‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders’ EP Greg Whiteley Says Filming Season 2 Inspired Him To Be A “Better Leader”

Netflix knows that everything’s bigger in Texas, which is why viewers have so much to look forward to in Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders! Last night at Halo in NYC, the streamer held a special FYC event for the sports docuseries. The latest installment will follow the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders from auditions to training camp and through the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024-2025 season, which NFL fans know was less than stellar.

Creator/director/EP Greg Whiteley, DCC Senior Director Kelli Finglass, DCC Head Choreographer Judy Trammell, and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Reece Weaver and Anna Kate Sundvold sat with Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall to talk about the impact of the series, navigating new levels of fame, and what it means to be part of the organization.

“I’ve always had to defend what a cheerleader was, and now I don’t have to anymore,” said Finglass during the panel. Thanks to Netflix, Finglass noted the world gets to see how “impressive” her girls are, on and off the field. “We are proud of their performances, but I’m proudest of how relatable and vulnerable and beautiful they are.” Trammell added how much “respect” she has for the squad. “Watching the show has given Kelly and me a new lens to see even more of what they go through every day,” said Trammell. “It is hard work, but it is so fulfilling, and they do it with such grace.”

Whiteley also revealed that his team was “at home editing the last episode of this series.” He admitted that “Season 2’s are tricky.” In the first season of a show, Whiteley noted, you “get to introduce the world, or reintroduce the world to an entity you’re assuming that people don’t really know the ins and outs of.” Luckily, for the second installment of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Whiteley explained that his job was easy because he had “36 incredibly interesting women, [along with] Kelli and Judy, who never stop being interesting.” “I was pleasantly pleased with the number of storylines,” continued Whiteley. “I feel we could go on forever telling the story of this team.”

Photo: Netflix

Towards the end of the panel, Whiteley divulged that the second season of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders will drop June 18 on Netflix. When pressed for details, simply said: “Anybody that follows football knows that the Cowboys did not have a great year on the football field. Spoiler alert, they did not win the Super Bowl. I’m not sure they even won a single home game.”

Whitely implied that the team’s lackluster season put even more pressure on the cheerleading squad, explaining: “When things are not going well, they feel the pressure to somehow make this event worthwhile for the people that have paid hard earned dollars to come to the game.” Whiteley went on: “It was interesting to see Kelly, Judy and the squad take on that burden and take it seriously.”

Whiteley also shared the impact that the cheerleading team has had on him. “I’m sort of the leader of the film crew,” said Whiteley. “I could learn a lot from the way that these women lead each other.” He noted that “sometimes, there would be somebody that would let the team down” and he watched how the women could retain their “very, very high standard of excellence, but still be compassionate when that happened.” He added that filming Season 2 made him want to be “a better leader” because of what he saw.

After the panel was over, 13 of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders came out to perform their iconic “Thunderstruck” number. There was truly no better way to celebrate the incredible women behind America’s Team.