Dr. Donna

Sorry if I missed it, but do we know who's on show group this year? Any newbies or changes?

In the comments of her latest post there are people wishing her good luck at auditions and mentioning dcc. Could be nothing but I hope she made it. I liked her.

Comments on Instagram suggest Melanie Parker from last year made finals again.

Nice to see Kat helping the younger vets. Tyra is very entertaining and their whole class seems like a really talented and supportive group. I also think Jensen’s makeup looks great here.

Ava’s also in Jenn’s latest prep Instagram post. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbP2KYsg-4F/?utm_medium=copy_link

Christina has previously struggled so that’s not too surprising. I’ve noticed they’ve made the choice so far to not to mention weight or appearance concerns on the show. Since Leah is constantly being highlighted for her dance, I’m wondering if there’s been discussions about “whether she has the DCC look” that have been left on the cutting room floor. I think she’s adorable, but quirky adorable isn’t the typical aesthetic. I’m curious to see how they handle makeovers and cameos on the show this year.

Daphne’s post about the wedding on her Instagram is very sweet. I saw in another photo Kat and Gina were also there.

I like Lea! Her dancing is fun to watch. I hope they feature her more as the show continues as they often don’t with strong dancers who breeze through training camp. As far as her aesthetic, her short hair and facial features remind me in a positive way of a pixie. There’s certainly an audience for a sexy pixie.

Lily is also looking beautiful as a Broncos cheerleader. She seems way more relaxed in her photos than she did with DCC.

Does anyone remember Brianna from season 12? I remember her looking extremely young. She's modeling now and all grown up. https://www.instagram.com/briannawilhere_/?hl=en

From what I’ve seen Kat seems very self-aware. I think she understands the reality show aspect of her job very well, but it also seems like she has no fear of dropping that “character” in the real world. She has no problem posting photos both in and out of makeup and her wigs and doesn’t seem self conscious about taking classes/her lack of experience compared to the other women. She also seems well liked by the other women, so while her attitude may be amped for the show I think it’s derived from actual affection for others. It’s nice to see someone who’s so television savvy that they recognize what to play up for the camera and what really matters. I don’t know what her dancing looks like now but TPTB loved her looks and personality both on and off screen from the start. She’s also had years now of additional dance training. For what they do I don’t question choosing someone who works hard with a good attitude, is charismatic on camera, and who’s skill level may only be good (or may be more) but has the confidence (and looks) to make it feel great.

I honestly think there wouldn’t have been this pushback if they had their traditional auditions. Meredith likely wouldn’t have made it to training camp, and unfortunately maybe not Lily. While I do think she would have had a better shot I don’t think anyone would have been surprised. I think Hannah and Brennen would have likely been fine due to vet cuts after training camp starts being rare and their reviews being more weighted on one day’s performance. Keeping vet cuts earlier means people don’t get as emotionally invested in their favorites again. Easier for a viewer to move on. And it seems less cruel to the ones that they know won’t make it than keeping them the whole training camp. I didn’t see the “Dance For Your Life” but I hate the idea and can only imagine how the vets being forced to do that must have felt. I also understand a traditional year was impossible and agree with others that a season only focused on vets would have been great. Give the women who needed it extra confidence and go into the new television season with viewers having deeper connections to their favorites.

She does seem happy! That’s what interests me: learning about the girls/women and their friendships, watching and learning about dance training, and seeing how organizations utilize their cheerleaders beyond the field. Drama due to cuts isn’t as exciting as they think. Either pull a Hard Knocks and focus on training camp closer to real time or pull a Bravo and focus on story arcs for the vets, the people the audience connect to. Right now it feels like candidates should be called one on one to accept their poms for the most Dramatic. Cut. EVER. And that’s not as interesting as they seem to think.

The thing that gives me joy that I found due to the lack of openness is the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders Instagram page. Well maintained, open about who’s on the team and what they are doing, and long video profiles of all the new girls. I’d say CMT should switch from Dallas to Denver, but they’d likely want to make the same production mistakes there.

As someone who stopped watching before last season I was hoping for a reason to restart. Something to draw me back in. I’m not seeing one.