Hopefuls vying for a place on the Kansas City Chiefs cheer squad brought their A-game during recent tryouts.
And the awe-inspiring auditions for a hotly contested spot representing the team, which has won the Super Bowl thrice in the 2020s, are blowing up on the Chiefs Cheer’s official Instagram.
On May 3, judges welcomed finalists for in-person tryouts at the Chief’s home venue or Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
The preliminary semi-final rounds had been virtual, with contenders submitting tapes for the judges to review.
Chiefs Cheer, the cheer squad for the Kansas City Chiefs, held a final round of tryouts at the football team’s home venue of Arrowhead Stadium recently
The finals saw nearly 70 hopefuls vie for one of 34 spots on the 2024 cheer squad
For the early-round video auditions, contestants had to learn and perform a choreography as well as submit a one-minute original dance solo, the Chiefs website outlined.
The finals took place between Friday and Sunday, with the reveal of who’d made the team dropping on May 7.
First-time contenders, the ‘rookies,’ were also up against those who’d previously made the cheer team, the ‘veterans’ – with the latter still required to compete annually to return to squad.
Selected cheerleaders could either be selected as performers on the ‘field’ or as ‘ambassadors,’ whose purpose is more to mingle and snap pics with fans at the games.
In addition to showing off their physical acumen, finalists were required to sit for interviews and give ‘mock speeches’ to show off their grasp on topics like the history of the Chiefs and their general knowledge of football, according to the Kansas City Star.
Clips of the in-person auditions captured a slew of peppy, energized young women, donning bedazzled athletic short-shorts and matching sports bras, with impeccably toned abs on full display.
Executing the intricate choreography, the hopefuls all wore their hair down, their carefully styled locks swooshing dramatically through the air in graceful arcs trailing their movements.
This, plus full faces of makeup, made for an ultra-glam spectacle of top-tier talent – with the extravaganza captivating denizens of the ‘gram.
The contenders cheered each other on during solo floor routines
Everyone wore their hair down, along with full faces of makeup, while performing the difficult routines in front of the judges
Selected cheerleaders could either be selected as performers on the ‘field’ or as ‘ambassadors,’ whose purpose is more to mingle and snap pics with fans at the games
Finalists were also required to sit for interviews and give ‘mock speeches’ to show off their grasp the history of the Chiefs and football in general
‘We’re looking for people that are genuine, that are just great humans’ as well as ‘talented performers,’ senior director of entertainment teams Stephanie Judah shared
Nearly 70 finalists were culled from untold numbers of video submissions
During solo routines, other contestants could be heard shouting words of encouragement and cheering as the performer of the moment carried out her movements.
Endearing behind-the-scenes interviews saw contestants answering prompts like ‘If you could be in any music video, past or present, which would it be?’
Answers ranged from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, to Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, Justin Bieber’s Beauty and the Beast, and Snoop’s Drop it Like its Hot – as well as ‘Britney with the snake,’ or ‘anything with Justin Timberlake.’
Another prompt asked: ‘What’s the best dance-related advice you’ve ever received?’
‘I think mine is to just be yourself, and just own it even if you mess up,’ one brunette with shoulder-length ringlets donning a Chiefs sweatshirt offered up.
‘My favorite advice is, when you have butterflies, you just got to put your butterflies in formation,’ Grace, a blond-bobbed ‘field veteran’ who made it back on the 2024 team, shared.
Just under 70 people appeared to audition in the finals.
‘We’re building what we believe is going to be the best cheer squad in the NFL,’ Tavia Hunt, wife of billionaire Chiefs’ owner Clark Hunt, said.
Last week, Chiefs Cheer unveiled the 34 women who had made it on the team.
As senior director of entertainment teams Stephanie Judah put it: ‘We’re looking for people that are genuine, that are just great humans. And then on top of that, are just these talented performers. They’re dynamic, they’re fun, they’re engaging. It’s hard to narrow it down. But I always just say, they should sparkle.’
She added, ‘This year is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen… Watch out, Chiefs kingdom. Cause this group is going to be one of the best we’ve ever had.
‘And how special is that? Coming off back to back Superbowls. And what a great way to kick off a new season.’
