Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team Episode Rating Graph

A Day at the Stadium

The final rehearsal - to cut or not to cut, that is the question; dreams come true as the squad photo is taken; the ladies hit the field for their first game, but first they must prove the moment isn't too big for them.

With the final full squad announced, Kelli leads the team into the pressures of Game Day, including a first-time ever performance.

The DCC candidates tryout for coveted positions on the elite Show Group. And with five cuts left to make for the top 36, some candidates standout in a bad way.

As 51 rookies and veterans arrive to chase their dreams, the candidates hope to prove their talent with a standout solo performance and take on the kick line in the Judges' Showcase.

Upstaged

Judy teaches the DCC entrance and the candidates must do jump splits for the first time, though not everyone is successful. A rookie rehearsal reveals the weaker candidates.

In the finals audition, the competition really heats up.  Now, surviving candidates must go head-to-head against experienced veteran cheerleaders for a coveted spot in the DCC Training Camp. All trying out are interviewed by judges, have their backgrounds checked and are asked to perform solo dance routines.  Which candidates can handle the stress and “WOW” the judges to prove they are the total package?  Only 45 have what it takes and in a dramatic DCC upset, returning veteran cheerleaders are not invited back to the squad.

Denise DiCharry teaches high level choreography to see who learns quickly. Kelli gets to know the rookie candidates better during uniform fittings. And will an inappropriate post on social media lead to one of the ladies being cut?

Emmy-winning choreographer Tyce Diorio teaches the ladies to bring the magic as he puts them though a tough routine; Evan Miller challenges the DCC's power and musicality.

The 101 remaining hopefuls must master tough choreography, learn the famous DCC kickline and impress judges Melissa Rycroft and Charm La'Donna. Melissa Rycroft and Charm LaDonna are featured.

Kelli and Judy have to make a very tough cut. Show Group performs for the first time this season. Charlotte Jones visits rehearsal to help the squad get to 36.

The candidates are taught techniques to get their kicks even higher. Evan Miller teaches his fast-paced choreography that has Kelli concerned for one of the candidates.

Famed celebrity choreographer Travis Wall arrives and realizes the new candidates are tough competition for the veterans.

The squad goes on an appearance to support pop music star, Demi Lovato. The ladies learn the entrance to the famed pre-game dance. It’s a make or break moment. If a woman can’t learn it quickly it might be her last night.

Melissa Rycroft comes to the first rehearsal to look for showmanship mentoring candidates. Then Brittany Perry-Russell shakes up the candidates with her choreography.

After the most effective makeovers ever, both Kelli and Judy have big announcements.A veteran gives a sudden and emotional farewell.

It’s Finals! The new rookie candidates face off against the re-auditioning veterans.

After an unusual online audition process, the rookie candidates for the 2020 squad move into an isolated training camp bubble amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The candidates audition for show group, an honorary contingent of 18 cheerleaders who represent the DCC on USO tours and TV, in front of guest judge Cheryl Burke.

It’s a make or break moment when the candidates take their cameo photos. The team has some bonding time during a cooking challenge. Someone goes down during rehearsal and a candidate goes home.

With two suspended vets, the team must re-block their formations for their Hall Of Fame performance. New vets step up as a new point of the triangle is named. The rookie candidates try to get their footing during this never seen before rehearsal.

Week nine of training camp intensifies when Kelli and Judy confront Alora-Rose and deliberate squad dismissal decisions one week before the first game of the season.

Celebrity choreographer Charm LaDonna challenges the candidates; the vets arrive and the stakes go up; choreographer Denise Dicharry pushes them out of their comfort zone; and Mickey Guyton and Denise Dicharry arrive to join Charm.

The recruits do media training with NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth lead news anchor Meredith Land, Kelli and Judy name two triangle points, and guest judge Melissa Rycroft sits in.

36 hours after making Training Camp the candidates are thrust into a new level of pressure. Some break down.

To make their final cut, Kelli and her team try to find one hopeful of the remaining 37 who isn't ready to perform at the Cowboys' home opener.

Emmy-award winning choreographer, Travis Wall, comes to rehearsal to shake things up. The physical rigors of training camp begin with the kickline and the fear of the jumpsplits.

