COWBOYS
What happened to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders who didn’t make the squad in Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts”? Where are they now?
The Netflix series showed the cutthroat process to become one of the renowned DCC, but some of the characters we grew to love didn’t make the cut.
In Netflix’s recent documentary series, “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”, we were introduced to the world of the famous Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. And it really is its own little world, even before making the team. The women who try out for the squad are pulled into that world quickly and intensely and must compete against hundreds of applicants to make it into the elite 36-woman squad.
The best of the best dancers show up and although some of them may have the talent, the looks, and the personality, sometimes there just simply isn’t enough space for all of them and cuts must be made. Throughout the series, we were introduced to some girls who we got to know, but who ended up not making it to the final 36. We’re happy to report that all of them have seen success in other parts of their lives. Here’s what they’re up to today after being eliminated from the DCC.
Charly Barby
Charly is from Livermore, California and got her degree in communications from Arizona State University. She moved to Dallas to try out for the DCC shortly after graduating. Charly has been practicing ballet since she was just two years old. She caught the judges’ attention as the sole redhead in the room and her incredible solo performance to Rise Up by Andra Day. She ended up being one of the last two girls to be cut from the squad, and probably would have made it had Charlotte Jones, chief brand officer of the DCC, allowed for a 37-woman squad like they had in the previous year.
But Charly remained in good spirits and is back in Dallas to try out again this year. She posted on Instagram on Wednesday that she is back in training camp with the DCC this year. She captioned the photo, “I cannot put into words how honored I am to be BACK IN TRAINING CAMP FOR THE DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS THIS YEAR!!!! This opportunity is unlike any other. Getting to be around these amazing women and dance with this organization is something I will never take lightly!!! I feel so lucky. It is an absolute honor to be in Training Camp for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!!! I cannot put into words how excited I am for this summer. Never underestimate the power of hard work & dedication. I love you with all of my heart @dccheerleaders!!!”
Since last year, she’s continued dancing, posting some of her ballet routines on social media. In the show, we saw her develop a close relationship with fellow rookie candidate Reece Allman, who did make the squad and the two have remained close, as she attended her wedding in April. Time will tell if the two will be reunited as part of the 2024-25 DCC squad.
Anisha Kurukulasuriya
Anisha was the only DCC candidate of Indian descent and stood out to the judges with her Bollywood solo performance. After making it to the 10-day training camp, she unfortunately injured her ankle during a practice and ended up being cut just after. That didn’t stop her from dancing though.
Anisha has already lived the life of a sports team dancer. Before trying out for the DCC, she was a part of the Golden State Warriors dance team and the San Francisco 49ers cheerleading squad. She now lives in Los Angeles, California and is a professional dancer, specializing in and teaching Bollyfusion.
In the series, we also got a look into her professional life outside of dance. Anisha got her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of South California before studying dentistry at the University of California in San Francisco. She did her Orthodontics residency at the University of Southern California and graduated in 2022. She is now a full-time orthodontist in addition to her career in dance.
She is married to and lives with her husband Rohan Sebastian, who is also an athlete as well as a physician. He was captain of the Irish gymnastics team at the London Open and won two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal in the Northern European Gymnastics Championships.
Ari McClure
Ari came back for DCC tryouts for the second year in a row after failing to make the squad the year before. She even moved all the way from California for the opportunity. Along with Charly, Ari ended up being one of the last two women cut during the final round of auditions. And it was partly due to her height. Although the DCC website lists that there are no height requirements, Charlotte Jones found her stature to be a problem as she didn’t fit in with the other women.
During the show, we learn that Ari is not only a professional dancer, but also a medical device salesperson for Profound Medical Inc, specializing in a device called Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation of the Prostate, which helps men with prostate cancer. According to her LinkedIn profile, she is now working as an account executive for Hoop5 Networks.
And though she didn’t make it on the DCC squad, Ari is no stranger to dance and her talent and experience as a Lakers dancer would not go unnoticed by another NFL squad. Ari announced on her Instagram on Saturday that she will be cheering for the Miami Dolphins starting this NFL season.
Kelly Villares
From Weehawken, New Jersey, Kelly began dancing at the young age of three, exploring a wide range of styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, tap, musical theater, and even acrobatics. She took off as an incredible dancer from there, winning the national championship with her team in the jazz category of the UDA High School Nationals. She then joined the Rutgers University Dance Team and cheerleading squad, continuing to win dance awards and leadership awards throughout her college career.
Kelly explained on the show that becoming part of the DCC was a dream of hers from the time she was a little girl. Her parents explained that they postponed their divorce until after she grew up so that they could continue to support her in her dreams.
After moving all the way to Dallas and changing her hair color from blonde to brown as part of the DCC makeover, Kelly unfortunately got cut from the squad. Director Kelli Finglass gave her some advice to improve and Kelly took it to heart.
She announced on her Instagram on Wednesday that she has returned to tryouts for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading team of 2024-25. She captioned the photo, “Words cannot describe how blessed and grateful I am to be back in Training Camp for the 2024 season! I am so thankful for this journey and for the opportunity to reach my dreams.” She, like Charly, became close friends with Reece during the auditions from 2023 and will hope to join her and Charly in the 2024 squad.