S12.E13: The Pre-Season Test

[Mardo2044]

Just now, RazzleberryPie said:

ABove and BEYond = Abbey 

OK, Thanks Razzleberrypie.  Very cute!

[Mardo2044]

On 10/27/2017 at 8:59 AM, LaurenBrook said:

Liked the squad announcement...it caught me off guard which is hard to do after all these years LOL  Lexie's face was so great, when they showed how she figured out what was going on right before the others. 

I know I thought the reveal was really fun this season.  And Kelli seemed to really enjoy it too.

[MyFavShows]

Keyra doesn't have the build of a DCC at all - she's short, her legs are very thick and gymnast-like and on top of it all she's kind of heavy for her height.  Her hair is also a mess in ways I really can't explain why - I am white and don't know all the details of how black hair is made to look nice versus not, but clearly the other black DCC over the years know/knew how to do their hair much better than Keyra does - her hair looks very fake and heavy and just not what a DCC's hair should look like regardless of race.  Her face and personality are cute, and she seems like a decent dancer, but I still don't think she should have made the squad.

Rachel is also way too thick/heavy and shouldn't have made it either.  It's bad enough when they look the other way when it comes to vets (Selina still looked thick), but letting a too heavy rookie make the squad?

I just really get annoyed after watching this show for all these years and seeing so many girls who were great in all ways except for one (figure, weight, kicks) get cut, and then here they go letting girls make it this year who are way worse when it comes to that shortfall make it.

If it were up to me there would have been a 32 person squad and Keyra, Christina, Selina and Rachel wouldn't have made it.   Of course, now they would be down to only 31 w/ the Alexandra news so maybe its best I didn't make the decision ;).

[missmansfield]

On 10/26/2017 at 9:17 PM, ReneeK said:

Keyra's reaction to Judy's critique about "shimmying" more was a little over the top/borderline sassy attitude.  I bet she's so sick of being called out.

It was a kind of "Screw you Judy"!

[tinabee1967]

I am surprised she got away with that. 

[ByTor]

Just now, tinabee1967 said:

I am surprised she got away with that. 

Me too, which is why I don't get "cute personality" vibes from her at all.

[missmansfield]

I hate to say it but in the scene in the last part of the show that shows the girls laughing about the jump split makes me laugh.  It shouldn't be funny but it is.

Edited October 28, 2017 by missmansfield
Added more

[ByTor]

1 hour ago, missmansfield said:

I hate to say it but in the scene in the last part of the show that shows the girls laughing about the jump split makes me laugh.  It shouldn't be funny but it is.

When Kelli yelled "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" I had to laugh, I got that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach like I got when the nuns would yell at me :)

[lkxydhfinl ghsdv]

On 10/27/2017 at 8:51 AM, tinabee1967 said:

I thought Keyra had a sense of humor about it, but it could have easily been misinterpreted for being a wiseass.

Kashara deserves her moments in the sun. She is great. :) And, I am happy to see Christina made it after all of those times she auditioned. She genuinely seems like a very sweet person, but I think she is going to be a "one and done".

I am bummed about Alexandria, but have to give her mad props for putting family first. 

That's how I see it.  She comes across as "I can't believe you corrected ME!!!"  Not just this instance; I've noticed it a couple of times before.   She seems sweet and is cute, but that's the vibe I get.

[radishcake]

 Guys, this is a place to post about the show, not your opinions about posters. It’s not a fan site, anyone can say what they think and they shouldn’t be attacked. If you don’t like a post ignore the poster. 

[woodscommaelle]

I wish they did one of their hip hop routines at the Meet thing. Those are always my favorite.

[RazzleberryPie]

4 hours ago, Mardo2044 said:

OK, Thanks Razzleberrypie.  Very cute!

It is! I didn’t get it until kelli explained, and then did a forehead smack. I’m helping with a church league cheer team (Jesus take the wheel, they’re 8-10 years old but I never cheered) this winter, and I think we need an Abbey, too. Not sure if it will be a bear though. Depends on whatever they call their team. 

[Lunacat]

5 hours ago, tinabee1967 said:

I love Brooke and the Schramminator too, because they do not take themselves seriously. 

