blairwaldorf

We did them in kick routines in my high school dance team, and we weren’t the only ones. I am not sure I believe all of the girls who claim they’ve never tried one. Even if they somehow made it through high school and college dance, pom, or cheer without ever having to learn it, it’s not a secret that DCC requires it. You would think they’d want to come prepared and would have practiced it before trying out.

I think it's a valid discussion, because they used to make a big deal about who did or didn't have "the DCC look" on the show, and like it or not, looks are a big part of being an NFL cheerleader (and especially a DCC). I remember one season where Kelli and Judy were commenting that one girl's face made her look like a grandma. I can't remember whether or not she made it, but it was an ongoing topic of discussion that they liked her dancing but thought she wasn't pretty enough to be a DCC. I feel like there are plenty of dance jobs where looks don't matter, but DCC isn't one of them. If you choose to make yourself a public figure by joining a reality show while auditioning for an NFL cheerleading squad that heavily promotes its members as sex symbols, conversations about your looks are fair game. Just my opinion!

My least favorite is either Cassie Trammell or Christina (the previous Christina, although I’m not a fan of the new one either), but if it were up to me, I would not have put Lea on the team. Rookie Rockstar: Tori One and Done: Christina, Jensen, Amber, Lea… I think Kleine could end up being a surprise one and done - I could see her getting married, checking DCC off her bucket list, and deciding to move on. Sleeper hit: Rebecca. I think Madeline S. will be either one and done or a sleeper hit. She’s gorgeous, so with more power and precision, I think she could become a favorite. But I think if she doesn’t improve her power, they won’t give her a second season. If I were Madeline S. I would be taking every power pom class I possibly could.

Me too. Especially if they're going to continue to focus more on placing people in certain rows than actually having them all to the same scale. Taylor and Erin look like they don't have legs, because they cut them off at the hip in order to place them in those positions. The girl on the left, second row from the back looks like a giant compared to the other girls in her row. Rachel and Caroline look 7 feet tall. The top of Marissa's head is flat. And while they're touching up the photos, why did they leave Jensen with an inch of black roots and Lea with a lazy eye that's turned completely inward??? I don't get why they couldn't take an actual photo this year, since they were able to dance and practice together.

I also think the proposal was in poor taste. Meet the team is a special thing for all of the girls, and it’s supposed to be about recognizing and celebrating their acheivement - not celebrating someone getting engaged. I don’t think it was appropriate to overshadow that event by proposing at it. To me, that’s like proposing at someone else’s wedding. I will be shocked if rookies Christina and Amber last more than a season. And I find Lea’s teeth and the snarly facial expressions she makes while dancing very distracting… and not in a good way. Rookies that I could see being point eventually are Tori and Kleine.

I know a DCC who was cut as a vet (not invited back to training camp), and she doesn't participate in any of the alumni stuff. I would imagine that for the ones who are cut from the team, it would end things on such a bitter note they wouldn't really enjoy participating in something like this anyway.

I definitely think there are a few rookies who are only there because so many vets left unexpectedly that Kelli and Judy had to take them by default if they wanted a full squad. I don't think Kelli was particularly excited about Christina, Amber, Rebecca, Ava, Madeline, or Lea, and I wouldn't be surprised to see at least two of them cut as vets next year. Instead of, "They're all so good it's hard to decide who to cut," I felt like the situation towards the end of camp was more like, "I don't really want any of them, but if we cut them, we start the year 5 girls short, so we can only cut one... who will it be?" I know some people like Lea's look, but it was clear from their comments during cameos and when the girls were dancing in groups that Kelli and Judy don't. I'm interested to see how much she will have changed (veneers? extensions?) if she returns for a second season. I actually liked Ava's straight hair, but I think her look in general was just very young. She looks (and acts) about 15.

I wish they had given Rachel the recognition of being point; she's technically been a point for two years, but because Gina is in the "first point" position, Rachel being point just gets glossed over. If being first point is all that counts when it comes to the official recognition of who was point, then I feel like Rachel should have been given the first point "title" this year and Gina second.

It’s funny how much they showcase her now, because as I recall when she was actually on the team she was always kind of a struggler. I think she also trashed the DCC in her autobiography, but it’s been years since I read it so I could be mistaken on that. Edited to add I enjoy her segments, but I’m just surprised Kelli and Judy seem to think so highly of her.

I agree a country song would be better, or even a medley of country songs.

I’m not sure. I think it’s very possible that Kelli or Judy will be so offended by her leaving after they handed her a spot on the squad and made all kinds of special allowances for her that they’ll wash their hands of her.

I agree that short hair does nothing for Lea and they should have given her extensions. I liked Kelee’s new hair and I love what they did with KayDianna’s hair. I don’t know why they even wasted their time or money giving Presley a makeover. I am also not a huge fan of Kleine’s. She’s pretty and she does get my attention when they’re dancing, but I find the “look how goofy and quirky I am” personality annoying. I wonder if Kelli and Judy intended to cut Amber and/or Christina but waited too long to do it and were stuck with them when Lisa and Alora-Rose quit, because they needed 36 on the team. I think they’ll both be one and done girls. Ava actually reminds me a lot of Victoria, both in looks and personality/confidence/immaturity. It’s been surprising to me how quickly she went from the favorite rookie to bottom of the pack. I still wonder if her cut is dance related or because of an infraction. I also wonder if Victoria actually will try out again and if so, will they take her back? As a former high school coach, I would have reservations about taking a girl who had previously made it (and been given as much special treatment as Victoria got) and then quit.

