Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders whose TV careers took off

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have been in the spotlight recently after Netflix released a seven-part documentary series about their audition process and personal lives. The show, “America’s Sweethearts” caused quite the outrage when fans learned that the girls earn next to nothing for a job that takes up all their free time and places a heavy toll on both their physical and mental wellbeing.

Every year, though, hundreds of women apply for the chance to be one of the renowned Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and most of them will tell you it’s all worth it for that experience. Cowboys chief brand officer and executive vice president Charlotte Jones explained in the series that dancing for the DCC is one of very few opportunities to dance “at an elite level”. And while most of the former women of the DCC who work part-time or full-time jobs during their time on the squad end up just doing those jobs full-time and dancing on the side when they leave the DCC, some have had their careers kickstarted by being a DCC member.

The possibilities are endless for an ex-DCC member

Reality TV stars

Several members of the DCC went on to be contestants on reality television shows. Many actually went on ABC’s “The Bachelor”.

Jenni Croft was a member of the DCC from 2002-2004 and went on to season 11 of “The Bachelor”. She definitely stood out, as she was one of the final two women for Bachelor Brad Womack to choose between, when he ended up choosing neither. Another former cheerleader, Melissa Rycroft (2006-2007) had a somewhat similar experience on “The Bachelor”. She was actually the woman that Bachelor Jason Mesnick chose, but then he later changed his mind, broke up with Melissa on live TV, and decided to get together with the runner-up instead. Rycroft later made an appearance on “Dancing With the Stars”.

Jasmine Goode was a DCC member from 2012-2014 and went on season 21 of “The Bachelor”, but was sent home by Nick Viall about halfway through the show. She later made an appearance on “Bachelor in Paradise” and then Bravo’s “The Valley”, where her career as a real estate agent was documented.

Brandi Redmond (DCC 2004-2005) appeared on “Real Housewives of Dallas” and became famous for coining the phrase “Jesus juice” for wine. Starr Spangler (DCC 2005-2007, and yes that’s her real name) competed on season 13 of “Amazing Race” with her brother and the two of them won $1 million on the show.

Dancing and acting careers

Dianna De La Garza was a DCC member in the 80s (1982-1983) and has since been in several films and series with her daughter, singer Demi Lovato as the subject: “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil”, “Unidentified With Demi Lovato”, and “Camp Rock”, featuring Demi Lovato.

Jill Marie Jones was a Cowboys cheerleader for two seasons from 1993-1995 and then went on to become a dancer for the Dallas Mavericks for a year. She then switched to acting, with appearances on “Girlfriends”, “American Horror Story”, “Ash vs Evil Dead”, and “The Chi”.

Abigail Klein (DCC 2007-2009) became an actress after her time with the Cowboys too, appearing in the Adam Sandler film “That’s My Boy” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, TV shows “Drop Dead Diva” and “American Housewife”, had the lead role in the Lifetime movie “Christmas on Ice”, and also appeared in the music video for “Lovin’ You is Fun” by Easton Corbin.

Lisa Ligon was a DCC member from 1996 to 1998 and then began dancing in some music videos for country artists Brooks and Dunn (“Play Something Country”) and Trace Adkins (“Hot Mama”). She also founded Purrfect Angelz, a group of female dancers who perform at night clubs, casinos, and military tours. Those dancers also performed in a Trace Adkins music video (“Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”), danced at awards shows, and competed on “America’s Got Talent”.

Sarah Shahi has said she only became a member of the DCC because she eventually wanted to become an actress. She definitely fulfilled that dream, becoming a successful Hollywood actress after just one season (1999) with the Cowboys. She starred in “Rush Hour 3″, “Chicago Fire”, “Fairly Legal”, “The L Word”, “Person of Interest”, “Black Adam”, and had the leading role in the Netflix series “Sex/Life”.

Erica Kiehl Jenkins (DCC 2007-2009) danced around the world with Le Noir - The Dark Side of Cirque and became a member of the Pussycat Dolls’ traveling burlesque group and musical group. She also had quite an acting career following her time with the DCC, appearing in “Love & Mercy” as a dancer, “Madhouse Mecca” with a lead role, and advertisements for Depend and McDonald’s.

Bonnie-Jill Laflin (DCC 1996) appeared on four episodes of “Baywatch” and played the love interest of country artist Dierks Bentley in his “Come a Little Closer” music video. Her career then took an even more interesting turn. From 2005 until 2012, Laflin was a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s only female scout. She was also an assistant general manager for the Lakers Development League. She’s been a broadcaster for Fox Sports and BBC Sports, and now works as a radio host for 98.7 The Spot in Dallas. She said she still keeps in touch with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his family.

“They’re always saying how much they love how I used the Cowboys Cheerleaders as a stepping stone to move on and do other things. I still always praise the Cowboys because they got me my first real public gig, and my fans still remember me as being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.”