2021 Auditions, Finals, and Training Camp

[pinkandsparkly13]

52 minutes ago, Survivor197 said:

Do the girls typically perform the exact same solo from their final auditions in their show group audition during TC? 

Yes. And they have done their solos for show group auditions for a long time now. I think I first remember Kelli talking about showcasing the solos for that in season 8. 

[Tuxcat]

23 minutes ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Yes. And they have done their solos for show group auditions for a long time now. I think I first remember Kelli talking about showcasing the solos for that in season 8. 

Ahh okay well ignore my answer then. I thought solos at show group auditions was relatively new but my brain absolutely stinks lately

[Kamal]

13 hours ago, TB12 said:

Same… I can’t imagine being one of the much better dancers that was passed over for her.

Well since a lot of vets resigned the only vets (not going to consider rookies because that's a different story) that are left not on show group and are strong enough are IMO Dani and Elli. Although I would have loved either one of them on SG Kat has far more popularity than both of them. Popularity is Ambassadorship, at least for DCC. Kat has the popularity to be allowed on show-group.

[Lynnbo]

On 10/28/2021 at 5:39 PM, go4luca said:

Yep.  Don't faint anyone but she finally won me over as well.  As long as she remains off the attention needy videos I'll continue liking her. 

Just don't ever consider me a "marauder".

Lol. I definitely came close to fainting. 

[TB12]

My last thought on Kat making SG... apparently the solo means nothing bc if her solo was that wow it too would've been shoved down our throats. All we saw was the play on the cane then conveniently they went to another solo... 

Oddly if SG are supposed to be the be all end all of the team I can't believe they haven't addressed her wig. I'd say yay we'll see a fresh wig now that she made SG but we're into Nov so that's not happening. Also, just bc she's breezy and over exaggerates when she talks that doesn't make her the best ambassador she's more like a doll they parade around. 

I'm going to agree to disagree with the Kat lovers here, she to me has become the Victoria of the team...

[hannahbanana]

16 hours ago, Jess14 said:

No, that’s not what I meant. I actually don’t think we saw Kelli’s vote on Kat, although we did see that she voted for Alora Rose and wanted her on show group and yet, Alora Rose did not make show group. Now, Kelli can absolutely overrule everyone else if she wants to, but I think she actually does care what the outside judges think. Based on everything we’ve seen, I think Kelli only overrules the judges when someone is really a favorite of hers or someone is really on her bad side. 

Naw, that just means Alora Rose didn't end up in Kelli's top 18. Kelli can want/like 24 (random number) girls for show group, but she can still only pick 18 (or whatever the number is that year).

We have seen many judges give people "no's" who are then selected for show group. How many firm "no's" (not a maybe, or "not my top 18," but a firm "no") have we seen Kelli give and that person gets put on show group anyway?

[Pau84]

Well... I was, I am and will be for eternity happy with Kat Puryear. She is the definition of a cheerleader. Kat has got the glamour, the presence and the charisma to be in SG. She is, personality wise, a perfect fit for events and exhibitions. Let's take a look at the Dallas Cowboys brand. The last thing what the cheerleaders should be is boring. Kat is the least boring cheerleaders on the squad. She is engaging and fun. Exactly what a brand as the Dallas Cowboys want.

These are objective reasons ofcourse. One can be annoyed by her and that is fine. I happen to like her and that is fine as well. 

[StellaCL]

17 hours ago, Jess14 said:

No, that’s not what I meant. I actually don’t think we saw Kelli’s vote on Kat, although we did see that she voted for Alora Rose and wanted her on show group and yet, Alora Rose did not make show group. Now, Kelli can absolutely overrule everyone else if she wants to, but I think she actually does care what the outside judges think. Based on everything we’ve seen, I think Kelli only overrules the judges when someone is really a favorite of hers or someone is really on her bad side. 

 

15 hours ago, Tuxcat said:

I'm not entirely sure that anything we "see" on the show is the actual way these decisions are made. I'm sure consultation takes place. Then Kelli and Judy decide. We only "see" a very small  -on camera - portion of the process. But yes, Kat made the team despite Judy seemingly being against the idea initially. Though, it makes sense to me.

