“I kind of feel like Hannah Montana sometimes”, Madie (18) one off the rookie cheerleaders says describing her alter ego performing with the Dallas Cowboys, compared with her normal self.
I love the different angle that this season provided. It had vulnerability, emotional depth and had more inspiring stories to tell.
This season takes the same template as Season One but differs in some important ways. The recruiters of potential cheerleaders need to rebuild their old team due to many of the veterans leaving. There were 13 open slots and around 500 candidates to choose from.
Kelli Finglass (Senior Director) and Judy Trammel (Head Choreographer) are back and are joined by a larger panel of judges. The first five episodes are the auditioning process, where they whittle down 66 candidates down to 36 cheerleaders who will form the final squad who will perform on match days.
It’s in episode 5 where the show takes a different turn as the surviving veterans and the new girls start talking about their contracts and questioning what they think they are worth compared to what they are being paid now.
This was a fascinating insight into the world of professional sport/entertainment where its one step from being a privileged part of a famous brand to being exploited and then disregarded when you are no longer useful.
This aspect becomes the main topic for a couple of episodes and intertwines nicely with the new recruits learning the ropes at their training camp. You find out that most of these girls are working two jobs and then being DC cheerleader on top of that.
I liked how the girls spoke about their concerns about their pay checks being too small, they even went to Dallas Cowboys to start the conversation and raising their concerns.
There is clarity around this subject matter, but safe to say not to everyone’s satisfaction. The management questioned that perhaps the girls only thought about their pay as viewers became aware of their predicament in first last season and so awareness grew from the exposure. What is clear is that the Dallas Cowboys are a multi-million franchise of which its cheerleaders are a vital part. To ask for a far wage does not seem to be too much to ask for, but I will let you be the judge of that.
Regardless of what you think of cheerleaders they have an amazing work ethic and deserve to be paid accordingly. Their determination and resilience are admirable.
It’s great to see behind the scenes of the girls’ other jobs, their relationships and to listen to their hopes and dreams.
As the football season starts there are little scandals along the way. There is one where the team go to the Bahamas for a bonding trip and one of the girls Chandi looks to set to destroy the balance of the group.
It was great bringing back some of the original cast from last season like Victoria, Kat and Kelcey, who appear in a few scenes.
Throughout the seven episodes it was raw and intimate, especially in episodes 5,6 and 7.
Netflix once again did a brilliant job of capturing the vulnerability, drive and determination of these girls. It’s a raw documentary that goes behind the glitz and glamour of cheerleading to expose exactly what the athletes must endure to get to the top.
I would even say that it is better than the last season and needs a part 3 so you can follow the story of these women that you come to care about.