Anybody else think she has parents with REALLY high expectations? She mentioned hating telling her folks she would not be going to Canton. Jenna should have given thought to that before making stupid choices. Too late for that, now.

I don’t think her parents would have cared that she wasn’t going to canton, it was the *why* she wasn’t going that was disappointing to them. 

[cherryblossom]

Razzleberry Pie what about Caring Cat or Magnificent Cat or Determined Dog etc!

[BCrabby]

20 hours ago, Mardo2044 said:

I know I thought the reveal was really fun this season.  And Kelli seemed to really enjoy it too.

Lexie seems so sweet and genuine.  Beautiful girl.  Glad we got to see a little more of her!  Wish we had gotten to know a couple of the others who seemed overlooked.  Too much of some...not enough of others. 

[Jesslyn]

2 hours ago, BCrabby said:

Lexie seems so sweet and genuine.  Beautiful girl.  Glad we got to see a little more of her!  Wish we had gotten to know a couple of the others who seemed overlooked.  Too much of some...not enough of others. 

I don’t remember an intro for Miranda or Alexis, but maybe it was just a quick and short intro. both Alexandria and Kalyssa had lengthy initial intros and it was strange and unnecessary to have second intros.  There was definitely a big disparity in time for getting to know each TCC....way too much for at least three or four of them, and very little of about four of them. I don’t get the impression girls say they don’t want to be featured at all on the show... I just think they have their favorites to feature, and they also show the strugglers to show how diffficult it can be to make the squad. 

[Dallasgirl2004]

This season has been the hardest to watch.  I felt like it was so ridiculous and the focus had shifted too much from the girls.  It's gotten too Hollywood and commercialized. 

I don't like Anthony Ramos.  Yeah he asks decent questions but he has no ties to the dance world.  I would love to never see him on the show again.  

I found all of the rookie candidates, sans Christina, annoying and forgettable.  They all look exactly alike, wear the same bad lip color and matte foundation.  I just really felt like I didn't care about any of them and usually I'm excited to see if any of them make it.  I didn't really see anyone tjat was a real standout. 

I loved seeing more content with the vets on the show.  

I would love to see group practices or nights when Kelli and Judy aren't there and the girls are just working technique and stuff without the fear of it being a cut night.

If love for them to do a contest of some kind where fans, like us, can come and watch a field practice one evening at the star.  

The only thing that bothers me about Kashara is her accent.  I think it's annoying.

Honestly, I wish the show would go back to how it was the first 4 or 5 seasons without it being so scripted and full of silly content, like the lessons on how to eat or fashion shows.  

[WaterSpirit]

I am very interested to know how often Judy and Kelli are at rehearsals. I wish they would give credit to the people who are there every night working with the TCC and Vets on technique and dances. This is the first year I got the hint they are not there at every practice ( K and J) Naïve on my part, but I was disappointed to get the hint it's not even that frequent, or the time investment is not even 50%. Boo! Halloween Boo actually.

Yes, Keyra sure came across as more aggressive than passive in her shimmy response. I was thinking, well she should be in the office for that one. Nothing. Seemed super rude.

Ramos does not bother me...he seems like he is a cheerleader for the girls, but Neil, is just there to say who has "male appeal" and then he was all for the very masculine looking candidate in finals. Had me raising my brow...and too much weight placed on his opinion. in my opinion :)

[sATL]

1 hour ago, Dallasgirl2004 said:

I love for them to do a contest of some kind where fans, like us, can come and watch a field practice one evening at the star.  

 

I thought about that idea when K&J was overly worried about the TCC looked like while doing the "star" formation - someone in the back row came up to early from a bow- something like that. Another move was when a group was running from the field to the sideline - someone didn't come up to the white line.

So, if I was fan, or even someone rooting for the visiting team, who paid b/w $184 - $1,123 for a pair of tickets ( link ) , how concerned would I be what the DCC is or is not doing? What does the audience want to see? what mistakes do they notice? what tricks/skills do they appreciate - other than the kickline? what songs get them riled up? are the looking at the half-time show or at the bathroom/concession stand?

I'm not saying the dancers should do "whatever" and not be a team but some of the little details/miscues might not been seen by someone who is there to watch the game. the last dallas game I saw on tv (I don't live in dallas) , when the play went towards the cheerleaders - the cameras got kinda blurry - I couldn't tell who was who. which is a little different than a college game.