Like Tuxcat said, what we "see" is heavily edited. IMO, the whole special glamourous announcement was a bit ridiculous and over the top done only for a TV show and advancing the elitism of the DCC brand. For all we know, Alora Rose did make show group and it was edited out since she left the team the following week. No way Kelli would allow that into an episode - if she ghosted Amanda, she definitely would ghost out AR rejecting such a "prestigious" honor.

Seems like they expanded the SG team this year specifically to include Kat. 

11 hours ago, Kamal said:

Well since a lot of vets resigned the only vets (not going to consider rookies because that's a different story) that are left not on show group and are strong enough are IMO Dani and Elli. Although I would have loved either one of them on SG Kat has far more popularity than both of them. Popularity is Ambassadorship, at least for DCC. Kat has the popularity to be allowed on show-group.

The one vet that remains a mystery to me is Darien. They show so little of her. Kelli had one comment about Darien in the last episode, but we don't see any footage of her. Certainly don't seen anything that is SG worthy. I don't get it at all. 

[dccfan204]

I can't figure out why Darian made showgroup over Dani and Elli

[KoKo]

49 minutes ago, Pau84 said:

Well... I was, I am and will be for eternity happy with Kat Puryear. She is the definition of a cheerleader. Kat has got the glamour, the presence and the charisma to be in SG. She is, personality wise, a perfect fit for events and exhibitions. Let's take a look at the Dallas Cowboys brand. The last thing what the cheerleaders should be is boring. Kat is the least boring cheerleaders on the squad. She is engaging and fun. Exactly what a brand as the Dallas Cowboys want.

These are objective reasons ofcourse. One can be annoyed by her and that is fine. I happen to like her and that is fine as well. 

WORD !!!!  I feel the same way about Kat💯 As much of a fan I am of Claire ~ I absolutely adore her and love to watch her perform.......... Kat obviously does NOT have that level of technical training, yet can still bring the house down with her fans ~ and I am one as well.

[dccfan204]

I wonder if Amber changed her mind about retiring 

[PomPomPom]

2 hours ago, KoKo said:

WORD !!!!  I feel the same way about Kat💯 As much of a fan I am of Claire ~ I absolutely adore her and love to watch her perform.......... Kat obviously does NOT have that level of technical training, yet can still bring the house down with her fans ~ and I am one as well.

In Ep07 at 15:44 KF says to the camera "The showgroup is made up of our more advanced technical dancers but they also have to be good communicators". I take this to mean the best trained dancers who can also conduct themselves with the media. Kat falls at the first fence not being a trained dancer. JT actually said "she dials it in". Alora Rose could dance rings around her. No wonder she looked a bit p*ssed about it. Yes everyone cheered but the reaction was one of suprise among friends. I find it difficult to understand 

Edited November 2, 2021 by PomPomPom

[ByTor]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:48 PM, go4luca said:

On 10/26/2021 at 1:24 PM, UnicornKicksBack said:

Told y’all CAroline has messed up her face. 
Kelee is like what they WANTED Kyra to be. I love Kelee btw. 

Caroline looks fine to me in this video (but hey, we all have our take on these ladies).

Yeah, I don't think she looks a whole lot different, let alone unrecognizable.

[PomPomPom]

Did anyone else notice that the 5 non top 36 shown at Ep07 post show group judges discussion included Lea and Christina? Find that difficult to swallow based on what I've seen in previous episodes.

Edited November 2, 2021 by PomPomPom

[hannahbanana]

3 hours ago, Pau84 said:

Well... I was, I am and will be for eternity happy with Kat Puryear. She is the definition of a cheerleader. Kat has got the glamour, the presence and the charisma to be in SG. She is, personality wise, a perfect fit for events and exhibitions. Let's take a look at the Dallas Cowboys brand. The last thing what the cheerleaders should be is boring. Kat is the least boring cheerleaders on the squad. She is engaging and fun. Exactly what a brand as the Dallas Cowboys want.

