Written by Jay Betsill
Millions of loyal fans are well aware that the ninth season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is set for its Aug. 8 premier on CMT. However, a big reason for the show's vast popularity is that it crosses over so many different demographics and the marketing of the show is almost as vital as the product itself.
With the network's longest-running non-music series debut on the horizon, DCC director Kelli Finglass, choreographer Judy Trammell and DCC veterans Holly, Jacie, Kelsey, Sydney, Emma and Jennifer A. embarked a the press tour for the show in Los Angeles. The tour began following the ladies appearance at Dallas Cowboys training camp, located 60 miles north of Los Angeles when they arrived at their chic boutique hotel, the W, at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
Although their hotel was located on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, there was not a lot of time for sightseeing as they retreated to the gym to rehearse the routines they would be performing on national television. The girls were able to use the back corner of the gym that is normally used as the yoga area for their own personal dance studio to ensure that they were prepared for the next two days of television appearances.
The DCC ventured out into the impeccable Los Angeles weather the next day with their first stop being the CBS Studio Center for The Insider, where they taught host Keltie Knight how to do the iconic DCC kick line. Since Knight had previously been a Radio City Rockette, she was very familiar with the DCC dance style. The segment was filmed outside and they drew a large crowd, a rare occurrence no matter how big the celebrity, according to Knight.
"Los Angeles is just a whole other world than I am used to in Dallas. You see these warehouses and it turns out that it is the set of one of your favorite TV shows," said four-year veteran DCC Holly. "For example, when we were on The Insider, we performed on the set that was used for the park on Seinfeld."
Their next stop was the set of the nationally syndicated show Hollywood Today Live, which was located in the vicinity of the W, allowing the ladies a quick break at the hotel before their next television appearance. The one-hour show, which began its syndication in July on Fox-owned stations, features four hosts. The DCC did a player-intro line for the hosts to run through to begin the show, and they also performed multiple routines throughout the hour in addition to discussing the CMT show.
"The atmosphere of Hollywood Today Live was a lot of fun," said third-year DCC veteran Jacie. "It was very interactive with the crew and the hosts, and there was a wall-sized window with fans watching from outside. The whole set had a very pop culture feel to it."
After a several print interviews back at the hotel, the first day had come to an end with the next morning having a 4:50 a.m. call time for their appearance on the NFL Network's popular morning show, NFL AM. While they did perform routines in and out of the show's commercial breaks, the highlight for the cheerleaders was the Dallas Cowboys trivia challenge against the hosts. In the end, the DCC won 4-0 against the hosts known as Team NFL AM.
"The NFL Network experience was so amazing," Holly said. "We performed six times on the turf in the studio and we won the trivia challenge against the former players. When the show was over, they took our picture and put it on their Wall of Fame next to all of the NFL greats who ever been there. When you think about it, with the two worlds of the NFL and entertainment coming together, what more could you really ask for?"
