us,
"Girls, fight for more!"

-This is the year.
-So we're like, "Okay!"

So getting those contracts back
was honestly heartbreaking,

especially right now
when we are going viral in the world.

Hello, my name is Chrissy.

I have been a DCC for the past four years.

Have you watched that
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders reality show?

Fascinating!

We are celebrating with
the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

It's like, man,
just disappointing, you know?

[Jada] A group of us
have gone out of our way

to reach out to outside legal sources

to get kind of just some insight

and get some opinions on things
that we feel…

aren't right or should be changed.

It's been me, Jada,

Armani, Amanda, Kleine, and Marissa.

We've all been,
like, really spearheading this.

[Jada] The thought behind it was,
"Who will speak up when it's difficult?"

Like, let's make sure we're
representing a good portion of the team.

[pensive music continues]

[Armani] I am one of the fortunate ones
who has a salary job

that covers all of my bills.

And, you know,
what I make from DCC kind of helps.

But everyone on the team
is not that fortunate,

especially the rookies who just
traveled here from a different state.

And they're having to
work two, three other jobs

on top of DCC just to make ends meet.

I don't even just have two jobs.
I sometimes have three, sometimes four.

And so with all of that
comes exhaustion, obviously.

[Amanda] We're these dream girls
people look up to, and they want to be us.

I'm fortunate because I'm married and have
a husband to support me financially.

But some girls don't have that.

I had, at one point,
an eviction notice on my door.

That was because I couldn't pay my rent

because I was out of season.

I was still working full-time,

but I just wasn't making the money
that I was making during the season

when I first signed my lease.

I just couldn't keep up with things.

-[Megan] I hope these fit in the box.
-[Alex] What are you working on?

[Megan] Gifts. The first leaders
have to do the first gift.

We have a lot of great perks
of being on this team.

Like, we get our hair services
and, like, spray tans.

But at the end of the day,
that really doesn't pay my rent.

Like, I have student loans.

I've got car payments.

[Alex] That's the most frustrating thing
from my perspective, too,

is seeing how hard you girls work.

You're not asking for the world.

-[Megan] No, we're not!
-You're asking for a livable wage.

A few of us sent an email to legal and HR

just requesting a meeting.

We chose not to involve Kelli and Judy,

but that is specifically because
they've told us before

if we have questions
that we should go directly to the source.

I think if you ask Kelli, she would agree.
But it's a touchy subject.

And it's hard to ask your boss
for a raise, you know?

[Jada] So…

I think we're trying
to hold out a little bit longer

and see if we can have a discussion

before we sign our contracts,

to kind of see…

get explanation on things

and see if there are
adjustments that can be made.

So, that's kind of
where we're at right now.

Ugh! Slob everywhere.

And, okay, that watermelon's probably
disgusting now, but it's fine.

I'm still gonna eat it.

[faint indistinct chatter]

[woman] You look like
a little redhead Barbie!

-Thank you!
-[woman] Doesn't she?

-You look so good!
-I like…

[exclaims]

-[woman] It's here! It's time!
-So crazy.

-[Kelly V] How does it feel?
-Like, not real.

[laughing]

It literally feels like I'm in a dream.
I've dreamt of this, actually, before.

[Kelly V] Yes.

[ethereal music playing]

This is such a unique experience
that so little people get to go through.

I will never take being part
of this organization for granted.

[exclaiming]

-[Kelly V] Stop! Don't do the pose!
-[laughs] I'm like…

[laughing] I have my orientation
for college tomorrow.

So that should be fun.

What does that consist of for you?

It's just freshman orientation.
So, I have no idea.

-Walk around the campus, stuff like that?
-Probably. Class schedule.

I graduated high school.
I'm in college. I made my dream team.

This week has been the best week
and I feel so grateful for that.

Oh my gosh!
I, like, don't recognize myself at all.

That's not me.
I'm looking at someone in the mirror.

-I'm excited. Yes.
-You look very nice.

[laughing]

Oh my gosh, you girls!

DCC Kelly and DCC Charly!