These are objective reasons ofcourse. One can be annoyed by her and that is fine. I happen to like her and that is fine as well. 

And that's fine -- Kat fills a needed niche. But quit telling us (not you, but K & J) that show group is the best, most technically trained dancers. It obviously isn't (and doesn't need to be).

[allitator]

1 hour ago, PomPomPom said:

Did anyone else notice that the 5 non top 36 shown at Ep07 post show group judges discussion included Lea and Christina? Find that difficult to swallow based on what I've seen in previous episodes.

Yeah, every time I’ve seen the board shown this year it had Lea “not making the team”, which is bonkers. Just further evidence that the board doesn’t matter at all. 

[KoKo]

1 hour ago, PomPomPom said:

In Ep07 at 15:44 KF says to the camera "The showgroup is made up of our more advanced technical dancers but they also have to be good communicators". I take this to mean the best trained dancers who can also conduct themselves with the media. Kat falls at the first fence not being a trained dancer. JT actually said "she dials it in". Alora Rose could dance rings around her. No wonder she looked a bit p*she'd about it. Yes everyone cheered but the reaction was one of suprise among friends. I find it difficult to understand 

Yet, last season, JT wasn't impressed with Alora Rose either and KF seemed to have the same girl crush on her (AR)  that she had on Meredith and Briana (TCC)....... Personally, I wasn't that impressed with her last season - I liked her, but I thought there were many others way more talented. I could've cared less whether she made it or not- team or showgroup.   However, I thought AR was extremely impressive this season- she seemed stronger in every facet on each episode, and she is beautiful.   However, I think Kat has her powerhouse strengths that have nothing to do with technical skills.....even when talking about showgroup.  

What I have noticed, in Showgroup, when they talk repeatedly about the best of the best, so many performances that I've seen  whether it be for the USO, concerts with Queen, etc....they're not showcasing "the elaborate skills" - they just seem to be "the best of the best performers". 

this is my opinion ~ At the end of the day there is this : these women are cheerleaders for the NFL- the fanbase ( while a great percentage of women love football and watch it faithfully -including me),-  the wide majority are loud, rowdy red-blooded men who love the sport and soak in every minute of the game, but want to see gorgeous, sexy women who know how to "work it" at the same time.....the best of both worlds.  Kat personifies that gorgeous, sexy, confident, flirty attitude and she is a performer - the kind of woman men want to see.  But it's not ONLY Kat, many of these women have the same ability- Unless it's a specific "venue", many men could give a &*$ about whether these women can do a switch leap, etc... 

Not meaning for this opinion to end up so long, just my opinion......and several male friends that tell me directly or I happen to overhear.  It is what it is. 

[Bellisima08]

3 hours ago, PomPomPom said:

In Ep07 at 15:44 KF says to the camera "The showgroup is made up of our more advanced technical dancers but they also have to be good communicators". I take this to mean the best trained dancers who can also conduct themselves with the media. Kat falls at the first fence not being a trained dancer. JT actually said "she dials it in".

I totally agree about Kat dialing it in. I've always thought she seemed more like a blender although she manages to keep some attention on her due to how expressive she is. Personally I am very unimpressed with how she conducts herself in the talking head segments where she seems to overcompensate on the excitement by repeating words multiple times in an increasingly higher pitch or  by overemphasizing certain words. It reminds me of infomercial salespeople who act like they've downed 7 red bulls and yell "do you want a deal?" at the camera multiple times in a row. When Kat starts talking, she's barely said 3 words and I'm like "girl, chill!" To me, that doesn't scream "conducts herself well with the media."

As for Kelli saying that, "showgroup is made up of our more technical dancers", I don't think that statement has been 100% accurate in years. While the majority of the group is made up of truly strong dancers, there always seem to be 2 or 3 that make it despite not having the best skills.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Bellisima08

[M1977G]

Loved Show Group auditions! I especially enjoyed hearing from Jacie, finally--especially her saying my favorite rookie Tyra was the "full package" (haha, but true). I liked MJ as a judge and the way media savvy testing was worked into the evening rather than done as a whole long day and separate segment. 

