kalibean

Noodly makes a bit of sense, at least...quit letting your arms and wrists flop and make sharper movements. Precise and clean. Crispy bacon tho, I got not a darn thing, and telling someone they have drumstick thighs is a dick move at every point. Kaitlin did kind of look like burnt toast with her spray tan, though. Bless her heart.

My late 20’s and early 30’s were brutal. Every weekend was a wedding, bridal shower, baby shower. Still in touch with college friends, had worked at two companies post college, the peeps you meet along the way, the people back “home” and it went on and on. There were 33 baby showers in two years when I was around 30. And then I never got married or had kids. For those of you that watched the original Sex in the City, I’m def ready to register for some new shoes 😂

I think it depends on who else is on the team. As long as there's at least one other strong performer who is also tall, she could easily move up. There are years when most are shorter, which is tough too. And rarely do we get anyone my height (6'0") like TCC Lindsey, who really stood out that year bc the rest of the team was relatively short. Speaking of Jada, and also Jaylyn and Jinelle (all the J names!)...they all have very small frames, so while very lean, I don't recall ever seeing them visually dip into "too thin" territory despite being so small. Is that also your type of build, @go4luca? And then there's a bigger build like I have, like I think VK probably has, etc. that can look gaunt or stringy at a low weight. My face is one of the places I lose weight first, and even when my body is still heavier, the cheekbones can get a little severe. Maybe that's also how VK is, plus the tanning and performance makeup make her look older - I loved her fresh face, low/no makeup pic she posted a few weeks back, other than looking like she needs a nap and a hug. I can also hide a little weight gain better than others, like Paige did with her 11 pounds several seasons ago. And poor Hannah W. was so willowy that the four extra pounds she might have gained was easier to spot. (Another who has THRIVED post DCC!) It's one of the tricky things when Kelli starts to talk about weight and height, because at most of these gal's fitness level and size, frame and muscle mass will play a huge factor. So I hate when she throws it out there all willy nilly. It's more about visual appearance than weight fluctuation IMO. And no 18 year old that joins the squad should be getting a hard time for needing new shorts at 22.

Absolutely bonkers to me. Maybe because it’s incredibly critical to my work in e-commerce, but the amount of people browsing from their phone/tablet usually far exceeds a regular browser these days in a lot of situations. You’d think their website would be dynamic enough to accommodate both. I always look both ways before publishing, and try to also look from an iPhone and android to ensure the customer has a good experience.

I’m in my 40’s and ridiculously pleased to see a few AXOs on the list. Lol. And Big 12 ones too! I was the first person in my family to go to college, and I wanted to do EVERYTHING. I enjoyed it, but it was less of a pressure cooker at Kansas State than it is at a lot of southern schools. We actually had some diversity in my house too, both in race and religion, so outside the norm of what can be seen at a lot of universities. Especially in the TikTok era. I transferred to TCU as a senior and helped with rush, but ultimately just took alumni status. No separate houses at TCU (I loved ours at KSU) and as a fashion major, had enough of the clique drama there without adding on. Plus by the time you’re a senior, a good chunk of you is just ready to move on too.

I think I might have said it on Reddit, not here, but VK was not set up for success as a young DCC IMO. Too much pressure from her family, the dance community, and allllll of it recorded for a reality show. And the highs and lows of the viewing audience from social media has to be insane. The haters, the lovers, the ones that obsess too much. It sounds so awful. I know some of the young ones do great, but that’s such a hard time of life anyway and so much pressure loaded on top. I hope the year off served her well. Agreed she looks very thin, but mostly I think she needs a hug, some good sleep and a way to do what she loves (dance) without the pressure cooker.

