User reviews

It seems like a lot of viewers missed the point of this. It's as if some of you thought you were rating DCC directly. If you found the music tense instead of bright, it's because it's supposed to be. If you found the way the cheerleaders are spoken to in a toxic manner, you were supposed to. If you were disappointed this wasn't about hard working dancers loving their low pay part time job because it's "tradition" and was instead about toxic workplaces, impossible beauty standards, and the exploitation of women's bodies, you're a part of the problem. The DC as an organization has the money to pay these women a reasonable salary a hundred times over. At the VERY least bodyguards. Lastly the constant Jesus talk was meant to highlight how and why it's so easy to take advantage of a group of young women.

I think the show did a really good job at capturing the process and the experience of the girls and the management. Personally, I found it fascinating. I'd be happy to watch them make the 2024 season all over again.

I felt sad and moved, even stressed!, for the majority of it - but ultimately it was a fair display of the business and industry. Show biz isn't a pretty biz. Sports is a money making machine and ultimately that's the goal.

Only a few girls are really picked to be the focus - which makes sense in terms of time and storytelling but I feel like we only got glimpses of the personalities on the team.

It shows the hard work, determination, ethics, passion, brutality, stress, commitment, etc.

The question does remain - how do these girls endure so much stress, over work, deterioration of the body. Severe physical and mental health- for so little money/payoff?

I guess I'll never truly understand the sisterhood and community (to the point that's it's their personality and identity) that their life revolves around.

My favorite documentaries are the ones that don't need to explain everything for you and just show you things as they are, letting you form your own opinion. "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" on Netflix does precisely that, peeling back the glittery facade to reveal a world teeming with misogyny, toxicity, and emotionless aliens in human form. We witness super talented women being worked to the bone, paid next to nothing, and yet being told this is a "privilege" and a "job." The stark contrast between the glamorous image and the harsh reality is jarring, and will leave you cringing and in awe at the exploitation masked as opportunity (ESPECIALLY if you're a feminist).

This documentary is both heartbreaking and infuriating, a bittersweet yet important watch. It touches on subjects of mental health, depression, toxic environments, generational trauma, eating disorders, and even suicide. The treatment of these women is a devastating reflection of the broader societal issues at play. "America's Sweethearts" doesn't just entertain; it forces a necessary conversation about the costs of maintaining a facade of perfection at the expense of human well-being.

$25k a year to sell your soul and body to a billionaire. Maybe that's what Hollywood has always been too. Being cut for being too short, or smiling the wrong way, or not having the '"it factor". Hollywood. Hip replacement at 25 years old? All for the honour and joy of being part of a sisterhood. But for $25k a year? Netflix owns the global franchise for sports and entertainment exposes and this one is as good as Drive to Survive in its own way. Utterly compelling. The steely inhumanity of The Owner is probably normal for corporate America, But is it acceptable? Slave labour in todays world isn't right.....

Very interesting to see some sort of cult like group, that work incredibly hard to fight for a spot in a cheerleading team. Most of them dedicate their talent to God and Jesus instead of them working incredibly hard.

It's interesting to see American cheerleading culture to its finest. You have to look a certain way, act a certain way and put on (fake) smiles to be able to join this elite group, where you purposely injure your hips, back, feet, etc. They do this to please the coaches/judges, because they can be thrown out of the group whenever the coaches think it's time. Sometimes they don't even give a reason, but just because they like someone else a little bit more.

I respect their hard work and dedication, but it saddens me that these girls are ruining their body and self esteem for validation and (hopefully getting) minimum wage, sometimes less. They are being judged on everything, including: losing or gaining weight, feeling sad or less energetic, nervous or not limber enough.

It is filmed well and is an emotional rollercoaster.