Tyra might be becoming one of my favorite DCCs ever! She is just so talented and beautiful and exudes an impressive joy and kindness. So glad she made SG! 

I'm not sure I really question anyone who made SG, but I would have loved to see Ellie and Dani make it, too. They are two of my favorite 2nd years--but there's hardly anyone in that cohort I did not care for, except for Alora-Rose, so I'm kind of shamefully looking forward to Friday's episode and finding out some semblance of what happened with her. (I don't know we will see what really happened, if you know what I mean.)

Interesting to see what they were talking about with Rebecca being a little soft in the DCC style. Excellent that she worked that issue out to make the team. Go Judy for defending Megan! She is one of my favorite rookies and I'm here for it. 

Can't wait for rookie makeovers and group leader announcements! 

Edited November 3, 2021 by M1977G

[RedDelicious]

On 10/25/2021 at 1:36 PM, MegzClarkie said:

Another performance photo

Rachel is so consistent and really never takes a bad photo. 

[EvergreenLove]

1 hour ago, Bellisima08 said:

I totally agree about Kat dialing it in. I've always thought she seemed more like a blender although she manages to keep some attention on her due to how expressive she is. Personally I am very unimpressed with how she conducts herself in the talking head segments where she seems to overcompensate on the excitement by repeating words multiple times in an increasingly higher pitch or  by overemphasizing certain words. It reminds me of infomercial salespeople who act like they've downed 7 red bulls and yell "do you want a deal?" at the camera multiple times in a row. When Kat starts talking, she's barely said 3 words and I'm like "girl, chill!" To me, that doesn't scream "conducts herself well with the media."

Agree, and I cannot unsee this now!  It gave me vibes of Becky's "Boats" commercial from How I Met Your Mother.  Kat has always been waaaaaay too much for my taste.

I mean, Kelli DID say Kat needs to be a salesman during her first year audition...

[dfwxo]

I wonder if Alora Rose not making SG had anything to do with her deciding to try out for Rockettes or whatever it was that she did 🤔

[PomPomPom]

8 hours ago, dfwxo said:

I wonder if Alora Rose not making SG had anything to do with her deciding to try out for Rockettes or whatever it was that she did 🤔

Could be but it's a question of timing. Would need to know when Rockettes auditions took place relative to showgroup auditions. Does anyone actually have firm dates for either or both. If Rockettes was first then she had already decided.

[TB12]

19 hours ago, hannahbanana said:

And that's fine -- Kat fills a needed niche. But quit telling us (not you, but K & J) that show group is the best, most technically trained dancers. It obviously isn't (and doesn't need to be).

All of this! TPTB have no clue how their flip flopping & favoritism impacts how we feel about the ladies.

Honestly my issue with Kat is she seems to enjoy dumbing herself down and good for her. I personally hate when women do that but if thats what makes a great DCC ambassador so be it. I'd rather see a strong woman Some of these ladies have to be so infuriated over the years at the inconsistencies & who gets passed over/cut to make way for pets... 

[Weeklydcc]

Kat is gorgeous and has got the DCC style down pat (which wasn't true at first).  I commend her for working hard and improving.  A lot of people dislike her, but I don't get why.  It's like every year someone has to be public enemy number one.  Cassie, Victoria, Marissa, Kat.  I can't wait to see who it is next year.

[TB12]

4 minutes ago, Weeklydcc said:

Kat is gorgeous and has got the DCC style down pat (which wasn't true at first).  I commend her for working hard and improving.  A lot of people dislike her, but I don't get why.  It's like every year someone has to be public enemy number one.  Cassie, Victoria, Marissa, Kat.  I can't wait to see who it is next year.

Well in fairness Kat has not been my fave since she auditioned but I don't put her in the same category as Cassie or Victoria. For me, their being public enemies stems from nepotism and blatant disregard for DCC standards... 

[Weeklydcc]

51 minutes ago, TB12 said:

Well in fairness Kat has not been my fave since she auditioned but I don't put her in the same category as Cassie or Victoria. For me, their being public enemies stems from nepotism and blatant disregard for DCC standards... 