[Charly] Like, are you kidding?

-This is…
-We look like Barbie dolls!

No, like, I feel like the Barbie doll.

No, literally. With the poms.

With the poms!

Oh my gosh.

[Reece] My goodness.

That's so crazy.

Wow, I think
that's gonna be my new wallpaper.

[Charly] Stop it! That's so funny.

[Jada] We did our best
to explain to rookies that

even though the contract stuff
involves them,

it's okay as a rookie if you're unsure.

I would have been like,
"Wait, I just made this team."

-[man] One, two, three.
-[Jada] What are you complaining about?

[man] All right, it looks beautiful.
You ready? All right.

Good.

Thank you.

-[Kelli] Hey, Kevin.
-Yes.

Are you and Madie in love
with all that length?

I am.

[Judy and Kevin laughing]

-[Kevin] She likes it.
-[Kelli] Hmm.

[introspective music playing]

-[Kelli] Ooh! Who's that?
-[Judy] Ava.

-[Kelli] I'm teasing!
-[Judy laughing] Oh!

[woman] She's new. She's new.

Who's the new girl?

No. Ava, do you
have lip plumper on your lips

or anything injected in your lips?

Yes, I've gotten lip filler.

Sorry, I can't see you now.
There's a light glaring here.

[Judy] It looks good.

[Kelli] I was curious.
Your lips are beautiful. But…

[man chuckling]

[man] It's like,
"Do I get in trouble for saying yes?"

-[Judy] "Do I say yes or do I say no?"
-I don't know.

[all laughing]

-[man ] How do I answer?
-[man ] I know.

[Ava] When you put the uniform on,
you just feel amazing.

You feel important.
You feel powerful. You feel beautiful.

But the thing that I worry about a lot is

I don't want to overstep in any way
or under step in any way.

[Jada] As a rookie,

you're always gonna feel
that weight of "I need to be perfect."

[camera clicking]

[Jada] But I think as veterans,
we all know

how hard we work
and how little we see for it sometimes.

[man] Yeah, so scoot over.

Back in the middle.
Yeah, there you go. Okay.

I'm scared for Kelli to see my hair dark.

This is the first time I'm seeing her,
so I'm getting nervous.

[Jada] It's really hard to

feel seen in an organization this big

and with this much power.

[Kelli] Jada with some new…

-Hi!
-[Jada laughing] We're darker!

I love it.

[Jada] Yay.

[Kelli] All right.

People are always afraid to say
not only what they feel,

but to say what needs to be said.

But sometimes you need to be bold in life.

[man] All right, one, two, three.

There's moments where you have to do
things other people wouldn't do,

but you know you're doing the right thing.

Jada, that's actually very…

That's, like, iconic.

Thank you. Don't forget me.

-How will we ever forget you?
-I hope you don't.

[woman] Hi, girls!

[indistinct chatter]

Hey, so I think
I've asked you this before.

-Um, but when do you move in?
-I don't know. I haven't signed anything.

-You haven't signed?
-No.

You should look at my place
before you sign.

-[Sophia] Do you like it? Is it nice?
-[Abby] I love it.

-[Sophia] Send me the exact address.
-I will. You can come over this weekend.

-Yes! I'll give you a tour.
-Okay. Tour guide.

[Sophia] If not,
I'll have to listen to the…

Girls, can we just walk it through?

There's a lot that happens instantly
when we tell them they've made the team,

from calling home,
and all of that excitement,

to starting to seriously
figure out relocation,

jobs, all of that.

And we will start getting pickier.

We're not looking for potential anymore.
We're looking for precision.

-[dance music playing]
-[cheerleaders] Five, seven, eight, one.

Three, five, seven, one…

Three, five, seven, one…

Three, five, seven…

[dance music continues]

[Judy] Everybody get up on your kick line.

There are so many little things that make
"Thunder" the perfection that it can be.

And so we have to fix
all those little bitty details.

We go one, two, up. Three, four, hold.

Five, six, turn, seven, eight.

Whoever was the last ones on this side,
the last four, they didn't file in.

