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One of our favourite reality shows of 2024, Netflix documentary America’s Sweethearts, is coming back for its second season this week and it’s reminding us of a few pertinent questions that came to our minds last year. The series has put NFL cheerleading — and specifically, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders — on a global stage, so it’s only natural that all the way here in Australia, we have… questions.
Like, how much do the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders earn? Where are our favourites from season one now? What scandals have plagued the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in the past? And where can we watch season two of the show?
Last year, we were on the edge of our seats as we watched to find out which rookie and veteran candidates would score a spot on the coveted 36-person squad. But at the conclusion of America’s Sweethearts — and the end of the 2023 NFL season — we also saw the retirement of some of the show’s key cast members from the troupe.
Many of the women retiring that year, including star performer Kelcey Wetterberg, were 5th year veterans. In fact, it seemed to be an unspoken rule that, after five years, dancers would be forced to leave the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team. So how strict is this rule? And are there any other requirements about how long you can be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader for? We investigate below.
Can You Be A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader For More Than Five Years?
As it turns out, while five years might be the most common tenure for a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, cheerleaders can keep auditioning beyond their fifth year — and many have. According to the official DCC website, sisters VonCeil and Vanessa Baker hold the record for the longest tenure, with eight years on the team each, starting in the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders inaugural year of 1972.
So while the women are subject to some pretty intense rules, how long they can be on the squad, or an age limit, is not one of them.
Why Do Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Retire?
These days, it’s more common for women to step away from cheer after five years due to physical limitations, as recent retiree (and America’s Sweethearts star) Kat Puryear explained on TikTok.
“It’s not because of the pay,” she said. “I think mainly everyone’s different, right? So, I left because my hips are absolutely shattered, babe. I can’t even walk up the stairs properly, alright? That’s just me. Also, I was on the team for four years, I was personality galore, and by my fourth year, I knew I had accomplished everything I wanted to do. I was leader, I was on show group, I was doing all the things you want to do on DCC. My hips couldn’t take anymore, I was like, ‘wow I feel fulfilled, I feel good,’ so after four years I’m kinda like I’m good, I’m done, I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to do in my twenties. Let me go ahead and get up outta here for the next girl to come in.”
She added that five years is “kinda just the max that we allow ourselves because we can’t keep going on forever and ever. But it’s kinda like an unwritten rule for ourselves.”
Of course, some do leave sooner. Victoria Kalina, who was on the first season of the show, decided to leave after four years as it was becoming clearer to her that she was no longer performing at her peak level.
One physical ailment that was spoken about extensively during the show was the hip issues Puryear mentioned in her TikTok. Due to the high impact nature of the sport, and in particular, the iconic split landing that finished the DCC ‘Thunderstruck’ routine, many of the cheerleaders are destined for hip replacement or reconstruction surgery from a pretty young age.
The new season of America’s Sweethearts is available to stream on Netflix as of June 18, so prepare the snacks, because once you start binging it, you won’t want to stop.
The post How Long Can You Actually Be A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader For? appeared first on ELLE.
