Kelli Finglass breaks silence on complicated DCC relationship with Shelly Bramhall
One of the most heartbreaking cuts of the new season of “America’s Sweethearts” was Dayton Bramhall, whose mother works with the Cowboys Cheerleaders.
The new season of Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” premiered on Wednesday. This season went even deeper, portraying lots of raw emotions - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell both noted that they get more emotional in the new season.
One of the most heartbreaking and emotional moments of the season was when they cut Dayton Bramhall. Dayton’s mother, Shelly Bramhall, was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader for five years in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and has been a part of the staff since then. Currently, she is an associate choreographer and event coordinator. That puts a lot more pressure on Dayton - and makes it a lot more painful for everyone involved to cut her loose.
After a tense auditions process, Finglass has revealed where she stands with the Shelly now.
Tensions between Kelli and Shelly
Dayton had tried out for the squad in 2019, when she was just 19 years old, but she didn’t make it onto the team. In season two of “America’s Sweethearts”, we see that she’s back to audition again for the 2024 DCC team.
.@Kelli_Finglass is not taking it easy on Dayton. Will she make the team? The journey continues Thursday on #DCCMakingTheTeam. pic.twitter.com/x2P0ovcerY
— CMT (@CMT) August 26, 2018
In one of the episodes, Kelli and Shelly are both asked individually if Dayton getting cut in 2019 impacted their relationship. Kelli responds no, saying that if it did, she didn’t realize it because Shelly remained professional. But Shelly had a completely different view.
“The night that Dayton was cut, I was kind of told I didn’t have to come to work that day, and I probably knew it in my gut that it was happening,” said Shelly. “And it bothered me that they couldn’t sit me down and tell me themselves. I had to find out from my child at 3 a.m. who was just driving around Dallas because she didn’t wanna come home.”
Shelly says that she hardly spoke to anyone at work for the next year, only interacting when necessary.
“That was hard because we were friends,” said Shelly, tearing up. “It wasn’t necessarily her not making it. I was way more hurt by Kelli and Judy. I probably could have handled it a lot differently if we had had a conversation.”
While Finglass expressed empathy for Shelly, she said that with situations in which there is a relationship with the parent of a girl auditioning, it can be “tricky to navigate.” But she defended her decision not to come to Shelly first before cutting Dayton in 2019.
“The relationship that we have with Shelly is personal and professional, and we’ve all stayed professional about it,” Kelli said in an interview with US. “We don’t call moms first on anybody auditioning. It’s a professional audition. There are HR considerations. We just wouldn’t. I heard Shelly say that and it makes sense to her, but it wouldn’t have been how I would’ve handled it.”
Unfortunately, they found themselves in the same situation in 2024. In the series, the internal battle is evident as Finglass and Trammell have to cut Dayton another time. But Kelli expressed pride in how far Dayton came and how hard she worked.
“In Dayton’s case, she came back, she tried hard and it was a competitive year and she wasn’t in the top 36, so we had to make that decision. It’s not easy to share that message,” Finglass said. “She made it to training camp and we would only hope for the best for her. Training camp is where she started getting a little overwhelmed, but she made it to training camp fair and square on her own. So I’m proud of her for that.”
Where Kelli and Shelly stand today
Finglass told PEOPLE that she and Judy still have a great relationship with both Shelly and Dayton today.
“You feel for your friends,” says Trammell. “I mean, Shelly’s definitely a good friend of ours besides a coworker, so we do feel for her and how she struggled with this.”
It looks like they may have unfortunately found themselves in the same situation a third time this summer though. Dayton auditioned again for the 2025 DCC squad and it looks like she didn’t make the cut. The DCC posted a photo to their Instagram of all the girls in training camp and Dayton is notably missing.
As several fans wrote messages expressing disappointment and support for Dayton, both she and her mother replied, saying that it’s time for Dayton to move on to better things.
“Thank you for being so sweet, Charlotte! It wasn’t in the cards for me, but I’m proud of how much I’ve grown,” Dayton wrote in reply to one commenter. “I feel it’s important to note I did EVERYTHING they asked of me and tried my absolute best to fit their mold. I’m not wanted there and I’m hoping this takes me to where I truly belong!”
“Dayton’s mom here…I don’t usually comment on any posts regarding her journey, but your words are kind. Her light is bright and will shine elsewhere! She’s beautiful, talented but more importantly, she has a soft, humble spirit. She took the advice to train and do all the things asked of her. She’s stronger for doing so, even if the results weren’t in her favor. God has something better for her, we will wait to see where He leads. 🤍”
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