Edited October 29, 2017 by sATL

[laprin]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:50 PM, MrsEVH said:

 http://www.dallascowboys.com/cheerleaders_squad_2017

The typo is fixed as of now.  Also no bio for Alexandria but she's in the squad photo (which can't be changed.) 

Man, Selina looks heavy in that pic. Her face looks very full. I don’t think the squad pic does some of the girls justice. 

[MrsEVH]

I wonder why Melissa Rycroft wasn't on that much.  Especially at the end when the girls dance at their first game. Maybe she had other commitments.

[LynneH]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 2:53 PM, MrsEVH said:

That could be too. I noticed Kelsey did not get called out for anything this TC;  just the little office chat at the beginning and no bacon comments.

Probably why Emily Claire (season 7?) made it.  She wasn't that great of a dancer but Kelli said she had "male appeal".

I guess it's safe to say we're NEVER going to get an explanation about Erica.  Just tweeted Kelli and Judy to see if they'd answer back.

I agree.  Kelsey may have "meh" dance skills as far as Judy is concerned, but not only does she bring to the table what Charlotte likes, the calendar good looks (which is why Meagan Flaherty was brought back to TC so often), but she also is very personable to people and works well with "guest appearances" such as the Veteran Hospital visit. 

[Jazzhands]

2 hours ago, sATL said:

I thought about that idea when K&J was overly worried about the TCC looked like while doing the "star" formation - someone in the back row came up to early from a bow- something like that. Another move was when a group was running from the field to the sideline - someone didn't come up to the white line.

So, if I was fan, or even someone rooting for the visiting team, who paid b/w $184 - $1,123 for a pair of tickets ( link ) , how concerned would I be what the DCC is or is not doing? What does the audience want to see? what mistakes do they notice? what tricks/skills do they appreciate - other than the kickline? what songs get them riled up? are the looking at the half-time show or at the bathroom/concession stand?

I'm not saying the dancers should do "whatever" and not be a team but some of the little details/miscues might not been seen by someone who is there to watch the game. the last dallas game I saw on tv (I don't live in dallas) , when the play went towards the cheerleaders - the cameras got kinda blurry - I couldn't tell who was who. which is a little different than a college game.

I know Kelli and Judy can really seem to nitpick the little details — and I agree this year’s team seems weaker overall than past squads — but I just saw a feature on Yahoo including a slideshow of NFL cheerleaders in action this week, and the difference is startling.  It’s the attention to detail that means you’re unlikely to ever see a photo of the DCC like this:

[tinabee1967]

2 hours ago, laprin said:

Man, Selina looks heavy in that pic. Her face looks very full. I don’t think the squad pic does some of the girls justice. 

A good majority of the girls do not look good in those head shots. I noticed that right off. Poor Elizabeth looks like Pinocchio.

Edited October 30, 2017 by tinabee1967

[WaterSpirit]

Love idea of fans being able to watch practice, or have Kelli and Judy be part of fan Q and A, ....."From the Director's Chair'

and show about the technical trainers that don't get credit for their work...Kitty's extended role with the DCC, it's more than they show I believe?

oh, and in reference to the pic above of another team of cheerleaders, I was watching some other NFL teams on You Tube. and DCC has them all beat. There is even a promo somewhere that I saw a few weeks back with a team who has a kick line, and they have no problem showing someone kicking when everyone has their feet on the ground. That clip was deemed fine to use to bring new cheerleaders to their team. Wow. standards people! Makes me really appreciate DCC and Kelly and Judy and everyone else that makes it happen.

[PBSLover]

On 10/27/2017 at 9:38 AM, Jess14 said:

 I can see why they would want Lacey to raise the issue with Gina herself, but to expect to be updated about it is just odd to me. But again, the DCC is a different world.

If there is a problem with a training camp candidate, Kelli and Judy need to be told right away.  I get that.  They are judging these girls on everything. If a TCC’s personality is toxic, they need to get rid of the “weeds so the flowers can grow.”  Ha!

