NEED TO KNOW

• Courtney Johnson reflected on her experience trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over a decade ago in a recent video shared on social media
• The content creator explained the unexpected reason why getting cut from the team positively impacted her career to date
• Johnson, who appeared on CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, answered her followers’ burning questions about the DCC audition process in her comment section

That’s the spirit!

Courtney Johnson opened up on social media about her past experience trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over a decade ago, explaining why getting cut from the team unexpectedly led to a positive outcome in her career.

Now a multi-hyphenated content creator, Johnson — who boasts nearly half a million followers across Instagram and TikTok — chose to share her story online following the release of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts season 2.

Prior to Netflix’s latest show about the DCC, the famed NFL cheer squad was documented in a different television series, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which aired on CMT from September 2006 to November 2021, and Johnson was on it.

“My most insane lore is that I was on America’s Sweethearts, before it was called America’s Sweethearts,” she began her video, which she posted on both Instagram and TikTok.

Johnson, who said she was around 18 or 19 years old when the series was filmed, noted that several old clips of herself on the show are resurfacing online in light of Netflix’s recent release. Now, her followers are asking her to share her perspective, having previously auditioned herself.

“I don’t have tea,” she said in the clip, contrary to what her viewers were hoping to hear. “My experience was really, really positive. Even though I didn’t make the team, it was like the biggest dream I had since I was little girl. I made it all the way to the top 36, met amazing people.”

Optimistic about her experience, Johnson considered her DCC audition her “first foray” into having “big goals” and “manifesting.”

She also raved about DCC key figures, director Kelli Finglass and head choreographer Judy Trammell, both of whom still work with the team today.

“Kelli and Judy were such incredible mentors… It honestly was a really supportive, loving environment. It kind of felt like the Amazing Race where you’re all in it together as a team,” she shared, noting that she’s “still friends” with the other girls whom she met through the process.

Johnson also credited “reality TV” for shaping the professional she’s become today.

“It really helped my career,” she said in the video. “I learned how to be in front of the camera. I learned how to do storytelling and talk and media.”

Overall, Johnson called her DCC audition process a “really great experience” and “such an amazing time” in her life. “That’s the tea, is that there’s really no tea,” she concluded.

The social media personality, who has since built a large platform online for sharing job tips and other career advice, got candid in her comment section and answered questions asked by her followers.

“Really respect this video. A lot of hate comes for DCC, but look, they don’t understand DCC is a BUSINESS and a JOB! There are rules, expectations, standards, and they are not afraid to let you know you have to live up to them or you’ll be gone,” wrote one user.

Johnson replied, “Yee 1000%. It’s also a modeling / acting / casting type job where there are look standards just like every other job you’re casted for. The hate is silly.”

“This is such a random question but i’ve always wondered, where did the camera crew go when the girls needed their private time to change??” asked another user.

The content creator answered, “In a different room.”

“Were you paid to be on the show even though you didn’t make the team?” questioned a third.

Johnson replied, “Yes but like $8/ hr or something.”

“Did you get a bruise when Kelly did the Kelly knot at your uniform fitting,” joked a fourth commenter.

The influencer confirmed, “No I didnt haha.”

Since the release of America’s Sweethearts on Netflix, several Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have used their online platforms to give viewers a further look at their lives behind the scenes, sharing insight that wasn’t necessarily highlighted on the series.

Abby Summers of the DCC went viral on TikTok when she revealed that she has to fluff her own pom poms for games, and demonstrated the intricate — and lengthy — process in a video shared on Monday, June 30.

In the clip, Summers — who joined the DCC as a member of the 2024 rookie class — explained, “You just keep repeating this process of tying in different directions until it gets fluffy.”

Another squad member of the DCC, Ava Lahey, went viral on TikTok for showing the intensive process of cleaning their iconic blue-and-white uniform for game day.

“I start by removing all of my velcro stars. Yes, they’re on with Velcro. That typically shocks people,” she said while pulling off several from her belted micro shorts, adding, “And we can also remove the big belt buckle.”

Lahey then grabbed her stain spray, which she uses to remove dirt from the field or self-tanner that might’ve rubbed off onto the uniform. She sprayed a few pumps onto her white vest and began to scrub… with a toothbrush!

The cheerleader explained how she uses the toothbrush to scrub out all of the stains from the garments before she puts them in the washing machine — star applicants and all!

Read the original article on People