Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader hopeful Dayton Bramhall was left in tears after failing to make the 2026 squad, and her mother, Shelly Bramhall — an associate choreographer for the organization — didn’t hold back her thoughts on the decision.
The 2026 cut marked Dayton’s fifth unsuccessful audition for the DCC after previously trying out in 2017, 2018, 2024 and 2025. For Shelly, who cheered for the Cowboys in 1989 and is close friends with members of the organization’s leadership, the decision was especially difficult to accept.
Cameras captured Shelly breaking down in sobs after Dayton didn’t progress to training camp in season 3 of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
“I’m not okay,” she said. “She did everything they asked her to do. You take strangers that you don’t know and you can’t even give someone you held in the hospital a chance.”
DCC director Kelli Finglass, a longtime friend of the Bramhall family, admitted that the dynamic with Dayton’s audition was “complicated,” but maintained that the “judges were consistent” throughout the process.
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“I can sleep at night because I know that we gave her every opportunity, and she did herself too,” Finglass continued. “She’s worked hard. It’s just sad that it didn’t work out.”
Judy Trammell, the team’s head choreographer, also found the situation difficult.
“Dayton’s situation has probably been one of the hardest things in my career,” she told cameras. “I would not have wanted Dayton to have had to go through another training camp and be cut again. I think that letting her go at finals was probably the best thing for her.”
Toward the end of the episode, Dayton spoke with Finglass’ daughter, Samantha, and told her she likely wouldn’t be back to try out again.
“I think I’m done,” she said.
This story Dayton Bramhall’s Mom Breaks Down After Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Hopeful Gets Cut for Fifth Time first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.