Now that you’re done binge-watching season 3 of Bridgerton, you might notice that there’s another show blowing up on Netflix.

It’s called America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and it follows the audition process and training of the 2023 Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

The team is directed by Kelli Finglass, who has been leading the team for decades. But this isn’t the first time Kelli and her team have been on reality TV. Kelli also starred in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which ran on CMT in the early 2000s until a few years ago.

But who is Kelli Finglass and what’s her background? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is the current director of the DCC?

Kelli Finglass is the current director of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and it’s a role that she’s held for 34 years. Kelli became the director when she was just 27 and “established standards and protocols that would become the benchmark not just for her team, but for the entire industry,” according to her LinkedIn bio.

Kelli’s longtime choreographer is Judy Trammell, who also stars in the docuseries. Both Kelli and Judy were once Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

Is Kelli still the director of the DCC?

Yup! Kelli is still the director of the DCC. Meaning, if you watched Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, it’s still the same person in charge. That show ended in 2022 and Kelli shared in a statement to Texas Monthly at the time that the show was in negotiations to continue on a “new platform.”

If you’ve seen America’s Sweethearts, you’ll notice that it’s incredibly similar to Making the Team—just with a little more information on the women’s personal lives.

When was Kelli Finglass a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?

Kelli touched on this in the first episode, but she was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader back in the 1980s. She started with the Cowboys in 1984 and became the first cheerleader in history who was automatically selected back for a fifth season without having to audition, according to her CMT bio.

After she was finished with her cheerleading career, Kelli was hired as assistant director to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. In 1991, she was promoted to director. During her time as a director, Kelli has turned the team into a lucrative organization.

Kelli’s been criticized for the way she talks about cheerleader’s bodies.

Kelli has gotten heat in the past for criticizing the bodies of her cheerleaders on reality TV, but she told E! that she and her choreographer, Judy Trammell have “really have moved away” from talking about the women’s bodies.

“Each cheerleader has a custom-made uniform for her shape and they are hand-tailored,” she said. “And outside of just trying to make that uniform fit and have the best, most beautiful lines, we don’t talk about weight or things like that.”

Kelli also said that talking about weight with the cheerleaders wasn’t “effective” anyway. “The girls are all very, very good with their own nutrition, their own personal workouts,” she said. “We have a gym adjacent to our dance studio that has everything they can do for working out, and nutritionists and mental health experts available to them. So I try to let their own personal habits stay, and we try to provide resources and educate them, and we leave it at that. And I think we’re better for that.”

Kelli told People that she doesn’t “make excuses for our standards,” adding, “it is a highly visible organization with very elite dancers and the uniform is amazing and beautiful and custom-tailored to each individual figure… I’m not making any excuses.”

Who is the DCC’s head cheerleader?

DCC doesn’t necessarily have a head cheerleader. However, there are several group leaders, according to the DCC website. Those include:

• Kelcey Wetterberg
• McKenzie Hughston
• Claire Wolford
• Chandi Dayle

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