Fascinating look at the "DCC", as they call themselves! Tradition, history, passion, values, sisterhood are the focus. But, the real standout is the absolute athleticism and skill that these young ladies have, along with intelligence, poise, and beauty. They 100% sign up to be scrutinized, evaluated, judged, and ultimately given an opportunity to showcase their talents and join what seems to be a sorority of many generations of GCC. The backstories of some GCC are featured, along with the directors of the organization. I like the "real" scenes - hair up in curlers, no makeup, no filters. These young women, like the rest of us, have insecurities, fears, love and loss. They attend church and pray. Ultimately, whether you're a cheerleading or football fan or not, you will find yourself rooting for them! Here's to a Season 2!

I thought this documentary drama series was interesting to see the inside of this iconic organization. A lot of people are going to scream sexism blah blah blah but there is certainly a tradition here that is highly respected. The ladies work so hard to make the team. My biggest appalling moment was finding out this is more of a hobby instead of a full time paying job. Also the physical toll that cheerleading is on the body. There's definitely a "type" to this space, and I'm definitely not one of them, but I gained so much respect for these ladies after seeing their dedication and commitment and heart into becoming a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader.

This 7 part doco is a well funded story that looks good and does well. It has all the structure, flesh and hallmarks of what that old pamphlet "How to make a documentary for Netflix", required.

Thing is though - if this is what America is all about, then geez! We're doomed.

It would have been good if the producers could have shown some of the love and community that apparently they are famous for, but No. It was absent.

Not without content though - In the last reunion episode we had a lady that was an original 70 model, currently battling and surviving from ovarian cancer.

Would have been good to see how the DCC came together and supported this sister.

But no, there is no footage or record of that,...because it didn't and doesn't happen.

America and it's values take centre stage here. We're screwed.

I was so sad when they cut the CMT show "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team" a year or two ago. Honestly, I like this better. It was a much more comprehensive view of the organization, the cheerleaders, their lives on the team and outside of it, as well as how it's all changed over the years. Yes, they absolutely should be paid more. However they make the decision to tryout and stay on the team knowing how it is because they love the experience and the team. That's made very clear in the episodes. I really hope Netflix brings this back another season!! Definitely worth the watch, I recommend it for anyone who likes the original show.

This right here is why everything in our society needs to change, art is extremely undervalued and is always compressed down to cheap theatrics when in reality there is so much potential in all of these young women, this cycle of objectification is so endlessly toxic and the girls keep asking for more because they dont know any better.

I appreciated the camera work and how well it was crafted but it just shed such a dark light on these outdated practice , turning women into object of sexualization in order to make easy bucks while these girls are horribly underpaid for their overwhelming artistic talent.

Not only that but it shows how in the end whats missing in society is places where people work together and get that sense of camadery, which is probably what all of these girls are after in the end, they just want to feel like they belong, like we all do, because we live in a society where everyone is in his corner trying to make ends meet and a lot of people later in life lose that sense of cohesion with society.

Meant by those involved to paint the organization in a positive light, I felt this series highlighted the misogyny, the exploitation, and the objectification of these women. Paid a repugnantly small salary, these women devote their time and destroy their bodies to be part of something that is frankly beneath them. Many of them are highly educated, most of them have had years and years of formal dance training. Surely they can do better than this. But as one of the veterans said, they had "drank the Gatorade". Eye-opening for those of us unfamiliar with the franchise and worth watching as it exemplifies one of the ways in which the patriarchy is still alive and well, and how some women are perpetuating it.

I started watching this show because I thought it would be inspiring to see athletes (similar to Cheer) compete and perform and train (in dance) to be their best selves. Once I began watching I was immediately turned off to hear how litttle these women are paid for their time, dedication and efforts. As someone who grew up dancing I know how difficult it is to find a career in dance and this show proves that these women are truly not valued. They give their blood sweat and tears to this team (after having to work their real jobs during the day) just to receive so little compensation to be on one of the most famous cheer teams in the world. I was appalled.

Then there was more.... They analyze every part of their bodies, don't want them to be fit (just skinny), bring them up then tear them down. Cut 2 brown girls first (more specifically one was so entrancing to watch and had the most beautiful fit body - of course that wasn't why they said they cut her buuuttt I'm just making my own assumptions).

