Ari From ‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Is Now Cheering for Another NFL Team

Netflix’s new docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders offers an inside look at the world of NFL cheerleading. The seven-episode series follows DCC vets and hopefuls from auditions to training camp to football season. 

Unfortunately, not every woman makes it through the team’s intense auditions process. Ari McClure moved to Dallas in the hopes of becoming a Cowboys cheerleader but ended up not being selected. However, she didn’t let that disappointment turn into a permanent setback – she’s since landed a spot cheering for another NFL team. 

Ari from ‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ was too short for to be a DCC

“I had always wanted to do Cowboys. That was my dream,” Ari explained in an episode of America’s Sweethearts. 

Her first attempt to make the squad wasn’t a success, but she didn’t give up. Ari doubled down on her efforts, spending a year training with a Cowboys cheerleader before auditioning again the next year. 

“I’ve tried my hardest, I’ve done my best. But we’ll see what happens,” she said.

Despite all her efforts, Ari ended up being one of the last women cut from the team. DCC director Kelli Finglass decided that although her “petite size was adorable,” she was just too short to be part of the famous DCC kickline. Ari was devastated, breaking down in tears as Finglass delivered the news that she had not been selected. 

Ari is now a Miami Dolphins cheerleader

Ari didn’t achieve her dream of becoming a DCC. But she bounced back and is now cheering for a different NFL team. She recently announced that she was now a Miami Dolphins cheerleader. 

“Watch me go from crying over an NFL cheer team to crying happy tears over an NFL cheer team,” she captioned a TikTok. 

“Justice for petite princesses,” she added.

In a comment on the post, Ari – who is a former Laker Girl – also revealed her height. She’s 5’2”. 

Ari’s height doesn’t automatically disqualify her from making the team, according to the DCC ​​website. 

“You should look well-proportioned in dancewear. We DO NOT have specific height and weight requirements,” the FAQ reads. 

However, in the show, those making the decision about who to cut wondered if they should institute a height requirement. Many supportive commenters on Ari’s social media pointed out that if her height really was a concern, the team should not have allowed her to advance so far in the audition process. 

Meanwhile, Ari is making it clear she has no regrets about where she ended up.

“I woke up this morning still trying to comprehend that this is really happening!” she wrote on Instagram on June 21. “The past 3 years have truly shown that God will move mountains to get you to where you’re meant to be and I’ve never felt more assured that this was His plan all along!” 

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix. 

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