One star from season one of Netflix’s series featuring the Cowboys Cheerleaders has moved on, but tensions between she and director Kelli Finglass remain.
DCC drama: “America’s Sweethearts” star Victoria Kalina opens up about rift with Kelli Finglass
Netflix premiered its hit series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” last summer, and it gave us an inside look at the trials and triumphs of the coveted DCC members.
Victoria Kalina was once a standout member of the squad and was one of the main personalities featured on season one of the show. Now, she’s moved on from the DCC after a bit of drama with director Kelli Finglass, and has spoken on their relationship and where they stand now.
“Not the advantage people think”: Kalina reflects on strained ties to Finglass
Kalina’s mother Tina cheered for the DCC back in the ‘80s on the same team as Finglass and is one of her best friends. Despite being a legacy, Kalina’s time with the squad wasn’t made any easier and in fact seemed even more challenging at times.
“I think some people think it’s an advantage. It would be different if my mom was just on the team at the same time as Kelli, or even just was a cheerleader and I was simply a legacy. But I think that added [part of], ‘No, your mom is best friends with her’ is the complication,” said Kalina.
“And I think people probably think that, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go over to Kelli’s house and be like, gimme the tea.’ But that’s definitely not the case. In fact, she’s trying to start from scratch with me, trying to push aside that personal relationship that we have. I feel like [she] gives me a cold shoulder so she wouldn’t ever play into that favoritism.”
In her fourth season with the DCC, Kalina felt pressure, emotional distance, and a lack of support from Finglass, which ultimately led her to the decision to hang up her boots for good rather than try for a fifth season.
During her tenure as a member of the DCC, Kalina was battling depression and an eating disorder. She was a member of the squad in 2019 and 2020, but took a year off to deal with her mental and physical health in 2021. When she returned in 2022, she found that she’d been set back a bit after missing a year. She stayed another year after that in 2023, which is the one we see in season one of “America’s Sweethearts”.
At the end of Netflix’s ‘America’s Sweethearts’ docuseries, the former cheerleader hung up her boots. Now Victoria Kalina is living in New York and she’s doing just fine. Here’s what she has to say about life now and what happened then on the team. https://t.co/jNTQn5QSPy
— The Cut (@TheCut) August 27, 2024
When it came time for the girls to decide whether or not to try out for another year, Kalina was told by Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell that they couldn’t see her as a leader on the squad.
“As a fifth year, you should be on cloud nine, knowing just how the tenure pyramid falls,” Kalina told Today.com. “Fifth year doesn’t necessarily have expected leadership qualities, but you’ve been there. You know the rules. You know the expectations that you can trickle down to the younger tenure girls. And so I was really excited to step into that role, potentially. When I knew that wasn’t just in play for me in their eyes, in the middle of the conversation, I wanted to say ‘no’ right then. But I never want to make a rash decision. I wanted to sit on it. I wanted to process it.”
After processing it, Kalina decided to leave the DCC behind and pursue being a Radio City Rockette in New York City. She moved to the Big Apple, but didn’t make the team right away. Still, she’s staying optimistic and actively training to audition again, teaching dance, and growing her social media presence.
“This year is a ‘not now’ for the Rockettes but I can’t wait to continue to push this next year and continue to see what other spectacular things unravel in this magical city,” Kalina said.
As for her relationship with Finglass now? Kalina has been publicly reserved but clearly frustrated. She hasn’t had much contact with Finglass since leaving the team and doesn’t expect to attend any DCC-related events in the near future.
“Before the show came out, I did go to Mexico because I was in her daughter’s wedding. That was the last big connection we’ve had. I can’t see myself wanting to attend a DCC event anytime soon.”
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