With three girls left to cut and the first game around the corner, the pressure is intense as the girls return to the Dallas Cowboys' stadium to take the field for the first time since auditions.

The candidates feel the pressure to look the part as they enter the sixth week of training camp, and Melissa Rycroft and Tina Kalina sit in for Judy and give Kelli some fresh eyes.

The squad is announced and it's bittersweet as some favorites go home. Later, the team makes its first appearance at the Star Ribbon cutting, and game day is when dreams really come true.

23 veterans travel to Canton, Ohio to perform at Jerry Jones’ induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All eyes are watching as the DCC perform for the NFL elite.

Katy Perry’s choreographer, Nick Florez, stops by to offer some performance advice to the ladies. A day that each cheerleader never forgets. The first time they wear the DCC uniform to pose for their cameo photos.

The Rookie candidates must show Kelli & Judy they can learn choreography quickly; the ladies try on the fabric of the DCC; things take an unexpected turn for some; Melissa Rycroft and Evan Miller are featured.

The veterans finally enter the audition process. Now all 83 women are judged head to head during a panel interview, a solo dance performance and on their appearance on the football field as seen and the big screen.

Tensions run high for the 69 new hopefuls as 18 returning DCC veterans join the competition by way of coveted invitations to training camp.

The dancers endure an intense rehearsal schedule as Kelli and Judy prepare for their first regular home game performance, and one hopeful's tardiness creates stress for everyone.

With 55 high-calibre girls making it to finals, the 30 veterans join the audition process and must fight to keep their place on the team; Kitty Carter takes no prisoners as she prepares the girls for their solos.

The candidates find themselves in front of the camera for a crash course in dealing with the media, and the judges from the open call return to give their final say on the official lineup.

With 36 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders hopefuls poised to become America's sweethearts, Kelli and Judy are concerned the team is not ready and more cuts may be needed.

Competition heats up in the final audition as surviving candidates go head-to-head against experienced veteran cheerleaders to secure one of the coveted spots at the DCC Training Camp.

The group of 43 hopefuls celebrate moving on in the selection process and adjust to the physical demands of Training Camp, and DCC Director Kelli Finglass reminds them there will be cuts.

Two weeks into training camp, veteran cheerleaders choose their wardrobe for the swimsuit calendar shoot, rookies audition for a spot in Show Group, and Kelli and Judy make the first cut.

As reality sets in for the remaining candidates, the rookies are fitted for their skimpy DCC uniforms, then they must pass a strict etiquette test and prove they have mastered the kick line.

The rookies don the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform for a modeling shoot, and they have a life-changing experience when they go skydiving with a legendary Army parachute team.

The last rehearsals and the final cuts for the 2007 squad; the ladies pose for their Squad Photo; the squad performs in front of 65,000 fans at Texas Stadium.

There's a buzz of nervous energy and excitement when over 500 hopefuls arrive for the preliminary auditions, each performing a freestyle dance routine to stand out and impress the judges.

In the final audition, the new candidates compete with returning veterans for a spot in training camp, and the hopefuls answer questions from the judges during panel interviews.

Training camp kicks off at Valley Ranch with the candidates learning how they scored with the judges, and Kelli and Judy determine which hopefuls will survive the first week.

Week three of training camp starts with cuts and uniform fittings, where each candidate gets to try on the famous blue and white star-studded outfit.

The rookies are left in the dark about what Kelli and salon director Rainer Schneck have planned for them when they get their dramatic hair and beauty makeovers.

When Kelli gives a former contestant a once-in-a-lifetime second chance to join training camp three weeks late, there is a lot of catching up the hopeful must do to get up to speed.

The notoriously demanding and intimidating Kitty Carter returns to Valley Ranch to teach the candidates a technique class, and the hopefuls tour the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

It's now or never for the remaining training camp candidates as there are only two rehearsals left before final cuts, and Kelli and Judy are forced to make tough decisions.

As training camp winds down, the hopefuls are on their best behavior after Kelli's annual etiquette luncheon, and a tough choreographer pushes the women with new dance techniques.