Anyway I get that these women need to look good in the costumes. But it's 2024- time for some different (still fit still thin) body types. Athletes, bootys, boobs, short hair..... they exist and people like them. These old women with old views should retire. Makes me sad to see.

I will not lie to y'all, the first time I started watching this I didn't make it through the first episode and almost didn't pick it up again. But I am really glad I did and then I proceeded to binge this show in two days. I really loved this deep dive into the DCC, their sisterhood, and the girls behind the cheerleaders. But from a European perspective this was also incredibly American to watch! The amount of religion and belief is time and time again surprising to me, and just some people- I don't even have words for them. But still, a nice emotional and insightful documentary about the joys and pains of being a DCC and very worth a watch.

I expected this to be a snooze fest - I've seen clips for Making the Squad and had zero interest. That said, the producers knocked it out of the park with this one. The end result is a layered and finely drawn portrait of - gasp! - strong, driven women working tirelessly toward their goals, pursuing their passion, and lifting each other up (rather than tearing each other apart).

The series does a great job showing the varied backgrounds and personalities of these young women and, in some cases, their families. We also get to see Kelli and Judy and get a glimpse of their trajectory with the organization - theirs truly feels like a labor of love. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

A note: I would love to see DCC pay these women a living wage. It would also be nice to see them leave the split landing for the Thanksgiving game only, or just take it out altogether.

User critics act like these girls are slaves and have no choice. As if they are forced to do these cheers and participate in this process. Is it crazy and cultish? Yeah sure. But these girls chose it. Not only that but they are glad they've done it, even amidst all the crap they go through. Should we not take their word for it? Are they liars?

Okay, now the review.

Overall a fairly good documentary. The narrative is compelling in the first few episodes. Each girl fighting for one of the coveted thirty-six positions. The culture has a lot of cult in it. I say it partially in jest but it is bizarre how obsessive these girls are to get into DCC. Thats part of what makes this series interesting. The sisterhood is the bright spot amidst the cutthroat nature of the process. Without it this would just seem like a tragedy. The series is a little long. They could have shaven off three episodes easily. After the Final Cut it just slows way down. The editing was weird in parts, scenes going on longer than they should, or just including scenes that add nothing. Some of the background music choices were bleh, but these days it's to be expected. Not a mind blowing documentary, but not trash either. A solid six.

8.0 stars.

I don't binge through documentaries very often, but I watched this in two days. The similar ones, although totally different, NFL documentaries like "Hard Knocks" and "Quarterback" are male oriented (obviously) but for some reason they aren't nearly as interesting. I can't pin it down, but this cheerleader documentary blows them away, at least for me. It's not about ogling pretty women, not at all. Looking at these girls, they are worn out and stressed all the time. There is hardly anything attractive about those aspects of the show. We get to witness the grittiness of their experiences and interactions. What I find interesting is that this seems to capture the reality of it all, as if they just figured out how to capture it right. I bet you anything they will change the format and delivery for next season and for me it will be a major downer, but somehow so many people will come out of the woodwork and say, "season two is so much better", and all I can say to those future reviewers is that I disagree, season one is perfection.

The few things I didn't like so much are they focused on too few women and didn't share the camera with a few more. I would have liked to have seen ten girls' experiences instead of 5 or 6. They focused on a couple women exclusively for at least half of the show and that wasn't the best decision, however the show is still tremendous. Just add a few more ladies next season, please.

2 older women running these young girls into the ground. Making them count to 8 for hours and hours. The Cowboy organization needs to streamline and modernize this " cheerleader " concept. It's ridiculous to put them through such a grueling exercises to become a " cheerleader." It's cheerleading not Carnegie hall. The 2 older women feel powerful and I can see they enjoy putting these young women through this and having the power to choose who gets the coveted blue and white uniform. It's hideous!! Seriously this comment is too short! I have to include more characters just to post this Really!!