Jess14

Yep. And honestly, while Ika had a striking look, if she looked exactly like she did, but was named Katie and was born and raised in Kansas City, for instance, I question if Kelli would’ve made the same comments. To me, it seems like she would’ve just said, “Katie needs a makeover and help with her hair.” Perhaps I’m being unfair, but it just felt like she was viewing her through some sort of Eastern European, mail-order bride lens. She also made some comment that alluded (to me) that if Ika went to party, she’d end up sleeping with the players. I get that Ika had those inappropriate pics, but Kelli’s comments seemed to go beyond that. I just didn’t like the way she discussed her. Unprofessional, IMO.

I didn't think Ika looked like " the girl last night" either. I know she had inappropriate pics, but her general appearance was pretty standard to me. I feel like Kelli just comes up with labels for girls that she doesn't really like.

Vivian was also a far better dancer. For all of Vivian’s dramatics, I thought she was strong in the DCC style. Kathryn...not at all, and while she is certainly a beautiful girl, the team has never had a shortage of pretty girls, so I didn’t get why looks got her into TC the second time. I always thought it was interesting that Kathryn went on Big Brother, which has a rabid fanbase and provides zero privacy to the contestants. Wasn’t she one who was upset about being discussed on the boards a few years ago?

While I agree that Lacey seems timid compared to some others, she was a second group leader, a group leader for two years, a longtime show group member, the pro bowl cheerleader, and in the triangle for 2 years. Had she stayed for a 6th year, she would’ve almost certainly been point, which other than vet/rookie of the year, is the only other accolade that she didn’t get (who was rookie of the year from her group?) Lacey was on the team so long that I think it’s hard to forget that she is very young compared to many of the other girls who came in right before and after her. I always wonder if the girls who went to the team straight out of high school would’ve been better off had they gone to college first or had other jobs that weren’t as high-profile first. I remember Jenna saying something about her whole adult life revolving around DCC, and that seems a stifling for personal growth, especially since DCC seems to dictate their lives. Not saying that college is a panacea by any means, but I think there’s a reason why many of us look fondly back on our college years and the many lessons learned - good and bad.

That solo from Sydney is pretty bad, but something tells me that if we saw full solos from everyone and not just clips, lots of them, including from vets, would get labeled “pretty bad.” Girls who are excellent technical dancers will excel in the solos, but they’re not always the best at power pom. Going back to Olivia, I think is a top 10 technical dancer since the show started (all seasons), but DCC style....Im not sure she would even be top 5 from her own rookie class. Sydney was middle of the road to me, but her looks put her over the top. I think she could still make the team if she tried out today, but now, she might be considered one of the weaker dancers, IMO.

Amen...this is just a hot mess in every way. Anyone can go into Macy’s, spend far less than whatever the hell they probably spent on these outfits, and look 100x better.

Sam Clarke? I’m drawing a blank. Is that referring to Season 8 Samantha or someone else?

I wish all of them the very best. Looking at this list, Bridget is really the only one who I would say was a top dancer. The team should be much better off than they were the last 3 years when they lost at least a few of their top dancers to retirement.

The talk about Jacie and Olivia makes me really miss that group of rookies. I don’t know why they’re the most memorable group to me. Some of it is that a few of my favorite dancers (technical and DCC style) were in that group. Another reason for sure though is definitely diversity. They didn’t need to manufacture redheads for “diversity.“ From Kim to Jacie to Jessica to Jenna to Jasmine to Carissa to DCC traditional blondes, Kinzie, Alex, and Kali, to “pretty little Emily” to Ashley to Chelsea to short-haired Teri - that group of rookies really did naturally cover a wide spectrum of looks.

Olivia was amazing, and I completely agree that she was one of the best technical dancers that they’ve had. What I love about her dance is that she’s not reliant on big tricks like Holly, Melissa, Erica, etc (who are all amazing technical dancers). She just dances and it’s every bit (more so, IMO) as impressive.

Lisa is off-putting. Also, the fact that none of the group leaders gave her a sticker last year when she was clearly one of the better dancers in that rookie class makes me think that’s there’s definitely truth to the “mean girl” rumors. Yet, none of the group leaders from last year seem to be super strong personalities, and Lexie and Alexis, two of the senior members on the team, are both former Mavs, and have themselves been labeled as “mean girls” on here. So, for all I know (and I only know what is posted here), it could just be a situation where everyone was toxic on that Mavs team, and Lisa was just on the wrong side from some current DCCs. Certainly, would not be the first time that’s happened on a team. Who knows however. Dance-wise, there are several girls that should be on the chopping block before her, so if she is in jeopardy, I have to assume it’s due to toxicity/bad team dynamics.

