The Most Scandalous, Shocking and Surprising Moments Seen in “America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”
The Most Scandalous, Shocking and Surprising Moments Seen in “America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”
Caroline BlairSat, June 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM UTC
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Chandi Dayle in 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders'; Faith WardCredit: Courtesy of Netflix; Faith Ward/Instagram -
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has not shied away from addressing various controversies over the last three seasons
Season 3, which aired June 16, follows the group of recruits during the 2025-26 NFL season
From fighting for higher wages to team members breaking rules, the Netflix series has highlighted several recent challenges the team has faced
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have put their lives on display for the last few years on the docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
The hit Netflix series, which released its third season on June 16, follows the elite squad of cheerleaders as they audition, train and navigate the intense scrutiny from both the public and their directors.
While the series showcases the ups and downs of all of the cheerleaders during the 2025-26 NFL season, it also highlights how their lives have changed since the series premiered in 2024.
In addition to the rigorous tryouts and training sessions all the women have to go through, they also have to adhere to a strict set of rules that have been in place since the 1970s. For some past squad members, they have either been suspended or had to leave because of some of those rules, which have resulted in various controversies and shocking moments over the years
Ahead, revisit four shocking moments and controversies seen in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Chandi's Bahamas scandal
Chandi in 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
During a team trip to the Bahamas featured in season 2 of the Netflix series, the tight-knit group was shaken when sixth-year veteran and group leader Chandi Dayle took time off for breaking a significant DCC rule.
After the group returned from the trip, fifth-year veteran Jada Mclean revealed that Dayle told an unknown man about where the group was staying. McLean said that some of the team members were "worried for their safety" after Dayle "brought somebody into the room that no one had known."
"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 a naive way," Mclean said. "She wasn't thinking about that at all. She was kind of thinking about what she needed at the time."
Meanwhile, Dayle later shared her rationale and explained that she wanted to confide in someone about personal issues she was experiencing and related to the man because of "similar things that have happened in our past." She further maintained that nothing sexual happened between them.
"I was just kind of crumbling down and I was like, 'Dang, I feel like I have no one here to talk to, so it's nice to have someone to confide in," she said. "I broke a DCC rule and had time with my friend."
She added, "It was probably the wrong place and time to do that, but selfishly, I had to do it for me because I feel like I was just losing it."
Following the mixed reactions from her team members, Dayle took a "leave of absence," as DCC head choreographer Judy Trammell said at the time. Trammell later told DCC director Kelli Finglass that Dayle was taking some time off for her "mental health."
Although Dayle eventually returned — with fewer responsibilities — and was "so happy" she was a regular team member, she announced that she was retiring from DCC after the 2024-25 season.
"My twenties is where I'm supposed to learn a lot, I'm supposed to go experience different things, and now I can kind of start doing that," she said in a confessional.
KayDianna's suspension
KayDianna Garza in 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Fourth-year veteran KayDianna Garza stepped up as the first leader when Dayle took a break from the team in season 2, but her time in the position was short-lived.
In the midst of the post-Bahamas drama, Garza addressed the ordeal when someone asked her what happened during her TikTok Live. Garza responded by saying that she would "make a video on that one day" and "talk about the whole thing."
Amid the show's skyrocketing popularity, Garza's comments quickly blew up on social media, and she was suspended and "under investigation for being a bully and harassing." While Garza was serving her suspension, she ultimately chose to leave for good.
"I just told myself that I needed to take myself out of the organization and that I needed to respect myself," Garza said, while later adding that she "didn't feel supported" in the role.
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Finglass reiterated Garza's sentiment and explained, "It ultimately became KayDianna's choice. We had one conversation of honest feedback, and I think, maybe she didn't like that conversation. It was her choice, and it was sudden."
Garza officially announced that she had quit the team in April 2025.
"Though this door has closed, I trust fully in god's plan and the new doors he is preparing to open," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "I do not view this as a setback, but as a divine setup for what's next. He is not finished with me yet, and I am stepping forward with expectation and joy for all he has in store."
The squad's years-long fight for increased pay
'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders'Credit: Netflix
When the first season of America's Sweethearts aired, viewers were shocked to hear that the cheerleaders were earning around minimum wage. Many of them were also working two to three jobs to make up for the wage gap.
At one point, the cheerleaders were making around $15 to $20 per hour, which amounted to approximately $75,000, according to NBC Sports. Meanwhile, other NFL cheerleaders earned an average yearly salary of $22,500.
However, during the second season of the show, several of the team veterans fought for higher compensation. The show followed the women as they negotiated their contracts for the 2024-25 football year, but they received the "heartbreaking" news that they were not granted a pay increase.
Luckily, the women were successful towards the end of the season when they were given a 400% increase in pay for the 2025-26 season.
"We had a lot of discussions I know with the leaders and within the team on just how we wanted to go about that, and I feel like the show represented that very well, and we actually come to a resolution at the end of the show too," Mclean previously told PEOPLE.
Mclean added that "there's always room for growth," and she hopes that further changes can be made to meet the demands of DCC dancers.
Faith Ward's tradition-breaking ponytail
Faith WardCredit: Faith Ward/Instagram
Over the years, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have stood out from other teams for their rigid rules and attention to detail, which includes strict protocols on hair, makeup and physical appearance. Among other rules, the DCC guidelines state that the hair must be flowing — even during rehearsals. The style is intended not only to make the cheerleaders stand out from other franchises but also to complement their choreography.
"Now it's about the girls being as glamorous as they can," Finglass explained to PEOPLE in 2016. "They all wear their hair down — even in rehearsal."
However, Faith Ward stunned the DCC community when she broke tradition and styled her hair in a slicked-back ponytail as opposed to the team's signature voluminous curly blowouts. The hairstyle quickly garnered attention on social media, with people questioning why she got to break the rule.
"It's crazy because obviously the DCC hairstyle is out, fluffy, voluminous, luscious, long locks. I've broken that stereotype," Ward told ABC Perth during an interview in July 2025.
Ward explained that Finglass was watching her rehearse and thought it would be interesting to see her hair in a ponytail after Ward struggled to dance with her hair down.
"I put it up for her and she really liked the way it danced which was really cool because I was super excited about that," she said.
Ward admitted that she was shocked by Finglass' response and found it "so exciting" she got to wear her blonde locks in a slicked-back ponytail.
While Ward is the first and only DCC to have the nod of approval to pull her hair back, she isn't the only person who's been exempt from a hair rule. Cheerleader Ava Lahey was given special permission to wear her hair straight down after her hair struggled to hold the curls and ended up looking "really stringy."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