The exit from "Thunderstruck"
seems very simple.

And it really is once they learn it.

But there is a specific pattern

that's almost like a puzzle piece
to put together.

So one and five is flipping to the front.

Three and sevens are flipping
to the side, right?

[Judy] Yeah.

All those little details stand out
if they're not done great.

[Chandi] Four, five, six, seven, eight…

But they stand out in a great way
when they're done perfectly.

It looks like they're coming up
at the same time you're going down.

So it goes at the same time,
and then you walk at the same time.

[Jada] Then we walk. Correct.

So let's do it one more time,
so they can watch and be really sure.

I do think that the group leaders
are under a lot more pressure

than the rest of the team.

Watch them, eight.
One more time, watch them.

They take it so seriously
that they want it to be great.

Two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, walk together.

Three, four, five…

[Jada] We just made a team, and we haven't
cleaned anything the way that we will.

There's just so much to do
before game day,

and we don't have a ton of time
on the field this year in the stadium,

which is… uncommon.

[Judy] We actually did it faster
than we have in some years,

so I think we got it.

[Jada] I would say, if anything,
I'm stressed being a leader

and making sure we're ready,

and when we're in the room that
we're really focused on what's going on

because we don't have a lot of time.

I've never been down on the ends,

but people on the ends are saying
it should be two… two come in.

They flip. That next pair goes.
The next pair flips.

There's no way
we go one, two, three, four…

Five! Seven! There's no way.

I'm just saying what was told.
I've never been down there.

So I can't speak to it.

You guys think you were turning
on something other than one and five?

I think there's always that fear of,
"Is my group happy that I'm their leader

and do they feel that
I'm qualified to be in this position?"

Dude, don't go this way. Go this way.

Keep your body moving this way, right?
Yeah.

[Jada] You want the people in your group
to respect you and to admire you

and to trust you leading them,

and so I think that's probably
the biggest thing for me

is the group is happy and trusting of you.

But we switch it.
It's like this in the tag,

and then you start again. Yeah.

[Jada] At the same time, we still have
contracts in the back of our minds,

and that's not something
that we're willing to just let go.

It's hard to still enjoy my time here,

but then also want to make
all these differences

and not losing the reason that I'm here,

which is to dance and perform.

I've tried to keep
those two feelings separate and…

you know, do my best in both…

both situations.

[man] So we'll do some like that.

She's been, like, cut. Yeah, she's got…

She's been eating people, you know?

She's been biting,
a little bit, like, there.

[Ava] I work at a beauty school.

[man] There we go.
We have ourselves a monster girl.

[woman] Yay!

I am the social media manager here,

so I create content, edit
and then manage all of their platforms,

like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

-Cute. Well, not cute, but…
-[laughing]

[Ava] Now I'm gonna do a video.

I started working here
last week of training camp.

I was like,
"I'm gonna need a job right away."

[indistinct chatter]

[chuckling] I found it on Indeed.com, so…

Having two jobs, it's definitely hard.

[introspective music playing]

I knew going into DCC

that if I made it, I wasn't gonna have
the normal college experience,

but I wanted to make the team so bad
I really didn't care.

My first week was horrible.

Just the stress of, "Wow, I'm away
from my parents for the first time."

"My boyfriend's five hours away.
My sister's five hours away."

"My girls are in Frisco."

Creating a new environment here
was difficult.

[teacher] Remember,
you're gonna multiply by over pi

and from degrees to radians.

[Madie K] I had a really bad night
at practice one night

'cause I was so stressed
with chemistry and everything.

Judy called me out for not knowing
a dance. I was like, "Oh my gosh."

So then the next day in school,
I didn't pay attention in school

and was watching the DCC videos
while I was in class,

and so then I didn't do good in school.

Hearing "tic-tic-boom" and trying to do
quantum theories is crossing my brain.

I'm just bad at graphs.

Once I figured out that
you have to split them, it was okay.

I didn't figure that out
until halfway through last week.

Okay.