Rewatching Season 7 and 8... I always wonder what on earth happened to Chelsea between those 2 years. She really did a 180 between the “this is such an amazing organization and Ill be here forever” to “You want me to stay at that weight...haha! I’ll just be one of the fatties.” I mean, the puffery always seemed a bit fake in season 7, but goodness, she did a complete 180 to not even pretending to give a damn. I get how some of the girls get lax and become disillusioned with all of the rules as the years go on, but she was just a second year. Maybe she thought that she was such a favorite that Kelli would look past her mocking their meeting on camera (It would be one thing if it was off camera and someone ratted her out), but idk. It was comical and entertaining to watch, but odd behavior from someone if she really wanted to be on the team.

Jenn...she’s definitely rehearsed in her answers, but she would never embarrass them or flounder in an interview.

Yep, I saw the initial appeal as well, but a comeback story doesn’t necessarily translate to “star of the team” appeal, IMO (I say this being fully aware that she does have a lot of fans). I’ve always thought that Maddie badly lacked extension. Her legs never look fully straight to me, but “Hip Hop Maddie” is what totally turned me off. The first year she did her finals routine, it was kinda cute, but the second year with the judges fawning all over her average-at-best hip hop.... nope, that was it for me.

Yep, and GLs are the one who run most of the practices based on what people have said in the past. I’ve never heard of the point doing that. Now, the point is one of the most visible roles on the team, so I can see why factors other than dance and performance are considered, but the group leaders are also very visible. They’re at the front of their formations on the big screen during each quarter change and during the plaza performances. So, any concern about someone being point in terms of leadership/visibility/PR should be equally, if not more so, concerning for the group leader positions.

Yes, I think they do consider that. I just find it odd that Lacey is assertive enough to be the Group 1 Leader, which is what I think most people would consider to be the rational position for “the” team leader, but she’s not assertive enough to be at the front of a dance formation, which all the point girl needs to be? It’s their team, so they can choose whatever criteria they want, but I just find it strange. It’s like they see point as more of a leadership position than the actual group leaders, which seems completely backwards. Like, it would’ve made sense for someone like Holly to be point, but not a first or second leader. It doesn’t make sense for it to be the other way around.

Exactly. I don’t even get what she’s going for here. None of this will help her before the judge, and the little snippets that she’s putting out are nowhere near salacious enough to get more than an eye roll from the average person. I mean, who cares if he’s “rude” or “lazy.” So are a lot of people, but she’s the one who married him and had 3 kids...This would be like Jay putting it out there that Kristin’s “shallow.” My response would be “oh ok, and?!?” This is just stupid. She looks pathetic because after asking for privacy on instagram, it’s clear that she and her team are the ones talking to the press.

I love Nicole Bulcher, and I think she’s one of the most beautiful girls that they’ve had, but I thought her dancing was just ok. I understood why she wasn’t close to the front. I don’t remember where Sydney was in the formation, but I dont remember her being a weak dancer (I don’t remember her dancing much at all!) but she definitely had the “DCC look” to be upfront. With Jinelle, I have to think it was looks that kept her further back because she was a good dancer. Of course, neither Amy or Maddie are glamour girls, so again, the standard seemed to be different this past year, but that’s all I can think of with Jinelle. There’s a clip from some show group performance where the top of the triangle was Jenna flanked by Jinelle and Lacey. I thought they all looked good, so not sure why Jinelle got moved back in the main triangle that year.

I would love to actually see K&J’s discussions with each other on point. My guess is that those convos are purposely kept off screen, but it would be interesting. I agree that Amy and Maddie seemed to get point based off of length of service, but that’s definitely new. Sydney Durso never got point although she was a 7 year vet her last year. Neither Jenna, Danielle, or Jessica got point over Jenn. Neither Jinelle or Lacey got it over Kashara (I know that Jenna was originally point, and she was the most senior vet that year, but they could’ve easily given it to Lacey). Yet, basically any of those people would’ve been more exciting IMO than Maddie and Amy. It’s just hard to see the logic. Now, I do think Maddie is a fan favorite, and she’s certainly a “face” of the team. I’ve actually soured on her dancing over her tenure on the squad (I enjoyed her more her first couple of years), but I think my opinion is a minority one, so I can see why they put her up there for that reason. Otherwise tho, leadership/ seniority thing seems like it should be more important for group leader positions. I definitely think that there’s something to be said for paying your dues and then reaping the benefits, but I feel like that’s an “everything else being equal” thing, not a “tenure/experience trumps dance ability/performance“ thing.