I know.  It's not the reason as much as the need for public enemies.

[LilyD]

1 hour ago, Weeklydcc said:

Kat is gorgeous and has got the DCC style down pat (which wasn't true at first).  I commend her for working hard and improving.  A lot of people dislike her, but I don't get why. 

I started writing but then figured the best answer to your question has already been given by Bellissima08:

22 hours ago, Bellisima08 said:

Personally I am very unimpressed with how she conducts herself in the talking head segments where she seems to overcompensate on the excitement by repeating words multiple times in an increasingly higher pitch or  by overemphasizing certain words. It reminds me of infomercial salespeople who act like they've downed 7 red bulls and yell "do you want a deal?" at the camera multiple times in a row. When Kat starts talking, she's barely said 3 words and I'm like "girl, chill!" To me, that doesn't scream "conducts herself well with the media."

 I would like to add “think before you speak” which is not a Kat quality either. 
Don’t get me wrong, I like Kat for her bubbly personality and showmanship. But she does get on my nerves occasionally with her communication ‘skills’. So great dancer, fun person but definitely not an ambassador/singled out representative…

[PomPomPom]

23 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

Rachel is so consistent and really never takes a bad photo. 

She is beautiful, a great technical dancer but her power pom is weak. She is not strong enough for point. She will never be a strong point.

[Nelliephant]

9 hours ago, PomPomPom said:

She is beautiful, a great technical dancer but her power pom is weak. She is not strong enough for point. She will never be a strong point.

I was surprised they kept a double point. Neither Maddie nor Amy were really strong enough for point, but I would say Gina is strong enough for a solo point. I wonder if they thought Gina wasn't "HD" enough so added Rachel too? (I'm not saying Gina isn't pretty, she is, she just has the same thing I do, when she's at a low weight her face starts to look a little gaunt).

Do you think they'll ever go back to having just 1 point?

[PomPomPom]

1 hour ago, Nelliephant said:

I was surprised they kept a double point. Neither Maddie nor Amy were really strong enough for point, but I would say Gina is strong enough for a solo point. I wonder if they thought Gina wasn't "HD" enough so added Rachel too? (I'm not saying Gina isn't pretty, she is, she just has the same thing I do, when she's at a low weight her face starts to look a little gaunt).

Do you think they'll ever go back to having just 1 point?

I think we are stuck with a double point at least until Rachel retires. She is not strong enough to be a single point and I don't think TPTB would insult her by stepping her down. Gina is rocking point this year, finally where she deserves to be. I've nothing against Rachel, I think she is a beautiful lady and a great technical dancer just not point material.

[dccfan204]

I think they will continue sharing point forever. LACEY SHOULD HAVE SHARED POINT 

[DCC-UK]

If there were ever going to do a shared point, I think they should've rotated between Holly, Jacie and Emma. All three of them were worthy of being point!

[PomPomPom]

24 minutes ago, DCC-UK said:

If there were ever going to do a shared point, I think they should've rotated between Holly, Jacie and Emma. All three of them were worthy of being point!

I seem to remember that in the days when DCC changed their game day routines regularly they used to rotate a number of ladies at the point of the triangle.

[dccfan204]

On 11/2/2021 at 2:21 PM, dccfan204 said:

I can't figure out why Darian made showgroup over Dani and Elli

Who is the strongest dancer?

LIKE for Darian

USEFUL for Dani

SURPRISE for Elli

 

[UnicornKicksBack]

I love double point allows more girls to be featured. First point opens but is up there for like 20 seconds. Second point gets more time, but also comes in second. 

[dccfan204]

1 hour ago, UnicornKicksBack said:

I love double point allows more girls to be featured. First point opens but is up there for like 20 seconds. Second point gets more time, but also comes in second. 

Is Gina or Rachel first?

Edited November 4, 2021 by dccfan204

[go4luca]

2 minutes ago, dccfan204 said:

Is Gina or Rachel first?

Gina.  But I wish she had the meatier 2nd point position.

[UnicornKicksBack]

7 minutes ago, dccfan204 said:

Is Gina or Rachel first?

