kalibean

I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again...the players deserve every penny they get and then some, because I feel they should get the lion’s share of the revenue. There is no sport without them and their bodies and brains are on the line. (It should go without saying that talent shouldn’t trump criminal behavior, btw. Fix that shit, NFL.) That said, this bit from the article gets a big old WTF: “They must stand on the sidelines, in high heels, cheering for the men for very little money in a world where players rake in millions and even the mascots make up to $65,000 a year.” MASCOTS GET $65K?? From what we’ve learned on this board, the DCC appear to get the best compensation in the league (paid appearances, rehearsal time, performances, etc. and I personally don’t think it’s terrible for a part time job) but I can’t wrap my head around what duties a mascot performs to earn higher pay. And even “not bad” has room for better. We can always do better.

Bonus points to Miss Sarah for the song choice...LOVE Todrick. Very fun.

Nicole was beautiful and a solid dancer, but she suuuuure did fail that test her fourth (?) year. I thought Kelli was gonna blow a gasket. It was a long walk down from that top row to get her F.

Stephanie for sure has a full time job (or did before the layoff mentioned in the season...I'm assuming she found another one) and I believe Chantel does too. I can't imagine many full time career gals doing the team, Show Group AND Group Leader. Plus the other paid appearances and trying to have an inch of time for a personal life. Yikes.

I think there’s always room to get paid more, but somewhere along the way we broke out their pay and it wasn’t bad at all for a part time job. Shelly noted that they were paid for rehearsal time, CMT time, appearances and game day. If they earn $175 per game and put in eight hours that day, it’s $21.87 per hour. More than what many with college degrees are earning. If they’re getting that at 40 hours a week, it’s $45k a year. In Dallas, that’s not bad for someone who is still young enough to tolerate roommates and such. And most of these women have other sources if income. I made way less than that starting out of college and still afforded the concerts and drinking and having my hair done. I do think there’s room for improvement, but it’s not the equivalency of slave labor. All that said, yes, it’s an upper middle class game. Years and years of training are hard to afford for families with the best of intentions and not a lot of cash. I’m from one of those families and I suspect many of us are. Danielle, jasmine and Carissa (the one that made the team, not the one with the bug biz backstory) were so relatable because of their more modest backgrounds. Now that the football season is done, I get why Kalyssa might have moved on, and why so many have a side hustle. Trading on beauty and noteriety has a shelf life. Gotta get that cash while you can and set yourself up for later.

Super cute ladies overall (especially Brittany? on the left) but omg haircuts, please! Or maybe just the extensions need to come out. Bananas.

Oh god I laughed out loud at this. So wrong yet so right. I think Molly is a stunner...those eyes are dreamy. Rachel is cute. Marcia and Jan I guess!

It’s nutrition, too. Hard to out-cardio too many patio nights in uptown. Jay is all about his boot camp style fitness, but was also a really strong advocate for healthy eating. If you’re living on lean meats and greens, cutting out booze and working out, you’ll lose the weight. I think (like any of us) many of the DCC want to have it all, and not every body’s metabolism works like way. All of these ladies are super active, it’s the nature of a dancer. So when they’re having weight issues, adding an hour on the elliptical on top of five hours of dancing seems like a drop in the bucket when they can live on eggs, chicken and kale for a week or two instead.

Instagram pays big bucks these days, but my money is on reality tv. Get a good spot on The Bachelor where you make final 3 or 4, then sign up to be The Bachelorette. DWTS and make the Bachelor Family rounds for a few years until she meets a nice guy with a great job, gets married and has some kidaroos. Wouldn’t be the life for me but sounds pleasant enough. Kalyssa has some brains on her and she’s very attractive, though I don’t see her having a unique enough look for acting and such. But reality turned entertainment news correspondent? Sure.

I’m underwhelmed by all of these videos, unfortunately. Not sure why some of these gals would post when they’re marking, out of sync, still working off the holiday gain yet wearing a bra, etc.

I didn’t mind Cassie and think she photographs quite pretty (here and a few calendar shots) but dear lord Cassie and Allie made an unholy alliance ??

Eh, go for at least $5M. The job could be done for the $500k for sure, but you need those extra millions to shelter you from death threats and loss of privacy :) Goodell has done a lot to increase revenue and such, but the $50M makes my head explode. Insane.

I think it helps that social media wasn't as big in the early years, so we didn't get a 24/7 update of information. There was a little bit more mystique and judgement based on just what we saw on the show and vague rumors. Now we can look at instagram and make an immediate judgement call. There's a little less sparkle once you get a certain amount of access.

I like your positive attitude, but unfortunately no...

I honestly would be a little interested, but their videos are so dang long. I’m generally amused when I watch some of Brodie’s tricks and whatever he ropes Kelsey into, but I’m gonna need that boiled down to a 90 second gif. The three videos I’ve ever bothered to click on were all over nine minutes. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I think it's just awkward working...if she had written "Medical and Nurse Assistant in Pediatrics" the meaning would have been more clear. I don't think Cersten was trying to get one over on anyone. She's been very clear in her goals and unfortunately just didn't write her script with the same tone and emphasis that she would have when speaking about it.

