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To quote an old hip hop song, that finale and really the whole series was "like, Woah." As in, what the hell has been going on here? ITA about the lameness of Spencer twinsies. Total letdown and disregard of fan intelligence and all the promises IMK made to fans over the years. Weak sauce all around with new and marginal characters suddenly becoming so central. So, despite all the exposition in the finale, and frankly, at most other key turning points in the show, I have some major confusion. First, what professional writers don't know the principle of "show, don't tell" in writing? If you have to explain everything to the viewer or reader, you didn't do a good job with the writing. Second, can someone explain how the overall A-UberA-AD arc really worked? It seems even Alex hadn't plotted everything from the beginning, so I just don't get the logistics. TBH, I never fully understood how Mona lost the game all those seasons back. So, ultimately, did the bullying make Mona crazy and Ali gets to live happily ever after? I always have been dissatisfied with Ali's return and mostly just being forgiven for all her cruelties, lies, manipulations, and general bullshit. Part of me had wanted Ali to be tied up with AD, or have Paige/Mona/Lucas be involved because all this started with Ali being a bully psycho mean girl. What did Ian's death and those top secret NAT Club secrets have to do with all this in the end? How was Sydney so involved? What was with all those dolls? Why the hoodie uniform obsession? Imma stop with my questions because there are no real answers.

I thought Madeline was one of the cutest TCCs. I know that we don't have much to go on, but if these are the 1st two cuts, I'm kind of mystified that a Barbie winner and NCAA division 1 dance captain were the 1st to go. If so, the rest of the group must be more incredibly talented and glam than I imagined. Just wow.

I would LOVE to see some scenes in the show from rookie week!! We got one glimpse of Megan Fox working with rookies, which was great but also last decade. And then we had that kind of lame bowling scene with the vets in ridiculous getups while the rookies were at Valley Ranch. The one redeeming part of that scene was when the military vets came by. I remember being so much more interested in what the rookies were doing than seeing who was a bad bowler.

Mean girl reports usually make me suspicious, unless they're about Sarah G-I, because Sarah puts her mean or passive aggressive comments online for the world to marvel at her sense of self and insensitivity. Maybe Megan is a mean girl, but I haven't seen evidence of it myself. I remember last year on the boards someone wrote they had heard Tess was a mean girl, too, but I never saw anyone post a reason or an account of an incident on here to explain that. She appears to be much loved by her cohort, so I don't buy that one. Or the Megan charge either. Now, Megan getting away with weight gain that others couldn't, that's a different matter. But this is the 2017 thread so I'll leave that for now.

There supposedly was an incident during camp last year, when Kendall was invited to work with Melissa Rycroft and Megan C to help her because she was on the bubble. It seems K had to work or said she couldn't do it or "no thanks," and then the day after, Megan allegedly asked her why she wasn't there, etc. Some speculated this contributed to K getting cut, but I personally think her inability to execute choreography accurately and consistently, combined with struggles on the field, were enough to get her cut. I think Kelli really liked her and was hoping she'd pull through, but she appeared to have some of the same struggles as she had in the previous training camp. I'm saying supposedly and allegedly because we know something happened around that, but as we never saw footage, we can only go by hearsay.

I don't actually spend much time on DCC Instagram accounts or their circles of peeps (mostly going off of what gets posted here), so that's nice to hear Kelsey does have a lower key side. I still think it's a little strange to want to post one's life regularly to the world nearly always in full makeup, bikinis, etc. in general, not just regarding her. It just feels so...staged and... Millenial. But maybe it's just that I know no one wants to see my fat ass doing much of anything on social media, especially wearing a bikini! Plus, I've always been a kind of shy and private person, so the idea of strangers (or coworkers) seeing personal parts of my life (like my cottage cheese thighs or even being out to brunch with friends) feels uncomfortable and unnecessary to me. I used to be a dancer and would think nothing about performing in front of lots of people (I'm not talking AT&T Stadium, but maybe a few hundred or a thousand people), but that was performance. There's a fourth wall and everything to make me feel protected! That said, I do enjoy checking out the DCC Twitter accounts now and again, because I get to see some of what they're up to outside of what the show films. It also lets me see some of their personalities, which sometimes makes me like a girl I'd overlooked, but sometimes makes me wonder about their thirst, etc. Chantal wasn't a rookie last year, but I think she's gorgeous and I really do want to know what she puts in her hair.

