- Dayton Bramhall, daughter of former DCC and current associate choreographer Shelly Bramhall, was cut from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for the fourth time in season three of the Netflix docuseries.
- A TikTok clip sparked controversy when a fan claimed Shelly said her “legacy is tainted” after Dayton’s rejection, prompting Shelly to clarify the comment was about how others perceive legacies.
- After four audition attempts between 2017 and 2026, Dayton contemplated retiring from trying out, while emphasizing her mother’s supportive nature despite how their relationship appears on screen.
Netflix just dropped a whole new season of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and the stakes are already incredibly high. Season 2 standout Dayton Bramhall took another chance on herself when she auditioned for the squad again in the show’s season 3. And despite her mom, Shelly Bramhall, being a former DCC and the squad’s current associate choreographer, Dayton was cut from the team for a fourth time.
In a TikTok clip posted on Tuesday, June 16, a fan criticized Shelly and alleged that she said her “legacy is tainted” after Dayton was, unfortunately, cut from DCC.
“Did anyone else hear her say that her legacy was tainted, or is it just me?” the fan asked in the clip before adding, “I mean, the whole situation is sad because she’s literally sitting on the sidelines bawling her eyes out, and she did not have good things to say [about Dayton].”
In response, Shelly wrote, “Lots of context left out and editing.…not her legacy. Prior to that statement I said it’s so hard for alums to sell the dream to their daughters because they are looked at through a different lens, it’s like being a legacy is tainted. and people don’t know the conversations that were had with me and Dayton about staying in Dallas and training for another year.”
She continued, “As go the baby comment: that had much to do with the conversations….yall don’t realize that there are over 30 years of relationships, birthday parties, weddings, couples trips. Our children grew up together….more than a job.”
Dayton tried out for DCC four times between 2017 and 2026, and in an essay she penned for Glamour after being cut last season, she claimed, “When I decided that I wanted to audition for the first time in 2017, I think everyone was shocked. I will say my heart was not in it 100%. I was doing it just for an experiment. I was not ready. I had no idea what I was doing. The first year of working for it and not getting it made me realize that I really did want to pursue it and try.”
Dayton also clarified how her relationship with her mom might look to America’s Sweethearts viewers versus their dynamic in real life.
“My mom was always supportive no matter what. It’s really frustrating because I think it comes across to other people as her being a helicopter parent or being very controlling,” she wrote at the time. “She wants what’s best for me, and I think she wants to step in and try to save me or try to fix things for me.”
Dayton admitted that this might be the last time she’s trying out for the squad. “I think I’m done,” she told friends after she was cut ahead of the intense training camp, which will continue to be documented on the Netflix docuseries.
