Breslyn

I feel what you’re speculating on regarding Tara and now that you say it, I think you might be corrrct. That would explain so much. Also, I think Savannah is just lovely and she seems to be well-liked in the locker room. I’ve genuinely never understood the grief over her, because I find her bunny teeth adorable and I think the shade of her red hair is delicate & unique. I’ve been a fan of her’s since the beginning.

I’ve just finished rewatching this season and want to share my thoughts on how the VK cut may play out. During the K/J/Jinelle meeting, Kelli suggested VK was in over her head in TC. Then she said, “What I think is that you’re under such pressure that you can’t be yourself,” before admonishing, “You need to take this seriously and treat this as a *job*...you need to figure out who Victoria is.” It is my opinion that in offering the excuses about pressure and then hinting at her maturity, Kelli was setting up VK’s exit strategy. I wouldn’t be surprised—though I *would* be disappointed—if we don’t see a traditional cut, but rather hear from Kelli that VK has elected to drop out of camp to focus on her (mental or physical) health, that they wish her well and look forward to seeing her reaudition when she’s in a better place. This is my nightmare, especially since it would likely be conducted off-camera, saving VK the embarrassment of a real cut. I genuinely hope nothing such as this occurs, because I really need the relief of a full VK cut scene. I feel like I’ve been holding in a sneeze, and I need a satisfying “achoo”!

Your screenshots give me life!

Welcome @KrCMommy! The DCC admin budget must cover the salaries of the director, choreographer, asst. choreo, technical coach, trainer & support staff. There is a budget for uniforms & sundries, game day & sanctioned event transportation, practice & game day wages for the women. These are all fixed/known costs and are determined well in advance of the season, typically when budgets are set months or even a year in advance. Remember, DCC is not necessarily a revenue-generating division of the club, at least not the way you think. Yes, there are appearance fees earned by the organization, but those go right back into their operating budget. The calendar sales are part of marketing revenue, just like other merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, etc. The cost of producing the calendar comes from in small part from the DCC budget and largely from marketing. Finally, there is the expense of SG. More costumes, more practices and, of course, more travel & accommodations, especially for their beloved USO tours. These tours are fantastic for optics, but they do not directly generate revenue. The costs are absorbed by the Cowboys org, but luckily for them can be partially written off like a donation. The point in saying all this is that simply adding one, two or four extra gals to the lineup is an expense that must be justifiable on paper. Will they get more bookings, sell more calendars and generate more revenue with an extra body or two on the squad? Or, would those funds be better spent on an additional supporting staff member, more guest choreographers and other expenses that could improve the DCC beyond just one season? Hope this makes sense; I got distracted writing it.

KaShara looks so gorgeous I hardly recognized her! She’s a beautiful woman, but I actually went into a panic because I couldn’t spot her right off. In fact, it took me looking at everyone 3x! She’s an absolute stunner!

When I see pics of younger, naturally slim, brunette VK, I can understand her “milkshake won’t hurt” mentality. Many women are able to eat pretty much whatever they want when they’re young. Sometimes their metabolism slows in their late teens (VK) some not until years later. Our bodies are a funny, temperamental machine that go from needing basic fuel (regular/junk food/whatevs) to supreme (clean eating, low-cal, high nutrition diets) seemingly overnight. It can take weeks, months or even years for someone to realize they can’t just eat anything in sight anymore without repercussions. This, and not necessarily “eating bad” are what often lead to the freshmen fifteen. Remember Taylor Lowery saying she ate Cinnabon every morning and snacked on Cheetos & cookie dough? I doubt she reached Miss Dallas with a diet like that, she has to learn and choose better. She is so lean now! I think VK reached that point earlier than some, and it will take time to come to grips with it and make permanent adjustments. If she wants to get and stay lean, she’ll figure it out. If she wants to get plump or yo-yo diet her whole life, that is also a choice. Either way, her physique will the sum total of her choices.

VK not recognizing the wonderful (expensive) professional assistance offered to her is just ANOTHER example of the ridiculous feeling entitlement that’s been permitted and probably even encouraged her whole life. “Spoiled brat” pretty much sums it up for me.

No kidding! The last two weeks I’ve suffered for HOURS as I await the upload. I’m going to be chomping at the bit to see the whole Jinelle/VK drama, and I won’t be able to come here cuz I don’t want to spoil the suspense!

That was Lindsay, and she’s not brunette but blonde, so I think that was the confusion. Yes, her lashes were ridiculous! Her audition look was much more attractive and natural. Especially impressive given all his Botox.

This was EXACTLY my thought about Kelli cutting Dayton. She was the sacrificial lamb so VK could stay. Ugh. I hope Dayton and @ShellyB could see right through this.

I second this. Marshal has gorgeous eyes and was one probably really attractive, but now when I see him he just has “plastic surgery face”. Ugh, why?

She looks amazing! This pic really contrasts with her look as a TCC when she was always sleep deprived. I’m happy for her and where she is now. Is she really Captain?

Now I have to rewatch. :)

On the other hand, Bridgett is killing it. Her form is perfection!

I think Hannah was more naturally thin than anything. Yes, she worked and danced hard, but I think she’d probably been thin her whole life and didn’t have to worry too much about weight gain. I think the weight crept up on her as is often the case as people get older. That would explain her “shocked” reaction to how little time she was given to correct it and how fast she was cut.