I loved Khalyn since early training camp! When she had her cryfest in Kelli's office and talked about her struggles with confidence and being raised to be humble I liked her even more, especially when she rallied to step it up in those final rehearsals. And now, when I see her calendar photos and how insanely gorgeous she looks and that killer figure of hers, I'm even more amazed at her sense of humility. I wish we'd get more footage of her dancing and I hope she rocks it this year as a vet. I still have mixed feelings about Kelsey. She's more mature and less dumb than she originally appeared on the show to me and seems quite nice in many ways. I even was glad for her when she made the team, even though I originally had had serious doubts about her dance memory and professionalism. Yes, she's gorgeous, no doubt. But here's (I think) my unpopular opinion: in some photos I think she needs to gain a couple pounds. Her ribs and hip bones show to me a little too prominently in some pics, and I think a couple pounds would soften what sometimes appears to be a harshness in her face. I also think she's a little thirsty in a way that kind of turns me off. She puts a lot of effort into posing for her social media pics. Wait, let me put on full makeup and fake eyelashes and you can take this amazing picture of me in this infinity pool at dusk! Now, here, let me make perfect footprints in this sand so you can frame this shot behind me as I look out at the ocean! The photo series posted of her getting wiped out by the wave was funny--and her ability to laugh at herself like that definitely is part of her charm--but, again, there was a lot of effort that went into those pictures. Here, climb up really high so you have the perfect shot of me frolicking in the waves... Yes, the views are gorgeous where she travels to, but I just think she cares a lot about showing the world how pretty she is, how great her body is, and how wonderful her life is. Now, if I looked like Kelsey and had her body and vacation budget, maybe I'd be posting perfectly staged and curated pictures for all to see, too. None of what I'm saying makes her not nice or smart or fun or a good cheerleader. But it does make me wonder if she's a bit shallow or how much substance there is to her. I know lots of folks (mostly not on this forum!) think being a DCC and being shallow go hand in hand, but that's something I love about the show is that I've learned there's a lot more depth and quality of character to a lot of the cheerleaders than many suspect. So, she's fine to me as a cheerleader, I'm impressed with her determination, and I've said "dayum" at some of her gorgeous pictures, but she isn't a favorite of mine by any stretch.

I watched the PDC video of Tara (?) posted upthread. What I liked about her in the video was that she seemed kind of chill and real. Her relaxed stance while talking to the camera/interviewer made it seem like she is without artifice and is relaxed while performing. What I didn't like so much was that her relaxed stance seemed too relaxed for an on-camera interview while talking about auditioning for a team that expects a lot of polish from its ambassadors/members. She was leaning nonchalantly on the plexiglass and fidgeting a good bit. The fidgeting was distracting while the lean was part of what made her seem chill and like she was not "fronting." But I bet Kelli would have a cow if a cheerleader did an interview like that as a DCC. I hope she knows how to step up the polish and professionalism for camp, because as I said, I liked how real she seemed. Some of the pictures of her dancing during auditions make me wonder about how clean she is as a dancer. Her legs were bent in a kind of sloppy way in a few photos during leaps or jumps that made me think, yikes. I know they're action shots, but it's important that DCC take great action shots and be precise in their movements. One of the ways they do that consistently is by having clean lines and being sharp with their moves. That was part of why Katie Marie and Kinzie always had soooo many great sideline pictures of them dancing during games (the other reason being they're gorgeous and always looked like they're so happy while performing)--same for current DCC like Erica and Lacey. So, as this is basically the only rookie I now know anything about (aside from Christina, who I am not that impressed with, and Brennan, who I don't think has the looks), I've decided that for now I'm hoping she makes it through camp, but I won't be surprised if she ends up "on the bubble" or gets cut for her dancing. Jessica Allison is the only former Flight Crew cheerleader in my memory who made it through DCC training camp without on-camera struggles of any kind. I wonder if their performance and technique standards are not be the same as in Dallas.

I'm shocked at the Brennan-Whitney resemblance, because a) I didn't see it til you put the pictures side by side, and b) despite the strong resemblance I still think Whitney is beyond gorgeous and Brennan never looked like a DCC to me. She seems sweet and apparently is a hard worker who retains choreo well, but those eyes, nope. I also think at certain angles her nose looks, well, unflattering for her face. That said, now that the pictures are up, I totally would have believed they were first cousins or something.

Thanks @mittensgizmo for the ID chart! Now we can be like Kelli and Judy watching them during rehearsals, circling their pictures, taking notes on them, and referring to their photos because we don't remember their names! Maybe we should talk into our phones to take more extensive notes. "More style, Christina, more style..." Seriously, this is really helpful and very nice of you to do. I don't really care about the fan vote business, but I will say that I did miss having it this year, because I at least could have seen a bit of each candidate dancing. They really are being stingy this year! I'm still telling myself that patience is a virtue, but it is not one of my stronger qualities.

