‘I Make No Excuses’ (Exclusive)

“It’s a very visible organization with very elite dancers,” the DCC director and star of “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” tells PEOPLE

After 16 seasons of Making the team on CMT, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team up with Netflix and Cheer executive producer Greg Whiteley for a new docuseries focused more on what’s involved in being a member of the crew than just being cut.

Dubbed America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersthe unfiltered seven-part series chronicles the 2023-2024 season in which director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell brought cameras into the world of DCC through another round of tryouts, training camps and showcasing their infamous jump splits at NFL games.

“With Greg Whiteley and the new direction, the whole show has new access and you learn things about the cheerleaders that even we didn’t know as their coaches,” Finglass, who is also a former member of the squad, tells PEOPLE of his departure from CMT to Netflix. “And it’s beautiful and vulnerable and I think it will be very enlightening for fans. And that was the right place for this kind of story.”

Victoria Kalina, a fourth-year veteran of the squad whose mother was also on the team at one point, added: “The great thing about this new Netflix show is that it won’t be what CMT focused on: it’s making the team, seeing the process and making cuts.”

Related: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders docuseries from Cheer Producers Come to Netflix — Watch the Teaser!

Instead, op American lovers“You get to see the outdoor lives of the spectacular character of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” she continued, with Trammell noting that she “enjoyed seeing them and their personal lives.”

And for Whiteley, exploring those stories, especially as they relate to people in their early to mid-twenties, and asking bigger life questions, like, “What do I want to do?” – was the ‘perfect fodder for our kind of documentary films’.

As viewers get to see and learn about the lives of the women who make up the crew – from newcomers like Reese Weaver Allman to veteran members including Kelcey Watterberg and Kalina – and the many ups and downs they go through to The cameras are part of the DCC and also record some of the requirements that the team places on its cheerleaders.

During the trial process, the newcomers receive a hair and makeup makeover, in a moment reminiscent of the days of America’s next top model – but luckily there are far fewer tears here. And later, a height restriction is discussed after a hopeful’s stature is deemed too small. There is even a long manual of ‘rules to follow’, with expectations about appearance and behavior, both on and off the field.

Most notably, when it comes to DCC’s iconic uniforms, it’s revealed that the women are fitted early and have to maintain that size and fit for the rest of the season.

“You don’t get a new uniform. Once you’re fit for that uniform, that size is the size you get. You can’t go up again. When you go up, they say, ‘Why is that?’ Doesn’t this suit you?’ ‘, an experienced team member explains in the docuseries.

“It’s very form-fitting and it’s definitely not one-size-fits-all,” Finglass admits as the newcomers try on the outfits for the first time. And because “the uniform is literally part of the audition process,” as one veteran member of the squad puts it, “if someone looks like the uniform belongs to them, it can change the trajectory of training camp,” Watterberg tells the camera. .

Noting that the uniform has remained largely unchanged since the DCC first formed in 1972, Whiteley tells PEOPLE that Finglass and the crew “find themselves in an interesting conundrum where you have this incredibly strong global brand based on tradition.”

“If you go into Texas and mention the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, they are loved,” says Whiteley, who is also the series’ director. “You could actually make the argument: you can fire coaches, you can trade players, but you better not do anything about that kit or that standard or that brand.”

When it comes to “a certain physical standard to be on that team,” Whiteley says. “Honestly, the Dallas Cowboys don’t have a monopoly on that. They’re not unique in that regard.”

Related: The History of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Look

And Finglass says, “I make no excuses for our standards.”

“It’s a very visible organization with very elite dancers and the uniform is amazing and beautiful and tailor-made for each individual figure. So that’s my answer. I’m not making any excuses,” she continues.

Kalina adds, “And everyone will have an opinion, whether they love us or they hate us. We just have to be there to witness it, but we have to stay strong.”

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If anything, they hope that what viewers see comes across as real and “very relatable,” says Kalina, while Watterberg tells PEOPLE, “I think the show will also give us a little more humanity.” I think people often put Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on a pedestal, but we’re really only human. We are girls, we are women.

As for Trammell, seeing what happened to the crew members this season reminded us that “sometimes we get so busy and focused on rehearsals that we have to take more time to realize if someone is having a bad day or to make contact with him or her. And I think that’s something we’ll all work on.”

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America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix.

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