Review: Netflix's Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders doc is wild but you can't stop watching

** SPOILERS AHEAD**

Netflix never fails with their sports documentaries but their latest about the Dallas Cowboy Cowboys Cheerleaders is sure to have you hooked and raising your eyebrows at points.

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The show, titled America's Sweethearts, is an addictive watch and follows the 2023 cheer team from being hopefuls trying out for the team to performing at games and deciding whether to commit for another year.

Right from the off it's made clear that getting a spot on the cheer roster is no easy feat, with many of the talented women moving states and hitting pause on their lives to achieve their dream of being one of the final 36 to become a DCC. But while this determination is admirable, there are also moments when you're left wondering if it's healthy, especially in 2024.

America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Soon into the first episode, the tone is set that becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader is an honour and the process to becoming one is enough to push even the strongest to their limits.

The women have to apply online and those who make it through this round are invited to dance tryouts. A handful who make the cut then get to come to training camp and learn the routines before the final 36 are announced.

That sounds simple enough but the process is gruelling. Not only are the women judged on everything from their dance skills to appearance (with the judges not holding back), they're pushed to the limits physically.

Kelcey and Reece in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Choreographer Judy Trammell and director Kelli Finglass are in charge of picking who makes the final 36 alongside DCC owner Charlotte Jones and the cheerleaders seem to be in a constant state of respect-meets-fear (the constant 'yes ma'am' is grating).

Over the episodes, they're seen inspecting the hopefuls and admitting that it 'does come down to typecasting' in the end. That might be the hard truth but it feels rather jarring to hear someone say it in 2024.

Reece in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Another jaw-on-the-floor moment comes when they say that one of the girls 'looks too scrawny' and that they 'hope the [famous blue and white] uniform fattens her up.' Then there's the one-liner about 'we call this girl tiny hiney, she's no booty.' Speechless.

So much of the show is focused on how the girls look, they even spend a day at a salon for makeovers before the final 36 are announced with one girl who has been blonde for years having her hair dyed. She is asked if she minds changing her hair but does she really have a choice when her dream hangs on being what the team is looking for?

America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Another of the girls focused on in the show, Charley, is taught how to do her makeup with Judy and Kelli often going back and forth over whether the red-haired beauty "fits" the vibe of the team. Eventually, she's cut and sent home crying.

Body image is a major issue that arises from the show and Victoria, a fourth-year veteran of the team, shows how bad the situation can get. She admits that she puts the pressure on herself but your heart breaks for her after seeing flashback scenes to another reality show about the team she starred in as a teenager. She didn't make the cut at 18 and is seen with mascara flowing down her face. It sent her into a spiral which saw her lose weight and then spark concern online about how thin she was.

Victoria ended up taking a year out from the team and returning in 2023 for her fourth season. She's seen in America's Sweethearts zooming in on videos of herself cheering on the field with her mum Tina, herself a past DCC, telling her she's too critical.

Victoria and Tina Kalina in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

This surely isn't helped by the fact that the cheerleaders don't get new uniforms throughout their season. Their tiny hotpants are sized to their bodies when they audition and they have to maintain that size.

In fairness, Judy and Kelli do tell the cheerleaders several times that they have to be 'fuelling' themselves well but with such a demanding schedule on the girls each day, with many working full-time jobs as nurses, dentists, marketers before coming to practice in the evenings, you do wonder when they have the time to do so.

Kelcey in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Another major point of contention that has come out of the show is the cheerleaders' pay or rather lack of it. One of the girls says she's probably earning the same as a Chick-fil-A worker. They seem happy enough working in the evenings and weekends as cheerleaders for little money but viewers of the show have shared their outrage online about it.

Considering the amount of time the women commit to the team, how much money and publicity they bring to the Dallas Cowboys football team, and even more importantly the huge stress on their bodies (past cheerleader Caroline, whose younger sister Anna Kate makes the team in 2023, is seen recovering from hip surgery in the doc) you'd think they'd be well paid.

Reece in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Team owner Charlotte addresses the pay issue in the documentary series telling the cameras: 'They're not paid a lot. But the facts are that they actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them.

'There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance to get to perform at an elite level. It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves.' An interesting take... and one that hasn't gone down well since the show aired.

America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Pic: Netflix

Perhaps the fact that cheerleading isn't really a thing, or at least not to the levels seen in America, on this side of the world means that America's Sweethearts is an intense watch as we just don't get the cultural meaning of what it is to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader but in 2024 hearing women judging other women's bodies so blatantly is jarring viewing.

The show is an engaging watch but raises more questions than answers. No matter where you fall in opinion on the show, you won't be able to tear your eyes away.

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