[Madie K] Everyone has been stressed
on the team, so it's helped a lot.

Knowing that everyone
kinda has their own struggle

and it's not like
everyone's in a perfect world,

it's like, "Okay, mine
is not bad compared to anyone's."

[Abby] How's college?

It's good. I'm ready to not live
in a dorm, but it's good.

[Abby] Where are you gonna live after?

-Probably just behind The Star with Ava.
-[Abby] You gonna live behind The Star?

-[laughing] She always hits people.
-I always hit you.

[Abby] After training camp,
we would come home

and just hang out
in each other's room for hours.

I know. I miss living door-to-door.

-[Abby] Yeah.
-[Madie K] I miss training camp, honestly.

I don't think there's been a practice yet
where I'm not scared.

I'm scared every time
we start doing a dance.

[Abby] Yeah. They said "alumni" yesterday.

And I was like,
"I really quit my job over this routine."

-Like, over this specific routine.
-[laughing]

[Ava] So you quit your job?

-[both laughing]
-Quit job.

Literally was maybe three weeks
into working my new job and quit.

[Ava] Oh no. I think it was a week.

It was longer than a week.

-[Madie K] Like two.
-[Abby] Maybe two and a half.

[Ava] Wait, but how have your days been?
Are they so fun?

Well, yeah, but I'm stressed
'cause I don't have money.

I think I have a couple more rents left

until I'm gonna have to really step up
to get something.

[Ava] Do you want
to be a corporate body again?

Or could you
be a fitness instructor, you know?

I do, but I just feel like
when I was working,

I left my house at : a.m.

because it's an hour drive with traffic.

I'd get there at :.
I would go till :.

My week two going into it,
I was driving to work,

and I was like, "I have to get gas.
Maybe on my lunch break."

[Ava] I remember that.

And then during my lunch break,
my manager was like,

"You're new to the team.
Let's go get lunch together."

-[Ava] Ugh.
-Then I forgot to get gas.

And then I'm on the way to practice,
and I still didn't get gas.

And I literally
couldn't even see the numbers on my…

'cause I didn't have enough gas
to even see.

And then I get to practice,
and I was like,

I literally don't even have time
to get gas.

-[Ava] I remember that day.
-I'm literally sobbing in the car.

-I literally was like…
-Just broke down.

Yeah, I looked at Jada, I was like,
"When am I supposed to learn?"

[Ava] I used to wonder
why it was called rehearsal.

'Cause it's not practice.

It's like a dress rehearsal
where you're not supposed to mess up.

-And you look perfect.
-[Abby] Yeah.

[chuckling] How am I supposed
to learn and then also make money?

-I know.
-[Abby] True.

True, true.

[both laughing]

[Abby] Ugh!

[Reece] Wait,
don't come look in this craziness.

I threw a bunch of crap everywhere.
[laughs]

Okay, here's the process.

I'll run it over warm water.

And then I have this stuff
that my mom kind of raised me on.

And it's this really
just gentle stain remover.

Going into this season,

we are really excited
that there's a lot of new girls.

When I saw Charly and Kelly in theirs,
I was like, "Oh!"

"Look at those
little cheerleaders out there!"

Seeing them,
that just makes me so emotional.

Last year, I felt like as a rookie
there was that pressure.

My heart goes out for them 'cause I know
they're learning a lot right now.

But I just want to make sure that
everyone knows that it's okay to struggle.

So I'm not, unfortunately,
working at the flower shop anymore.

Um…

I'm gonna be going up there
here and there to help out

whenever they need some assistance.

There's just a lot of choreography
and a lot of parts I needed to know.

And I just needed some time

where I wasn't working /.

So unfortunately not working
at the flower shop anymore.

But I am doing some
Floral Fridays!

Which if you follow me on TikTok,
I'll do on Fridays. [laughs]

Hello, everyone, and welcome back
to another episode of
Floral Fridays.

Okay! Happy
Floreal…
[blabbering]

Take two. Happy
Floral Fridays,
everyone.

What better way to go into the weekend,

doing an inspired
Cowboys floral arrangement.