Oh, I forgot about that pic. Too funny, and Britney’s (?) little girl is a little shortie like her mom! Super cute. I like the longer length top too. Kiddos and their cute baby bellies are precious, but just a bit longer would look better and play better too I think.

Taylor lost me on the rewatch too. I thought she was cute and kind of awkwardly charming the first go around. Now I’m like dear God she’s obnoxious and full of herself. Cassie and ally are so polarizing I think it’s easy to miss that Taylor was a PITA. A pretty pain, but a pain. And a hot mess in need of constant attention as she got older.

I’m going straight to hell, because one of my favorite things about Christmas and Easter pics are the crying kiddos. Maybe because I know they’re super loved and kids with their brand of crazy just makes me laugh. Lisa the seamstress has been making uniforms for a jillion years and seems to have an excellent rapport with Judy and Kelli. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made the skirted uniform as a baby gift/birthday present/yay you’re a grandma type thing, or she might have been hired to make one. Even if she had used the same peachskin blue poly, there are probably enough scraps around from making originals and leftover uniforms to put a baby’s costume together. I honestly didn’t think the blue looked like the same color and it’s not like white polyester is a rare commodity. Either way, I thought the pictures were funny. The tied shirt is just awkward fitting on the little girl but I liked the little skirt. Cute.

I don't think her career is doomed, but she's been a big fish in a small pond all of her life except the three years she spent in Dallas. LA is going to be a big, fat reality check. Her look doesn't necessarily have mass appeal (though that can be corrected easily enough since she has a great figure) and LA is full of amazingly talented dancers. She's special on this team, but not so much in LA, NYC, Vegas, etc. I wish the best for her and hope she's matured since this all happened, but definitely not getting that impression via her social media. Shame to waste all that talent. And I'm dying to see if she tries back out for SYTYCD.

Shelly answered the compensation question in another thread - I've shared the link but it ends in an awkward spot so here's the full answer: "1) Compensation...they get an hourly rate for rehearsals, flat rate of $150 per game and CMT pay, which I believe they turn their hours in now...it's changed over the years. There are also other opportunities with paid appearances. Those are paid by the amount of years on the team...1 yr=$100, 2yrs=$200, etc. Show Group gets a flat show rate of $250"

I’m personally not sure why they didn’t drop to 34 girls, honestly. I really like Savannah, but she and Christina both are a hot mess compared to the stronger vets. I think they ended up relying on all stars too much that season, and Kalyn and Simone are already out some games, but still. Better to be world class at 32 or 34 than to take someone who isn’t ready. Savannah and Christina are probably lovely on appearances, but a mess on the field.

I think if K&J had truly wanted Jenna to resign, they would have said so, even if off camera. They didn't take away her group leader position, which tells me that she's likely an excellent coach for her rookies and does a solid job leading the sideline dances. We've been shown bits of this happening as a vet over the past few years. She might not be a good leader from a behavior POV, but she's a great dancer and probably does a good job on her dance related leadership duties.

Oh gosh, I so agree. I cringed during that conversation, which could have been worded much more gracefully to get to the same end. "Keyra, it looks like you're aiming for sultry in these pics, but your brand of sexy truly is your power and projection. Just a great smile is all you need." I personally like a variety of figures on the team, and I like Keyra's gymnast/muscular build, but I think she would have been cut most years. I keep thinking about Racecar Taylor and her amazing dancing and her kicks that are on the same level (possibly better) than Christina's or Taryn's. Sometimes making the squad is just a timing issue. After a few hours of rehearsal, sitting on the floor and stretching probably feels amazing. I'm willing to bet they'd pick the floor over a recliner at that point in the evening. Indeed, and it doesn't make things right. Sorry for the rehash of what I've said in the spoiler threads that many of y'all don't play in, but cheerleaders are much easier to replace than a player. NFL players have an extremely unique skillset that can help bring in billions of dollars of revenue over the course of their career. Zeke Elliott is 22 years old and even AFTER his suspension, was ranked the #10 running back in the league. And that was knowing he'd miss six games! The Cowboys are worth nearly $5B as a franchise and brought in $840M in revenue last year, of which the DCC was approx 1M. The best of the NFL cheerleaders, by far, but it's only 0.12%. So yes, the players will be allowed to do whatever they want (see: Ray Lewis), and a cheerleader breaking the rules will be dismissed. As talented as Holly, Jenna, etc. are, they are easier to replace than a rock star running back who contributes to the bottom line. Again, it doesn't make things right from a moral perspective, but less moral choices have been made for less money. The DCC is important to the organization and Jerry Jones himself said they were the finest ambassadors, but many a pro team has shown that they can be successful without the ladies on the sideline.

Sounds like best case scenario to me! Still get the uniform and perks, less noteriery. I would hate to be famous (such as it is for this show) without a giant, warm blanket of cash to help buy some privacy.