On 10/27/2017 at 10:42 AM, DFWGina said:

At one point during last night's show, they put the camera on a blonde rookie that I do not think I had ever seen before.  HA!  I do not follow closely enough to know all the names -- obviously I remember which one is Gina and my favorite is Lauren.  And I know the others that are featured heavily but this gal I had not heard her have one correction, one distinct moment.  LOL

That happened to me one year.  They showed a bunch of girls after training camp was announced, and they showed a girl I couldn’t recognize. I suppose it was just a bad shot of someone but I reversed the scene over and over and still couldn’t figure out who it was.

[EvergreenLove]

7 hours ago, Dallasgirl2004 said:

This season has been the hardest to watch.  I felt like it was so ridiculous and the focus had shifted too much from the girls.  It's gotten too Hollywood and commercialized. 

I don't like Anthony Ramos.  Yeah he asks decent questions but he has no ties to the dance world.  I would love to never see him on the show again.  

I found all of the rookie candidates, sans Christina, annoying and forgettable.  They all look exactly alike, wear the same bad lip color and matte foundation.  I just really felt like I didn't care about any of them and usually I'm excited to see if any of them make it.  I didn't really see anyone tjat was a real standout. 

I loved seeing more content with the vets on the show.  

I would love to see group practices or nights when Kelli and Judy aren't there and the girls are just working technique and stuff without the fear of it being a cut night.

If love for them to do a contest of some kind where fans, like us, can come and watch a field practice one evening at the star.  

The only thing that bothers me about Kashara is her accent.  I think it's annoying.

Honestly, I wish the show would go back to how it was the first 4 or 5 seasons without it being so scripted and full of silly content, like the lessons on how to eat or fashion shows.  

All of this!! I loved the segment in Season 3 where the rookies were working with Megan Fox or Season 4’s jump split clinic. It would be SO awesome to have more of those segments and less of this season’s useless practices with useless D-list celebrities making useless comments.

[NMDD43]

8 hours ago, Dallasgirl2004 said:

I would love to see group practices or nights when Kelli and Judy aren't there and the girls are just working technique and stuff without the fear of it being a cut night.

 

 

6 hours ago, WaterSpirit said:

I wish they would give credit to the people who are there every night working with the TCC and Vets on technique and dances

 

Double yes!! 

@ShellyB maybe another suggestion to pass along? 

[ShellyB]

13 minutes ago, NMDD43 said:

 

 

Double yes!! 

@ShellyB maybe another suggestion to pass along? 

It truly is K & J. Naturally, they need breaks so, I’m there or Shelly McCaslin to cover. The summer is crazy with the shooting schedule...sometimes 6-7 hours a night. K & J are there during they day doing other filming or the regular work day meetings. Non-film nights are usually the nights they take off...usually one of the other, sometimes both of them. Once filming has wrapped, depending on game schedule, it’s usually Judy. 

[PBSLover]

On 10/27/2017 at 2:43 PM, bigskygirl said:

I think Judy and especially Kelli are trying to prove there are "good" girls on the team since the Jenna/Holly/Erica drama came to play. She did say the girls should be proud of being women of character and a good role models for little girls in the last episode. *rolling eyes* I am sure the girls who are willing to kiss their behinds and follow the rules to the letter will be on the good side of Judy, Kelli and Charlotte. The ironic thing is there has been girls in the past who broke the rules over and over again, but they are not punished or cut. In otherwords, get on the good side of Judy and especially Kelli and Charlotte (be a snitch , willing to take the punishment, and kiss up until there is no tomorrow.)

I agree with this.  I also loved that KaShara discussed the Cowboys team when she was interviewed in one of the interviews posted on the Media page. Yes, she discussed the squad but also spoke about boys, which shows she is paying attention to everything.

[Lexusprincess]

I just looked at some of the girl's individual pages on the websites.  They need to fire the intern or whoever is doing this.  Milan and Stephanie have some of the exact same answers.  I know Stephanie is from Milwaukee and danced for the Bucks but Milan does not look old enough.  There's one answer were both of them are torpedoing a fan with a teeshirt.  Milan does not look old enough to have been a Bucks dancer for 3 years.  Good grief.  World class...............there are more mistakes.  They updated Selina is a two year vet but her answers to the questions are not updated.  