Ah, the lashes! If Lindsay hadn’t been cut, I really wanted to see her with better makeup technique and a hair brush. Her audition look was much more flattering, but it seems like as soon as she got into training camp she went way overboard on her lashes. With close-set eyes that tilt downward and those huge caterpillars she called lashes, I thought her beauty was buried. Her hair also looked a lot more wig-like in her cut scene. I just wanted to take a brush to it! What hair sprays and products do some of these girls use that makes their hair look so heavy? Other girls manage to maintain beautiful styles without looking so weighed downs Do they do it on purpose so it doesn’t get out of place?

Preach!

As hard as Brennan worked and as much as she wanted it, I’d be surprised and disappointed if she didn’t stick around for at least two seasons. I think she’s almost 30, so perhaps she’ll only have one year, but I’m hoping for more *crossies!!*.

Victoria needs time to mature—a LOT of time. She needs to get away from mommy and learn to deal with the real world without the benefit of who you know. Maybe if she actually had to work hard, both to support herself and her dreams, she’d become a lovely addition to the team or to society as a whole. I honestly don’t think TK is a terrible parent, I just think she’s used to pampering VK, indulging her every whim and protecting her at all costs. It’s plausible that, in their social circle and environment as a whole, it’s more WHO you know than WHAT you know. There are plenty of folks in DCC land that live, work, attend church & school and socialize with the same group of people, and that knowing the right person is just part of how things are done. I guess what I’m saying is that maybe TK doesn’t know better and/or doesn’t know another way. Heck, plenty of people would find that kind of community a blessing, while others would rather experience the world for how it really is and make their own way. Also, Jinelle is my idol. I’m so sad she found herself in a situation where she cried because she was hurt or betrayed by VK. :( I think that was the Taylor that was cut.

Since I’m already posting (hi all, long-time lurker but my account is pretty new), I wanted to make a point about the amount of attrition the team experiences these days. Several of you have mentioned that girls aren’t sticking around like they used to. Here’s my thought on that, and it’s pretty simple. The team has more exposure than they ever have before. Bolstered by social media and anchored by the show, more out-of-state girls are exposed to the DCC than ever were before. It used to be a largely home-grown dance troupe, but that is no longer the case. With the influx of girls from across the country ans around the world, the talent pool expanded tremendously. That has it’s upsides and downsides. Upsides: 1) The team attracts gorgeous, beautifully trained dancers who, in many cases, have loads of experience and impressive resumes. 2) Viewership of the show expands as other markets root for their hometown girls, and the DCC really is America’s team. Downsides: 1) Girls not rooted in Texas often don’t want to make Dallas their forever home. 2) Many girls, like last season’s Kalyssa, only join the team for themselves so they can add another line to their resume. 3) Having the best talent means they want to continue developing their careers, and while DCC is a great stepping stone it is not the end-all, be-all of the dance world. Women who have chosen dance as their profession prefer to make a living wage and not simply be paid with “exposure”. 4) Speaking of exposure, the women on the squad get LOADS of opportunities, and not just in the dance world. Plenty have leveraged their popularity and pivoted into modeling, broadcast journalism, acting, etc.. As such, talented dancers with other aspirations may pursue the team not for what it is, and not to put a line on their resume, but for the opportunities that come from having such a high-profile position. I expect this dynamic and attrition will correct itself over team either when the show goes off the air, or perhaps when/if the NFL nixes cheerleaders altogether—perhaps in response to a changing political and social climate. It’s also possible that current or future DCC leadership will get back to basics and attempt to bring in more Texas talent, whether in effort to be more authentic or even to save money, as it’s much more cost and time efficient to keep women around longer and realizes that, ultimately, developing talent rather than recruiting it is the way to go. A final possibility is that they could actually start paying these women a living wage, and the gals would stick around. Haha...yeah, right.

As an avid fan of the show since inception, and only a fan (not from the dance world) I have an opinion of “fan hate” for Cassie. Cassie was clearly a talented cheerleader/gymnast/athlete before making the team, and her dance seemed adequately developed to make it on her own, especially for the standards at the time. She seemed to be a strong enough performer. However, since she’s Judy’s daughter, any criticisms of her tend to be focused on that fact. She was probably a shoe-in, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t deserve it. What I didn’t care for was, by Cassie’s own words to the rookies in season 12, is how she “laid down the law.” Cassie clearly ran to her mother with locker room gossip and must’ve been well-known as an enforcer and tattletale. I think this is demonstrated when Taylor tried out (season 8 or 9?). During practice Judy claimed (in a talking head) she could “see Cassie itching to say something” to or about Taylor during practice, therefore Judy calls on Cassie to speak her mind. Cassie goes on to say, and probably rightly so, that Taylor has been heard telling other girls that she doesn’t even need to practice. Taylor refuted this claim saying “I practiced three hours today”. Fine, whatever. My point is that I believe Judy knew well and good BEFORE practice, or at least before cameras were rolling, that Taylor had made these claims and probably told Cassie that she’d call on her to give feedback once Taylor was on the floor. I am not debating who did or didn’t hear Taylor say this, and I think it’s good that she was called out. However, as a fan it was an example to me of the way Cassie used her relationship with her mom and threw her weight around. Another note about Cassie, again just speaking as a huge fan of the show, I do think nepotism came and still comes into play bigtime in the sense Cassie’s images & performance video, as well as some spots filmed specifically for things like the pregame start up on the Jerrytron, are used so heavily to this day. In the past those spotlights have been reserved for All-Stars and current GLs and Points of the triangle. In the end I accepted Cassie as part of the package. She never quite has the DCC look IMHO, especially her first season with her wig-like curls (were they extensions?) and her non-existent lips (WHERE ARE HER LIPS?!?). However, after she cut her hair shorter and as she became seasoned, she really seemed great for the role. I wonder if it ate her lunch that she was never the point of the triangle? /Soapbox