I’m a fan of Madeline S. because she’s a legacy, she’s beautiful, and I think she’s a good enough dancer to be on the team. The best? No. But good enough that given the other factors in her favor, I wouldn’t cut her to make room for any of the others who are currently not top 36. I wish they would have focused more on her this season, though. I would have liked to see more of her dancing and her comeback journey. I get the impression that Kelli doesn’t care for her for some reason. I do think that overall they’ve done a better job of letting us get to know the rookie class this year than last. I felt like last year’s rookie class was so forgettable and I’m not sure why… maybe it was the editing or the weird format of TCC, but I felt like we barely even got to know them well enough to remember their names, much less root for them.

Does anyone know if Alora-Rose did in fact try out for Rockettes and if so, did she make it?

High school cheerleading at my school was 100% based on whether or not you were in the popular crowd and whether or not your mom was part of the "cool mom" crowd that the coach desperately wanted to be in with. Because they also capped the squad at 6-8 girls, there were a lot of great tumblers and dancers who easily could have made a college or pro squad but were left off the HS squad to make room for the girls the coach had handpicked before tryouts even started.

I just don’t see it with her. If Travis noticed her in his piece, I’m sure she’s technically trained and great at contemporary, but she’s never been one I enjoy watching when they’re doing their signature dance or other DCC style routines. For me, she just doesn’t have that “it” factor that makes her fun to watch in the more high-energy, power pom style routines.

I wondered that too after seeing the face she pulled when they were finished announcing SG.

Christina, Amber, Presley, and Lea should have been easy cuts. They don’t have the dance technique or power to keep up with the squad and they don’t have the looks to compensate for being the weakest dancers.

I don’t understand how Kat made show group. She went from a struggler who probably shouldn’t have made the team to a blender. Improvement, yes. Show group material? No.

I feel like with very few exceptions, they have the team picked by the end of the first week. You don’t need six weeks to figure out that someone isn’t a fit for the team or can’t keep up, and I think a lot of the cuts are just drawn out for the purposes of the show. I would guess that 90% of the rookie candidates are either hard yes or hard no by the end of week 1, and then there are a few who are strung along in case someone quits, get injured, or has to be unexpectedly cut for behavior.

If Cassie Trammell hadn't been Judy's daughter, I don't think she would have even made it to finals. She was placed on that team and given a spot she didn't earn because Judy was her mom. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way. And then Judy and Kelli had the nerve to cut other legacies and say that you can't expect that being a legacy will automatically get you a spot on the team. Why not? It certainly did for Cassie.

They can take bathroom breaks and probably use that opportunity to touch up makeup. Rolling around on the floor during dances etc is gross but part of the job. Kickline - yes you can smell other people's armpits. But honestly, when you're on a team like this, you are so used to that sort of thing it's not as jarring as you would expect. It's just par for the course! I agree about the part with Jordann's brother. I'm tired of all the sob stories. They're taking up too much screentime and 99% of the time they're not relevant to the show and seem very exaggerated ("!$%# I don't have a sob story! What can I say?!? Oh!! My grandmother, who I only met once, died 10 years ago and to this day I sometimes struggle to get out of bed because of it. I'm doing this for her, because it would have been her dream for me to be a DCC." )

I don’t keep track of what year everyone is, but my favorite vets are Rachel W and Caroline. I also liked Daphne. My favorite TCC is Madeline S.

Did anyone else feel like Jordann’s cut was about weight but was edited to avoid directly showing them saying that? Ashley is cute but her kicks are barely above waist level AND she lacks power and precision. She’s not ready, and she’s not really even close to being ready. There’s no reason to keep stringing her along at this point. For me, Ashley, Christina, and Presley would be no-brainer cuts and would have all been gone before Kylie. Kickline, IMO, should be a larger part of preliminary eliminations. People who can’t kick to DCC standards shouldn’t even be brought into training camp. It’s not a secret that kicks are a DCC requirement, and if I were Kelli or Judy, I would feel that people who show up unable to kick are choosing to show up unprepared.

I wasn’t a fan of Travis Wall’s choreography in this episode. I don’t care for lyrical or contemporary in general. Those types of routines have always been my least favorite to watch and to perform, so maybe it’s just personal preference, but I also don’t feel like they’re as relevant to what the DCC need to be able to do really well as a power pom or hip hop routine would be. Or, switch it up and have someone choreograph a kick routine. As particular as Kelli and Judy are about girls being able to do the DCC “style” of dance, you would think they would avoid making selection decisions based on who nailed a slow, stylized lyrical or contemporary routine that’s nothing like the style of dance DCC actually does. I feel like this particular piece would have been more appropriate for show group auditions.