On a different note, does anyone know who has been point for all the seasons.........I can name a few but was curious.

[ByTor]

5 hours ago, ShellyB said:

I’m there or Shelly McCaslin to cover.

Is she the woman who teaches kicks?  I was watching an older season where she was shown, and I thought her critiques were so useful...and she seemed so nice, like she genuinely hated to say anything negative about any of the candidates.

[LadyMsJay]

Just now, ByTor said:

Is she the woman who teaches kicks?  I was watching an older season where she was shown, and I thought her critiques were so useful...and she seemed so nice, like she genuinely hated to say anything negative about any of the candidates.

She is.

[AAEBoiler]

Said it before ... they post the "big team reveal" on their Twitter feed and we're halfway through the season (plus 5 weeks of pre-season)?!?C'mon, sync the show up with the football season! I wish they'd start including some in-season material too!

[LadyMsJay]

56 minutes ago, AAEBoiler said:

Said it before ... they post the "big team reveal" on their Twitter feed and we're halfway through the season (plus 5 weeks of pre-season)?!?C'mon, sync the show up with the football season! I wish they'd start including some in-season material too!

Again, I don't think that's at all possible unless they start to air the show along with the tryout process..and that doesn't give them much time to edit.

[Collette1104]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:26 AM, NMDD43 said:

You make a good point. I can't recall another veteran cheerleader who's been featured as heavily as KaShara has this season. Maybe she told Kelly and Judy she's retiring early on so they decided to feature her a lot? Maybe the CMT producers really liked her so it was their decision? Or maybe because of all the Holly/Jenna/Erica drama, they had to heavily showcase something positive to counter all the negative. Maybe they asked Kelli who would be a good person to showcase in a positive light and she chose KaShara? Or maybe her parents are big donors to the Cowboys organization? Just seems so random how some girls are not shown at all and then others are shown excessively. 

The reality is that even though we know who all 40 girls are, and want to see more of ALL of them, when making a TV show, you really have to focus on just a few.  There are even a few in TC that I was like 'ummmm who the hell is that?!?!' (I'm looking at you Alexis AND Lexie, I just had to google to remember these girls names).  The point story is an interesting one, and an easy one to tie through the whole season.  There are ways to get a few more faces in the show without confusing everyone (at least "everyone" not on this forum!) but they obviously decided to try out an overarching thread this season.  If you ask me, if you aren't able/willing to dish the dirt and make a "real" reality show (with all the good AND the bad) then they should skip trying to bring drama that ends up having no resolution.

[Collette1104]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:42 PM, DFWGina said:

At one point during last night's show, they put the camera on a blonde rookie that I do not think I had ever seen before.  HA!  I do not follow closely enough to know all the names -- obviously I remember which one is Gina and my favorite is Lauren.  And I know the others that are featured heavily but this gal I had not heard her have one correction, one distinct moment.  LOL

This was probably Lexie.  I had a similar WHO IS THIS?!! moment when they were in the cycling class a few episodes ago!!!

[Collette1104]

2 hours ago, AAEBoiler said:

Said it before ... they post the "big team reveal" on their Twitter feed and we're halfway through the season (plus 5 weeks of pre-season)?!?C'mon, sync the show up with the football season! I wish they'd start including some in-season material too!

Impossible.  Shows take a minimum of 6 weeks to edit.  Ideally 8 for an hour, but this one is pretty formulaic. 6 is a baaaare minimum.   Training camp is only 8 weeks.

[AAEBoiler]

Hogwash!  For years, HBO has been doing "Hard Knocks" which follows a single NFL team through its preseason leading up to opening week of the season. Their 1-hour episodes (with no commercials) usually air on Tuesday or Wednesday nights which includes footage from the previous week's pre-season game. It can be done but I'm sure CMT doesn't want to spend the $$$.

[LadyMsJay]

48 minutes ago, AAEBoiler said:

Hogwash!  For years, HBO has been doing "Hard Knocks" which follows a single NFL team through its preseason leading up to opening week of the season. Their 1-hour episodes (with no commercials) usually air on Tuesday or Wednesday nights which includes footage from the previous week's pre-season game. It can be done but I'm sure CMT doesn't want to spend the $$$.