The women receive DCC-approved makeovers before rehearsing their routines, and Kelli and Judy get to know some of the out-of-state candidates a little better.

Hundreds of hopefuls arrive for preliminary auditions, where less than half will move on after Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Director Kelli Finglass observes their freestyle dance routines.

After brutally honest guest choreographer Kitty Carter puts them through the wringer, the training camp candidates get stunning makeovers, and Kelli and Judy make another heartbreaking cut.

Only a small number of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders hopefuls will be chosen from a crowd of hundreds after performing freestyle dance routines in the preliminary auditions at Texas Stadium.

The mental and physical stress of training camp hits hard, with sudden dropouts, fitness critiques, and the scrutiny of Kelli and Judy weighing heavily on the hopefuls.

Six hundred hopeful candidates arrive at Cowboys Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders preliminary auditions.

Dreams are on the line as the tryouts for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders 2013-2014 squad begin.

Emotions are supercharged as Kelli and Judy make a lot of tough cuts to keep up the quality of the squad.

A veterinary technician chases her dream, Kelli has an uncomfortable conversation about an applicant’s weight, and the women explore their new city.

Only two weeks into training camp, it's time to start making cuts. Uniform Fittings is the first order of business. It's a bittersweet moment when the rookies are measured for their uniforms because they have yet to really earn them. From the famous knotted blue blouse to the belted white shorts, the rookie candidates hope Kelli confirms that they have the DCC "look." Then the group competes in a grueling army fitness test to try and earn the privilege of being on the elite "Power Squad." At that evening's rehearsal the first cuts will be made.

Another week of training camp kicks off with a rehearsal on the field at the Cowboys' home stadium, and the women start to feel the pressure as Kelli and Judy narrow down their final cuts.

The new candidates' eyes are opened when they get a taste of what it is to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. As girls struggle to learn the dances, the reality of being "Big Time" sets in. Melissa Rycroft meets the new ladies for the first time.

On makeover day, the rookie candidates are given a new look with hair and makeup to transform them in the DCC mold.

It's a tense time for all as the candidates prepare for the first and only field rehearsal on the Cowboys' stadium.

The pressure mounts as 54 new candidates compete with 32 returning veterans for a coveted spot in the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders training camp.

With their futures on the line, the camp candidates need to push through their emotions to prove they deserve to be a part of "America's Sweethearts".

The first-year hopefuls get new looks on Rookie Makeover Day, DCC alumni give the candidates feedback, and Cowboys' Head Coach Jason Garrett stops by during a rehearsal.

Hundreds of beautiful and talented women converge on AT&T Stadium to start the hardest audition process in professional sports, trying out for a coveted spot on the most famous NFL cheerleading squad in the world.

Cameos and Show Group auditions push the new girls and vets to their limits. Meanwhile, Melissa Rycroft tries to save a DCC who is hanging by a thread; and a shocking outcome occurs from a Kelli office visit.

Two weeks into training camp, the dancers are tasked with mastering the world famous DCC kick line and jump split as Kelli and Judy prepare to make their first cuts.

Over 600 excited and anxious Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders hopefuls arrive at Texas Stadium for the preliminary auditions.  After performing their freestyle dance routines for the judges, they anxiously await the reveal of who gets to move on ... only 130 make it to the semi-finals.  At semis, they’re taught the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ style of dance, along with the legendary kick line.  Amid tears of joy and disappointment, only 60 girls are called back for the finals, where they’ll compete against the seasoned veterans to earn a spot in the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Training Camp.

Training Camp begins!  The newly elected training camp candidates are excited, even star struck, as they meet the veterans for the first time at Valley Ranch.  At the first team meeting, anxiety ripples through the ranks when DCC director Kelli Finglass announces that a couple of the more seasoned veterans have failed the written test.   Veterans come up short again during the body fat evaluation—some of them have put on weight, while the rookies test lean and mean.  The vets’ experience finally shines through at the first dance rehearsals, while the newbie rookies struggle to learn the choreography.

DCC Technical Director Kitty Carter runs an intense rehearsal while Kelli is out sick, the remaining candidates enjoy a photoshoot, and the groups bond over a bowling night with the veterans.