‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Season 2 review: The price is worth making the team

Making the team can be the sweetest dream for some, but it’ll be hell getting there. The prospective candidates on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 know this firsthand. The captivating docuseries returned to follow the next audition year for sports’ most famous cheerleaders.

From the highs of making the team to the lows of low pay, this second season captures the same magic. However, a few sparkles fell off the sequined stars this time around.

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 is at its most powerful through the audition process. While it’s not a reality competition show per se, the narrative hinges on who will make the team. The auditions, the routines, the critiques, and ultimately, the cuts that hit like a ton of bricks. America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 gets us emotionally invested in the dreams of these performers who fight so hard throughout the audition process. And in turn, we’re gripped to our seats whenever Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell debate what might help or hinder someone from making the team.

Return of the rookies.

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For example, the return of Kelly V. and Charly from the first season. It was so heartbreaking when the cuts broke apart their rookie dreams, separating them from joining the team with fellow rookie Reece. Having them return for another audition cycle gave us so much hope that they’d make it happen this time. I liked how America’s Sweethearts emphasized how much they learned and grew since the time off. Their return wasn’t guaranteed, but their journeys promised the potential for a happy reveal.

The same goes for the return of past candidates Dayton and Ava. Any references to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team on CMT help to flesh out this world because of its significance to the show. America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys is a spiritual successor to the CMT show, and many past auditionees come back to complete their journeys (both in good and bad ways). Dayton and Ava are perfect examples of this. Dayton’s constant pressure to please her mom (who is a past Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader) and find inner confidence anchored the auditions with an emotional heart. That pain, as well as Ava’s maturity redemption, were easy plots that anyone could relate to.

In addition to the rookies, the returning vets ground the series with compassion and reality. Whereas the rookies have that wide-eyed pressure to make the team, the vets know exactly what it means to live it. The first season did a great job of exposing the highs and lows of being a DCC, but the second season grew on this by doubling down on how real the situation was. It’s not all sparkles and rhinestones behind the pom poms.

Sharing the spotlight.

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I loved that America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders focused on both new and returning narrators to guide the show. We had 1-year vet Reece bridging the gap between rookies and vet, but we also had group leaders Jada and Chandi take on a stronger presence. Both played in the background during the first season, so it was great to learn more about their lives and what drove them as DCCs. Specifically, Chandi’s journey through Season 2 will have you rooting for her happy ending; one that is with and without being a DCC. Her confessionals and plot turns spotlighted how real life can be, regardless of all the added pressures of being a group leader.

Speaking of the plot, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 felt more serious compared to the first season. The real-life issues exposed in the previous year became the key focus here. The low pay, which has been a hot-button topic since the series premiere, took center stage as the DCCs rallied for change. Shockingly, many of the performers had to have upwards of four jobs to pay the bills! Thankfully, the women received a 400% pay increase; this will most likely change the stress levels in years to come.

The dark side of cheer.

But the biggest mystery that needs answering: who recorded the call and shared it with management? And can we all agree that Amanda was totally blacklisted and made the scapegoat for rallying the women to discuss the pay? Something seemed very off in her meetings with Kelli and Judy, almost as if the tension got too much. Based on the best guess, it couldn’t have been Amanda, Jada, Armani, or Megan. It wouldn’t have benefited them as they led the charge and tried rallying the other women – it had to be someone else on the squad who had done it.

The other mystery that will rack our brains is the fallout from the group trip. Why did Chandi bring the man back to the room? And why did KayDianna abandon her friend? The quitting scandal was brushed over so quickly, almost as if the show didn’t want to highlight something serious that happened behind the scenes. The subtle editing tricks alluded to for us to fill in the blanks, but there seemed to be a larger story going on than what was presented. Which, unfortunately, exposed an issue that came up this time around.

Making the editing cuts.

There are 36 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who will make the squad. Naturally, not every contestant can be focused on due to the limited screentime available during the season. And with only seven episodes, time is limited! Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts felt very rushed. Many of the characters who were spotlighted in the first season barely made an appearance. While those who were more prominent characters, their screentime varied drastically. Some, like Jada, Chandi, and several rookies, were given the lion’s share, while others got a scene or two. Plus, there are members on DCC whom we barely know anything about!

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders should really be 8-10 episodes instead of 7. The audition phase lasts about 5-6 episodes. By the time the team is finalized, there’s only a short window to see their lives post-auditions. Extra episodes would offer time to explore other plots that came up during the sports year and their effect on everyone. And the extra screen time expands on plots that were rushed without any build-up and grounding.

For instance, why wasn’t there footage of KayDianna getting suspended and quitting the squad? How were last year’s rookies adjusting after their first year? How about the team dynamics between the groups or the members we don’t see often? There is so much potential to learn more if even one more episode were added to the mix. Instead, we were left with open-ended questions that never got a satisfying resolution.

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 roared in like thunder. Season 2 brought all the competition glitz and game day energy that we’ve come to love from the Netflix docuseries. We’ve rooted for our favorites, felt the emotional weight of the squad, and experienced the reality of being a DCC. If only the pacing and editing could do the footage justice, the second season could’ve matched the same fun as the first season. But even with that fumble, you’ll still score a touchdown for having a good time.

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix.

Images courtesy of Netflix.

Justin Carreiro

Justin is a fun-loving geek living in downtown Toronto, Canada. He’s an avid TV buff, movie fan, and gamer. He’s written for publications like Entertainment Weekly’s The Community, Virgin, TV Fanatic, FANDOM, The Young Folks, and his blog, City Boy Geekiness.