Justice for Lexie! She probably would have been my pick, or her and Heather alternating. Amy, Maddie and Gina in the mix for diamond along with Tess, maybe, because that’s a blonde bouquet. Were there not any WOC that year? Sheesh. I remember back when many of us were horrified that Kashara got point because she lacked the technical skill, but after the seniority first points to follow, Kashara in hindsight sparkles more 😂 I’m here for points that are dynamic in showmanship AND technical skills, but I’ll pick showmanship every time if I have to pick. I also like 3rd years and up, tho this current group of year 3 only has two years of field experience, right? Still…could Claire kill it more than Caroline? Probably. Caroline, like Amy, is a skilled and polished dancer. Very clean, likely a great teacher and group leader too. She’s just missing a piece of showmanship for me in the end. Kelsey has been point for other routines since her rookie year, so that didn’t surprise me much. I would have liked Ashlee and Kelsey to rotate, but Caroline isn’t a bad choice like I think some other points have been.

I caught that too and it made me chuckle, but mostly I was focused on how shiny Lacey's hair looks!

For those who can't access the FB link, the scoop on Zhenya is that just a few hours after finding out she made it through the first round of additions, she was in an accident that caused 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her face, neck, hands and legs. There are quite a few pics in his post of her in the hospital, doing rehab, etc. Some are a graphic, as @Kamal said. She was in the burn unit at Parkland for TEN DAYS. The DCC org stayed in touch with her the whole time, and she had to be medically cleared to go through the next round...which was only one month from the accident. So she went through auditions with her legs wrapped (that had to be so painful!), singed hair, no eyebrows, etc. The other interesting bit in his post (which is truly lovely and worth the read if you can access FB) is that she came to the US from the Ukraine when she was 13, and as she still has friends and family there, trying out (and making) the DCC has been a huge bright spot for her. Anyway, amazing story about her recovery, and she sounds like a remarkable woman!

Oh goodness, they don’t even have hair diversity in this bouquet. It’s like the Tik Tok filter that multiplies the person.

I agree with this! That said, I think TPTB have dig themselves a little bit of a hole, because point and some of the other accolades appear to have gone the way of seniority versus the best person for the job. I’ve come around with Kashara at point, mostly, but while Maddie, Amy, Rachel and Caroline all have their gifts, they don’t make sense to me as point. There have been better options every time in terms of dance talent and sparkle. If a second year is the best person for the job, they should get it.

I was thinking I didn't mind anyone going for more than five years, but that's such a great point. They can do five years, check all the boxes, then be an All Star if they still have more to give. That said, All Star is 1000% appearance driven so not as much opportunity to dance and perform I don't think. And for so many, the dancing would be the best part. I don't think All Stars go to to the rehearsals and Technique Tuesdays (whatever that's called) like the others. Tho surely they must practice sometimes since they do dance sometimes, right?

I think it’ll be a mix, honestly. There are definitely a lot of candidates that have exposure and marketing opportunities in mind when they try out. I’m honestly fine with that - it’s not like the business world or a zillion other industries and job connections aren’t also built on your personal network and who you know. So work what you’ve got, ladies! But no way in hell would I have tried out for the squad with a reality show attached. I’m sure plenty feel that same way! I’ll be curious what next year’s audition pool looks like. Maybe we’ll get more of the bucket list peeps who didn’t want to be on camera, but the open audition might be a thing of the past anyway.

During election season I was ready to stab my ears out. I think I swapped to just watching seasons I had bought. I don’t have cable so the season passes were worth it!

Brenda was so passionate about that dress. I loved the color on Kat, but the fit was terrible. Too big on her small frame, and Brenda was so over the top about it I’m convinced those cut outs must have been giving side boob or SOMETHING. Some dresses are really hard to sit in appropriately, and it was baggy enough to have shifted in a weird way, possibly. I think that was the same interview someone wore a dress with a criss cross, open back. With a jacket, but it was off while waiting. No need to show much skin in an interview, so I agree with Brenda that much, but the hysterics were so over the top. LIKE WHY BRENDA WHY??

Oh for sure, she was definitely shown as a struggler! And then ended up being rookie of the year, right? So either a lot of editing hijinks in their rookie season, or she really busted her tail to improve, though I don't think she ever was one of the very best at Power Pom. There are almost always 4-6 gals that make the squad that you know Judy wouldn't put through because of their dancing, but at least most of some extra sparkle to them like Kat or Savannah that Kelli pushes for either beauty or strong for appearances.

