Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Jenni Croft says the current audition process is “pretty similar” to what it was back in 2002.
“I was [a] Wichita State University cheerleader and my cheer coach at the time was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go down to Dallas and try out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,’” Croft, 44, recalled on the Wednesday, July 24, episode of the “Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast. “I was like, ‘You’re not going out without me! That’s for sure.’”
She continued, “We had literally put in our application, and at that time, there wasn’t [a video submission requirement]. 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.”
Croft, who finished in second place on Brad Womack’s season 11 of The Bachelor, first auditioned for the team in 2002. She returned to the squad in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The audition process for Croft was “so intimidating” because other contestants were “beautiful” and dressed “to the nines.” The first round consisted of a two-minute improvised sequence to a randomly selected song for two minutes. If selected, girls moved on to the next round, where a DCC choreographer taught them a routine.
“You learn the kickline and more choreography, and you do an interview,” Croft recalled. “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.”
After passing the “serious” exam, Croft and her fellow rookies moved on to training camp.
“It’s pretty similar to how it is now,” she said. “It was, I’d say, tough, but it was awesome. … I went through all of that [and] I made the top 36 or 38.”
Croft, who still attends DCC alumni events, further noted that her audition process featured a makeover day, where director Kelli Finglass gave her a Tiffani Thiessen–inspired dark ‘do to match her green eyes.
“Kelli has a really great eye to look at you and say, ‘I like her hair how it is’ or ‘I really think her hair would pop more if she was darker,’” Croft said. “She had a really good eye for it and I trusted [her]. Like, ‘Whatever you want, I’m in!’”
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The DCC’s current audition process was chronicled on CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team between 2006 to 2021. A Netflix docuseries released earlier this month, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, picked up the journey for the 2023-2024 squad.
According to both reality TV shows, teams are chosen based on rounds for an audition tape video submission, an in-person solo performance for a group of judges and then training camp, which also features a makeover day. There are various cuts along the way to whittle the DCC count to 36 women in total.
“I love that the new Netflix show really shows how the girls are feeling, the stress [and] the things they’re doing outside of it, how smart some of these girls are,” Croft gushed. “Like, I cheered with a lady — and I say lady because I was 22 and she was 44 — and she was an attorney and had three kids. Just incredible, incredible women.”