I signed with a digital agency.

And they've been incredible
with brand deals

and helping us navigate all of that,
because it is so new,

and it's such an adjustment.

When the pressure's on,
I fuel my focus with the perfect crunch.

That has been such a blessing
because we needed help,

because we don't know what we're doing.

It takes me five million years
to edit a post,

and I'm always so stressed.

I never considered myself an "influencer."

It is hopeful knowing
that making those connections now,

there's a lot
of possibilities in the future.

Trying to do it as organically
and as authentic as possible.

Final look.

I don't want it
to look like I have it all together,

because that's simply just not the case.

There are days where I feel
like I'm juggling a gazillion things.

Okay! Fun fact.

When I first washed my uniform,

like, the very first day,
I waited for the whole minutes

and stared at it the entire time

'cause I was terrified
that it was going to, like,

somehow turn, like, green. I don't know.

[giggles]

[Judy] Okay,
everybody get in your spots, please.

Y'all, we're…

we're pressured now,

and the leaders and I might feed off
to you that way.

But we really are under pressure
to get all this done.

So, let's do it again.

[Jada] Yep, hug tighter. Ten, …

-[Judy] This is messy.
-[tense music playing]

Hug tighter, Madeline.

[Judy] So you're here,
and you just did your player intros.

Now go on to national anthem lines.

Brave! And you walk.

[Megan] Let's have Brooklyn
start with water.

So for water,
Brooklyn will go to the front.

There's a little fan.
There might be a sweat towel.

Gatorade.

Beautiful.

Then, Sophia, you will go get water,

and then Brooklyn will take Sophia's spot.

[Judy] Every moment of our game
is planned out.

And a lot of times the new girls
that come in don't really understand.

"Why are we practicing
taking a water break?"

But we don't want on game day
for any surprises.

Once you step foot on that field,
it's a stage. You can't hide anywhere.

So everything needs to look precise,

and together,
and like it was planned out perfectly.

[Armani] I couldn't sleep last night.
I didn't go to bed until after : a.m.

And I did spend time
going through each quarter,

and through the formation, and saying,

"We do this after the end
of first quarter."

"We do this at the two-minute mark."

"We hold four.
We start with a chassé on the right foot."

So, I will take a picture
and send that to everyone.

[Judy] And a one, and three,
and a five, six, seven, eight.

Okay, check it, 'cause it's not good.

This side looks a little wonky.

Do we have to go
all the way back to the circle?

-[Judy] Do we need to fix something?
-I don't either.

I haven't slept. I feel it.
I feel like I'm literally in slow motion.

[laughs]

I'm so sorry. I have not slept yet at all.

[Judy] Stretch! Stretch!

Eight, one. Don't come up early.
Three, four. This is messy.

I think, honestly,
right now the team is just overwhelmed.

[Judy] One and two. One yard off.

Five, six. Uh-oh.

Yeah, make sure y'all get one yard off.

Take it from… go back.

[Jada] You can feel
the stress in the room.

Feels like there's a cloud
within the room,

and everyone's just like feeling
all the anxiety and all the pressure.

[Judy] Y'all! Look across the field.
Are y'all straight with this side?

'Cause they're straight. Ugh.

Go back? Ooh, that's gonna hurt somebody.

If you don't follow directions,

that's where yourself
or you could hurt someone.

-[tense music continues]
-[Judy] Are y'all okay?

Yeah, I just didn't know
that we were doing that. Sorry.

[Judy] Don't go down in the jump split
if we're not doing it. Y'all think.

As a rookie, there's definitely
that pressure you're putting on yourself,

but also is being put on you.

And it can be a lot at times.

It can be a lot to handle
and hard to manage.

Every time we do a tag,
whatever we do, we dance, we dance,

toes will always be facing
wherever the football is.

Football's there, we're facing this way.

It's right in front us,
over there, we're facing the football.

Toes are always pointed
towards the football.

We're always on our yard lines.

There's a lot to go over,

but there's no point of overwhelming
because I think that was enough.