Her eyes are seriously amazing though...can't remember which TCC called that out and it's so true! Definitely makes me think of the Nightwalkers in Game of Thrones. She's an interesting woman for sure.

I can see it more in the videos when she isn’t as heavily filtered, and I do like the light brown hair. She’s definitely been Dallasified. I’m one of the few that didn’t get Tara for the squad, aside from the connection with Savannah…she was a blender for me. But squad support says a lot, and this drastic makeover just makes me feel a little uncomfortable. She was a cute woman before, the girl next door sporty cute that I think the squad does well with. Nothing wrong with going super glam for a night out, so I guess it’s the massive filtering that gives me pause. Hopefully she’s just having fun with it and the show/squad didn’t mess with her head.

I am obsessed with her current haircut - gorgeous! Love the color too. What's the difference in years between these two pics? 12-15? She was a young DCC if I remember correctly.

I wonder if Kat has really strong musicality - we know she has good showmanship and can talk to a rock, so solid for appearances. But I can see where she might be an excellent lead at calling dances during a game, which is one of the things the GLs do. Not sure if it's always GL1 or if GL2 gets to do it as well.

Bless her heart, Whitney was not the smartest woman but she is definitely a fantastic dancer.

I'm very sad for her, especially after reading this post, but truly...the rest of her life is more important than putting that stress on a healing body. The jump splits and the neck snaps just won't be worth it in the long run. My totally uneducated opinion, though! Now that I'm in my 40's, I am definitely feeling the pain of some of my more youthful choices. The body remembers the damage done in the end, unfortunately.

I had to double check the dates on some of that stuff...I knew the Cotton Bowl part and that KC had started in Dallas, but I forgot the details of the expansion and some of the pettiness involved. Allllll the sports drama! Meanwhile, I'm just hoping we get the show back.

They originally played at the Cotton Bowl, though, which is in Dallas proper, and then moved to Irving in the 70's. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Dallas area (I think Holly is, but I don't think she's 1000 years old like I am,) the Cotton Bowl is just a few minutes from downtown and current home to the Texas State Fair. There is ALWAYS a lot of drama and conversation about how/when/what should be done with that area. Gorgeous historic buildings with a lot of Art Deco flair, but Dallas generally prefers to tear old buildings down and put up shiny and new. It's a bummer. The Cotton Bowl definitely isn't the best stadium you'll ever watch a game in, but it's a lot of fun with a lot of great history. To add a little bit more color, Dallas did have two pro teams for a hot minute. Lamar Hunt wanted to bring the NFL to Dallas, but wasn't granted an expansion. So he developed the AFL as a competitor, and created The Dallas Texans. Their home stadium was The Cotton Bowl. And then the NFL didn't want to lose professional football in the southern states to the AFL, so they brought in the expansion team to Dallas in 1960. LOL. Alllll the dramas, including a mess with the Redskins that I honestly can't remember. Anyway, the NFL had a higher profile in general, so the Cowboys got a lot of attention despite being terrible (for a lot of reasons, including not being able to participate in the draft for their first year.). So Lamar Hunt decided the city couldn't sustain both teams, and thus moved his Texans to Kansas City in 1963 to become the KC Chiefs. The AFL and NFL merged in 1970, so there ya go. And I only know this because I've lived in Dallas for ages and also bc my dad raised me to be a KC Chiefs fan since he grew up in Missouri.

And the jump split...yeah that's gonna be a no. She was probably invited back to the last round as a courtesy/curiosity to see how she's doing, because I do think leadership liked her. She's super smart, speaks fluent Spanish, etc. She wasn't one of my favorite dancers, but I do think she has a lot of power and projection too. It's always a bummer when people have to stop being a DCC before they're really ready, but particularly when it's injury related. I also think if the show was still airing they'd definitely milk the sad good bye for her own health and safety for the cameras. And truly, if we're cutting people like Hannah because they lost their pop and sparkle during the pandemic, or Tara who lost her pop and sparkle in a regular season, you're not going to bring back a DCC who isn't a crowd or locker room favorite who isn't completely on her game either.