I think Gina has more pop for the wow factor at first, Rachel good for the slower part to photograph.

[go4luca]

7 minutes ago, UnicornKicksBack said:

I think Gina has more pop for the wow factor at first, Rachel good for the slower part to photograph.

I understand why you feel this way and not to offend Rachel's follower's as she is beautiful but she does bore me.  I hope @LaurenBrook will forgive me.  Will show myself out the side door now.

[kalibean]

The Maddie/Amy thing shouldn't have been a thing...Gina/Lexie would have made a ton more sense.  Both Maddie and Amy were great cheerleaders, just didn't have the pop and sizzle.  Well, Heather.  I would have liked to see Heather in the mix too.

[dccfan204]

14 minutes ago, kalibean said:

The Maddie/Amy thing shouldn't have been a thing...Gina/Lexie would have made a ton more sense.  Both Maddie and Amy were great cheerleaders, just didn't have the pop and sizzle.  Well, Heather.  I would have liked to see Heather in the mix too.

Bridget/Heather!

[LilyD]

1 hour ago, UnicornKicksBack said:

I think Gina has more pop for the wow factor at first, Rachel good for the slower part to photograph.

It's interesting that you say this. When Amy and Maddie shared point it was said that Maddie got the second bit as it required the power and pop Amy lacked. And if you look at the choreo, it's the second bit that has the faster and sharper moves, not the first bit. 

I have never been a Maddie fan but I never understood why in her second year as point Maddie was moved to first point and Rachel to second. Rachel has as much pop as Amy. Maddie outdanced them both in this specific aspect. Rachel photographs well but she's more graceful than powerful in her moves. Gina should have had that bit. She would have been amazing there.

Edited November 4, 2021 by LilyD

[kalibean]

I’m going all in with unpopular opinions today, but Lacey would have been a better point option than Maddie, Amy or Rachel. And I don’t think Lacey would have been a good point. She’s beautiful and has gorgeous kicks, but was always a bit too fluid in her movement. Rachel has issues with this sometimes too, tho I think she’s a solid dancer all around. 

[Dr. Donna]

On 11/2/2021 at 4:26 PM, PomPomPom said:

Did anyone else notice that the 5 non top 36 shown at Ep07 post show group judges discussion included Lea and Christina? Find that difficult to swallow based on what I've seen in previous episodes.

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.

[Holly85]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CV3SC9AsrEj/?utm_medium=copy_link
 

a clip of makeovers 

[DCCFan2021]

1 hour ago, Holly85 said:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CV3SC9AsrEj/?utm_medium=copy_link
 

a clip of makeovers 

They "selected" specific girls for makeovers this year. At least to my knowledge, they've never done that before. Subtle way of saying these are the girls that don't have the DCC look without actually saying it on camera.

I also found it interesting that all the girls with long blonde hair weren't chosen - Madeline, Tori, Ashlinn, Kleine, etc. And yes, three of those four went through makeovers within the last two years, but that's never stopped them before. Might just be a weird coincidence, but I definitely noticed it.

[Holly85]

3 minutes ago, DCCFan2021 said:

They "selected" specific girls for makeovers this year. At least to my knowledge, they've never done that before. Subtle way of saying these are the girls that don't have the DCC look without actually saying it on camera.

I also found it interesting that all the girls with long blonde hair weren't chosen - Madeline, Tori, Ashlinn, Kleine, etc. And yes, three of those four went through makeovers within the last two years, but that's never stopped them before. Might just be a weird coincidence, but I definitely noticed it.

I noticed she said 9 but I only saw 8 on the clip so who is the 9th lady 

[RhiRhi]

1 hour ago, Holly85 said:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CV3SC9AsrEj/?utm_medium=copy_link
 

a clip of makeovers 

I’m glad they didn’t use a Tangerine stylist for Kelee’s hair and brought in a specialist in AA hair. 

[Weeklydcc]

New look boots for Sunday's game.

https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2021/11/04/the-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-will-continue-saluting-service-members-with-new-boots-this-sunday/