Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kelcey Wetterberg reveals what it’s really like to perform at Thanksgiving games

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kelcey Wetterberg has given fans the inside scoop on the team’s Thanksgiving performance. 

The NFL has become a staple of Thanksgiving in America with the Cowboys suiting up on the holiday every year since 1966. 

And as the players prepare to postpone their Thanksgiving dinner to take to the field so do the franchise’s cheerleaders. 

This year is no exception with country music star Lainey Wilson set to lead the halftime entertainment at AT&T Stadium alongside the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders – who garnered even more fame and popularity this year after the success of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Wetterberg, one of the breakout stars of the series, has lifted the lid on what it’s really like to perform on the holiday. 

The squad begins working out their routine depending on when the Cowboys inform them which artist will be performance, which changes every year. 

Kelcey Wetterberg has given fans the inside scoop on the squad’s plans on the holiday 

‘It’s always kind of a wild performance because even up to the day before, it can change a ton,’ the former squad group leader told People, explaining that ‘they may change their music a little bit, which changes our choreography completely.’ 

She revealed that their performance had to change ‘a ton’ in 2022 when the Jonas Brothers headlined the show.

‘They day before when they came in and started seeing everything — I mean, these artists have such specific visions and we want to complete that, obviously — so when they come in and they wanna change things a bit, we just have to pivot and make it match exactly what they’re imagining,’ she explained. 

She added that while it’s ‘stressful’ the Thanksgiving day experience is ‘always so fun.’ 

The DCC are required to get to The Star, the Cowboys’ headquarters, in Frisco for 10am and spend the day there before the game, which likely ends around 8pm. Wetterberg revealed that she normally only makes it home at 9 or 9:30pm. 

The squad therefore put their Thanksgiving celebrations with family on hold for the day, with some waiting until after the game and others until Black Friday. 

But the cheerleaders do get to indulge in a feast, tucking into a Thanksgiving spread before the game. 

Last year, the cheerleaders performed alongside Dolly Parton, who donned her own uniform 

‘We have this huge feast at the stadium that’s actually really good,’ Wetterberg shared, revealing it includes all the trimmings – ‘pie, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes.’

‘We eat a ton before we dance because you’re dancing for four hours straight,’ Wetterberg added. ‘So that turkey and mashed potatoes, I mean, you burn it all right off.’ 

‘We’ll go around and talk about what we’re grateful for, just kind of sit in the moment and just be really grateful for where we’re at and who we’re surrounded by and just try to make the day special even though we’re not with family.

‘It’s really cool to sit there with your friends and take a step back from the busyness and just realize how lucky we really are.’