You know, I don’t remember thinking that Maddie’s rookie group was weak at the time, but looking back, it really was IMO. I guess Cersten and Maggie were the strongest, but when I think of faces of team of the years, they don’t really come to mind. There was real a drop off after the season 10 girls until the current second years/rising third year girls came around. I really think this current group (Jalyn, Bridget, etc) is on par with the season 3 and 7 rookies in terms of having more than a handful of real standout dancers.

Absolutely right, and I think that gets to the bottom of it for me. I think that if VK truly was a top notch dancer, there would still be people who would dislike her due to the favoritism, but I do think a good chunk of people would (perhaps grudgingly) give her credit for dance. There are plenty of excellent dancers who were/are controversial on the board for various reasons: Gina, Rachel W, Erica, Mia, Holly P, Jenna, Whitney, Megan C (kinda), Cersten.....yet, most people don’t deny that they all were great dancers who were deserving, based on talent, of being featured. I don’t have a problem with VK. I think she earned her spot this year. What i do have a problem with is being told over and over again that a mediocre dancer is fabulous when I have eyes that tell me otherwise. Edited to add Cersten....I don’t how I forgot her!! The girl can dance in spite of issues with her calling herself a nurse.

Gina was criticized a lot on the boards during her rookie season for her attitude. Her comments about other girls being jealous (i think she said that) and having training that no one else had were completely obnoxious, and she got called out and dropped down a peg by Kelli. In addition, If Cersten has gotten injured and Gina has been given her spot in the formation as a rookie over more deserving vets, people would’ve complained just as much as they did with VK. The difference between her and VK is that none of that happened. Gina really is one of the best dancers on the team, but she hasn’t been featured nonstop and if anything, she got screwed last year by not being in the triangle while weaker dancers were in front if her. Likewise, she clearly learned the DCC culture and got her act together, and she seems to be a good teammate.

I kind of feel like that, other than the first season of Laguna Beach, she’s always kind of been trying hard to play a role that she’s a “bad bitch.” Now, my opinion is mainly shaped by watching old Laguna Beach episodes on Pluto (not really what I thought at the time), but looking back, she was trying awfully hard during that second season to play up the “Im such a player who toys with men” persona. It seemed like a reaction to being embarrassed by the whole Stephen triangle. She came off more confident and self-assured than Lauren (who I like, but eek, she was embarrassing) and Jessica (poor thing), but that wasn’t hard to do lol! It’s definitely gotten more pronounced tho. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is having an identity crisis.

I think whether Kristin has comparable money to Jay and whether Kristin has made her own money through UJ/reality tv are two separate questions. I think the answer to the former is “no,” and the answer to the latter is “yes.” I don’t think she could be buying multiple multi-million dollar homes in the same city without him, but her reality tv “fame” and money that has cone from that (which I can see her trying to extend for several more years) isn’t tied to him.

This is very true. Unfortunately, I don’t think the DCCs are unusual in that regard, even among other so-called elite groups and institutions. I think there’s a reason why most workplaces/colleges/etc. would never let cameras in when hiring/admission decisions are being made. I definitely think the DCCs take it to an extreme in taking people like Morgan, who was still making glaring mistakes on the last day. However, even if you take the Rockettes, Broadway, or the top ballet companies in the world, I definitely think looks and connections are a factor. I don’t follow the major ballet companies as closely as some of my friends, but I know there are always grumbles about dancers being cast in roles for reasons other than merit. However, Kelli, in particular, seems to have double standards within double standards, if that makes sense. Even accounting for the fact that looks, connection, weight, etc are overriding factors beyond dance, her decisions often make no sense. Some girls are allowed to gain weight year after year, break rules, have bad kicks, embarrass the organization, have terrible auditions, etc, while others get cut. And half the time, you can’t even say, “well, she’s a great dancer, so I get why they gave her a break.” It’s usually just whether someone is a favorite or not.