Yeah? Yeah.

[Judy] Okay! Y'all, some of y'all
have early mornings tomorrow, right?

I guess that's it.

-[indistinct chatter]
-[cheerleader] Okay, I'm tired.

[Lisa] All right.
Who's ready for breakfast?

-Is anybody hungry?
-[kid] Me!

-You look so pretty.
-Thank you!

I look like my makeup's not complete,
but we're getting there.

We're getting there.

[Lisa] So everybody make sure
they wear their shirts today.

[Pat] We're gonna wear our shirts.

-[man] I'm not. Abso-f*cking-lutely not.
-You are wearing a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt.

[Lisa] You gotta support
your sister today.

[man] I will walk to the stadium
in my Eagles hat.

-He said he's not wearing a Cowboys shirt.
-Fly, Eagles, fly!

-You can wear a Cowboys Cheerleader shirt.
-No.

[Rome] I think that's already too close.

-[Lisa] He said, "Oh, wait a minute."
-[Rome] Already too close for comfort.

Don't mind if I do.

[Jada] So it's been a bit of a challenge.
I have my family in town this week.

I haven't had time to really see them

'cause I have to be at work on time
and be at practice on time.

-We're supporting Jada, not the Eagles.
-Go, Birds.

-We're not Eagles fans!
-Go, Birds.

-No.
-[Robert] And here goes the star.

-[Pat] The devil.
-Here goes the star.

Accept it. Don't be afraid of it.

Embrace it. Embrace it.
The only real Cowboy fan here.

My dad was born in Brooklyn, New York,
and then he was raised in North Carolina.

So how he became a Cowboys fan,
I don't know.

I am the only real Cowboy fan here.

Since ', I've been a Cowboy fan.

Cowboy fan since '.

The fact that they were America's Team
or he had a favorite player…

b*llet Bob Hayes to Robert Newhouse,
Billy Joe DuPree…

[Jada] But my two brothers
ended up being Eagle fans.

[Pat] Stop!

We're a house divided, but I love
it that way. I think it makes it more fun.

Five Super Bowls. They can say
what they want to, but we got five of 'em.

-[Rome] How many do you got? One.
-How many people…

[Katie] Hey,
but look at those cheerleaders.

-[Lisa] That's right.
-[all laughing]

[Lisa] It's all about those cheerleaders.

[Rome] Best thing about the Cowboys in the
last years has been the cheerleaders.

-In the last years.
-[Robert] We love the cheerleaders.

See, this is what I go through in life.
America, this is what I go through.

I gotta deal with my family.
You know, it's…

With football season,
it's me against the world.

-But I can deal with it.
-[Pat] Are you getting an interview?

Come on. The camera's on me. Come on.

[all laughing]

[Jada] My dad is probably

the most obnoxious, loud,

outgoing, friendly,

talkative person you could meet.

Seriously, that man…
no one is a stranger to him.

Are you guys based out of Dallas?

-They're recording you, fool.
-No?

-No!
-You don't talk to them.

-Don't talk to them.
-Pretend they're not there.

They people.
What do you mean don't talk to them?

-[Rome laughing]
-What do you mean don't talk to them?

Dad's a good guy.
He's had his, you know, problems in life.

[indistinct chatter on TV]

[Jada] He got into some trouble.

And my mom admitted to me
that a lot of the times he wasn't around

because she chose to keep him away.

She just knew if he wasn't at his best,

that it probably wasn't best for him
to be around us kids.

[Lisa on video]
"Daddy's little girl."

[Pat on video]
Let me see, Jada.
Turn around.

Wow, that's gonna be beautiful.

[Lisa] Though she's very outspoken,

I don't think when she was little,
she really talked about it a lot.

But I think it was very hard
on her to not have her dad around.

Her father struggled with addiction

and it led to poor choices.

[wistful music playing]

I was in high school
when I found out my dad went to prison.

I think my family chose

to kind of keep me out of the loop
'cause they didn't want me to hurt.

I would drive about two hours

to see him on the weekends.