I imagine this may have more to do with our near-total lack of knowledge about the rookie candidates than anything else. For me, most of the pictures of rookies posted in the studio or on tour with CJA etc. do little to show me who they are or what they have to offer in the way of talent, personality, or even, for some girls, appearance. Even folks in the know on this site seem to struggle to tell several TCCs apart in these pictures. I agree with others that some more teasers and a photo of the TCCs would make me feel more engaged or invested this year, but I've become such a fan that I'm waiting (im)patiently for the season to start and am making do with the info others provide here. Plus, over the last couple of years, I've come to really enjoy this forum and rely on posters here for most of the DCC news that isn't delivered via the show. I still am telling myself that I will enjoy the show in a different way this year because I may not have the scoop on the candidates or have favorite rookies when the show airs--it will take me back to my early years of watching, when I didn't know about this forum or anything about the TCCs. At this point, I'm like, Erin who? and care little that she got cut. I'll probably be pissed when I see her on the show and think, they cut Allie and little Heather to let her into camp?! Yes, I'm still upset and mystified by those veteran cuts....

Congrats on being mom of the rookie of the year, @Law Mom! That must be so great to watch your daughter perform at the college level. I'm beyond mystified by how some of y'all know who any of the rookies are! Whoever they are, some of them are gorgeous. Some others, however, may not have been taking their most flattering pics in the group photos. I can't wait to see them all dancing! As for Christina, I agree she seems sweet and cute and she's a good dancer, but I don't think she's a great dancer or performer, and I will be surprised if she makes it through training camp. I don't hate her (I have no reason to!), but I'm not actively rooting for her and I am unsympathetic about her flexibility. Last time she had an injury and was "sure" she could get the kicks up and splits right if they just gave her "a little more time" -- but that was at least two years ago, so I don't know how much more time she would need to be able to do the splits. Some bodies just don't do that. All that says, I love the short blonde hair on her. I love Lacey and she's one of my favorite performers on the squad, but I think she'd look weird in a triangle with Jenna and Erica if she weren't at point because of her height. I think it would make the triangle look imbalanced. With a shortie at point, Lacey would be great right behind point and still would get photographed lots (unlike Erica, who was too petite to be visible back there).

It seems like they're moving right along with training camp! Makeovers done and groups picked and leaders assigned. I love the leader pairings! I'd like to think that this also means that they will move right along with cuts, too, instead of dragging so many out to the final weeks of camp. And so we have more things to talk about and speculate on while most everything DCC is on summer lock down.

If you are referring to Megan C, she worked with Melissa, who she knew from way back when. But yes, a number of ladies appear to audition and make the team without a vet hookup or network behind them. Choreography is hard, which is why many candidates, including vets, commission a pro to do it for them or at least help a good deal. It's clear that preparation is key, as with many things in life, so I totally agree that it makes sense that part of preparing for DCC auditions is to study and work with those who know the organization and its expectations well. Yes, it can get expensive, but that's the world of dance--costumes and lessons aren't cheap. Watching MTT to help prepare, on the other hand, is probably one of the lowest cost things a lady can do to help get ready, but that's definitely not enough. Erin is a TCU grad and former dancer there, so it makes sense to me that she's already a part of the Texas-DCC network/world. I know that Jordan D and Kelsey Lauren graduated from there. And can I say, Erin has some wow abs?!

I don't think we always know when vets are under the gun in training camp, only if they show it on the show. Last season didn't show Raylee being critiqued or "on the bubble," but when she was cut at auditions this year, some folks here mentioned that she maybe barely made it back last year. I don't have verification for the claims, of course, but that makes more sense to me than her just being cut out of the blue. I'd love it if MTT would show some of the rehearsals without Kelli and Judy so we could see more of the vets in action. (I think we've only seen one of these, maybe back in season 3 or 4.) It's probably a nice breather for the rookies to be learning routines so early in camp without K and J watching them "in learning mode." I wonder if @ShellyBis overseeing rehearsals? Or which vets are running them and how that works before they assign groups and leaders?

The studio looks great! I love these high quality large images and think they look less cluttered than the old studio. I'll kind of miss seeing Schram, Katy Marie and Nicole's faces on the back wall in the background this season though. As for the Barbies, it might be my screen but do the brunette Barbies look like they are brown, as in very tan or non-white? The possibility tickles me a bit.

Very happy for Heather O & KaShara that they got Barbies this year! Allie did get a Barbie last year, but she was a rookie so not in the picture above with the vets. I'm not that sad for Holly--she'll shake it off. I'm a fan of her dancing but am a little put off sometimes by her thirst & think it's not a bad thing not to get every award all the time because that's a reminder not to rest on your laurels and to keep working hard. (Upthread I've stated my opinion that she's thirstier than Jenna, which was underscored for me by all the professional pictures she has taken of herself that she posts--but really, I like both ladies because they are awesome performers). I do see Holly as a second leader this year, and hope KaShara is named one too. I hope we get to see who else appears on the walls of the Star studio & DCC rooms. I know there's a smaller picture of Megan up, since she posted it. I love the pic of Erica, smile lines and all. As for training with vets to get a head start on training camp, I think a number of TCCs do. Many of them take prep classes and private lessons with former DCCs like Michelle K and (gulp) Sara G-I. That's not that different from working with current vets. But it's my impression that vets work one on one with rookie candidates as part of their duties as vets--think Ashton with hot mess Taylor, Lauren with Simone & Courtney, Brittany E with Makenzie, Megan C with Heather O & Kelsey etc. I'm sure they do that when cameras aren't rolling too. It's part of how you make a great team--through putting in extra practice hours and teamwork.

