raindancer

I love Kashara, but as good a friend as she is to others I'd always felt like she'd be the kind of person to say exactly what she thought - she's savage.

oh that's gorgeous!!!! And she really has such a beautiful smile. Totally agree....she will always be one of my favorites. Chicago has millions of people, and I can't imagine I'd ever run into her, but I'm always kind of halfway hoping I might pass her in the street or something someday. Out of all the potential "celebrity sightings" I could possibly have, she's honestly the one I would be the most thrilled about 😂

....I actually really liked what they did with her hair *hides*

I cannot hear that descriptor without hearing it in Kitty Carter's voice. It belongs to her and her alone.

I always thought it was a really neat way to both prepare the ladies for the upcoming season by giving them lots of time to become cohesive as a group through practice, but also to ensure they weren't making snap judgments about who would be best suited for the team. Some incredibly beautiful soloists might not be able to catch on to the nuances of dancing on a team, but that's not the kind of thing you can evaluate easily over a short period, even with references. A longer training camp could also potentially prepare girls for future auditions, even if they didn't make it the first go-round. Someone like Erin, who is an amazing DCC, might have struggled a bit had she made it the first season rather than the second. Training camp the first year gave her the opportunity to prepare herself for the rock star she became the second. I also always liked it because it seemed like it would give the girls an opportunity to bond and make friends, and having free access to intensive dance instruction through training camp could be such an amazing opportunity. I feel like distaste for the idea of sacrificial lambs for the sake of TV is incredibly valid, but I honestly don't think there is any need for that, and why I don't think that's something they deliberately do. There is (or can be edited to be) drama and tension without losing a finite and limited opportunity for the organization to help create potential future rock stars. I definitely think Kelli likes to take some unconventional chances for TCCs, but that's another point in favor of having a more extended camp rather than short-term auditions. She seems to have a "mentor-style" personality where she likes to give people a chance. Chelsea Chaney might be an example of this - even though she was noted as having a "clumsy, clunky" dance style, she had so much power and sparkle that all she really needed to do over time was to concentrate on polishing it. Karissa and Katherine Dunn are another couple I think of that had such charisma and beauty that they'd have been a catch with refinement in their technique and the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to keep up with the team.

she's such a sweet little pixie.....I never got the vibe she felt like she had to be in a relationship, just that she's a romantic, and a really lovely person. I feel like most people have an innate instinct to measure others in accordance with their own standards, and that can sometimes mean you can be pretty vulnerable to giving the wrong people credit they don't deserve.

Victoria had a Twitter handle back when she was 16 or so that was something like @DCCVictoria IIRC.

Not sure at all what the situation is or was (I had never heard of Jinelle living in a hotel, poor girl), but it could be that if she was staying on that way it was because signing on a year-long lease just wasn't as practical for her situation for some reason. My dad used to work in the oil field and long-term hotel rentals were quite common for those workers, and basically how and where he lived when he was out in the field. There are a lot of places in Texas and Oklahoma that have those kinds of deals (IIRC, something like $150-200/week), which would be significantly less expensive than an $1,800/month apartment. Also, I wouldn't read anything into not having roommates as evidence of not being close to others on the squad. Being a people-pleaser can take an enormous amount of emotional energy, and having your own space can be critical for keeping that balance.

I'm hoping they continue to focus more on the girls as individuals - I really got a kick out of their personality testing and leadership styles assessments. I like to get to "know" the girls over the course of the show, and anecdotes in isolation don't really do as much to speak to this. Also, all of this - understanding how Kelli and Judy make decisions is something I really enjoy, and I'd imagine it would be really helpful for the girls as well. YES!!!! It would also be a logical link to some of the vets we've gotten to know and love over past seasons. Their journeys are really cool to follow over the course of the show, and understanding how they evolve gives you that much more to cheer them on for.

I'm sure this may have already been seen and/or discussed, but WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK 😡 https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33231841/dallas-cowboys-paid-24-million-settle-cheerleaders-voyeurism-allegations ....I don't have sharp enough pitchforks for what I'd like to do to that man, and every single person responsible for enabling him.

I LOVE Michelle Keys!! I may never be a DCC, but she helps keep me fit anyways. I'm a treadmill runner, and I watch some of her dance and music videos while I'm running - she helps keeps me motivated. She's always positive and fun, which I desperately need at 4 a.m. 😂

I remember this scene, but I honestly didn't think Kelli was referring to her chest - I thought it was that there wasn't enough curve in her stance for her figure. I don't know Christina's height offhand, but I seem to remember her being more on the end of the kickline, which would mean she is a bit shorter. If she is one of the shorter girls, it's possible that could be a large part of what Kelli (might have been) referring to. Sometimes there just physically isn't enough length between rib and hip bone to accentuate a curve (as I know to my sorrow), and one of the major things Kelli looks at is long legs and a curve. Also, over time she has commented specifically about not going overboard with breast size (wanting to "take those D's down to C's, making Taylor take out her padding at photo shoot, etc.). On top of that, Christina's body is and has always been totally smoking, so when I saw that clip, I suppose my mind went immediately to "oh, she just didn't have enough curve (figure) in that clip." I really, really, hope Christina didn't make her choice on the basis of anything but her own wishes.....but whatever her reasoning, I think you're absolutely correct about the pressure they are all under, and how heartbreaking it is that this is the case, as beautiful as they are.

it's just so hard.....I know there are (some) savages here on the boards but we are all marshmallows compared to some of the things the girls see and read about themselves online, and even if they're not looking it's not something they can escape. It's hard enough to just to feel okay sometimes even without being in an industry that evaluates you in large part on the way you look, and it's a zero-sum game. No matter what you do, it'll never feel like enough. Add enough capital through either money or promotional endorsements and an overall culture that seems to demand it without a (necessarily) correlative understanding of its potential implications long-term and it's a personal disaster waiting to happen. There is no question these ladies are stunning as they are, and it is and should absolutely be their independent choice about what they want or don't want to be done, but it makes my heart ache to think about what may lie behind some of those decisions and the implications of those decisions going forward. I know there are things I am or would be considering for myself, and it's honestly terrifying to me given some of the things I know and have heard about from a purely medical standpoint that some of these decisions may be made without that kind of knowledge or support on a casual basis, or as a result of the insane pressures they are under, and what it could mean for these ladies going forward for the rest of their lives. Whatever they choose or don't choose to get done, I hope they can feel happy and confident in it.

yes!! I just loved Lauren.....she is the subject of one of my favorite ever DCC pics:

oh I would be too, but then, I don't have a DCC body - those girls were flawless. I just hope there would have been grace for those that wouldn't have been comfortable with it (as there was with Lauren). She wasn't discussing Vivian specifically in that scene, it was just my assumption that it was the issue given how much of a power dancer she was noted for being. I love dance, but I don't know much about it, and that scene made Judy's comment make sense to me if Vivian was just putting too much power behind her movement. I think it probably also stuck in my mind because that was the season MRS had said something about her having the sultry sexy thing down, but she was interested to see if she could get the cheerleader thing down.