Like, going by myself
and sitting in a room

with people who had,
you know, committed crimes

just to spend time with your parent, it's…

No kid should have to do that.

[Lisa] It definitely hurt her
when he was absent.

He missed her high school graduation
and her final dance show.

But I think she's had to be a little wiser

beyond her years with, you know,

all kinds of situations,
what's right, what's wrong.

She's always been a very…
you know, forgiving person.

We…

She says, "Mom, nobody's flawless."

"Everybody makes mistakes.
We all make poor choices."

"But we have to move on,
and we have to move forward."

[Jada] I've never, you know,
tried to hold things against him,

even though he's made me sad, and mad,

and, you know, every emotion in between.

He's a human being, and he's my father,

and I choose to love him every day
regardless of the decisions he's made.

[Lisa] I think for Jada,

cheering for his team
and actually being on the sidelines

was something that I think she knew
might even bring them closer,

to be honest with you.

[Jada] I've been grateful
that he's been able to see me out here.

Um…

Just because, like I said,

he's somebody who inspired me to
try out for this team in the first place.

So to share moments with him, um,

me being on this team
have meant a lot to me.

And I just continue to pray
that he stays on the right path

for his life so that we have
more special moments in the future.

[Katie] Heavenly Father,
thank you for this opportunity

to be here with family
and to support Jada.

I pray, Lord,
that you'd speak into her life,

and encourage her,
and help her to be a great leader.

Bless this meal and our day together.
We love you, Lord.

-We pray this in your name. Amen.
-[all] Amen.

-How about them Cowboys?
-[Pat] I know that's right!

[expectant music playing]

[Kelly V squeals]

-[Charly] I might…
-I've been crying all day!

No, I've literally been crying
this whole way.

I'm like, "What's happening?"

Oh, you look gorge.

Are you wearing pants or short-shorts?

Yay! I love you.

-All right. I'll see you in there.
-Look at them!

[expectant music continues]

-[Reece] I'm so excited.
-[Charly] I'm so excited.

[cheerleader] Wait! Marissa!

Happy game drive.

-[Kelly V] Load on up.
-[Kelli] We're rolling in two.

[Kelli] All right! Happy game day!

[all cheering]

[expectant music playing]

Thank you!

[Kelli] All right! Let's go show everybody
the real "Thunderstruck"!

Every detail matters today.

[excited chatter]

[Charly voice breaking]
I'm just so happy to be here. Like, truly.

-Not much else I can say.
-[woman] You're gonna make me cry!

But I just feel like through
training camp, you think,

"I'm just trying to make the team
and not get cut."

But you're working for this moment,

which I don't think hit me
until this morning on my drive here.

And I was, like, bawling my eyes out,
but just soaking it in.

[cheerleader] I love you, Charly!

[Kelli] Y'all circle up
and I'll give you my quick Sister Kelli.

What I really, really needed today was
something to help me get ready for y'all,

and for this game,
and I turned on my little devotional,

and I was walking,
and it was talking about peace.

I actually think this game
and this pressure,

all of that, actually gives you an excuse

to tune everything out.

[ethereal music playing]

[Kelli] I want y'all today to press pause,
even when you're in the tunnel.

Just take a moment

to soak it in and enjoy the lights,

the fans, the noise.

Take a moment,
'cause this is gonna go so fast.

Everybody all over the world
is doing "Thunderstruck."

Today, it is you.

It is real.

It is what you do and who we are,

and I want you to enjoy it.

-Amen?
-[all] Amen!

All right!

[all] Our Father who art in Heaven…

[all cheering wildly]

[cheerleader] Ready? Ain't no lightning…

[all] Without a little thunder!

[all] Whoo!

I'm so, so proud of us, and you, and…
We got this.

-Oh! You're making me cry!
-We waited so long for this.

[announcer on PA]
…countdown the final
ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…

[crowd cheering and whooping]

-[cheering continues muted]
-[indistinct chatter on PA]

[triumphant music playing]

[announcer]
Ladies and gentlemen,
here they are!

