The America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders stars are clearing the air about where they stand with sixth-year veteran Chandi Dayle.
This post has spoilers for America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders season 2.
At the end of season 2 of the Netflix docuseries, Chandi, 27, took a leave of absence from the cheer team following the squad’s Bahamas retreat.
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“DCC has taught me a lot about myself, and a lot about life, and I’m ready to move on,” Chandi said, noting that she was “excited to get out of that environment and actually be calm.”
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“To other people, it came off as, ‘Oh my gosh, you put me in danger,’ or ‘You weren’t worried about my safety.’ But I don’t think she thought of that in an almost just naive way,” Jada McLean said in a confessional. “She wasn’t thinking about that. She was thinking about what she needed at the time.”
Despite the onscreen tension, Chandi’s fellow DCC stars don’t hold a grudge against her. (Chandi retired at the end of the 2024-2025 NFL season.)
“She’s a sweet soul, and of course, we will stay in touch with her,” team director Kelli Finglass recently told Bustle. “She’ll be a part of our alumni association, and she has been a big part of the last six seasons.”
Jada, 25, also spoke to the outlet about her friendship with Chandi nearly a year later. (Season 2 begins during team auditions, which were held in summer 2024.)
“The sisterhood is so strong, and people don’t always realize that, but nothing really changed,” Jada told Bustle. “I mean, yes, there was a small situation, but we still text regularly. We still had our bus rides the rest of the season.”
She continued, “Our love for her didn’t change just because of the situation. And I think that’s a testament to this team and the women that we are. We don’t let things like that create a divide between us.”
Kelli, 60, and head choreographer Judy Trammel also spoke to Us Weekly about supporting and mentoring the DCC dancers no matter what.
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“I’m more emotional because we’ve got some real high-stakes decisions that we’re making,” Kelli exclusively told Us about showing a softer side in season 2. “The only thing I’d say that I observed about myself in season 1 was the need that the cheerleaders have for positive and constructive feedback. I tried to do a better job of that in season 2 of having really, really honest conversations and timely conversations.”
Judy, 67, for her part, told Us that she wanted to coach the team to “feel good about themselves” and to “feel comfortable with their experience.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is currently streaming on Netflix.
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