Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader director Kelli Finglass is learning to let go of perfection off the field.
The iconic NFL cheering squad was the focus of the 2023 Netflix docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The seven-episode series gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and how squad members balance their personal lives with cheering. The vulnerability and tenacity of the women enchanted viewers, but it also impressed one person in particular: their coach.
“The first time I watched some of season one, I was in tears,” Finglass, 60, said at a May 15 event for the second season of the docuseries, which will premiere on June 18.
For decades, the iconic cheerleaders have wowed fans with their picture-perfect looks and meticulously choreographed dances. Behind it all is senior director and former DCC Kelli Finglass, who was promoted to director in 1991 and shaped the program to be the powerhouse it is.
“I’ve been in the business of flawless. I mean, my whole career has been to present flawless pictures, flawless dances,” Finglass said.
She shouted out the storylines of Reece Weaver-Allman and Anna Kate Sundvold, who were both fan favorites in season 1. The show documented the relationship between Weaver-Allman and her now-husband Will. The series also explored Sundvold’s fear of living in the shadow of her sister Caroline, a DCC vet.
Jason Mendez/Getty
Judy Trammell and Kelli Finglass (center) and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at a Netflix event on May 15, 2025.
“It’s just brilliant to see all these beautiful stories of people that are flawless and, and it was beautiful” she added. “It was beautifully imperfect and I love that it’s changed. It’s really changed my mindset.”
Ahead of season 1’s premiere, Finglass told PEOPLE that “the whole show has new access and you learn things about the cheerleaders that even we didn’t know as their coaches.”
She added at the time, “It’s beautiful and it’s vulnerable and I think it’ll be very insightful for fans. And that was the right place for this type of storytelling to be.”
Season 2 of the docuseries will premiere on June 18 and focus on the Cowboys’ 2024-25 season. Finglass said the show hasn’t just introduced fans to the people behind the iconic cowgirl outfits — it’s also opened up the DCC to a whole new world of talent.
“The applicants now are coming from all over the world. We’re getting them from New York, from California, New Zealand, Australia, just all over the world,” Finglass said. “So the applications are very interesting as a result of the show.”
Read the original article on People
