Plot Synopsis

Hundreds of hopefuls fight to wear the famous blue and white uniforms of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. DCC: MAKING THE TEAM reveals the struggles from try-outs to training camp as girls compete to earn a spot on America's most-loved cheerleading squad.

Season 8, which premiered on Friday, September 6, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT on CMT, featured 500 hopeful candidates arriving for preliminary auditions. Their number is quickly reduced to 146 and then down to 47 ladies who are invited to compete against veteran Cowboys cheerleaders. The new candidates then undergo panel interviews and learn dance routines as they compete against 32 returning veterans. Back to whip the new recruits and seasoned veterans into top performance shape are: Kelli McGonagill Finglass, director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders; Jay Johnson, the no-nonsense fitness trainer; Judy Trammell, the team's choreographer; and former DCC Kitty Carter, the team's technical coach.

CMT aired the Season 9 premiere of DCC: MAKING THE TEAM on Friday, August 8, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT. Ranging in ages from 18-40 -- and hailing from Canada, Japan, Australia and 37 states nationwide -- more than 500 candidates showed up on May 10 for the first day of auditions at the AT&T stadium in Dallas, TX. Following an intense weekend of fierce competition, only 110 survive and move on to semi-finals where they learn the world-famous kick line. From there, 55 make the cut to the finals where they must go toe-to-toe with the 30 veterans. Ultimately, 36 lucky ladies will make the team in the end. Calling the shots and making the cuts are once again longtime DCC director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell. Joining them this season is former DCC and reality star Melissa Rycroft who will serve as a guest judge as well as mentor for the candidates.

DCC: MAKING THE TEAM returned for its eight-episode tenth season on Thursday, August 6, 2015 at 11pm ET/PT on CMT. Longtime director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell have no easy task this year as they are forced to replace 13 veterans from the team. DCC veteran Melissa Rycroft also returns to help with the arduous task of judging and mentoring the new recruits talented enough to make training camp with hopes they make it to the opening game. As former DCC themselves, the uncompromising leaders demand excellence from their training camp candidates and the pressure is fierce with competition including a former member of the USA gymnastics team, a biomedical engineer and a national dance champion. Many of the hopefuls have prepped their entire lives for this one shot to prove they have what it takes to don the world-famous blue and white uniform.

Season 11 of DCC: MAKING THE TEAM premiered on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT. The eleventh season follows a new group of hopefuls who compete to fulfill their lifelong dream of landing a highly coveted spot on the elite Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad. Melissa Rycroft returns to mentor the new recruits, while Kellie Pickler makes a surprise visit to Training Camp to learn some moves and share insight into how she handles being in the spotlight. Fellow Texan and Grammy Award-winner Kacey Musgraves will also stop by to talk to the girls about staying true to themselves, and share her stand-out picks to make the team. This season features a professional Japanese cheerleader who will battle a language barrier, a single mother who wants to prove to her six year old daughter that it's never too late to follow your dreams, as well as several "comeback" girls who finally make it into training camp after years of unsuccessful tryouts.

The twelfth season of DCC: MAKING THE TEAM premiered on Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT on CMT. In the season opener, "Auditions Begin," hundreds of beautiful and talented women converge on AT&T Stadium to start the hardest audition process in professional sports, trying out for a coveted spot on the most famous NFL cheerleading squad in the world, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Season 13 of MAKING THE TEAM premiered on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT on CMT. The show's thirteenth season continues its annual look at the rigors of training camp on the path to become a member of the world's most elite squad. The coveted spots require hard work and commitment, and not everyone has what it takes to make the team. This season, returning vets battle for spots amongst a talented crop of rookies, including seasoned cheerleaders from the worlds of NFL, NBA and NHL; Miss America 2017 first runner-up; professional hip hop dancers and a former competitive ice skater. At the end of the day, their fate rests in the hands of DCC Director Kelli Finglass, who expects the best from these elite athletes. Head choreographer Judy Trammell and mentor/judge Melissa Rycroft return to mentor and train the 2018 rookie candidates. Rycroft also judges the Finals at AT&T Stadium, as the hopefuls compete against 23 returning DCC veterans. In the season opener, "The Road to World Class Begins," 400 nervous and excited ladies flock to AT&T Stadium to try out for the best cheerleading squad in the world.

DCC: MAKING THE TEAM returned for its fourteenth season on Friday, August 2, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT on CMT. Now working with such world class choreographers as Travis Wall and Tyce Diorio (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE), and choreographer to the stars Charm La'donna, the Training Camp Candidates must learn and perfect new choreography every episode. Plus, DANCING WITH THE STARS icons Cheryl Burke and Melissa Rycroft help judge auditions to select the best of the best. DCC's grand dames, Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell, return to oversee the intense summer of non-stop competition and to handpick a chosen few to receive the ultimate title of "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader." In the season opener, "First Impressions," 400 dancers from all over the country converge on AT&T Stadium to start the hardest audition process in the entertainment business to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Melissa Rycroft and Charm La'Donna are featured.

The eight-episode fifteenth season of DCC: MAKING THE TEAM premiered on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 10pm ET/PT on CMT, with a simulcast on MTV. Season 15 follows a group of hopefuls as they work their way through a rigorous training camp to vie for a highly-coveted spot on one of America's most iconic teams, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. In a first for the organization, the franchise conducted world-wide auditions virtually, resulting in one of the most diverse and talented casts to-date, and hosted DCC Summer Training Camp inside a "bubble," where hopefuls lived, trained and filmed together. With more auditions and contestants than ever before, the competition is stiff and the drama is sure to ensue as the candidates must perfect new technically-challenging routines each week to impress DCC Director of Cheerleading, Kelli Finglass, and DCC Head Choreographer, Judy Trammell. This season, former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Melissa Rycroft Strickland returns as a guest judge and mentor for the rookie hopefuls. Also returning (virtually) are world class choreographers Charm La'Donna, Travis Wall, and Evan Miller, plus special appearances by sportscaster/TV personality Erin Andrews and country star Mickey Guyton. In the season opener, "Like No Other," 21 of the best ever Rookie Candidates enter Training Camp in the DCC Bubble. They have a few days to become acclimated and impress Kelli and Judy before the veterans join to fight for their spots back. Erin Andrews is featured.
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Season 16 of DCC: MAKING THE TEAM premiered on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT on CMT. With more auditions and contestants than ever before, the competition is stiff and the pressure remains at an all-time high as the candidates work to perfect new technically-challenging routines to impress longtime coaches Kelli Finglass (Director of Cheerleading) and Judy Trammell (DCC Head Choreographer) to earn an esteemed spot on the field. Guest choreographers will be revealed at a later date. In the season opener, "Judge's Showcase," the team's largest and most talented training camp class must impress DCC judges with solos and field dances to stay in the running, as 52 hopefuls begin training and competing.