America's Sweethearts,
often imitated, never equaled,

internationally acclaimed.

Your Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

[crowd cheering]

I got you, girl! Whoo!

Go, Kelly!

-["Thunderstruck" playing on loudspeakers]
-[crowd cheering wildly]

[epic rock and roll music continues]

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ Thunder ♪

♪ You've been ♪

♪ Thunderstruck ♪

[Jada] This year was definitely different.

Coming out for that first game,
everyone starts screaming, you're like…

["Thunderstruck" continues playing]

"Okay, this is insane."

[Armani] For a preseason game,
normally, like, there's a good turnout,

but this is a lot different.

♪ You've been… ♪

[cheering continues]

I've never experienced
that much love for us.

♪ Thunderstruck ♪

[Chandi] The crowd, like,
literally roaring.

I was like, "Oh my gosh,
these people are actually here for us."

People know us now

and know what we go through,
so it's just cool to see the impact.

[Jada] Having my dad there, I think,
just made it even more special.

There you go, Jada-bada.

[Jada] I could see him out there,
and I was like,

"Look at where we're both at."

[woman screams] Go, Kelli! Kelli!

[man] Kelli,
take a picture with my daughter!

["Thunderstruck" continues playing]

♪ Thunderstruck ♪

[Kelli] It's exciting for me
to see that anticipation

of those big performance moments

that, frankly, we've been doing for years,

but now everybody's experts on it.

Oh, thank you.
You hold it, and I'll sign it.

[Kelli] You can hear
the swell of the crowd

when they start to form their kick line.

♪ Thunderstruck ♪

♪ You've been thunderstruck! ♪

[Kelli] Then you hear the gasp of
the crowd when they do their jump split.

-["Thunderstruck" fades]
-[crowd roaring]

[Kelli] It was beautiful.

[introspective music playing]

That first game,
the crowd was electric for us.

[introspective music continues]

[Jada] We do a damn good job
at being cheerleaders.

But we're still fighting to be seen
for what we're worth.

If there's things we're struggling with,
things we're facing now,

who are we to not
try to make it better for the future?

[introspective music continues]

[Jada] A group of us veterans met with
the HR and legal teams of Cowboys

hoping to have a conversation
and see if there's room

for changing a few things
in our contracts.

Obviously, I'm very grateful,
but at the same time,

I think there's time for some change,
and it would be positive change,

so I'm hoping that's the way
that they see it as well.

Right after, we scheduled a meeting
on Zoom with the team

so no one felt
they were being left in the dark.

And to give some transparency around

what happened today in this meeting,

we voiced our opinions,

and our wants, and everything.

We even made the comment today…

Obviously, we love the Cowboys.

That's why we're here,
why we moved our whole lives to be here.

And right now with our full-time jobs,
it's really difficult.

[Amanda] It didn't go our way.

We sat in this meeting,
and I was almost in tears.

It was just breaking my heart
the way they were speaking about us.

I'll be completely candid, y'all.
I said, "I'm not signing this."

And I said I might not be at practice
on Wednesday.

We do hold value,

and what are we willing to do
to show them that we know our value?

If we want to do something,
we gotta make history,

and we gotta make it big.

And I think if there's any time to do it,

it's now that we are relevant
and the world is on our side.

What are you willing to risk?

This is now, I think, out of our six hands
and in the hands of

and what we all want to do as a team.

Maybe the Lord has put me
in this position to sacrifice my spot

for future girls on this team,
and I will stand with that.

Obviously, I'm rooting for you girls,
and I'm rooting for this team,

and I'm prepared to

potentially…

give up my spot, but…

I just want to sleep on this.

Does anyone have any questions
or anything before we leave the night?

I know this was a lot to take in.

Then I think maybe
we can take a larger stance as far as

maybe walking out on practice Wednesday

or just not showing up
for practice Wednesday

and going from there.

Um…

I believe that we have what it takes
to make a difference

in not only the Dallas Cowboys
Cheerleaders organization,

but in the pro dance world
all across the United States.

So that's where I stand.

[pensive music playing]