I'm sure the process isn't identical. There are other priorities, schedules, things to consider in post that may have to be adjusted based on the outcome of the season (e.g. Erica's departure). 

[WaterSpirit]

I am still waiting to see if the Organization wants to correct the spelling for the word ALCOHOL...

 

I kid you not, check the contract that was shown to Holly...on a freeze frame. Not good at all. A legal contract SHOULD have correct spelling, For Crying in the Night!

[SSAHotchner]

On 10/27/2017 at 4:27 AM, Mardo2044 said:

Yes! I agree!  I did notice she was the center of the photo.

Yeah, but it's like they threw her a bone. I just don't get why they don't make more of her. Too much attention paid to Jenna this season considering we've learned she's been breaking the rules for over a year now. Lacey deserves to be recognized for being all they say they want these ladies to embody. 

[ReneeK]

2 hours ago, WaterSpirit said:

I am still waiting to see if the Organization wants to correct the spelling for the word ALCOHOL...

 

I kid you not, check the contract that was shown to Holly...on a freeze frame. Not good at all. A legal contract SHOULD have correct spelling, For Crying in the Night!

Bwahahahaaa!!!!!  Hard to take a contract seriously with typos.  I mean, why not just run spell check?

[hannahbanana]

2 hours ago, WaterSpirit said:

I am still waiting to see if the Organization wants to correct the spelling for the word ALCOHOL...

 

I kid you not, check the contract that was shown to Holly...on a freeze frame. Not good at all. A legal contract SHOULD have correct spelling, For Crying in the Night!

Apparently, the same person who does the website types the contracts. ?

[LadyMsJay]

14 hours ago, WaterSpirit said:

I am still waiting to see if the Organization wants to correct the spelling for the word ALCOHOL...

 

I kid you not, check the contract that was shown to Holly...on a freeze frame. Not good at all. A legal contract SHOULD have correct spelling, For Crying in the Night!

Yeah some people peeped that a while back and posted photos of it a couple of weeks ago. Clearly they need a proofreader.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

24 minutes ago, LadyMsJay said:

Yeah some people peeped that a while back and posted photos of it a couple of weeks ago. Clearly they need a proofreader.

Or someone who knows that the red squiggly line under a word means that it's misspelled! Any word processing program does that. Hell, the forum software does that here. I'm 99.999999% sure that those contracts weren't done on an old fashioned typewriter so whoever typed it (as well as whoever reviewed it) just ignored that red squiggly line.

[Mabinogia]

My only guess could be maybe they didn't want the actual contract on screen so this was a prop contract and the prop master got sloppy? I'm trying here, because OMG having a typo on a legal document is forking embarrassing man.

[LadyMsJay]

29 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Or someone who knows that the red squiggly line under a word means that it's misspelled! Any word processing program does that. Hell, the forum software does that here. I'm 99.999999% sure that those contracts weren't done on an old fashioned typewriter so whoever typed it (as well as whoever reviewed it) just ignored that red squiggly line.

OR they ought to modify the settings in the processing program they're using to identify words in ALL CAPS as misspelled because they don't automatically put the red squiggly line under a misspelled word in ALL CAPS. A proofreader would have helped.

2 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

My only guess could be maybe they didn't want the actual contract on screen so this was a prop contract and the prop master got sloppy? I'm trying here, because OMG having a typo on a legal document is forking embarrassing man.

LOL no I'm pretty sure that's the actual contract.

[Mabinogia]

13 minutes ago, LadyMsJay said:

LOL no I'm pretty sure that's the actual contract.

Don't shatter my illusions that this organization has at least some sense of professionalism! DAMN!

[Jess14]

24 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

My only guess could be maybe they didn't want the actual contract on screen so this was a prop contract and the prop master got sloppy? I'm trying here, because OMG having a typo on a legal document is forking embarrassing man.

This was my guess as well. The contract may well be confidential, and if so, they may not want the actual text on screen. It’s just hard for me to believe that such an obvious misspelled word would make it into a contract. The DCCs are embarrassingly sloppy when it comes to grammar and spelling given all of the typos on the website, but I imagine that lawyers drafted the contract, either in house or outside counsel and would (should) have caught an error like that.