The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders got their start in 1960 as a group of co-ed high school cheerleaders. In 1972, to boost attendance, the squad was changed to a group of adult women who danced and wore revealing costumes. What sort of career prospects did dancing and showing skin open up for some of the women? Why, reality TV, of course, but also music videos, film acting and even an NBA scouting gig.
Let's take a look at 15 former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and what they are up to now.
Jasmine Goode
DCC 2012–2014Goode was a contestant on the 21st installment of The Bachelor, making it about halfway through the "journey" before Nick Viall sent her home. You might remember her for telling Viall she wanted to choke him — both out of anger and sexually. She has since gone on to appear on The Bachelor spin-off Bachelor in Paradise and is set to be a cast member in Bravo's upcoming Vanderpump Rules spin-off The Valley, which will document her budding real estate career.
Jenni Croft
DCC 2002–2004Season 11 of The Bachelor proved unique because Bachelor Brad Womack left two women heartbroken at the end of his journey. Former DCC Jenni Croft was one of them.
Dianna De La Garza signs a copy of her memoir, Falling with Wings: A Mother's Story.
Danny Gallagher
Dianna De La Garza
DCC 1982–1983De La Garza has several notable credits listed on her IMDB page. She was seen in the docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil and the documentary Unidentified With Demi Lovato. She also had an uncredited cameo in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock, starring Demi Lovato. She's Lovato's mother, by the way. We may have buried the lede on that one. De La Garza published a memoir, Falling With Wings: A Mother's Story, detailing her experience in this department in 2018.
Melissa Rycroft
DCC 2006–2007Not only did Rycroft appear on CMT's Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team, she also appeared on The Bachelor and then Dancing With The Stars. She was the final woman standing on The Bachelor before Jason Mesnick changed his mind and broke up with her for the runner-up. Rycroft went on to compete on DWTS twice and won her second season.
Starr Spangler
DCC 2005–2007During the 13th season of Amazing Race, Spangler competed alongside her brother and together they won the $1 million grand prize.
Brandi Redmond
DCC 2004–2005
Redmond was the fiery redhead on the Real Housewives of Dallas who loved making poop jokes any chance she got. She coined the phrase "Jesus juice" for wine and feuded with co-star LeeAnne Locken on the first season of RHOD. One of her opening credits catchphrases was, "I was a Cowboys cheerleader, but in Dallas, I'm never on the sidelines." The show was canceled after five seasons.
Kristin Holt
DCC 2000Who needs Kelly Clarkson when you have Kristin Holt, now Adams? She competed on the first season of American Idol and now has a successful YouTube channel with her husband, where they vlog about their family and lip-sync to popular songs.
Michelle Parma
DCC 1993–1994Parma appeared on the third season of MTV's Road Rules, where she and cast members trekked through Europe, running with the bulls in Spain and more. Sadly, in 2002, she died in a car accident while traveling from Dallas to Houston.
Erica Kiehl Jenkins
DCC 2007–2009After traveling the world with DCC's show group, Jenkins went on to do the same with Le Noir – The Dark Side of Cirque. She was also part of the Pussycat Dolls' traveling burlesque show before joining the revamped girl group of the same name. She has appeared in several films and TV shows, including a small part as a dancer in the 2014 Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy, a lead role in 2018's Madhouse Mecca and in a McDonald's ad and an ad for Depend. Jenkins says casting agents for movies and TV always ask her about being a Cowboys cheerleader. "People see it on my resume and they are very impressed by it," she tells us.
Jill Marie Jones
DCC 1993–1995After her time with the DCC, Jones spent one year as a Dallas Mavericks dancer before launching an impressive acting career. She is best known for her role as Toni on Girlfriends and has also appeared in American Horror Story, Ash vs. Evil Dead and, most recently, The Chi.
Lezlie Deane
DCC 1983Deane was a DCC for only a short time because she was fired after she says she intentionally kicked a choreographer in the face during a back handspring. She says she was tired of the choreographer telling her what to do, but she's since overcome the anger issues she dealt with in her 20s. After her stint as a DCC, she went on to compete in roller derby and coach her own team. Today, she's part of the band Scary Cherry and the Bang Bangs, who released their full-length album Girl in 2013 and have toured worldwide in the years since.
Abigail Klein
DCC 2007–2009Klein has shifted to acting since her time as a DCC; her first film role was a bridesmaid in the Adam Sandler movie That's My Boy. She's gone on to appear in TV shows such as Drop Dead Diva and American Housewife, the music video for "Lovin' You Is Fun and films such as Transformers: Age of Extinction and the Lifetime holiday film Christmas on Ice, where she had a leading role.
Sarah Shahi
DCC 1999Shahi has become a successful actress in Hollywood, having starred in Rush Hour 3, Chicago Fire, Fairly Legal, The L
Sarah Shahi's time as a DCC proved to be a great jumping off point for her acting career.
Thomas Attila Lewis at https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomdog, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bonnie-Jill Laflin
DCC 1996 Laflin's DCC swimsuit calendar cover caught the eye of Baywatch casting directors and landed her a role as a lifeguard named Tina on the show for four episodes. Then she was Dierks Bentley's sexy love interest in his music video for "Come A Little Closer."
From 2005 to 2012, she was a scout for the LA Lakers, making her the league's only female scout ever. She also doubled as assistant general manager of a Lakers Development League team and has been a sportscaster for Fox Sports and BBC Sports. Since October 2023, she has been the afternoon drive host for 98.7 The Spot in Dallas.
Laflin says she still stays in contact 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," she says. "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."
Lisa Ligon
DCC 1996–1998You might recognize Ligon from Brooks and Dunn's music video for "Play Something Country" or Trace Adkins' video for "Hot Mama," but she is also the founder of Purrfect Angelz, a group of female dancers, models and entertainers who perform at casinos, nightclubs and on military tours. Purrfect Angelz have appeared in Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" music video, performed for award shows and competed on America's Got Talent.
