All of the Rules and Guidelines Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Must Follow

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are a legacy institution in the world of NFL cheerleading, and there are certain expectations for how potential athletes must behave if they want to join the ranks.

The DCC’s talent — under Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell’s direction — has captivated public interest since 2006 during the inaugural run of CMT’s Making the Team series. Nearly two years after the reality series ended in 2021, a Netflix docuseries, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, followed the newest squad during the duration of the 2023-2024 season.

America’s Sweethearts introduced viewers to the latest team, including Victoria Kalina, a fourth-year legacy vet who failed to make the roster on Making the Team.

“I feel like my experience with CMT [brought up] PTSD [of] being called into the office so many times. I was like, ‘[deep breaths] … This is gonna be questionable,’” Victoria exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2024. “We didn’t really know exactly what route they were gonna take and what the story line was gonna be. If it was gonna be like CMT where it was very drama [focused].”

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Victoria later made the team in 2019, going on to cheer for the DCC three more years after a brief hiatus for mental health treatment. On America’s Sweethearts, she got candid about following the team’s high standards year after year.

Kelli, meanwhile, is unapologetic about making specific rules for DCC dancers, telling People in June 2024, “I don’t make excuses for our standards. “It is a highly visible organization with very elite dancers and the uniform is amazing and beautiful and custom-tailored to each individual figure.”

Keep scrolling for a comprehensive breakdown of the guidelines that all DCC hopefuls and members of the team must follow:

What It Takes to Audition

According to an explanation on the DCC website, all prospective dancers must be at least 18 years old at the time of the first of three audition rounds. At each in-person round, recruits are given uniforms to wear as they perform live for a group of judges, including Kelli and Judy. The judges specifically look at a dancer’s technique, high kicks, splits, showmanship, personal appearance, energy, enthusiasm, poise, figure and personality.

Once recruits make it through successive rounds, there are a minimum of two rehearsals each week.

“Once the season begins, there will be a set schedule of rehearsals,” the DCC website reads. “All rehearsals are scheduled in the evenings; extra weekend rehearsals for Show Group and Rookies. Candidates who do not feel they can attend all rehearsals should don’t can attend all rehearsals should not contemplate being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.”

The audition rounds have remained mostly similar throughout the years.

“We had literally put in our application, and at that time, there wasn’t [a video submission requirement],” four-time vet Jenni Croft, who later appeared on Brad Womack’s season of The Bachelor, said on the “Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast in July 2024. “You could take a class … but there was no prepping for auditions. When we got there, there were 1,500 women standing in a little zigzag line and around Texas Stadium [with] hair done, suitcase mirror in your hand, curling irons ready to go, like, standing in line.”

Jenni added, “You learn the kickline and more choreography, and you do an interview. All kinds of questions, but we also took a 10-page written exam … [on] history of the Dallas Cowboys, history of the NFL, current events, current players, information about the owners [and] stuff like that. But you also had to write the national anthem word-for-word on paper.”

Physical Specifications

The DCCs always are dressed and groomed to the nines, in part due to the squad’s regulations. According to the team website, all performers must be “well-proportioned in dancewear” and follow certain hair and makeup guidance. (Kelli also hosts a makeover day, where she instructs local stylists to tweak recruits’ appearances to better fit her vision for the team.)

In terms of makeup, the DCCs are advised to wear makeup shades that “complement [their] natural beauty.”

“Choose mostly mattes for eye shadows. A little shimmer is OK but avoid a very glittery look,” the website reads. “Also avoid false eyelashes that are very solid or very long, as they can make eyes appear heavy and too dark. Cheek and lip colors should be vibrant neutral tones, avoid shades that are loud/bright. Also avoid too much contrast with contouring and highlighting.”

Girls are also advised that spray tans should be completed “without orange tones” in the same color between face and body because “facial features are ‘lost’ when a spray tan is too dark.’”

With DCCs’ hair, girls are required to wear their locks down in a “current hairstyle that compliments [their] features.”

“Make sure your hair does not hide your face,” the website explainer says, referring trainees to the Dallas-based Tangerine Salon for further instructions.

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Hiding Tattoos

While the DCC powers-that-be won’t reject dancers for tattoos, they must be covered when on the clock.

“Our policy is that even the smallest of tattoos may not be visible in the uniform or in rehearsal attire,” the website reads. “For tattoo coverage, there are many effective products available at stores or online. Additionally, concealer, followed by setting powder, then bronzer to match color, can also be effective.”

Re-Auditioning Each Season

Just because a DCC makes the team one year, doesn’t mean they are guaranteed a spot in successive years. At the end of a season, girls hand in their uniforms and reveal to Finglass and Trammell whether they plan to try out the next year.

On America’s Sweethearts, Victoria confirmed her intentions to audition for a fifth-year slot. She later changed her mind after speaking with Kelli and Judy.

“As a fifth-year going into auditions, I felt like my place on the team was threatened,” Victoria told Us. “As a fifth year — I know leadership is not guaranteed — but you wanna go in like feeling cloud nine [so] you can lead these other teammates.”

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1 Uniform for a Cheerleader’s Entire Career and Body Management

For vets that make the team in back-to-back years, new uniforms aren’t provided every time. As a result, there is a certain standard about their bodies that they are expected to maintain.

“You don’t get a new uniform. Like, once you’re fitted for that uniform, that size is the size that you get,” Victoria said in America’s Sweethearts. “You don’t get to go up. If you go up, they’re like, ‘Why does this not fit you?’”

Barred From Dating Cowboys Athletes

One of the most notable rules for the DCC is that they are prohibited from dating any of the Cowboys football players. On Making the Team, several dancers had been reprimanded by Kelli and Judy for speaking with one of the athletes.

The NFL stars, however, do not have a similar policy in place.

Unspoken: Don’t Get Pregnant During NFL Season

While not a written rule, DCCs know there’s an understanding about getting pregnant during the NFL season.

“I’m not too sure if that’s something that we’ve really thought about,” Reece Weaver, who made the DCC team for the first time in 2023, said on the “Unplanned” podcast in August 2024. “I think, like, that’s just an unspoken thing that we don’t really talk about, but we know that can’t happen ‘cause obviously the uniform is a little revealing.”

That’s not to say that the DCC leadership won’t accept a mother on the team so long as she fits all the other requirements regarding appearance and scheduling.

“Fun fact, there was a DCC [who] did have a daughter,” Reece added. “She was such a go-getter and she was a killer. I was like, ‘Wow, go Mom!’ Like, I want to aspire to be like that. She broke expectations and it’s really cool to see her conquer, like, a stereotype that you kind of [the cheerleaders].”