I recall reading Q&As with Judy a couple years ago and these two things stuck in my mind: she hates the stool but producers insisted she sit on it next to Kelli in those office scenes, and she also says that higher powers that be insist that Thunderstruck be the opening and signature dance. I don't know how all this goes down, of course, but it makes me feel better that K & J aren't the ones who "lazily" want to rely on Thunderstruck all the time. They are shown as "the deciders" on the show, but they have to answer to others to keep those awesome jobs. I think of that every time I watch an office scene and look at Judy perched on that stool.

ITA about Christina's lackluster heels video and being mad that she STILL can't do the splits. I'm mad, of course, because they cut some incredible dancers (Allie and little Heather) and until the show airs I won't know why and will continue to question why they took mousy inflexible Christina back. I hope Kelli and Judy feel like shit about it when they see her in the studio once training camp begins! I'm betting she'll be one of the first to get cut. I could see other judges liking her during auditions, but think she quickly will pale in comparison to the vets and many of the rookies once they start kicking and learning choreo at a DCC pace.

Is tonight the first meeting of training camp?!

How many candidates are comeback girls who made it into camp before but got cut before the team was announced? I know there's Christina and Celina. Who else? I'm not a Christina fan, mostly because she seemed so mousy in camp and was so clueless about how awful her kicks were. As for this letter posted above, my guess is that it's some kind of thanks for auditioning letter--but I want to know what's in it too! I clicked on her profile and it appears she auditioned this year. I get that her name is Barbara and nickname is Barbie, but I cringe that she is calling herself "beautiful.barbiee." Yes to footage of @ShellyB, Judy, and Kelli dancing, please! They posted an old pic of Judy on her birthday this year that was the cutest freaking thing, with her in her uniform and lots of braids. Swear, she looks the same. I would love to see more pics and/or footage of the current powers that be, either on social media or on the show.

Regarding my Kashara potential triangle pic over Amy L: I think Amy L gets overlooked because she's more cute than pretty. Also, when she smiles in performance/game photos, her eyes look mostly closed. Probably an overabundance of eyeliner and mascara contributes to that, but still, I don't think it's a good look. I think that Kashara is prettier, has more sex appeal (in part because she has real curves while Amy is very thin and much less curvy), and takes better photos on the field. That said, I do love Amy's haircut, and I think it makes her stand out more. They're both great performers. As for Jenna and Holly thirst, I actually think Holly is more thirsty than Jenna, especially at this point in her DCC career. I'm not judging Holly harshly for this, because as an unbelievably talented dancer who's trained to be her best virtually her whole life, why wouldn't she crave the top slot?

Ha. I hadn't realized it was from Miss Congeniality (autocorrect wanted to make that "Congenial itty-bitty" ?). It was clear that she was not being serious. Sorry if I didn't make it clear that I knew that. I was just saying that, after making a joke about a dumb interview answer, it would have been awful if she really then had bombed her interview.

There seems to be a lot of dislike for Jenna on this site, but I have to say, I really love watching her dance and I do think she's a great candidate for point girl. I don't see the scar being an issue in the decision. I'm picturing Jenna, Erica, and Holly as the most likely (and most fun to watch) triangle, with either Erica or Jenna at point. I think either lady would be fantastic, and since they appear to be such good friends and team players, I think each would be graceful and happy for the other if they weren't chosen themselves. This is not to say they wouldn't be disappointed if they weren't chosen, of course. I'd love to see Lacey behind the point--I've said before what a fan I am of hers and want her to be featured more prominently. I think Kashara, Heather O, and Maggie also will be moved up more prominently in the formation to keep the blondes mixed in. If they feel like they need a blonde for the triangle, my bet would be on Kashara. She is so fun to watch! I'm betting Robin will earn a solid spot too, probably still on the front line, and I'm hoping she's a second leader this year. Guess I'm still salty about some vet cuts, but I really do like the majority of vets who made it back and love watching them dance!

Yes, Raylee's picture is from her solo this year, and Allie's is from the calendar shoot. I have to say, I hope Raylee didn't get cut because she bombed her interview. On her old DCC Twitter account, she had a funny post about being prepped for interviews. It was something like: "What's an ideal date to you? April 25, because the weather is perfect and I only need a light jacket. " It really would be awful if she face planted after that! Thanks for posting the PDC solos link! (I think that was @LaurenBrook.) ?